The first dated references to Gambia were from the 9th century, its origins forming part of the Ghanianan empire, as well as the Songhai empire. From that time up to the present day, Gambia has been a country that has experienced many different rulers, in its journey through the eras.

The arabians were the first to make reference to settlement in this zone, around about the 9th century AD, from which point the area gained a certain significance in its dealings in ivory, gold and the slave trade. Around the 15th century it was the Portuguese who established settlements in the region, setting up trade routes in order to exploit the increasing commercial activity in the area. In the 16th century a group of settlers called the 'Fornasencs' also settled in the zone, and although their stay was short-lived, their native 'Fornasenc' language is till spoken by some in Gambia to this day.

Towards the end of the 16th century the Portuguese sold their rights to the land to the English, who then proceeded to establish Gambia as a separate colony in Subsaharan Africa. The English established trade routes along the River Gambia, to take advantage of the ever-rising commerce in the area.

At the end of the 17th century the zone became a constant area of conflict with battles between the English and the French, in an effort to control the lucrative trade routes as well as neighbouring countries such as Senegal. After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, the River Gambia was given total British control and the slave trade began to grow into a lucrative activity, until its abolition in the 19th century.

It was during this period that the British built a military base on the Gambian coast, in the settlement that is today called Banjul. During the 20th century an anti-colonial presence began to be recognised, looking for a liberation of their country, a dream that became reality in 1965.

From then on, Gambia became a presedential republic, and began to build its independent economy, with trade in nuts, tourism and all commerce connected to the River Gambia contributing to this aim. Furthermore in the 1970's, Gambia signed a trade agreement with Senegal which united them together as one commercial entity.

Nowadays, Gambia is a stable country which has exportations and tourism as the principle drives behind its economic development. The country is currently divided into 5 areas or provinces, all of them around the River Gambia, called Lower River, Central River, Upper River and the North and Western Banks.