Gambia Colony and Protectorate
Gambia Colony and Protectorate | |||||||
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1816–1965 | |||||||
Gambian | |||||||
Government | Crown colony | ||||||
Monarch | |||||||
• 1816–1820 | George III (first) | ||||||
• 1952–1965 | Elizabeth II (last) | ||||||
Governor | |||||||
• 1816–1829 | Alexander Grant | ||||||
• 1962–1965 | Sir John Paul (last) | ||||||
Prime Minister | |||||||
• 1962–1965 | Dawda Jawara | ||||||
Legislature | Legislative Council (1844–1866; 1880–1960) House of Representatives (1960–1965) | ||||||
Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||||
• Establishment | 17 October 1816 | ||||||
• Independence as The Gambia | 18 February 1965 | ||||||
Currency | Pound sterling (to 1912) British West African pound (1912–65) | ||||||
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Today part of | Gambia |
History of the Gambia |
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Chronological |
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Gambia portal |
The Gambia Colony and Protectorate was the British colonial administration of The Gambia from 1821 to 1965, part of the British Empire in the New Imperialism era. The colony was the immediate area surrounding Bathurst (now Banjul), and the protectorate was the inland territory situated around the Gambia River, which was declared in 1894.
History
The foundation of the colony was
The boundaries of the territory were an issue of contention between the British and French authorities due to the proximity to
France and Britain agreed in 1889 in principle to set the boundary at 10 km (6.2 miles) north and south of the river and east to
The colony ended in 1965 when
Economy
The economy of The Gambia, like other African countries at the time, was very heavily oriented towards agriculture. Reliance on the
Attempts were made to increase production of other goods for export: the Gambian Poultry Scheme pioneered by the
Transport
The River Gambia was the principal route of navigation and transport inland, with a port at Bathurst. The road network was mainly concentrated around Bathurst, with the remaining areas largely connected by dirt roads.
The only airport was at
Government structure
During the later colonial period, especially in post-1901, The Gambia began to have a more developed colonial government. Roles in the government, though taken by white British officials, included examples such as the Attorney General, the Senior Medical Officer, the Controller of Customs, the Receiver General, and the Director of Public Works.
The colony was governed by the Executive Council primarily, but legislation came from the Legislative Council.
In 1919 the colony was hit by a scandal when it became known that Travelling Commission J K McCallum had passed his colonial administrative authority over to his common-law wife, Fatou Khan, who was an illiterate Wolof woman.[9]
Independence
In anticipation of independence, efforts were made to create internal self-government. The 1960 Constitution created a partly elected
The Constitutional Conference paved the way for a new constitution that granted a greater degree of self-government and a House of Representatives with more elected members. Elections were held in
Following agreements between the
See also
References
- ^ "Hansard HC Deb 18 August 1887, vol 319, cols 944–955". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 18 August 1887.
- ^ Thomas Pakenham (1991), The Scramble for Africa. London: Abacus. p. 675
- ^ Atlas Obscura
- ^ The Gambia Independence Act 1964, c. 93
- ^ "Hansard HC Deb 25 March 1959, vol 602, cols 1405–1458". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 March 1959.
- ^ "Hansard HC Deb 13 March 1951, vol 485, cols 1317–1375". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 13 March 1951.
- ^ "Yundum". Britannica Online encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Hansard HC Deb 29 January 1947, vol 432, cols 202". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 29 January 1947.
- ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5, retrieved 16 January 2021
- ^ "History of the Independence Movement". Gambia Information Site. 10 August 2012.
External links