The Gambia

Coordinates: 13°28′N 16°34′W / 13.467°N 16.567°W / 13.467; -16.567

The Gambia (ⁱ/ˈɡæmbiə/, officially the Republic of the Gambia and often called simply Gambia) is a country in West Africa mostly surrounded by Senegal with a short strip of its coastline bordered with the Atlantic Ocean at its western end. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa.

The Gambia is situated on either side of the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flows through the centre of the Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Its area is 10,689 square kilometres (4,127 sq mi) with a population of 1,882,450 at the 15 April 2013 Census (provisional). Banjul is the Gambian capital, and the largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.

The Gambia shares historical roots with many other West African nations in the slave trade, which was the key factor in the placing and keeping of a colony on the Gambia River, first by the Portuguese, during which era it was A Gâmbia, and later, on 25 May 1765, the Gambia was made a part of the British colony when the government formally assumed control, establishing the Province of Senegambia. On 18 February 1965, the Gambia gained independence from the United Kingdom. Since gaining independence, the Gambia has had two leaders – Dawda Jawara, who ruled from 1970 until 1994, when the current leader Yahya Jammeh seized power in a coup as a young army officer.

Gambia River

The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running 1,130 kilometres (700 mi) from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and the Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable for about half that length.

The river is strongly associated with the Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, which consists of little more than the downstream half of the river and its two banks.

From the Fouta Djallon, the river runs northwest into the Tambacounda Region of Senegal, where it flows through the Parc National du Niokolo Koba, then is joined by the Nieri Ko and Koulountou before entering the Gambia at Fatoto. At this point the river runs generally west, but in a meandering course with a number of oxbows, and about 100km from its mouth it gradually widens, to over 10km wide where it meets the sea.

Near the mouth of the river, near Juffure, is Kunta Kinteh Island, a place used in the slave trade which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Colony

In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state, distinct from the home territory of the sovereign. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception.

The Metropolitan state is the state that owns the colony. In Ancient Greece, the city that founded a colony was known as the metropolis. "Mother country" is a reference to the metropolitan state from the point of view of citizens who live in its colony. There is a United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Unlike a puppet state or satellite state, a colony has no independent international representation, and its top-level administration is under direct control of the metropolitan state.

The term informal colony is used by some historians to refer to a country under the de facto control of another state, although this term is often contentious.

Colony (restaurant)

Colony, or Colony Bar and Grill is a restaurant, bar and grill located at 7-9 Paddington Street, Marylebone, Central London, England. It opened in early April 2010 and was run by restaurateur Carlo Spetale and the Michelin-starred executive chef Atul Kochhar.

Atul Kocchar announced he was leaving the business in June 2011 to focus on other interests. The split was described as amicable.

The cuisine of the restaurant is inspired by that of the British colonies from colonial Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean etc. but is mainly inspired by Indian street food, specifically "the marinades, aromatic flavours and grilling methods" of the street traders of colonial Asia. The General Manager of the restaurant is John Lacombe, formerly of The Connaught Hotel, 5th Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols and Notting Hill Brasserie amongst others. Lacombe is also responsible for the winery of the restaurant. It has a reputable cocktail lounge.

Reception

The restaurant has received mixed reviews. Zoe Williams of The Daily Telegraph was highly praising and described the restaurant as "I think this is what heaven will look like – complete with a barman making you feel it would be almost rude not to have a martini. " Williams was content with her meal and remarked that the "pancakes were made of chickpea flour (the chickpeas’ main contribution was a lovely, rich density, with only the whiff of their flavour), packed with spinach, in a tomato and cream sauce".

Colony (biology)

In biology, a colony is composed of two or more conspecific individuals living in close association with, or connected to, one another, usually for mutual benefit such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey. In contrast, a solitary organism is one in which all individuals live independently and have all of the functions needed to survive and reproduce.

Colonies, in the context of development, may be composed of two or more unitary (or solitary) organisms or be modular organisms. Unitary organisms have determinate development (set life stages) from zygote to adult form and individuals or groups of individuals (colonies) are visually distinct. Modular organisms have indeterminate growth forms (life stages not set) through repeated iteration of genetically identical modules (or individuals), and it can be difficult to distinguish between the colony as a whole and the modules within. In the latter case, modules may have specific functions within the colony as a whole.