The Gambia River in West Africa • The Gambia River in West Africa

The Gambia River in West Africa. Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features the western African coast where the Gambia, Casamance, and Saloum Rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean.

The Gambia River spans about 700 miles, flowing from the Republic of Guinea through The Gambia. The river supports commercial fisheries and agriculture, and is a major trade and transportation route.

The dark green coloration that is visible on the riverbanks and in the estuaries represents mangroves. These forests protect the coast from flooding and erosion.

The image was captured on April 6, 2020 by an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS). West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, as well as the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The population of West Africa is estimated at about 381 million people as of 2018, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 are female and 192,309,000 male.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

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