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Senegal and The Gambia are two countries in West Africa that have a history of enduring the harsh rule European colonialism, specifically from Britain and France. The modern-day boundaries of The Gambia were formed during negotiations between the French and British colonizers, where the French allowed Britain to control approximately 16 miles north and south of the Gambia River. This agreement is why the country is completely surrounded by the former French colony, Senegal.
Because of the separated history, and lack of local infrastructure, travel between the two separated parts of Senegal was difficult, resulting in the need to go around the entire country of The Gambia to get from the norther section of Senegal to the southern section (a region called Casamance). A bridge called the Senegambia Bridge was opened in 2019 to help ease trade and transit for both countries.
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
The bridge reduced the drive from Senegal’s capital city to the southern district from a full day to 5 hours
Before the Senegambia bridge, driving from Senegal’s capital Dakar, located in the northern part of the country, to Ziguinchor, the largest city in the separated southern part would be an all-day affair, travelling around The Gambia because no transport route through the country existed (see the red dotted line in the map above). After construction of the bridge this journey was reduced to just 5 hours.
One of Africa’s worst maritime disasters occured on a ferry route in Senegal years before the constricution of the Senegambia Bridge
Before the bridge was constructed, people and businesses would have to make the decision to drive across uneven roads around The Gambia, or take a boat in the Atlantic Ocean around the country from the other side. Unfortunately this can be an extremely dangerous route, as seen by the sinking of the Joola, a boat travelling from Dakar to Ziguinchor.
In 2002, the ferry tragically sank in a violent storm off the Coast of The Gambia in route to the southern part of Senegal with more than 2,000 people on-board – more than 4 times it designed capacity. It is considered the second-worst non-military maritime disaster ever. For good reason, the Senegambia Bridge is seen by many in Senegal as a safer alternative than sea travel.
Prior to the bridge opening, fares to use ferries to cross the Gambia River were a source of conflict between the two countries
After the construction of the bridge, there was reportedly disagreements between how the fares from its use would be split between two Gambian government agencies – one that runs the ferries and one that operates roads. Back in 2016 before the bridge was opened it is reported that the Gambian government (the agency operating ferries) increased their fares by 100x from about US$7 to US$700, causing Senegalese truck drivers to initiate a blockade of the road & goods flowing into The Gambia.
Additional links and sources
- Article published after the opening of the bridge, and source for the featured map (link, published in 2019)
- Background information on the Joola sinking (link, published in 2012)
- Information on the the conflict in the Gambian government over usage fares of the bridge (link, published in 2019)
- Article about the increased ferry tax levied by the Government of The Gambia (link, published in 2016)
Have you travelled to The Gambia and Senegal before and used this bridge?
See other places around the world Globe Charting has featured!
Including another (proposed) bridge in Africa in Kinshasa & Brazzaville!
