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The Gambia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–1970 | |||||||||
| Motto: "Progression, Peace, Progress" | |||||||||
| Anthem: For The Gambia Our Homeland | |||||||||
 Location of the Gambia (red) in Western Africa | |||||||||
| Capital | Bathurst | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentaryconstitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
• 1965–1970 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1965–1966 | Sir John Paul | ||||||||
• 1966–1970 | Sir Farimang Singhateh | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1965–1970 | Sir Dawda Jawara | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
• Independence | 18 February 1965 | ||||||||
• Republic | 24 April 1970 | ||||||||
| Currency | Gambian Pound(from 1966) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Between 1965 and 1970,the Gambia was an independentsovereign state that shared itshead of state with theUnited Kingdom and otherstates headed by Queen Elizabeth II. It was a predecessor to the modern-day republic ofThe Gambia.
The Gambia was given independence from Britain in 1965 under theGambia Independence Act 1964, which unified theBritish Crown Colony and Protectorate of the Gambia into an independent sovereign state. TheBritish monarch,Elizabeth II, remainedhead of state of The Gambia, which shared its Sovereign with otherCommonwealth realms. The Queen's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to theGovernor-General of the Gambia. The Governors-General who held office in The Gambia were:
After two referendums on the issue, the monarchy was abolished on 24 April 1970, when The Gambia became arepublic within the Commonwealth. Thefirst referendum in 1965, with 65.85% in favour and 34.15% against, failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass. Thesecond in 1970 with 70.45% percent of the Gambian people voting in favour of a republic and 29.55% against, was successful. The Gambia adopted a new constitution in 1970 which abolished the monarchy. SirDawda Jawara, theprime minister (andhead of government) from 1965, became the firstPresident of the Gambia.
Queen Elizabeth II did not visit the Gambia between 1965 and 1970. Her last visit was between 3–5 December 1961.
13°30′00″N15°30′00″W / 13.5000°N 15.5000°W /13.5000; -15.5000
