Located in West Africa, mostly surrounded by Senegal with a short strip of its coastline bordered with the Atlantic Ocean at its western end, the Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. It is practically a narrow strip of land along the Gambia River, on either side of it, with less than 48km wide at its widest point, its borders following the meanders of the river. Its capital is Banjul (founded in 1816 by the British as a trading post and base for suppressing the slave trade), and the largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.