Senegambia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A geographic region of West Africa encompassing the modern countries of Senegal and The Gambia along the Atlantic coast
2. The area of western Africa that takes in Senegal together with the nation of The Gambia, sharing a common river and history
3. A West African territory formed by Senegal and The Gambia, named by combining the two countries' names into one regional term

Etymology: Senegambia is a blend of two place names: Senegal and Gambia, the two West African countries that share the basin of the Senegal and Gambia rivers. The name joins the front of one to the back of the other, so the "Sene-" of Senegal sits beside the "-gambia" of Gambia. Blends like this are a common way to name a region that spans more than one state, and the result looks like a single place even though it is built from two. The name refers to the wider geographic and historical area, not to the modern states themselves, which are separate countries today. Because the term covers a region rather than a political entity, it is used mainly in historical, geographical and scholarly contexts.