Where was Kunta Kinte from

People, Countries, and Cities Read more from
Chapter Africa

Kunta Kinte, the protagonist of Alex Haley’s novel Roots, was from Gambia. Though Gambia follows 200 miles (322 kilometers) of the Gambia River, it is a very thin country, averaging only 12 miles (19 kilometers) in width. Gambia lies entirely within Africa’s smallest country, Senegal.