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| '''Africa''' is the world's second-largest and second most-populous ], after ]. At about 30,221,532 ] (11,668,545 ]) including adjacent islands, it covers 6.0% of the ]'s total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.<ref name=Sayre>Sayre, April Pulley. (1999) ''Africa'', Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 0-7613-1367-2.</ref> With more than 890,000,000 people (as of 2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world's ]. | |||
| The continent is surrounded by the ] to the north, the ] and the ] to the northeast, the ] to the southeast, and the ] to the west. | |||
| Africa straddles the ] and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern ] to southern temperate zones. Because of the lack of natural regular ] and ], as well as virtually no ]s or mountain aquifer systems there is no natural moderating effect on the climate except near the coasts. | |||
| Although European speculation about the nature of Africa south of Sahara (]) dates back more than two millennia, Africa is generally assumed to be the continent longest inhabited by human beings. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| {{wiktionary}} | |||
| ] was the name of several peoples who dwelt in ] near the provincial capital, ]. The Roman suffix "-ca" denotes "country or land".<ref></ref> | |||
| Other etymologies that have been postulated for the ancient name 'Africa' with less support include: | |||
| :*the ] word ''aprica'', meaning "sunny"; | |||
| :*the ] word ''aphrike'', meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian ] (1488-1554), who suggested the Greek word ''phrike'' (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the negating prefix "a-", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror. However, as the change of sound from ''ph'' to ''f'' in Greek is datable to about the 10th century, it is unlikely this is the origin. | |||
| Roman Ancient Africa lay to the west of ], while "Asia" was used to refer to ] and lands to the east. A definite line was drawn between the two continents by the geographer ] (85 - 165 AD), indicating ] along the ] and making the ] and the ] the boundary between ] and Africa. As ]ans came to understand the real extent of the continent, the idea of ''Africa'' expanded with their knowledge. | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| {{main|Geography of Africa}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth's exposed surface. Separated from ] by the ], it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the ] (transected by the ]), 130 km (80 miles) wide.<ref>Drysdale, Alasdair & Gerald H. Blake. (1985) ''The Middle East and North Africa'', Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-503538-0.</ref> (], ]'s ] east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa, as well.) From the most northerly point, ] in ] (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, ] in ] (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles);<ref>Lewin, Evans. (1924) ''Africa'', Clarendon press.</ref> from ], 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to ] in ], 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles).<ref name=MW>(1998) ''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Index)'', Merriam-Webster. pp. 10-11. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.</ref> The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only ] (4,010,000 square miles) — about a third of the surface of Africa — has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).<ref name=MW /> | |||
| Africa's largest country is ], and its smallest country is the ], an ] off the east coast. <ref name=Hoare>Hoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-7534-5569-2.</ref> The smallest nation on the continental mainland is ]. | |||
| ===Climate, fauna, and flora=== | |||
| The climate of Africa ranges from ] to ] on its highest peaks. Its northern half is primarily ] or ], while its central and southern areas contain both ] ]s and very dense ] (]) regions. In between, there is a convergence where vegetation patterns such as ], and ] dominate. | |||
| Africa boasts perhaps the world's largest combination of highest density and "range of freedom" of ] populations and diversity, with wild populations of large ]s (such as ]s, ]s, and ]s) and ]s (such as ], ], ]s, ]s, and ]s) ranging freely on primarily open nonprivate plains, as well as jungle creatures (including ]s and ]s) and ] (]s and ]s, for example). | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of Africa}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Africa is the ] on earth, with the ] ] ] from the continent. During the middle of the twentieth century, ] discovered many ]s and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have ]d into modern man, such as '']'' (] to c. 3.9-3.0 million years ]),<ref>Kimbel, William H. & Yoel Rak & Donald C. Johanson. (2004) ''The Skull of Australopithecus Afarensis'', Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-515706-0.</ref> '']'' (c. 2.3-1.4 million BC)<ref>Tudge, Colin. (2002) ''The Variety of Life.'', Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860426-2.</ref> and '']'' (c. 600,000-1.9 million BC) have been discovered.<ref name=Sayre /> | |||
| The ], dated to about 25,000 years ago, shows ] in ]. Throughout humanity's ], Africa (like all other continents) had no ]s, and was instead inhabited by groups of ] such as the ] and ].<ref>Sertima, Ivan Van. (1995) ''Egypt: Child of Africa/S V12 (Ppr)'', Transaction Publishers. pp. 324-325. ISBN 1-56000-792-3.</ref><ref>Mokhtar, G. (1990) ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. II, Abridged Edition: Ancient Africa'', University of California Press. ISBN 0-85255-092-8.</ref><ref>Eyma, A. K. & C. J. Bennett. (2003) ''Delts-Man in Yebu: Occasional Volume of the Egyptologists' Electronic Forum No. 1'', Universal Publishers. p. 210. SBN 1-58112-564-X.</ref> | |||
| Although there are absolutely no records, theorists think that by 130,000 BC the bulk of Africa's populations inhabited the Sahara, which was at that time a fertile valley criss-crossed by rivers. Artful incisions in African ocher made around this time are the oldest images in the world. In 70,000 BC Africa suffered an extinction of 30% of its wildlife species.{{fact}} According to this theory, in 30,000 BC the world entered the last major ice age. As a result of this, the Sahara Desert reached up to the Ethiopian Highlands. Central Africa's mountain ranges were covered by ice flow. The River Nile, north of ], disappeared{{fact}}. | |||
| At the end of the ice age, guessed to have been around 10,500 BC, the Sahara had become a green fertile valley again, and its African populations returned from the interior and coastal highlands in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BC the Sahara region was becoming increasingly drier. The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the ] where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and ]. Since then dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, especially in ] in the last 200 years. | |||
| The domestication of cattle in Africa precedes agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures. It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa <ref>Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.167.</ref>. In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the pack ass, and a small screw horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia. | |||
| Agriculturally, the first cases of domestication of plants for agricultural purposes occurred in the ] region circa 5000 BC, when ] and African ] began to be cultivated. Around this time, and in the same region, the small ] became domesticated. | |||
| According to the ''Oxford Atlas of World History'', in the year 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace<ref>O'Brien, Patrick K. (General Editor). Oxford Atlas of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp.22-23</ref>. This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink rather significantly and caused increasing ]. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of ]<ref>O'Brien, Patrick K. (General Editor). Oxford Atlas of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp.22-23</ref>. | |||
| By 3000 BC agriculture arose independently in both the tropical portions of ], where African ] and oil palms were domesticated, and in ], where ] and ] became domesticated. No animals were independently domesticated in these regions, although domestication did spread there from the ] and ] regions<ref>Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.100.</ref>. Agricultural crops were also adopted from other regions around this time as pearl ], ], ], ], ] and ] began to be grown agriculturally in both West Africa and the Sahel Region while finger millet, ], ] and ] took hold in Ethiopia<ref>Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.126-127.</ref>. | |||
| The international phenomenon known as the ] began to affect western North Africa. Named for the distinctively shaped ceramics found in graves, the Beaker culture is associated with the emergence of a warrior mentality. North African rock art of this period depicts animals but also places a new emphasis on the human figure, equipped with weapons and adornments. People from the ] settled along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to become the proto-Canaanites who dominated the lowlands between the Jordan River, the Mediterranean and the Sinai Desert. | |||
| By the 1st millennium BC ] had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly began spreading across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-saharan Africa<ref>Martin and O'Meara. "Africa, 3rd Ed." Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995. http://princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/history1.htm#Irontechnology</ref> and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa, possibly after being introduced by the ]. Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in areas of East and West Africa, though other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Some copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia have been excavated in West Africa dating from around 500 BC time period, suggesting that trade networks had been established by this time<ref>O'Brien, Patrick K. (General Editor). Oxford Atlas of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp.22-23</ref>. | |||
| ===Early civilizations and trade=== | |||
| About 3300 BC, the historical record opens in Africa with the rise of literacy in the ]-ruled civilisation of ], which continued, with varying levels of influence over other areas, until 343 BC.<ref>Hassan, Fekri A. (2002) ''Droughts, Food and Culture'', Springer. p. 17. ISBN 0-306-46755-0.</ref><ref>McGrail, Sean. (2004) ''Boats of the World'', Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-19-927186-0.</ref> Prominent ]s at different times include ], the ], the ]n kingdoms, the empires of the ] (], ], ], and ]), ], and the ].<ref>Fage, J. D. (1979) ''The Cambridge History of Africa'', Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-21592-7.</ref><ref>Oliver, Roland & Anthony Atmore. (1994) ''Africa Since 1800'', Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42970-6.</ref> | |||
| After the Sahara had become a desert it did not present an impenetrable barrier for travellers between north and south. Even prior to the introduction of the ]<ref>Stearns, Peter N. (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of World History'', Houghton Mifflin Books. p. 16. ISBN 0-395-65237-5.</ref> the use of oxen for desert crossing was common, and trade routes followed oases that were strung across the desert. The camel was first brought to Egypt by the ] after 525 BC, although large herds did not become common enough in North Africa to establish the ] until the eighth century AD.<ref>McEvedy, Colin (1980) ''Atlas of African History'', p. 44. ISBN 0-87196-480-5.</ref> The ] ] were the first to exploit this. | |||
| Pre-colonial Africa possessed perhaps as many as 10,000 different states and polities characterised by different sorts of political organisation and rule. These included small family groups of hunter-gatherers such as the ] people of southern Africa; larger, more structured groups such as the family clan groupings of the ]-speaking people of central and southern Africa and heavily-structured clan groups in the ], the Sahelian Kingdoms, and autonomous city-states such as the ] coastal trading towns of the ]n coast, whose trade network extended as far as ]. | |||
| In 1414, the Chinese admiral ] visited Africa's east coast. In 1482, the ] established the first of many trading stations along the coast of Ghana at ]. The chief commodities dealt in were slaves, gold, ivory and spices. The European discovery of the Americas in 1492 was followed by a great development of the ], which, before the Portuguese era, had been an overland trade almost exclusively, and never confined to any one continent.<ref>Oliver, Roland. (1977) ''The Cambridge History of Africa'', Cambridge University Press. p. 453. ISBN 0-521-20981-1.</ref> | |||
| In ], the decline of the ] in the ]s caused dramatic economic shifts in local polities. The gradual decline of slave-trading, prompted by a lack of demand for slaves in the ], increasing anti-slavery legislation in Europe and America, and the ]'s increasing presence off the West African coast, obliged African states to adopt new economies. The largest powers of West Africa: the ], the ], and the ], adopted different ways of adapting to the shift. Asante and Dahomey concentrated on the development of "legitimate commerce" in the form of ], ], ] and ], forming the bedrock of West Africa's modern export trade. The Oyo Empire, unable to adapt, collapsed into civil wars. <ref>Simon, Julian L. (1995) ''State of Humanity'', Blackwell Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 1-55786-585-X.</ref> | |||
| ===Pre-colonial exploration=== | |||
| In the mid nineteenth century European and particularly British explorers became interested in exploring the heart of the continent and opening the area for trade, mining and other commercial exploitation. In addition, there was a desire to convert the inhabitants to ]. The central area of Africa was still largely unknown to Europeans at this time. ] explored the continent between 1852 and his death in 1873; amongst other claims to fame, he was the first European to see the ]. A prime goal for explorers was to locate the source of the ]. Expeditions by ] and ] (1857-1858) and Speke and ] (1863) located ] and ]. The latter was eventually proven as the source of the Nile. With subsequent expeditions by ] and ], Africa was well explored by the end of the century and this was to lead the way for the ] which followed. | |||
| ===Colonialism and the "scramble for Africa"=== | |||
| {{main|Colonization of Africa}} | |||
| ]'']] | |||
| In the late nineteenth century, the European ] powers staged a major "]" and occupied most of the continent, creating many ] nation states, and leaving only two independent nations: ], an independent state part-settled by ]s; and ] ] (known today as ]). This colonial occupation continued until after the conclusion of ], when all the colonial states gradually obtained formal independence. | |||
| ] had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Before European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian Peninsula, where a group's territory was congruent with its military or trade influence. The European insistence of drawing borders around territories to isolate them from those of other colonial powers often had the effect of separating otherwise contiguous political groups, or forcing traditional enemies to live side by side with no buffer between them. For example, although the ] appears to be a natural geographic boundary, there were groups that otherwise shared a ], ] or other similarity living on both sides. The division of the land between ] and ] along the river isolated these groups from each other. Those who lived in Saharan or ] and traded across the continent for centuries often found themselves crossing borders that existed only on European maps. | |||
| In nations that had substantial European populations, for example ] (now ]) and ], systems of second-class citizenship were often set up in order to give Europeans ] far in excess of their numbers. In the ], personal property of King ], the native population was submitted to inhumane treatments, and a near slavery status assorted with forced labor. However, the lines were not always drawn strictly across racial lines. In ], citizens who were descendants of American slaves had a political system for over 100 years that gave ex-slaves and natives to the area roughly equal ] despite the fact the ex-slaves were outnumbered ten to one in the general population. The inspiration for this system was the ], which had balanced the power of free and slave states despite the much-larger population of the former. | |||
| Europeans often changed the balance of power, created ethnic divides where they did not previously exist, and introduced a cultural dichotomy detrimental to the native inhabitants in the areas they controlled. For example, in what are now ] and ], two ethnic groups ] and ]s had merged into one culture by the time German colonists had taken control of the region in the nineteenth century. No longer divided by ethnicity as intermingling, intermarriage, and merging of cultural practices over the centuries had long since erased visible signs of a culture divide, ] instituted a policy of racial categorization upon taking control of the region, as racial based categorization and philosophies was a fixture of the European culture of that time. The term ] originally referred to the agricultural-based ]-speaking peoples that moved into present day Rwanda and Burundi from the West, and the term ] referred to Northeastern cattle-based peoples that migrated into the region later. The terms described a person's economic class; individuals who owned roughly 10 or more cattle were considered Tutsi, and those with fewer were considered Hutu, regardless of ancestral history. This was not a strict line but a general rule of thumb, and one could move from Hutu to Tutsi and vice versa. | |||
| The Belgians introduced a racialized system; European-like features such as fairer skin, ample height, narrow noses were seen as more ideally ], and belonged to those people closest to Tutsi in ancestry, who were thus given power amongst the colonized peoples. Identity cards were issued based on this philosophy. | |||
| ===Post-colonial Africa=== | |||
| Today, Africa contains 53 independent and sovereign countries, which mostly still have the borders drawn during the era of European colonialism. | |||
| Since colonialism, African states have frequently been hampered by instability, corruption, violence, and ]. The vast majority of African nations are ]s that operate under some form of the ] of rule. Few nations in Africa have been able to sustain ] governments, and many have instead cycled through a series of brutal ] and ]s. A number of Africa's post-colonial political leaders were military generals who were poorly educated and ignorant on matters of governance. Great instability, however, was mainly the result of marginalization of other ethnic groups and graft under these leaders. For ], many leaders fanned ethnic conflicts that had been exacerbated, or even created, by colonial rule. In many countries, the ] was perceived as being the only group that could effectively maintain order, and it ruled many nations in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s. During the period from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Africa had more than 70 coups and 13 presidential ]s. Border and territorial disputes were also common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts. | |||
| ] conflicts between the ] and the ], as well as the policies of the ], also played a role in instability. When a country became independent for the first time, it was often expected to align with one of the two ]s. Many countries in ] received Soviet military aid, while many in Central and Southern Africa were supported by the ], ] or both. The 1970s saw an escalation, as newly independent ] and ] aligned themselves with the ] and the West and ] sought to contain Soviet influence. Some countries were ruled by communist parties that sought to impose Soviet policies resulting in atrocities such as the Ethiopian famine of 1985-89. | |||
| ==Politics== | |||
| {{Africa Labelled Map|float=right}} | |||
| The ] (AU) is a federation consisting of all of Africa's states apart from Morocco. | |||
| The union was formed, with ] as its capital, on ] ]. In July 2004, the capital of the African Union was relocated to ], in the AU Constituent Republic of South Africa. However, the ] has its headquarters at ]. There is a policy in effect to decentralise the African Federation's institutions so that they are shared by all the states | |||
| The African Union, not to be confused with the AU Commission, is formed by an ] which aims to transform the ], a federated commonwealth, into a state, under established international conventions. The African Union has a parliamentary government, known as the ], consisting of legislative, judicial and executive organs, and led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the ]. A person becomes AU President by being elected to the PAP, and subsequently gaining majority support in the PAP. | |||
| President ] is the Head of State and Chief of Government of the African Union, by virtue of the fact that she is the President of the ]. She was elected by Parliament in its inaugural session in March 2004, for a term of five years. The PAP consists of 265 legislators, five from each constituent state of the African Union. Over 21% of the members of the PAP are female. | |||
| The powers and authority of the President of the African Parliament derive from the ], and the ], as well as the inheritance of presidential authority stipulated by African treaties and by international treaties, including those subordinating the Secretary General of the ] Secretariat (AU Commission) to the PAP. The government of the AU consists of all-union (federal), regional, state, and municipal authorities, as well as hundreds of institutions, that together manage the day-to-day affairs of the institution. | |||
| Failed state policies, inequitable global trade practices, and the effects of global climate change have resulted in many widespread ]s, and significant portions of Africa remain with distribution systems unable to disseminate enough food or water for the population to survive. What had before colonialism been the source for 90% of the world's gold has become the poorest continent on earth, its former riches enjoyed by those on other continents. The spread of ] is also rampant, especially the spread of the ] (HIV) and the associated ] (AIDS), which has become a deadly ] on the continent. Despite numerous hardships, there have been some signs the continent has hope for the future. ] seem to be spreading, though they are not yet the majority (The ] claims 13 African nations can be considered truly democratic{{citation needed}}). Many nations have recognized basic ]s for all ]s and have created independent ]. | |||
| There are clear signs of increased networking among African organisations and states. In the civil war in the ] (former ]), rather than rich, non-African countries intervening, neighbouring African countries became involved (see also ]). Since the conflict began in 1998, the estimated death toll has reached 4 million. <ref>http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1198921,00.html</ref> | |||
| Many observers{{who}} suggest that the conflict played a role similar to that of ], after which European countries integrated their societies in such a way that war between them becomes unthinkable. Political associations such as the ] offer hope for greater co-operation and peace between the continent's many countries. Extensive human rights abuses still occur in several parts of Africa, often under the oversight of the state. Most of such violations occur for political reasons, often as a side effect of civil war. Countries where major human rights violations have been reported in recent times include the ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| {{main|Economy of Africa}} | |||
| ] map]] | |||
| Due largely to the effects of colonialism, corrupt governments and ], Africa is the world's poorest inhabited continent. According to the ]' Human Development Report in ], the bottom 25 ranked nations (151st to 175th) were all African nations. | |||
| While rapid growth in ] and now ], and moderate growth in ], has lifted millions beyond subsistence living, Africa has gone backwards in terms of foreign ], ], and ] ]. This ] has widespread effects, including lower ], ], and ] -- factors intertwined with the continent's poverty. | |||
| Some areas, notably ] and ], have experienced economic success, including the opening of the ]. This is partly due to its wealth of ]s, being the world's leading producer of both ] and ]s, and partly due to its well-established legal system. South Africa also has access to financial capital, numerous markets, skilled labor, and first world infrastructure in much of the country. Other African countries are making comparable progress, such as ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ] sits on one of the largest proven oil reserves in the world and has the highest population among nations in Africa, with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. | |||
| From 1995 to 2005, economic growth picked up, averaging 5% in 2005. However some countries experienced much higher growth (10+%) in particular, ], ] and ], all three of which have recently begun extracting their petroleum reserves. | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{main|African people}} | |||
| Africa's population has grown rapidly since the mid 1800s when vast tracts were depopulated by the abduction of people for purposes of ]. The last 40 years have seen a rapid increase in population; hence, this population is relatively young. In some African states half or more of the population is under 25 years old.{{citation needed}} | |||
| Speakers of ] (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and east Africa proper. But there are also several ] groups in East Africa, and a few remaining ] Khoisan (']' or ']') and ] peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively. Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon and southern Somalia. In the ] of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "]") have long been present. The San are physically distinct from other Africans and are the indigenous people of southern Africa. Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous peoples of central Africa. | |||
| The peoples of ] comprise two main groups; ] and ]-speaking peoples in the west, and ] in the east. The ]s who arrived in the seventh century introduced the ] and ] to North Africa. The Semitic ]ns, the European ], ] and ] settled in North Africa as well. Berbers still make up the majority in ], while they are a significant minority within ]. They are also present in ] and ]. The ] and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. ] are a ]-speaking group (though many also speak Arabic), who developed an ancient civilization in northeast Africa. | |||
| During the past century or so, small but economically important colonies of ] and ] have also developed in the larger coastal cities of ] and ], respectively. | |||
| Some ]n and ]n groups (like the ] and ], collectively known as "]") speak ]. The ] and ] peoples speak ] languages, but some Somali clans trace their founding to legendary Arab founders. ] and ] are divided between a mostly Arabized north and a native African south (although the "Arabs" of Sudan clearly have a predominantly native African ancestry themselves). Some areas of East Africa, particularly the island of ] and the Kenyan ], received Arab Muslim and ]n settlers and merchants throughout the ] and in antiquity. | |||
| Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans such as the ] and ] began to establish ]s and ] along the coasts of western and southern Africa. Eventually, a large number of Dutch augmented by French ]s and ] settled in what is today ]. Their descendants, the ]s and the ]s, are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today. In the nineteenth century, a second phase of colonization brought a large number of French and ] settlers to Africa. The Portuguese settled mainly in Angola, but also in Mozambique. The French settled in large numbers in ] where they became known collectively as '']'', and on a smaller scale in other areas of North and West Africa as well as in Madagascar. The British settled chiefly in South Africa as well as the colony of ], and in the highlands of what is now ]. Germans settled in what is now ] and ], and there is still a population of German-speaking white Namibians. Smaller numbers of European soldiers, businessmen, and officials also established themselves in administrative centers such as ] and ]. Decolonization during the 1960s often resulted in the mass emigration of European-descended settlers out of Africa — especially from Algeria, Angola, Kenya and Rhodesia. However, in South Africa and Namibia, the white minority remained politically dominant after independence from Europe, and a significant population of Europeans remained in these two countries even after ] was finally instituted at the end of the ]. South Africa has also become the preferred destination of white Anglo-Zimbabweans, and of migrants from all over southern Africa. | |||
| European colonization also brought sizeable groups of ]s, particularly people from the ], to British colonies. Large ] are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and east African countries. The large Indian community in ] was expelled by the dictator ] in 1972, though many have since returned. The islands in the ] are also populated primarily by people of Asian origin, often mixed with Africans and Europeans. The ] of ] are a ], but those along the coast are generally mixed with Bantu, Arab, Indian and European origins. Malay and Indian ancestries are also important components in the group of people known in South Africa as ]s (people with origins in two or more races and continents). | |||
| ==Languages== | |||
| {{main|African languages}} | |||
| ] extends from the ] to ]. ] is divided to show the size of the ].]] | |||
| ] | |||
| By most estimates, Africa contains well over a thousand ]s, some have estimated it to be over two thousand languages (most of African rather than European origin). Africa is the most ] continent in the world; it is not rare to find individuals there who fluently speak not only several African languages, but one or two European ones as well. There are four major ] native to Africa. | |||
| * The ] languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout ], North Africa, the Sahel, and ]. | |||
| * The ] language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people. Nilo-Saharan languages are mainly spoken in ], ], ], ], ], and northern ]. | |||
| * The ] language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages. A substantial number of them are the ] languages spoken in much of sub-Saharan Africa. | |||
| * The ] languages number about 50 and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120 000 people. Many of the Khoisan languages are ]. The ] and ] peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa. | |||
| Following ], nearly all African countries adopted ]s that originated outside the continent, although several countries nowadays also use various languages of native origin (such as ]) as their official language. In numerous countries, ] and ] are used for communication in the public sphere such as government, commerce, education and the media. ], ], ] and ] are other examples of originally non-African languages that are used by millions of Africans today, both in the public and private spheres. | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{main|Culture of Africa}} | |||
| {{essay-entry}}<!-- needs a more encyclopedic style, needs to summarise Culture of Africa --> | |||
| African culture is characterised by a fairly uniform system of social values informed by historic processes that underpin its social organization. The most striking feature of African culture is the almost uniform nature of African ], those non-verbal elements of communication used to modify meaning and convey emotion. Like south Europeans, Africans tend to be expressive, warm and engaged. African paralanguage is rooted in a complex of historical relations and ancient spiritual beliefs that have succeeded in transcending race, language, politics, and the twin tragedies of slavery and ]. | |||
| The paralinguistic expressions of Africans, and the fundamental social aspirations, are easily identifiable and are rooted in a strong and deeply engrained ancient philosophy that requires their continuation and augmentation even in the face of massive social and geopolitical shifts caused by demographic change. | |||
| Modern African culture is characterised by conflicted responses to ] and ]. Increasingly, beginning in the late 1990s, Africans are reasserting their identity. In ] especially the rejection of the label ] or ] has resulted in an upsurge of demands for special protection of indigenous ] languages and culture in Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia. The emergence of ] since the fall of ] has heightened calls for a renewed sense of African identity. In South Africa, intellectuals from settler communities of European descent increasingly identify as African for cultural rather than geographical or racial reasons. Famously, some have undergone ritual ceremonies to become members of the ] or other community. | |||
| The similarities between the cultures of different ethnic and national groups give Africa the appearance of overlapping cultures. In fact the nature of the African culture consists of a continuum of related spiritual elements. Where cultural fault-lines do occur, they tend to decay rapidly into the more robust and stimulating elements that defined the African spiritualism. Cultural fault-lines, however, are evident between those Africans who have assimilated Western or Occidental lifestyles and Africans observing or practicing old African ethics and traditions. | |||
| Much of the traditional African culture has become impoverished as a result of years of neglect and suppression by colonial and neo-colonial regimes. There is now a resurgence in the attempts to rediscover and revalourize African traditional culture, under such movements as the ] led by ], ] led by an influential group of scholars including ], as well as the increasing recognition of traditional spiritualism through decriminalization of ] and other forms of spirituality. In recent years African traditional culture has become synonymous with rural poverty and subsistence farming. | |||
| Urban culture in Africa, now associated with Western values, is a great contrast from traditional African urban culture which was once rich and enviable even by modern Western standards. African cities such as ], ], ], ], ] and others had served as the world's most affluent urban and industrial centers, clean, well-laid out, and full of universities, libraries, and temples. This image of traditional African urban living is in deep contrast to European cities that were unclean, crowded and disorganised...characteristics that they have retained for the most part. | |||
| The main and most enduring cultural fault-line in Africa is the divide between traditional ] and ]. The divide is not, and never was based on economic competition, but rather on the colonial racial policy that identified pastoralists as constituting a different race from agriculturalists, and enforcing a form of ] between the two cultures beginning in the 1880s and lasting until the 1960s. Although European colonial powers were largely industrial, many of the administrators and philosophers, whose writings provided rationale for colonialism, applied quasi-scientific eugenics policies and racist politics on Africans in experiments of misguided social engineering. | |||
| Most of the racial recategorization of Africans to fit European stereotypes was contradictory and incoherent. However, because their legalism and laws that emanated from these policies were backed by police force, the scientific establishment and economic power, Africans reacted by either conforming to the new rules, or rejecting them in favour of Pan-Africanism. All across Africa communities and individuals were measured by colonial eugenics boards and reassigned identities and ethnicities based on vague science. The schools taught that in general Africans who resembled Europeans in some physical or cultural aspect were superior to other Africans and deserved more privileges. This caused animosity, incited by other Europeans - socialists and communists - who identified Africans according to dubious classes also modelled on European concerns. | |||
| The easiest way to divide Africans was along economic lines. Pastoralists, agriculturalists, hunter-gatherers and Westernised Africans, all formed distinctly identifiable cultures each of which came to play a different and disfiguring role in Africa's modern politics. The Westernised Africans, specifically ]ese and Sudanese Nubians from urban centers such as Dakar and Khartoum, were used to serve as the bulk of colonial troops against the rural Africans. Pastoralists were radicalised by the wholesale confiscation of grazing lands in favour of plantations. Agriculturalists came into conflict for land and water with pastoralists after the traditional sharing arrangements had been destroyed by colonial policies. | |||
| In addition, a growing body of speculative anthropology and ] made false claims about the superiority and inferiority of Africans with different cultural and economic backgrounds. The vast majority of the scholarship on Africa was extraneous and catered to the demand for exotic and outlandish representations of Africa. The enforcement of the government decrees and policies tended to produce effects that confirmed the prejudices of the European colonialists. | |||
| ]'' shell beads found in ], ]]] | |||
| ] and ] reflect the diversity of African cultures. The oldest existing examples of art from Africa are 75,000 year old ]s made from '']'' shells that were found in ]. The ] in ] was the world's tallest architectural accomplishment for 4,000 years until the creation of the ]. The Ethiopian complex of ]es at ], of which the ] is representative, is regarded as another marvel of engineering. | |||
| === Music and dance === | |||
| {{main|Music of Africa}} | |||
| The ] is one of its most dynamic art forms. Egypt has long been a cultural focus of the Arab world, while remembrance of the rhythms of sub-Saharan Africa, in particular west Africa, was transmitted through the ] to modern ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Modern music of the continent includes the highly complex choral singing of southern Africa and the dance rhythms of ], dominated by the ]. Recent developments include the emergence of ], in particular a form from ] blended with traditional ], and ], a South African variant of ]. ] music, also found in South Africa, is idiosyncratic being composed mostly of traditional ], while more recent immigrant communities have introduced the music of their homes to the continent. | |||
| Indigenous musical and dance traditions of Africa are maintained by oral traditions and they are distinct from the music and dance styles of ] and ]. ] influences are visible in North African music and dance and in Southern Africa western influences are apparent due to ]. | |||
| Many African languages are ]s, in which pitch level determines the meaning. This also finds expression in African musical melodies and rhythms. A variety of musical instruments are used, including ]s (most widely used), ]s, ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| African dances are important mode of communication and dancers use gestures, ]s, ]s, ] and a number of visual devices. With ] and ], modern African dance and music exhibit influences assimilated from several other cultures. | |||
| ==Religion== | |||
| Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs , with ] and ] being the most widespread. Approximately 46.3% of all Africans are Christians and another 40.5% are Muslims. Roughly 11.8% of Africans primarily follow indigenous ]. A small number of Africans are Hindu, or have beliefs from the ]. Examples of ]s are the ], ] peoples and the ] of Eastern Uganda. | |||
| The indigenous Sub-Saharan African religions tend to revolve around ] and ]. A common thread in traditional belief systems was the division of the ] into "helpful" and "harmful". Helpful ] are usually deemed to include ancestor spirits that help their descendants, and powerful spirits that protect entire communities from natural disaster or attacks from enemies; whereas harmful spirits include the ]s of murdered victims who were buried without the proper ], and spirits used by hostile spirit ] to cause illness among their enemies. While the effect of these early forms of worship continues to have a profound influence, belief systems have evolved as they interact with other religions. | |||
| The formation of the ] of ] in the ] marked the first known complex religious system on the continent. Around the ], ] (in present-day ]) was founded by the Phoenicians, and went on to become a major cosmopolitan center where ] from neighboring Egypt, ] and the ] were worshipped. Today, many Jewish peoples also live in North Africa, particularly in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. | |||
| The ] and the ] officially date from the ], and are thus one of the first established ] churches anywhere. At first, Christian Orthodoxy made gains in modern-day Sudan and other neighbouring regions. However, after the spread of Islam, growth was slow and restricted to the highlands. | |||
| Islam entered Africa as Arab Muslims conquered North Africa between 640 and 710, beginning with Egypt. They settled in Mogadishu, Melinde, Mombasa, Kilwa, and Sofala, following the sea trade down the coast of ], and diffusing through the Sahara desert into the interior of Africa -- following in particular the paths of Muslim traders. Muslims were also among the Asian peoples who later settled in British-ruled Africa. | |||
| Many Sub-Saharan Africans were converted to ] during the colonial period. In the last decades of the twentieth century, various sects of ] rapidly grew. A number of Roman Catholic African bishops were even mentioned as possible ] candidates in 2005. African Christians appear to be more socially conservative than their co-religionists in much of the industrialized world, which has quite recently led to tension within ] such as the ] and ]. | |||
| The ]es have experienced significant growth in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. | |||
| ==Territories and regions== | |||
| The countries in this table are categorised according to the ] used by the United Nations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated. | |||
| <!--{{editnote | NOTE: If you have arguments or evidence to the contrary, please provide them on the talk page and await until the consensus supports making proposed edits. Thank you!--> | |||
| <!--this table is needed to keep the continental map thumbnails to the right, and not overlap the table--> | |||
| {|align=right | |||
| | ] of Africa: | |||
| {{legend|#0000FF|]}} | |||
| {{legend|#00FF00|]}} | |||
| {{legend|#FF00FF|]}} | |||
| {{legend|#FFC000|]}} | |||
| {{legend|#FF0000|]}}]] | |||
| |- | |||
| |- | |||
| |] | |||
| |- | |||
| |] | |||
| |} | |||
| <!--end thumbnails--> | |||
| <!--begin country info tables--> | |||
| {| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse" | |||
| |- bgcolor="#ECECEC" | |||
| ! Name of region<ref>Continental regions as per ].<br></ref> and<br>territory, with ] | |||
| ! ]<br>(km²) | |||
| ! ]<br>(] ] est.) | |||
| ! ]<br>(per km²) | |||
| ! ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 style="background:#eee;" | ''']''': | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Burundi}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 27,830 | |||
| | align="right" | 6,373,002 | |||
| | align="right" | 229.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Comoros}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 2,170 | |||
| | align="right" | 614,382 | |||
| | align="right" | 283.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Djibouti}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 23,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 472,810 | |||
| | align="right" | 20.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Eritrea}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 121,320 | |||
| | align="right" | 4,465,651 | |||
| | align="right" | 36.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,127,127 | |||
| | align="right" | 67,673,031 | |||
| | align="right" | 60.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Kenya}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 582,650 | |||
| | align="right" | 31,138,735 | |||
| | align="right" | 53.4 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Madagascar}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 587,040 | |||
| | align="right" | 16,473,477 | |||
| | align="right" | 28.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Malawi}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 118,480 | |||
| | align="right" | 10,701,824 | |||
| | align="right" | 90.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Mauritius}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 2,040 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,200,206 | |||
| | align="right" | 588.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Mayotte}} ] (]) | |||
| | align="right" | 374 | |||
| | align="right" | 170,879 | |||
| | align="right" | 456.9 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Mozambique}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 801,590 | |||
| | align="right" | 19,607,519 | |||
| | align="right" | 24.5 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Réunion}} ] (]) | |||
| | align="right" | 2,512 | |||
| | align="right" | 743,981 | |||
| | align="right" | 296.2 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Rwanda}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 26,338 | |||
| | align="right" | 7,398,074 | |||
| | align="right" | 280.9 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Seychelles}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 455 | |||
| | align="right" | 80,098 | |||
| | align="right" | 176.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Somalia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 637,657 | |||
| | align="right" | 7,753,310 | |||
| | align="right" | 12.2 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Tanzania}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 945,087 | |||
| | align="right" | 37,187,939 | |||
| | align="right" | 39.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Uganda}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 236,040 | |||
| | align="right" | 24,699,073 | |||
| | align="right" | 104.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Zambia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 752,614 | |||
| | align="right" | 9,959,037 | |||
| | align="right" | 13.2 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Zimbabwe}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 390,580 | |||
| | align="right" | 11,376,676 | |||
| | align="right" | 29.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 style="background:#eee;" | ''']''': | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Angola}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,246,700 | |||
| | align="right" | 10,593,171 | |||
| | align="right" | 8.5 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Cameroon}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 475,440 | |||
| | align="right" | 16,184,748 | |||
| | align="right" | 34.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Central African Republic}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 622,984 | |||
| | align="right" | 3,642,739 | |||
| | align="right" | 5.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Chad}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,284,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 8,997,237 | |||
| | align="right" | 7.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Republic of the Congo}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 342,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 2,958,448 | |||
| | align="right" | 8.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 2,345,410 | |||
| | align="right" | 55,225,478 | |||
| | align="right" | 23.5 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Equatorial Guinea}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 28,051 | |||
| | align="right" | 498,144 | |||
| | align="right" | 17.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Gabon}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 267,667 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,233,353 | |||
| | align="right" | 4.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|São Tomé and Príncipe}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,001 | |||
| | align="right" | 170,372 | |||
| | align="right" | 170.2 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 style="background:#eee;" | ''']''': | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Algeria}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 2,381,740 | |||
| | align="right" | 32,277,942 | |||
| | align="right" | 13.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Egypt}} ]<ref>] is generally considered a ] in Northern Africa (UN region) and Western Asia; population and area figures are for African portion only, west of the ].</small><br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 1,001,450 | |||
| | align="right" | 70,712,345 | |||
| | align="right" | 70.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Libya}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,759,540 | |||
| | align="right" | 5,368,585 | |||
| | align="right" | 3.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Morocco}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 446,550 | |||
| | align="right" | 31,167,783 | |||
| | align="right" | 69.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Sudan}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 2,505,810 | |||
| | align="right" | 37,090,298 | |||
| | align="right" | 14.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Tunisia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 163,610 | |||
| | align="right" | 9,815,644 | |||
| | align="right" | 60.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Western Sahara}} ] <ref name="Western Sahara">] is disputed between the ], who administer a ] of the territory, and Morocco, who ] ].</small><br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 266,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 256,177 | |||
| | align="right" | 1.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 | ''Southern Europe dependencies in Northern Africa'': | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] ] (])<ref>The ] ], of which ] are ] are co-capitals, are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to ] and ]; population and area figures are for 2001.<br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 7,492 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,694,477 | |||
| | align="right" | 226.2 | |||
| | ],<br />] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Ceuta}} ] (Spain)<ref>The ] ] of ] is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.<br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 20 | |||
| | align="right" | 71,505 | |||
| | align="right" | 3,575.2 | |||
| | — | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] ] (])<ref>The ] ] are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco; population and area figures are for 2001.<br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 797 | |||
| | align="right" | 245,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 307.4 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Melilla}} ] (Spain)<ref>The ] ] of ] is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.<br></ref> | |||
| | align="right" | 12 | |||
| | align="right" | 66,411 | |||
| | align="right" | 5,534.2 | |||
| | — | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 style="background:#eee;" | ''']''': | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Botswana}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 600,370 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,591,232 | |||
| | align="right" | 2.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Lesotho}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 30,355 | |||
| | align="right" | 2,207,954 | |||
| | align="right" | 72.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Namibia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 825,418 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,820,916 | |||
| | align="right" | 2.2 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|South Africa}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,219,912 | |||
| | align="right" | 43,647,658 | |||
| | align="right" | 35.8 | |||
| | ], ], ]<ref>] is the judicial capital of ], while ] is its legislative seat, and ] is the country's administrative seat.<br></ref> | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Swaziland}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 17,363 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,123,605 | |||
| | align="right" | 64.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan=5 style="background:#eee;" | ''']''': | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Benin}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 112,620 | |||
| | align="right" | 6,787,625 | |||
| | align="right" | 60.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Burkina Faso}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 274,200 | |||
| | align="right" | 12,603,185 | |||
| | align="right" | 46.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Cape Verde}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 4,033 | |||
| | align="right" | 408,760 | |||
| | align="right" | 101.4 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Côte d'Ivoire}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 322,460 | |||
| | align="right" | 16,804,784 | |||
| | align="right" | 52.1 | |||
| | ], ]<ref>] is the official capital of ], while ] is the '']'' seat.<br></ref> | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Gambia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 11,300 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,455,842 | |||
| | align="right" | 128.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Ghana}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 239,460 | |||
| | align="right" | 20,244,154 | |||
| | align="right" | 84.5 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Guinea}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 245,857 | |||
| | align="right" | 7,775,065 | |||
| | align="right" | 31.6 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Guinea-Bissau}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 36,120 | |||
| | align="right" | 1,345,479 | |||
| | align="right" | 37.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Liberia}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 111,370 | |||
| | align="right" | 3,288,198 | |||
| | align="right" | 29.5 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Mali}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,240,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 11,340,480 | |||
| | align="right" | 9.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Mauritania}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,030,700 | |||
| | align="right" | 2,828,858 | |||
| | align="right" | 2.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Niger}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 1,267,000 | |||
| | align="right" | 10,639,744 | |||
| | align="right" | 8.4 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Nigeria}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 923,768 | |||
| | align="right" | 129,934,911 | |||
| | align="right" | 140.7 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Saint Helena}} ] (]) | |||
| | align="right" | 410 | |||
| | align="right" | 7,317 | |||
| | align="right" | 17.8 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Senegal}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 196,190 | |||
| | align="right" | 10,589,571 | |||
| | align="right" | 54.0 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Sierra Leone}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 71,740 | |||
| | align="right" | 5,614,743 | |||
| | align="right" | 78.3 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| | {{flagicon|Togo}} ] | |||
| | align="right" | 56,785 | |||
| | align="right" | 5,285,501 | |||
| | align="right" | 93.1 | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- style=" font-weight:bold; " | |||
| | Total | |||
| | align="right" | 30,368,609 | |||
| | align="right" | 843,705,143 | |||
| | align="right" | 27.8 | |||
| |} | |||
| <!--end country info table + refs--> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{commons|Africa}} | |||
| {{portal}} | |||
| {{African topics}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * "Africa". ''''. 2005. New York: Columbia University Press. | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| <references/> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{sisterlinks}} | |||
| <!-- DO NOT ADD SPAM HERE - YOU WILL BE BLOCKED thanks --> | |||
| ;News | |||
| * current news, events and statistics | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ;Photos and Information | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ;Directories | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * directory category | |||
| * | |||
| * directory from The Norwegian Council for Africa | |||
| ;Politics | |||
| * Africa Action is the oldest organization in the United States working on African affairs. It is a national organization that works for political, economic and social justice in Africa. | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * -- people's and grassroots histories | |||
| ;Sports | |||
| * | |||
| ;Tourism | |||
| * {{wikitravel}} | |||
| {{Africa}} | |||
| {{Continents of the world}} | |||
| {{Regions of the world}} | |||
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Revision as of 15:17, 8 December 2006
africa is cool they have amazing soccer players and the 2010 world cup is going to be here yeah soccer rules