WITHIN WEST AFRICA
Tradition - History - Creativity
Africa is comprised of thousands of ethnic groups, and more than 1,500 languages are spoken on the second-largest continent in the world, a land mass of nearly 12 million square miles (about twenty percent of the land surface of the earth), bound on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the meeting of Indian and Atlantic Oceans. West Africa includes the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leon, and Togo. In general, postcolonial African nations have kept the boundaries that Europe designated at the Berlin Conference (1885) during the colonial “scramble for Africa.” Countries generally have from fifty to two hundred ethnic groups, making linguistic and ethnic diversity a meaningful challenge--and a source of uniqueness and strength--for modern Africa.
Song Iwassado by Nayanka bell
 Manya Krobo dancers - eastern Ghana |  Ebrie people- Côte d’Ivoire |  Hausa people- Nigeria |
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 woman from Edo state- Nigeria |  Fulani women- Nigeria |  People of Ghana |
 Traditional dress- Cameroon |  Ewe man- Togo |  Woman weaving- Burkina-Faso |
 Malinke bride - Cote d'ivoire |  Fang people in Gabon |  Oprah Winfrey in Kpelle tradition- Liberia |
 Bambara man-Mali |  Mother and child |  Bete couple - Cote d'Ivoire |
 Bambara children-Mali |  Cote d'Ivoire |  Fulani man- Guinea |
 Okavango deltaThe Okavango Delta is an inland delta located in the country of Botswana. The delta extends across an area of 2,315 to 5,791 square miles (6,000 to 15,000 sq km). Approximately 2.64 cubic miles (11 cubic km) of water enter into the delta annually. That delta water grows during the rains in the highlands of Angola between the months of January and February. It then pours into the Okavango Delta between the months of March through June. The Okavango Delta has been argued to be the largest inl |  Ngorongoro Crater in TanzaniaNgorongoro Crater is a massive volcanic caldera located in Tanzania. is the largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera in the world. Ngorongoro Crater is a scenic wildlife bowl. The scenic overlook provides a breath taking view of the crater floor. However, it is the wildlife encounters on the crater floor that make Ngorongoro Crater a true wonder. There are around 25,000 large mammals including elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, and hippo accounting for six of the big seven. |  Serengeti Migration- Tanzania KenyaThe Serengeti Migration is a massive circular migration of wild beasts, zebra, antelopes, and others occurring in Tanzania and in Kenya. The majority of the migration is housed in Serengeti (Tanzania) from late September through mid November when the migration crosses the Mara River into Maasai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya.The Serengeti ecosystem is comprised of grasslands and plains that extend 12,000 square miles (30,000 sq km). This ecosystem composes the two parks. |
 Sahara Desert- North AfricaThe Sahara Desert is a dry desert located in the northern region of Africa. It is also known as “the Great Desert” taken from the Arabic translation of the name. The desert extends from the shores of the Mediterranean in the North, the Red Sea in the East, to the shores of the Atlantic coast, to the tropical savanna of the Sahel in the south. Altogether, the Sahara encompasses 3,600,000 square miles (9,400,00 sq. km). The Sahara Desert account for approximately 1/3 of the entire continent. |  red sea reef coast of Egypt, Eritrea, and SudanThe Red Sea Reef is the largest and diverse coral reef system in all Africa; and third in the world. It is located in the Red Sea, which is an inlet of the Indian Ocean. Although accessible from the Asian country of Israel. the reef is considered part of the African continent with proximity to the African coastline. The Red Sea Reef extend along the coastlines of Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea. The reef system is comprised of an abundance of aquatic life, lagoons, cylinders, and platforms. |  mount KilimandjaroMount Kilimanjaro is a composite volcano comprised of lava, volcanic ash, and tephra. The mountain, also called “Mt. Kili” or just “Kili,” was created from three different volcanic cones that include: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the taller of the three and provides the Uhuru Peak, which is the highest or summit point of the mountain. Kibo also features a 1.5 mile wide crater. Although it is a volcano, it is considered inactive with no record of eruptions noted in history. |
 Renaissance monument, Dakar- Senegal |  Reunification m.Yaounde, CamerounDesigned by Cameroonian sculptor Gédéon Mpando and completed in 1974, the Reunification Monument was constructed to be the most visible symbol of the unification of the two Cameroons. The twin spirals symbolize the joining together of the Francophone and Anglophone regions of nation. The monument was built in the capital city, Yaoundé, and was intended to be one of Cameroon’s major tourist attractions, just as the Eiffel Tower is in Paris. |  Corinthia Hotel- Khartoum SudanThe Corinthia Hotel is a five-star hotel in central Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers, and in the center of the city’s commercial, business, and administrative districts. The elegant architectural masterpiece of steel and glass opened on Aug. 17, 2008. It has 18 guest floors, 173 rooms and 57 suites, all offering panoramic views of the city and the Nile. The building has an oval curved facade because it was designed to resemble a sail. |
 Great Mosque of Djenné- MaliThe Great Mosque of Djenné is a large banco or adobe building that is considered by many architects to be one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The mosque is located in the city of Djenné, Mali, on the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure dates from 1907. As well as being the center of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. |  Alice Lane-twin towers Johannesburg, South AfricaWith a curved facade constructed out of concrete, glass and aluminum, the Alice Lane Towers, built in 2010, are intended to demonstrate South Africa’s progression in exploring new forms within corporate architecture. The 17-story towers boasts being the first high-rise building in South Africa to use a curved and completely glazed facade, made with low-energy glass and state-of-the-art glass-printing technology. |  Bete Giyorgis - Lalibela, EthiopiaLalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia that is famous around the world for its monolithic rock-cut churches carved from the solid living red rock volcanic in the 12th century, which play an important part in the history of rock-cut architecture. The town is one of Ethiopia’s holiest cities, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country. The Bete Giyorgis or Church of St. George, is one of eleven monolithic churches in the city. Lalibela was named after the king of Ethiopia. |
 Fourah Bay, Sierra Leone |  Nairobi, Kenya |  Kinshasa, DRC |
 Abidjan, Cote d'ivoire |  Yaounde, Cameroun |  Johannesburg , South Africa |
 Secretary BirdSecretary Bird, Africa, 5th most distinct bird in the world, 28th on the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE list, The mostly terrestrial raptor gets its name either from the resemblance to secretaries who used to stick quill pans behind their ear, or from a french corruption of the Arabic description for “hunter-bird” saqr-et-tair. |  The Mangrove KingfisherThe Mangrove Kingfisher is a rare species which, as its name suggests, lives in coastal mangroves. It was discovered in KwaZulu-Natal province by Dr Andrew Smith. This bird breeds in the forests of the Transkei area and is only a winter visitor to KwaZulu-Natal. |  wildlife animals-chimpanzies |
 wildlife animals-antelopes |  wildlife animals |  widlife animals- elephants |
 Birds |
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Click HERE to get more detailed information about African countries
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West African countries
West Africa is the part of Africa that is located at the western part of Africa and most of it is in the Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also referred to as Western Africa. Out of the entire African nations, there are 16 nations that make up the West African countries. Geographically, West Africa is well distinguished from other parts of Africa. Most West African countries were colonized by Britain and French and after many years of colonization, waves of independence swept across the West African Countries like wild-fire and this is the reason most West African countries have their years of independence at a close range. Despite the closeness of various countries in West Africa, there is significant cultural and religious diversity with Christianity and Muslim being the two predominant religions in this area. All the member countries in West Africa have different cultures within its boundaries.
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad *
Central African Republic *
Congo *
Côte d’Ivoire
Cape Verde
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Sou Tome & Principe
Togo
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21 countries
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* these countries are also classified as part of central Africa
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English, Portuguese and French speaking countries
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More than 1,500 languages and ethnics groups
1. Benin
Benin is a French-speaking that is officially called The Republic of Benin. Its borders include Burkina Faso and Niger on the north, Togo on the west and Nigeria on the east. Cotonou is the country’s largest city and is also where the seat of government is located but the capital is located at Porto-Novo. Benin covers a land mass that is equivalent to 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi) holding a population of approximately 9.05 million people. The country gained their independence from France on August 1, 1960 and this accounts for French as the official language however, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are also commonly spoken. Benin seem to have signed up for membership in quite a number of international organizations including the African Union, the United Nations, La Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Niger Basin Authority, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States and the African Petroleum Producers Association.
2. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso was formerly known as Upper Volta; a country that gained independence from France in 1960. Following independence, Burkina Faso has faced domestic and external concern over the state of its economy and human rights and repeated military coups has ravaged the country especially in the 1970’s and 1980’s up until recently. There is still significant lack of transparency in the country. For instance, the Current President of Burkina Faso: President Blaise Compaore took over power following the 1987 military coup and since then has organized and won every election.
3. Cameroon
Cameroon is situated in Central Africa at juncture of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bounded on the North by Chad, on the East by the Central Africa Republic, on the South by Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and on the West by Nigeria.Yaounde is the political capital of Cameroon with about 2 million inhabitants. Douala is the major economic city with more than 2 million inhabitants. French and English are the official languages. Spanish and German are also spoken by a few city-dwellers. Cameroon is a secular state. Main religions include Christianity and Islam. Traditional Religion (Animism) is also practised.
4. Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in northern Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of area.
Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second-largest in Africa. N'Djamena, the capital, is the largest city. Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions.
5. Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo to the south and Cameroon to the west. The CAR covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi) and had an estimated population of around 4.7 million as of 2014.
Most of the CAR consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas, but the country also includes a Sahelo-Sudanian zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two thirds of the country is within the Ubangi River basin (which flows into the Congo), while the remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari, which flows into Lake Chad.
6. Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named Zaire. The DRC borders the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is the second largest country in Africa by area, the largest in Subsaharan Africa, and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 79 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country, the fourth most populated nation in Africa and the nineteenth most populated country in the world.
7. Cote D'Ivoire
The Republic of Ivory Coast one country in West Africa that once had pride as the model of stability since after her independence in 1960 however, this was short-lived as the country was thrown into political chaos in the early 21st century when armed rebellion split the country in two in 2002. On a positive note, the country is known as one of the major producers of cocoa and the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment especially in this industrial sector all made the nation one of the most prosperous of the West African countries.
8. Cape Verde
Cape Verde is officially known as The Republic of Cape Verde, is the only island country of its type in West Africa. Cape Verde is a combination of 10 islands located 570 kilometers off the coast of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, Cape Verde’s islands are historically of volcanic origin and most of them are rockier with vegetation. Cape Verde has an estimated population of about 500,000, with a quarter of its citizens living in the state capital Praia while almost 38% living in the rural areas.
9. Gambia
The Gambia is one of the smallest countries in Africa and among those that has enjoyed much of political stability since its independence quite unlike most other west African countries. The President Yahya Jammeh took over power in 1994 following a coup that was successfully carried out without any bloodshed and since then has handled the country under strict measures. The country is largely dependent on peanuts export since the soil does not support much of other products.
10. Ghana
The Republic of Ghana has Ivory Coast on its west, Burkina Faso on its north, Togo on the east and the Gulf of Guinea on the south of its borders. It was the first black African nation in the Western Africa to achieve independence from a colonial power. Ghana has one of the best growing economies in West Africa and has in recent times enjoyed the benefits of a better and more transparent system of government which has translated to the state of its economy.
11. Guinea
Guinea is a West African country with a population of 10,057,975 and occupying an area of 246,000 square kilometres As part of its borders, Guinea has Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali on the northern part, and its southern border is shared with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire. If there a single source of the most important rivers in West Africa, it is Guinea of which its highlands form the sources of the Niger River, Gambia River, and Senegal River. Like most African countries, Guinea was not free from political oppression and instability. Following independence in 1958, Guinea’s first president, Ahmed Sekou Toure, pursued a revolutionary socialist agenda and tens of thousands of people disappeared, or were tortured and executed in his 26-year regime.
12. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is a West African country bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal. Only 14% of the population in Guinea-Bissau speaks Portuguese as the official language, the majority (up to 44%) speak Kriol which is a Portuguese-based creole language while the remainder speak native African languages. Guinea-Bissau has had quite significant political and military insurgence since independence from Portugal in 1974.
13. Liberia
Liberia is officially known as The Republic of Liberia. It is bordered by Guinea to its north, Sierra Leone to its west and Côte d’Ivoire to its east. The country has about 3.7 million people living within the confines of its boundary. The country has seen a lot of violence, human right abuse and for long, has been a United Nations peace keeping zone.
14. Mali
The Republic of Mali as it is officially recognized is a French-speaking West African Country landlocked by Senegal and Mauritania to the west, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire to the south, Guinea to the south-west, and Algeria to the north. Mali has an estimated population of 14.5 million with its capital located at Bamako and the majority of inhabitants living in the southern part of the country. It is a country whose major source of foreign exchange centers on agriculture and fishing. Mali is also endowed with natural resources which include gold, being the third largest producer of gold in Africa.
15. Mauritania
Mauritania is one of the countries in West Africa and also one of the newest oil-producing countries. Geographically, Mauritania bridges the Arab Maghreb and western sub-Saharan Africa. Most parts of the country is desert and perhaps one of the reasons for a national shuffling that has mostly the Arab-Berber population in the north and black Africans in the south.
16. Niger
Republic of Niger, is another landlocked country in Western Africa. Among its borders are Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria, Libya and Chad in different directions. The Republic of Niger has a reputation for being the largest nation in West Africa, however, 80% of this land mass is covered by the Sahara desert. Niger has a population of 16,068,994 as at 2011 and this number is very much concentrated in the south and western parts of the country.
17. Nigeria
Nigeria is officially recognized as the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is a federal constitutional republic with 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Among its borders are the Republic of Benin in the west, Niger and Chad in the north and Cameroon in the east. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria has some notable facts for which it can be remembered: It is the most populous country in Africa, the seventh most populous country in the world and the most populous black country in the World.
18. Senegal
Senegal is one of the French-speaking countries in West Africa with Dakar as the capital city which is located at the westernmost tip of the country on the Cap-Vert peninsula. Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. The country has been held up as one of Africa’s model democracies. It has an established multi-party system and a tradition of civilian rule.
19. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is an English-speaking west African country which greatly relies on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base and mineral exports remain the main foreign currency earner and also among the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, and a major producer of gold. The country also boasts of the third largest natural harbor in the world where shipping from all over the globe berth at Freetown’s famous Queen Elizabeth II Quay. Sierra Leone is one of the largest producers of diamond. The very costly compound generates billions of dollars for the country but despite this natural wealth, Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in Africa with 70% of its people live in poverty.
20. Sao Tome & Principe
São Tomé and Príncipe officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about 140 kilometres (87 miles) apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres (155 and 140 miles), respectively, off the northwestern coast of Gabon.
21. Togo.
Togo is a small West African country with a population of 6.7 million people and suffers from very lean economic growth and approximately one half of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day. Agriculture is the major source of income which also provides jobs for the major part of the population. Natural raw materials like Cocoa, coffee, and cotton seed contribute up to 40% of all earnings from exportation. Among all these, cotton is the largest contributing cash crop. Togo is also rich in natural minerals and is among the largest producers of phosphate in the world.