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Why is West Africa a region?
The region of West Africa includes the southern portion of the bulge of the continent, which extends westward to the Atlantic Ocean. This region is bisected by the African Transition Zone, which borders the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The main physical features include the Sahara Desert and the Niger River.
Which region is West Africa?
The West Africa UN subregion includes the following countries:Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo .
Is Africa a region?
The five region according to the United Nations geoscheme for Africa. The five regions of the African Union. The five regions of the Confederation of African Football....Western Africa.SubregionCountry / TerritoryMiddle AfricaCentral African RepublicChadCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of the63 more rows
What are the 5 region of Africa?
The UN Statistics Division has subdivided the African continent into five regions, Northern Africa, Central or Middle Africa , Southern Africa, East Africa, and Western Africa.
What are the 4 regions in Africa?
Geographic regions in AfricaFour regions: North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa.Five regions: North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa.Six regions: North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, North East Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa.
What are the 8 regions of Africa?
Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rainforest, the African Great Lakes, and southern Africa.
How many regions are there in the world?
The World Bank World Bank's published list of countries belonging to world regions, split into a total of seven regions.
How many countries are in the regions of Africa?
54 countriesThere are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics).
How many regions are in South Africa?
South Africa has nine provinces, which vary considerably in size. The smallest is tiny and crowded Gauteng, a highly urbanised region, and the largest the vast, arid and empty Northern Cape, which takes up almost a third of South Africa's total land area.
What are different regions?
Geographic RegionsAfrica. ... Asia. ... Caribbean. ... Central America. ... Europe. ... North America. ... Oceania. ... South America.
What region is Nigeria in?
West African regionNigeria is situated in the West African region and lies between longitudes 3 degrees and 14 degrees and latitudes 4 degrees and 14 degrees. It has a land mass of 923,768 sq.km.
What is South Africa region?
The UN subregion of Southern Africa consists of five countries in the southernmost part of the continent--Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The region is rich in valuable minerals deposits.
Is Kenya in West Africa?
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Kenya), is a country in East Africa. At 580,367 square kilometres (224,081 sq mi), Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by area. With a population of more than 47.6 million in the 2019 census, Kenya is the 29th most populous country in the world.
What were the 3 West African kingdoms?
A succession of three great kingdoms came to power as their people, gained control of valuable trade routes in West Africa. Ghana was the first of these empires, followed by the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai.
Is Egypt in Africa or Asia?
About Egypt. The map shows Egypt, a country situated mainly in the northeastern corner of the African continent bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Red Sea in the east. The eastern portion of Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, is situated in Western Asia (Middle East).
What are the 7 continents of Africa?
By most standards, there is a maximum of seven continents - Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. Many geographers and scientists now refer to six continents, in which Europe and Asia are combined (because they're one solid landmass).
What is the western part of Africa?
western Africa, region of the western African continent comprising the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Western Africa is a term used in the Encyclopædia Britannica to designate a geographic region within the continent of Africa. The term West Africa is also often used to refer to this part of the continent. As conventionally understood, however, West Africa is primarily a political and economic designation and comprises all the areas considered here except Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and the Saharan parts of Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
Which river flows through the Sahara?
Most of the Sahara and the transitional vegetational zones to its south (the Sahel and the western Sudan) are drained, where there is enough rainfall to support surface streams, either southward via the Niger River system or inland to the Lake Chad basin in the east. Along the better-watered Atlantic coastal areas, the chief features are (west to east) the Mauritanian-Senegal Basin, drained by the Sénégal River; the Fouta Djallon and Guinea Highlands; the Volta River and Niger River coastal plains; and the uplands of Nigeria’s Jos Plateau and the Cameroon Highlands.
What language is spoken in Nigeria?
South of a line connecting the course of the Sénégal River, the Niger River, and the southern two-thirds of Nigeria, Niger-Congo languages are spoken. Along the middle course of the Niger River and around Lake Chad, Nilo-Saharan languages related to those of peoples farther east predominate.
What are the physical features of West Africa?
The main physical features include the Sahara Desert and the Niger River. The Cameroon Highlands are located on the eastern border between Nigeria and Cameroon. At 4,100 miles long, the Nile River is the longest, while the Congo River is Africa’s second longest at 2,922 miles in length. The Niger River is Africa’s third-longest river and extends more than 2,600 miles from the Guinea Highlands through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria before reaching the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea.
What is the transition zone in Africa?
The African Transition Zone cuts across the region of West Africa, indicating a division between Islam and Christianity and between the Sahara Desert and the tropics. This diversity in religion and climate is usually exhibited with a north/south division. Islam is the dominant religion on the north side of the African Transition Zone;
What is the Sahara Desert?
To the west of Niger is Mali, another landlocked Muslim country dominated by the Sahara Desert. Mali was home to various ancient empires. Wealth was historically gained from the mining of gold, salt, and copper. The Niger River flows through the entire southern region, providing a means of transportation and fishing as well as fresh water. The ancient city of Timbuktu, once a port on the Niger River, was a center of commerce and trade for the region and was used by the Taureg as early as the tenth century. Timbuktu has played an important role as an educational focal point for many of the peoples of the region. The University of Timbuktu is noted for its educational activities and comprises various colleges and madrasas (Islamic schools of learning). At one point in its history, it claimed to hold the largest collection of books in Africa. The capital city of Mali is not Timbuktu but Bamako, which is located in the southwest. Timbuktu remains a main tourist destination for the country and the region.
What is the capital of Mali?
The University of Timbuktu is noted for its educational activities and comprises various colleges and madrasas (Islamic schools of learning). At one point in its history, it claimed to hold the largest collection of books in Africa. The capital city of Mali is not Timbuktu but Bamako, which is located in the southwest.
Which river is the longest in Africa?
At 4,100 miles long, the Nile River is the longest, while the Congo River is Africa’s second longest at 2,922 miles in length. The Niger River is Africa’s third-longest river and extends more than 2,600 miles from the Guinea Highlands through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria before reaching the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea.
Which religion is dominant in the north of Africa?
Islam is the dominant religion on the north side of the African Transition Zone; Christianity is more dominant to the south. The two religions often clash in the areas where they meet. Traditional beliefs and animist religions are also practiced in the African Transition Zone. Figure 7.18 West Africa.
Which country in Africa has the most people?
Nigeria. Africa’s most populous country is Nigeria. The exact population has been difficult to determine, but 2010 estimates report the population to be just short of 150 million. This is a country of more than 250 different ethnic groups with twice that many separate languages or dialects.
What is the physical geography of West Africa?
Physical Geography of West Africa. The 8 million square kilometers and 17 countries covered by this atlas encompass a wide range of landscapes from alluvial valleys in Senegal and Ghana, sandy plains and low plateaus across the Sahel, and rolling hills of Togo to rugged mountains with summits reaching over 1,500 m in Guinea and 1,800 m in Niger.
How is West Africa divided?
West Africa can be divided internally through its natural features. Geology, relief, climate, vegetation, soils, and the responses of people to the patterns of its biophysical resources through human land uses all tend to be arranged along east-west belts.
What are the geologic features of West Africa?
Much later, volcanic activity in many of these highlands deposited additional layers of igneous rock. Volcanic outpourings have occurred throughout West Africa’s geologic history, with major activity as recent as the Pliocene (2.5 to 3.6 million years ago), and even more recent activity in the Aïr and Tibesti Mountains.
What is West Africa made of?
Geology. West Africa is remarkable for its geological variety. Like most of Africa, the region is largely composed of ancient Precambrian rocks (at least 541 million years old; the oldest rocks may be about 3 billion years old), which have been folded and fractured over hundreds of millions of years.
How many rainy seasons are there in West Africa?
Most of West Africa, from the southern Sahara to the humid coastal countries, has only one rainy season, which lasts from one to six months. The area of two rainy seasons, a long one and a shorter one, is limited to the southern portions of the coastal countries from Liberia to Nigeria. The climate is related to the advance and retreat of the intertropical front— the interface between two air masses — one hot and humid and the other cool and dry. This front migrates annually north and south, following the position of the sun, with a lag of 1 to 2 months. In the winter months (December to March), there is an anticyclonic high pressure area centered over the Sahara. It drives the Harmattan, a desiccating, dusty wind that blows rather persistently from the northeast, drying out landscapes all the way to the coast. In the summer the high pressure area is replaced by a depression, bringing warm, moist winds in from the Atlantic in the southwest (from the Gulf of Guinea) (Arbonnier, 2000; Zwarts and others, 2009). Generally, the dry season lengthens and annual rainfall decreases with increasing latitude. Conversely, in the southern latitudes, rainfall increases and the dry season shortens, often to just four months (December to March). Maximum temperatures and temperature ranges also increase with latitude. In the humid south, temperatures vary little, whereas in the arid north one temperatures range from 0˚C to more than 45˚C (Church, 1966).
What is the continental condition of West Africa?
For most of West Africa, continental conditions have existed since the Eocene or Oligocene, that is, since the last 23 to 34 million years.
Where do the major rivers in West Africa originate?
Several major rivers, including the Niger — West Africa’s longest river — originate in the Guinea Highlands, where rainfall is heavy. Other major rivers rise from Guinea’s Fouta Djallon, including the Gambia and Senegal. The Senegal River drains a major basin — the third largest in West Africa after the Niger Basin and the Lake Chad Basin.
What is West Africa?
West Africa is a subregion of the continent of Africa, according to the United Nations Geoscheme. It is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by the subregion of North Africa, and to the east by the subregion of Middle Africa. There are 16 countries and one dependency in West Africa. The subregion contains two island territories, the independent country of Cabo Verde, and the British dependency of St. Helena. The northern portion of West Africa consists of the Sahel region, which is the semi-arid land that separates the Sahara Desert in the north from the savannas to the south. Half of the countries of West Africa are situated in the Sahel, while the other half are located in the savanna region, close to the Atlantic Ocean. Three of West Africa’s countries, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, are landlocked countries.
What is the name of the subregion of West Africa?
The subregion contains two island territories, the independent country of Cabo Verde, and the British dependency of St. Helena. The northern portion of West Africa consists of the Sahel region, which is the semi-arid land that separates the Sahara Desert in the north from the savannas to the south.
What ethnic group tends cattle in Burkina Faso?
Children of the Mossi ethnic group tending the cattle in Burkina Faso. Editorial credit: Hector Conesa / Shutterstock.com
What are the two major ethnic groups in West Africa?
There are a multitude of ethnic groups in West Africa. Two of the largest are the Hausa and Fulani.
How many people live in West Africa?
About 411 million people live in West Africa. The Nigerian city of Lagos, with a population of approximately 9 million, is the largest city in Africa. 3 West African countries, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, are landlocked. West Africa is a subregion of the continent of Africa, according to the United Nations Geoscheme.
How many ethnic groups are there in Nigeria?
Indeed, the Fulani are known to be one of the strongest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria, which has a total of 250 ethnic groups. Some of the other large ethnic groups in Africa’s most populous country include the Yoruba, who live in the southwest of the country, and the Igbo, who live in the southeast.
Which African countries practice Christianity?
Thus, most of the people in the southern parts of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire practice Christianity, though some also adhere to traditional African religions. Liberia is the only country in West Africa with an overwhelmingly Christian population. The divide between Christianity and Islam has sometimes caused conflict in the African subregion.
How many people live in West Africa?
The total population of West Africa is an estimated 411 million, about half of which live in one country, Nigeria, which is the most populous country on the African continent and the 7 th most populous country in the world. The country also contains Africa’s largest city, Lagos, which is home to approximately 9 million people.
What are the subregions of Africa?
The United Nations’ Geoscheme divides the continent into 5 distinct subregions, Northern Africa, West Africa, Middle Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. Northern Africa is the largest of the subregions by land area, while Southern Africa is the smallest. Southern Africa is also the least populous of the African subregions.
Where do Berbers live?
The Berbers are indigenous to the subregion, as the Arabs did not come to populate the area en masse until the Muslim conquests of the 7 th century. As a result of those conquests, Arabic is the most prevalent language in Northern Africa, and Islam is the most prevalent religion. Like the Arabs, the Berbers are spread throughout Northern Africa, but there are some parts of the subregion in which they are concentrated. For example, the Rif region in Morocco contains a sizeable Berber population that is often at odds with the Arab-led central government. There are also large concentrations of Berbers on the coasts of Morocco and Algeria. A group of Berber known as the Tuareg cover a large expanse of territory in both Northern Africa and Western Africa. Their population in Northern Africa is concentrated in southern Algeria and southern Libya. Other non-Arab populations in the subregion include the Nubians, who live in southern Egypt and northern Sudan; the Fur, who live in the Sudanese region of Darfur, and the Beja, who live mostly on Sudan’s Red Sea coast.
How many countries are there in Africa?
There are 54 countries in Africa. An estimated 1.369 billion people live in Africa. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, while the Seychelles is the least populous. The continent of Africa contains approximately 1.369 billion people, spread out over 54 countries. The United Nations’ Geoscheme divides the continent into 5 distinct ...
What are the countries in Northern Africa?
The subregion is comprised of 5 countries: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
What are the two major ethnic groups in West Africa?
There are a multitude of different ethnic groups and languages in West Africa. Two of the biggest ethnic groups are the Hausa and Fulani, who number about 20 million each. They live mostly in northwestern Nigeria and southern Niger. The Fulani have the distinction of being the largest nomadic group in the world.
What is the official language of Middle Africa?
In addition to their own indigenous languages, the people of Middle Africa also speak European languages as their countries’ official languages. French is the official language in Chad, DR Congo, Congo, Gabon, and the Central African Republic. It is also an official language in Cameroon, alongside English. Portuguese is the official language in both Angola and Sao Tome and Principle, while Spanish is the official language of Equatorial Guinea.
What are the boundaries of West Africa?
Colonial boundaries are reflected in the modern boundaries between contemporary West African states, cutting across ethnic and cultural lines, often dividing single ethnic groups between two or more states. In contrast to most of Central, Southern and Southeast Africa, West Africa is not populated by Bantu -speaking peoples.
What is the western border of West Africa?
West Africa is west of an imagined north-south axis lying close to 10° east longitude. The Atlantic Ocean forms the western and southern borders of the West African region. The northern border is the Sahara Desert, with the Ranishanu Bend generally considered the northernmost part of the region.
What did the Europeans do in Africa?
At the same time, the Europeans started to travel into the interior of Africa to trade and explore. Mungo Park (1771–1806) made the first serious expedition into the region's interior, tracing the Niger River as far as Timbuktu. French armies followed not long after.
What countries were part of the Songhai Empire?
Following the collapse of the Songhai Empire, a number of smaller states arose across West Africa, including the Bambara Empire of Ségou, the lesser Bambara kingdom of Kaarta, the Fula / Malinké kingdom of Khasso (in present-day Mali 's Kayes Region ), and the Kénédougou Empire of Sikasso.
What peoples lived in West Africa during the Pleistocene?
During the Pleistocene, Middle Stone Age peoples (e.g., Iwo Eleru people, possibly Aterians ), who dwelled throughout West Africa between MIS 4 and MIS 2, were gradually replaced by incoming Late Stone Age peoples, who migrated into West Africa as an increase in humid conditions resulted in the subsequent expansion of the West African forest.
Where are the Upper and Lower Guinean forests?
The Upper Guinean forests and Lower Guinean forests are divided by the Dahomey Gap, a region of savanna and dry forest in Togo and Benin. The forests are a few hundred kilometres inland from the Atlantic Ocean coast on the southern part of West Africa.
Where are the Guinean forests?
The Guinean Forests of West Africa is a belt of tropical moist broadleaf forests along the coast, running in the west from Sierra Leone and Guinea through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and Togo, ending at the Sanaga River of Cameroon in the east.
What is the longitude of West Africa?
West Africa is the portion roughly west of 10° east longitude, excluding Northern Africa and the Maghreb. West Africa contains large portions of the Sahara Desert and the Adamawa Mountains.
How many regions are there in Africa?
The continent of Africa is commonly divided into five regions or subregions, four of which are in sub-Saharan Africa .
What countries are in the Arab Maghreb?
Political unrest in the region has stunted progress since its inception but hope still remains that the Union will fulfill its purpose in years to come. Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia are included in this region.
What are the countries of Lusophone Africa?
Lusophone Africa consists of the widely separated countries of Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, and Mozambique.
What is the largest endorheic drainage basin in Africa?
The Chad Basin The Chad Basin is the largest endorheic drainage basin in Africa, centered on Lake Chad.
Where are the Niger and Saharan languages spoken?
Niger–Congo languages and Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Nilo-Saharan occupies a smaller area but is highly diverse, and may be related as a parent or sibling of Niger–Congo.
Where is Swahili spoken?
Swahili is widely used as an inter language in East Africa; its use for official and educational functions is greatest in Tanzania.
Countries of West Africa
Demographics of West Africa
Economy of West Africa