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1.Liberia
Liberia /laɪˈbɪəriə/ (help·info), officially the
Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of
Africa, bordered by
Sierra Leone,
Guinea,
Côte d'Ivoire, and the
Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2008 Census, the nation is home to 3,476,608 people and covers 111,369 square kilometres (43,000 sq mi).
[3] Liberia's capital is
Monrovia. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate with most rainfall arriving in summer with harsh
harmattan winds in the dry season. Liberia's populated
Pepper Coast is composed of mostly
mangrove forests while the sparsely populated inland is forested, later opening to a plateau of drier grasslands.
The history of Liberia is unique among
African nations because of its relationship with the
United States. It is one of the few countries in Africa, and the only country in
West Africa, without roots in the European
Scramble for Africa. It was founded and colonized by freed American slaves with the help of a private organization called the
American Colonization Society in 1821-22, on the premise American slaves would have greater freedom and equality there.
[4] Slaves freed from slave ships also were sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin.
[5] These colonists formed an elite group in Liberian society, and, in 1847, they founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States, naming Monrovia, their capital city, after
James Monroe, the fifth
president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization.
A military-led
coup in 1980 overthrew then-president
William R. Tolbert, which marked the beginning of a period of instability that eventually led to a civil war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and devastated the country's
economy. Today, Liberia is recovering from the lingering effects of the civil war and related economic dislocation.
2.Haiti
Haiti (pronounced
/ˈheɪtɪ/;
French Haïti, pronounced: [a.iti];
Haitian Creole:
Ayiti,
Haitian Creole pronunciation: [ajiti]), officially the
Republic of Haiti (
République d'Haïti ;
Repiblik Ayiti) is a
Caribbean country. Along with the
Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of
Hispaniola, in the
Greater Antillean archipelago.
Ayiti (
land of high mountains) was the indigenous
Taíno or
Amerindian name for the mountainous western side of the island. The country's highest point is
Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714
sq mi) and its capital is
Port-au-Prince.
Haitian Creole and
French are the official languages.
Haiti's regional, historical and
ethnolinguistic position is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation in
Latin America and the first
black-led
republic in the world when it gained independence as part of a successful
slave rebellion in 1804.
[4] Despite having common cultural links with its
Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly
Francophone independent
nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independent nations in the Americas (along with
Canada) that designate
French as an
official language; the other French-speaking areas are all
overseas départements, or
collectivités, of France.
Haiti is the poorest country in the
Americas. Contrary to popular belief, however, it is not the poorest in the
Western Hemisphere. On various occasions, it has experienced political violence throughout its history. Most recently, in February 2004, an armed rebellion forced the resignation and exile of President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and a provisional government took control with security provided by the
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Rene Preval, the current president, was elected in the
Haitian general election, 2006.
3.Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (pronounced
/zɪ'mbɑːbwe/ zi-MBAH-bwe; officially the
Republic of Zimbabwe and formerly
Southern Rhodesia, the
Republic of Rhodesia, and
Zimbabwe Rhodesia) is a
landlocked country located in the southern part of the
continent of
Africa, between the
Zambezi and
Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by
South Africa to the south,
Botswana to the southwest,
Zambia to the northwest and
Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three
official languages:
English,
Shona (a
Bantu language), and
Ndebele.
Zimbabwe began as a part of the
British crown colony of
Rhodesia. Today, Zimbabwe is governed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's administration, with
President Robert Mugabe as Head of State. Mugabe has been in power since the country's long
war for independence. Although initially during the 1980s his administration was credited with improving the standard of living and the economy; his rule has been characterized by gross
economic mismanagement,
hyperinflation, and widespread reports of
human rights abuses.
[3] The collapse of the nation's economy and widespread poverty and unemployment has increased support for
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his opposition party,
Movement for Democratic Change, which in late 2008 agreed to share power with Mugabe.
4.Chad
Chad (
French:
Tchad,
Arabic:
تشاد
Tshād), officially known as the
Republic of Chad, is a
landlocked country in
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. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely
desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "Dead Heart of Africa".
Chad is divided into three major geographical regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid
Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile
Sudanese 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. Chad's highest peak is the
Emi Koussi in the
Sahara, and
N'Djamena, (formerly
Fort-Lamy), 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.
Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium BC, a series of states and empires rose and fell in Chad's Sahelian strip, each focused on controlling the
trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of
French Equatorial Africa.
In 1960 Chad obtained independence under the leadership of
François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting
civil war in 1965. In 1979
the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the south's hegemony. However, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until
Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. He was overthrown in 1990 by his general
Idriss Déby. Recently, the
Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and
destabilised the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad.
While
many political parties are active, power lies firmly in the hands of President Déby and his political party, the
Patriotic Salvation Movement. Chad remains plagued by political violence and recurrent attempted
coups d'état (see
Battle of N'Djamena (2006) and
Battle of N'Djamena (2008)).
The country is one of the
poorest and
most corrupt countries in the world; most Chadians live in poverty as
subsistence herders and farmers. Since 2003
crude oil has become the country's primary source of export earnings, superseding the traditional
cotton industry.
5.Gaza Strip
The
Gaza Strip (
Arabic:
قطاع غزة
Qiṭāʿ Ġazza/Qita' Ghazzah,
Arabic pronunciation: [qitˤaːʕ ɣazza]) lies on the Eastern coast of the
Mediterranean Sea. It borders
Egypt on the southwest and
Israel on the south, east and north. It is about 41
kilometers (25
mi) long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers (4–7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 360
square kilometers (139
sq mi). This small piece of land is home to about 1.5 million Palestinians. Many of these people lived in other parts of Palestine prior to the 1947 - 49 Israeli War of Independence, when they had to flee. These Palestinians have not been allowed to return to their former villages. The area is recognized internationally as part of the
Palestinian territories.
[1][2][3][4] Actual control of the area within the Gaza Strip borders are in the hands of
Hamas, an organization that won civil parliamentary Palestinian Authority elections in 2006 and took over
de facto government in the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority by way of its own political maneuvering and armed militia in July 2007, while consolidating power by violently removing the Palestinian Authority's security forces and civil servants from the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip, having previously been a part of the Ottoman Empire and then the British Mandate of Palestine, was occupied by Egypt from 1948–67, and then by Israel following the
1967 war. Pursuant to the
Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the
Palestinian Liberation Organisation in 1993, the Palestinian Authority was set up as an interim administrative body to govern populated Palestinian centers - with Israel maintaining military control of the Gaza Strip's
airspace, some of its land borders and its
territorial waters - until a final agreement could be reached. As agreement remained elusive,
Occupying Power.
[5] The territory takes its name from
Gaza, its main city. The population speak a Western Egyptian dialect of Arabic and are estimated by some sources at as high as 1.5 million (July 2009).
[6] Refugees of the
1948 Palestinian exodus and their descendants made up 85% of the population as of March 2003.
[7]
6.Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone (
[sieɪrə liˈoːn]), officially the
Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in
West Africa. It is bordered by
Guinea in the north,
Liberia in the southeast, and the
Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi)
[4] and has a population estimated at 6.4 million. The country is a
constitutional republic comprising
three provinces and the
Western Area, which are further divided into
fourteen districts.
The country has a
tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from
savannah to
rainforests.
[5] Freetown is the capital, largest city and economic center.
[4]. English is the
official language,
[6] spoken at
schools, government administration and by the
media. However, the
Krio language (a language derived from English and several African languages and native to the
Sierra Leone Krio people) is the most widely spoken language in virtually all parts of the country. The Krio language is spoken by 97% of the country's population
[2] and unites all the different
ethnic groups, especially in their trade and interaction with each other.
[1] Despite its common use throughout the country, the Krio language has no official status. In December 2002, Sierra Leone’s President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah named
Bengali as an "official language" in recognition of the work of 5,300 troops from Bangladesh in the peace-keeping force.
[7][8] The Sierra Leone government officially recognizes fifteen
ethnic groups,
[9] each with its own language and customs. The two largest and most influential are the
Mende and
Temne peoples, with each comprising 30% of the population.[
citation needed]
Sierra Leone is very rich in minerals and has relied on
mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. The country is among the top 10 diamond producing nations in the world, and mineral exports remain the main foreign currency earner. Sierra Leone also claims to be home to the third largest
natural harbour in the world, the
Queen Elizabeth II Quay (also known as the QE II Quay and locally as the Deep Water Quay or Government Warf)
[10][11].
Early inhabitants of Sierra Leone included the
Sherbro,
Temne and
Limba, and
Tyra [
disambiguation needed] peoples, and later the
Mende,
[12] who knew the country as Romarong, and the
Kono who settled in the East of the country.
[13] In 1462, it was visited by the
Portuguese explorer
Pedro da Cintra, who gave it its name Serra de Leão, meaning 'Lion Mountains'.
[14][15] Sierra Leone later became an important centre of the
transatlantic trade in slaves until 1792 when Freetown was founded by the
Sierra Leone Company as a home for formerly
enslaved African Americans.
[16] In 1808, Freetown became a
British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British
Protectorate;
[13] in 1961, the two combined and gained
independence.
Over two decades of government neglect of the interior followed by the spilling over of the Liberian conflict into its borders eventually led to the
Sierra Leone Civil War,
[17] which began in 1991 and was resolved in 2000 after the struggling Nigerian led
United Nations troops were heavily reinforced by a British force spearheaded by 42 Commando of the Royal Marines as well as several British Army units. The arrival of this force in what was codenamed OPERATION PALLISER resulted in the defeat of rebel forces and restored the civilian government elected in 1998 to Freetown. Since then, almost 72,500 former combatants have been disarmed
[18] and the country has reestablished a functioning
democracy.
[2] The
Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up in 2002 to deal with
war crimes and
crimes against humanity committed since 1996.
[19] Sierra Leone is the third-lowest-ranked country on the
Human Development Index and seventh-lowest on the
Human Poverty Index, suffering from endemic
corruption[20] and
suppression of the press.
[21]
7.Suriname
Suriname[5] (
Dutch: Suriname;
Sarnami: शर्नम्
Sarnam,
Sranan Tongo:
Sranangron), officially the
Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern
South America.
Suriname is situated between
French Guiana to the east and
Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with
Brazil and the northern border is the
Atlantic coast. The southernmost borders with French Guiana and Guyana are disputed along the
Marowijne and
Corantijn rivers, respectively; while a part of the disputed maritime boundary with Guyana was arbitrated by the
United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea on September 20, 2007.
Suriname is the smallest
sovereign state in terms of
area and
population in South America. The country is the only
Dutch-speaking region in the
Western Hemisphere that is not a part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Suriname has a typical
multicultural society with extreme ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. Suriname's geographical size is just under 165,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of about 470,000 people. About a quarter of the population live on less than US$ 2 a day.
[6]
8.Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the
Republic of Mozambique (
Portuguese:
Moçambique or
República de Moçambique,
pronounced [ʁɛˈpublikɐ di musɐ̃ˈbiki]), is a country in southeastern
Africa bordered by the
Indian Ocean to the east,
Tanzania to the north,
Malawi and
Zambia to the northwest,
Zimbabwe to the west and
Swaziland and
South Africa to the southwest.
The area was explored by
Vasco da Gama in 1498 and colonized by
Portugal in 1505. Mozambique became independent in 1975, to which it became the
People's Republic of Mozambique shortly after, and was the scene of an intense
civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the
Island of Mozambique, derived from
Musa Al Big or
Mossa Al Bique or
Mussa Ben Mbiki, an
Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there.
Mozambique is a member of the
Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the
Commonwealth of Nations and an observer of the
Francophonie. Mozambique's life expectancy and infant mortality rates are both among the worst ranked in the world due to the excessive
malaria carrying
mosquitoes. Its
Human Development Index is one of the
lowest on earth.
9.Angola
Angola, officially the
Republic of Angola (
Portuguese:
República de Angola,
pronounced [ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈɡɔlɐ];
Kongo:
Repubilika ya Ngola), is a country in south-central
Africa bordered by
Namibia on the south,
Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and
Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the
Atlantic Ocean. The
exclave province of
Cabinda has a border with the
Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Angola was a
Portuguese overseas territory from the 16th century to 1975. After independence, Angola was the scene of an intense
civil war from 1975 to 2002. The country is the second-largest
petroleum and
diamond producer in
sub-Saharan Africa; however, its
life expectancy and
infant mortality rates are both among the worst ranked in the world
[3]. In August 2006, a peace treaty was signed with a
faction of the
FLEC, a separatist guerrilla group from the
Cabinda exclave in the North, which is still active.
[4] About 65% of Angola's oil comes from that region.
10.Nigeria
Nigeria (pronounced
/naɪˈdʒɪəriə/), officially the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a
federal constitutional republic comprising
thirty-six states and its
Federal Capital Territory,
Abuja. The country is located in
West Africa and shares land
borders with the Republic of
Benin in the west,
Chad and
Cameroon in the east, and
Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the
Gulf of Guinea on the
Atlantic Ocean. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the
Hausa,
Igbo and
Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half between Muslims and Christians with a very small minority who practice traditional religions.
The people of Nigeria have an
extensive history.
Archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BC.
[4] The area around the
Benue and
Cross River is thought to be the original homeland of the
Bantu migrants who spread across most of
central and
southern Africa in waves between the
1st millennium BC and the
2nd millennium.
The name
Nigeria was taken from the
Niger River running through the country. This name was coined by
Flora Shaw, the future wife of
Baron Lugard, a
British colonial administrator, in the late 19th century.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the
eighth most populous country in the world, and the most populous country in the world in which the majority of the population is '
black'. It is listed among the "
Next Eleven" economies, and is a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations. The
economy of Nigeria is one of the
fastest growing in the world, with the
International Monetary Fund projecting a growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009.
[5][6][7][8] It is the
second largest economy in Africa, and is a
regional power that is also the
hegemon in
West Afri
11.Swaziland
The
Kingdom of Swaziland (
Umbuso weSwatini), sometimes called
Ngwane, is a
landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by
South Africa, and to the east by
Mozambique. The nation, as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king
Mswati II.
Swaziland is a small country, no more than 200 km north to south and 130 km east to west. The western half is mountainous, descending to a lowveld region to the east. The eastern border with Mozambique and South Africa is dominated by the escarpment of the
Lebombo Mountains. The climate is temperate in the west, but may reach 40 degrees in summer in the lowveld. Rainfall occurs mainly in the summer and may reach 2 m in the west.
The area that Swaziland now covers has been continuously inhabited since prehistory. Today, the population is primarily ethnic
Swazis whose language is
siSwati, though English is spoken as a second language. The Swazi people descend from the southern
Bantu who migrated from Central Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. The
Anglo Boer war saw
Britain make Swaziland a
protectorate under its direct control. Swaziland gained independence in 1968. Swaziland is a member of the
Southern African Development Community, the
African Union, and the
Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the king, who appoints the prime minister and a small number of representatives for both chambers of parliament. Elections are held every five years to determine the majority of the representatives. A new
constitution was adopted in 2005.
Swaziland's economy is dominated by the service industry, manufacturing and agriculture. Some 75% of the population are employed in subsistence farming, and 60% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day.
[3] Swaziland's main trading partner is South Africa, and its currency is pegged to the South African rand.
Swaziland's economic growth and societal integrity is highly endangered by its disastrous
HIV epidemic, to an extent where the United Nations Development Program has written that if it continues unabated, the "longer term existence of Swaziland as a country will be seriously threatened."
[4] The infection rate in the country is unprecedented and the highest in the world at 26.1% of adults
[5] and over 50% of adults in their 20s.
[4]
12.Burundi
Burundi (pronounced
[buˈɾundi]), officially the
Republic of Burundi, is a small
landlocked country in the
Great Lakes region of
Eastern Africa bordered by
Rwanda to the north,
Tanzania to the east and south, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its size is just under 28,000 km² with an estimated population of almost 8,700,000. Its capital is
Bujumbura. Although the country is
landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to
Lake Tanganyika.
The
Twa,
Tutsi, and
Hutu peoples have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Burundi was ruled as a kingdom by the Tutsi for over two hundred years. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century,
Germany and
Belgium occupied the region, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as
Ruanda-Urundi.
Political unrest occurred throughout the region because of social differences between the Tutsi and Hutu, provoking civil war in Burundi throughout the middle twentieth century. Presently, Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic. Sixty-two percent of Burundians are
Roman Catholic, eight to ten percent are
Muslims and the rest follow
indigenous beliefs and other
Christian denominations.
Burundi is one of the ten
poorest countries in the world. It has the lowest per capita GDP of any nation in the world.
[4] Burundi has a low
gross domestic product largely due to civil wars, corruption, poor access to education, and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Burundi is densely populated, with substantial
emigration.
Cobalt and
copper are among Burundi's natural resources. Some of Burundi's main exports include coffee and sugar.
13.Tajikistan
Tajikistan (pronounced
/təˈdʒɪkɨstæn/ or
/təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/;
Тоҷикистон IPA: [tɔd͡ʒikɪsˈtɔn]), officially the
Republic of Tajikistan (
Tajik: Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон,
Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a mountainous
landlocked country in
Central Asia.
Afghanistan borders it to the south,
Uzbekistan to the west,
Kyrgyzstan to the north, and
People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to
Pakistan but is separated by the narrow
Wakhan Corridor.
Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the
Persian-speaking Tajik ethnic group, who share language, culture and history with
Afghanistan and
Iran. Once part of the
Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the
Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). Mountains cover over 90% of this Central Asian republic.
After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating
civil war which lasted from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Trade in commodities such as
cotton and
aluminium wire has contributed greatly to this steady improvement. In Tajikistan about 20% of the population lives on less than US$1.25 per day.
[7]
14.Bolivia
Bolivia, officially
The Plurinational State of Bolivia,
[7][8] is a landlocked country in central
South America. It is bordered by
Brazil to the north and east,
Paraguay and
Argentina to the south, and
Chile and
Peru to the west. Prior to European colonization, the Bolivian territory was a part of the
Inca Empire, which was the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century. During most of the Spanish colonial period, this territory was called "Upper Peru" or "Charcas" and was under the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru, which included most of Spain's South American colonies. After declaring independence in 1809, 16 years of war followed before the establishment of the republic, named for Simón Bolívar, on August 6, 1825. Bolivia has struggled through periods of political instability, dictatorships and economic woes.
Bolivia is a democratic republic, divided into nine departments. Its geography is varied from the peaks of the Andes in the west, to the eastern lowlands, situated within the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country, with a medium Human Development Index score, and a poverty level around 60%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, forestry, and fishing, mining and manufacturing goods such as textiles, clothing, refined metals, and refined petroleum. Bolivia is very wealthy in minerals especially
tin.
The Bolivian population, estimated at 9 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Mestizos, Europeans, Asians and Africans. The main language spoken is Spanish, although the Aymara and Quechua languages are also common. The large number of different cultures within Bolivia has contributed greatly to a wide diversity in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.
15.Rwanda
The
Republic of Rwanda (
English pronunciation: /ruːˈændə/ roo-AN-də or
/rəˈwɑːndə/ rə-WAHN-də;
Kinyarwanda pronunciation
[ɾwanda] or
IPA: [ɾɡwanda]), known as the
Land of a Thousand Hills, is a
landlocked country located in the
Great Lakes region of eastern-central
Africa, bordered by
Uganda,
Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Tanzania.
Although close to the
equator, the country has a cool temperate climate due to its high elevation. The terrain consists mostly of grassy uplands and gently rolling hills. Abundant wildlife, including rare
mountain gorillas, have resulted in tourism becoming one of the biggest sectors of the country's economy.
Rwanda has received considerable international attention due to its
1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.
[4] Since then the country has made a recovery and is now considered as a model for developing countries. In 2009 A CNN report labeled Rwanda as Africa's biggest success story, having achieved stability, economic growth (average income has tripled in the past ten years) and international integration.
[5] The government is widely seen as one of the more efficient and honest ones in Africa. Fortune magazine published an article recently titled "Why CEOs Love Rwanda."
[6] The capital,
Kigali, is the first city in Africa to be bestowed with the Habitat Scroll of Honor Award in the recognition of its "cleanliness, security and urban conservation model."
[7] In 2008, Rwanda became the first country to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women.
[8] Rwanda is, as of November 2009, a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations, making the country one of only two in the Commonwealth without a
British colonial past.
[9]
16.Congo
The
Democratic Republic of the Congo (
French:
République démocratique du Congo), known until 1997 as
Zaire, is a country located in
Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest
country (by area) in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is, with the population more than 68 million, the eighteenth most populous nation in the world, and the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous
country where French is an official language. In order to distinguish it from the neighbouring
Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is often referred to as
DR Congo,
DROC,
DRC, or
RDC (from its French abbreviation), or is called
Congo-Kinshasa after the capital of
Kinshasa (in contrast to Congo-
Brazzaville for its neighbour).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly, in order, the
Congo Free State,
Belgian Congo,
Congo-Léopoldville, Congo-Kinshasa, and
Zaire (
Zaïre in French). Though it is located in the
Central African UN subregion, the nation is economically and regionally affiliated with
Southern Africa as a member of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo borders the
Central African Republic and
Sudan to the north;
Uganda,
Rwanda, and
Burundi in the east;
Zambia and
Angola to the south; the Republic of the Congo to the west; and is separated from
Tanzania by
Lake Tanganyika in the east.
[1] The country enjoys access to the ocean through a 40-kilometre (24.9 mi) stretch of
Atlantic coastline at
Muanda and the roughly nine-kilometre wide mouth of the
Congo River which opens into the
Gulf of Guinea.
The
Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country, involved seven foreign armies and is sometimes referred to as the "African World War".
[4] Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country. In eastern Congo, the prevalence of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world.
[5] The war is the world's deadliest conflict since
World War II, killing 5.4 million people.
[6][7]
17.Guatemala
Guatemala (
Spanish:
República de Guatemala,
Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðe ɣwateˈmala]) is a country in
Central America bordered by
Mexico to the north and west, the
Pacific Ocean to the southwest,
Belize to the northeast, the
Caribbean to the east, and
Honduras and
El Salvador to the southeast. Its area is 108,890 km² (42,043 mi²) with an estimated population of 13,276,517.
A
representative democracy, its capital is
Guatemala City. Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contributes to
Mesoamerica's designation as a
biodiversity hotspot.
[3]
18.Malawi
The
Republic of Malawi (pronounced
/məˈlɑːwi/;
Chichewa [malaβi][
need tone]) is a
landlocked country in southeast
Africa that was formerly known as
Nyasaland. It is bordered by
Zambia to the northwest,
Tanzania to the northeast, and
Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by
Lake Malawi. Its size is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population of more than 13,900,000. Its capital is
Lilongwe, the biggest city is
Blantyre. The name Malawi comes from the
Maravi, an old name of the
Nyanja people that inhabit the area.
Malawi was first
settled during the 10th century and remained under native rule until 1891 when it was
colonized by the
British, who ruled the country until 1964. Upon gaining
independence it became a
single-party state under the presidency of
Hastings Banda, who remained president until 1994, when he was ousted from power.
Bingu Mutharika, elected in 2004, is the current president. Malawi has a
democratic,
multi-party government. Malawi has a small
military force that includes an
army, a
navy and an
air wing. Malawi's
foreign policy is
pro-Western and includes positive
diplomatic relations with most countries and participation in several
international organizations.
Malawi is among the world's least developed and most
densely populated countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely
rural population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet
development needs, although this need (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000. The Malawian government faces challenges in growing the economy, improving education, health care and the
environmental protection and becoming financially independent. Malawi has several programs developed since 2005 that focus on these issues, and the country's outlook appears to be improving, with improvements in economic growth, education and healthcare seen in 2007 and 2008.
Malawi has a low
life expectancy and high
infant mortality. There is a high prevalence of
HIV/AIDS, which is a drain on the labor force and government expenditures, and is expected to have a significant impact on
gross domestic product (GDP) by 2010. There is a diverse population of
native peoples,
Asians and
Europeans, with several languages spoken and an array of
religious beliefs. Although there was tribal conflict in the past, by 2008 it had diminished considerably and the concept of a Malawian nationality had begun to form. Malawi has a
culture combining native and colonial aspects, including sports, art, dance and music.
19.Senegal
Senegal (
French:
le Sénégal), officially the
Republic of Senegal (
République du Sénégal), is a country south of the
Sénégal River in
western Africa.It owes its name to the river that borders it to the East and North and that originates from the
Fouta Djallon in
Guinea. Senegal is externally bounded by the
Atlantic Ocean to the west,
Mauritania to the north,
Mali to the east, and
Guinea and
Guinea-Bissau to the south; internally it almost completely surrounds
The Gambia, namely on the north, east and south, exempting Gambia's short Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 km², and has an estimated population of about 13.7 million.The climate is tropical with two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.
Dakar the
capital city of Senegal,is located to the westernmost tip of the country, about 300 miles away the Cape Verde Island, off the Atlantic Ocean. During colonial times, a lot of trading Counters, belonging to various colonial empires were established along the coast.The town of St Louis became the capital of French Western Africa( Afrique Occidentale Francaise or AOF) before it was moved to Dakar in 1902. Dakar later became its capital in 1960 at the time of independence from France.
20.Sao Tome and 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 Africa. It consists of two islands:
São Tomé and
Príncipe, located about 140 kilometres (87 mi) apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres (155 and 140 mi), respectively, off the northwestern coast of
Gabon. Both islands are part of an extinct
volcanic mountain range. São Tomé, the sizable southern island, is situated just north of the
equator. It was named in honour of
Saint Thomas by
Portuguese explorers who happened to arrive at the island on his
feast day.
São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest African country in terms of population (the
Seychelles being the smallest). It is the smallest country in the world that is not a former
British overseas territory, a former United States
trusteeship, or one of the
European microstates. It is also the smallest
Portuguese-speaking country.
The name in Portuguese,
São Tomé e Príncipe, is pronounced
[sɐ̃ũ tuˈmɛ i ˈpɾĩsɨpɨ]. Pronunciation of
São Tomé and Príncipe in English varies, with dictionaries citing the most common pronunciations as
/ˌsaʊ toʊˈmeɪ ən ˈprɪnsɨpə/ SOW toh-MAY ən PRIN-sə-pə and
/ˌsaʊ tɒˈmeɪ ənd ˈprɪnsɨpeɪ/ SOW to-MAY ənd PRIN-sə-pay.
21.Afghanistan
The
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a
landlocked country in
South-
Central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia,
South Asia,
Western Asia, or the
Middle East.
It is bordered by
Iran in the west,
Pakistan in the south and east,
Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan in the north, and
China in the far northeast.
Afghanistan has a long history, and has been an ancient focal point of the
Silk Road and
migration. It is an important
geostrategic location, connecting
East and
West Asia or the Middle East. The land has been a target of various invaders, as well as a source from which local powers invaded neighboring regions to form their own empires.
Ahmad Shah Durrani created the
Durrani Empire in 1747, which is considered the beginning of modern Afghanistan.
Its capital was shifted in 1776 from
Kandahar to
Kabul and most of its territories ceded to neighboring empires. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a
buffer state in "
The Great Game" played between the
British Empire and
Russian Empire.
22.Honduras
23.Kenya
The
Republic of Kenya is a country in
East Africa. Lying along the
Indian Ocean, at the
equator, Kenya is bordered by
Ethiopia (north),
Somalia (northeast),
Tanzania (south),
Uganda plus
Lake Victoria (west), and
Sudan (northwest). The capital city is
Nairobi. The population has grown rapidly in recent decades to nearly 38 million. Kenya has numerous wildlife reserves, containing thousands of animal species.
The country is named after
Mount Kenya, a significant landmark and the second among the
highest mountain peaks of Africa,
[4][5] and both were originally usually pronounced
/ˈkiːnjə/[6] in English, though the native pronunciation and the one intended by the original transcription
Kenia was
[ˈkɛnja].
[7] During the presidency of
Jomo Kenyatta in the 1960s, the current English pronunciation of
/ˈkɛnjə/ became widespread because his name retained the native pronunciation.
[8] Before 1920, the area now known as Kenya was known as the
British East Africa Protectorate and so there was no need to mention
mount when referring to the mountain.
[4]
24.Namibia
Namibia, officially the
Republic of Namibia (
Afrikaans Republiek van Namibië,
German:
Republik Namibia), is a country in
Southern Africa whose western border is the
Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with
Angola and
Zambia to the north,
Botswana and
Zimbabwe to the east, and
South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990 following the
Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is
Windhoek (
German:
Windhuk).
Namibia is a member state of the
United Nations (UN), the
Southern African Development Community (SADC), the
African Union (AU), the
Commonwealth of Nations and many other international organisations. It has been given many names: the land of contrasts, the land God made in anger, the ageless land. For many years it was known only as
South West Africa, but it adopted the name Namibia, after the
Namib Desert. It is the second
least densely populated country in the world, after
Mongolia.
The dry lands of Namibia were inhabited since early times by
Bushmen,
Damara,
Namaqua, and since about the 14th century AD, by immigrating
Bantu who came with the
Bantu expansion. It was visited by the
British and
Dutch missionaries during the late 18th century. It was also visited by
Dorsland trekkers (also known as Junker Boers) in 1879,
[3] but became a German Imperial protectorate in 1884. In 1920, the
League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa, which imposed their laws and from 1948, their
apartheid policy.
In 1966, uprisings and demands by African leaders led the
United Nations to assume direct responsibility over the territory, and recognizing
South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) as official representative of the Namibian people in 1973. Namibia, however, remained under South African administration during this time. Following internal violence, South Africa installed an interim administration in Namibia in 1985. Namibia obtained full independence from South Africa in 1990 (with the exception of
Walvis Bay - a city that remained under South African control until 1994). The country also officially changed its name from South West Africa to Namibia in 1990.
Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people and a stable
multiparty parliamentary democracy.
Agriculture,
herding,
tourism and
mining of precious stones and metals form the backbone of
Namibia's economy. Approximately half the population live below the international poverty line of U.S.$1.25 a day,
[4] and the nation has suffered heavily from the effects of
HIV/AIDS, with 15% of the adult population infected with HIV in 2007.
[5]
25.Ethiopia
Ethiopia (pronounced
/ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/) (
ʾĪtyōṗṗyā), a landlocked state in the
Horn of Africa, is one of the most ancient countries in the world.[
citation needed] Officially known as the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it is the second most populous nation in Africa with over 79.2 million people
[5] and the tenth largest by area. The capital is
Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is bordered by
Djibouti and
Somalia to the east,
Kenya to the south,
Eritrea to the north and
Sudan to the west.
Though most African countries are far less than a century old[
citation needed], Ethiopia has been an independent country since ancient times. A
monarchical state for most of its history, the
Ethiopian dynasty traces its roots to the 10th century BC.
[6] Besides being an ancient country, Ethiopia is one of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists today—having yielded some of humanity's oldest traces,
[7] it might be the place where
Homo sapiens first set out for the Middle East and points beyond.
[8][9][10] When
Africa was divided up by European powers at the
Berlin Conference, Ethiopia was one of only two countries that retained its
independence. It was one of only three African members of the
League of Nations, and after a brief period of
Italian occupation, Ethiopia became a
charter member of the
United Nations. When other African nations received their independence following
World War II, many of them adopted the colors of Ethiopia's
flag, and Addis Ababa became the location of several international organizations focused on Africa.
The Modern Ethiopian state, and its current borders, are a result of significant territorial reduction in the north and expansion in the south, toward its present borders, owing to several migrations and commercial integration as well as conquests, particularly by
Emperor Menelik II and
Ras Gobena. In 1974, the dynasty led by
Haile Selassie was overthrown as civil wars intensified. Since then, Ethiopia has been a
secular state with a variety of governmental systems. Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),
G-77 and the
Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Today, Addis Ababa is still the site of the headquarters of the
African Union and
[11] UNECA. The country has one of the most powerful militaries in Africa. Ethiopia is the only African country with its own alphabet.
[12] Ethiopia also has its own time system and unique calendar, seven to eight years behind the Gregorian Calendar. It has the largest number of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.
[13] The country is a land of natural contrasts, with spectacular waterfalls and volcanic hot springs. Ethiopia has some of Africa's highest
mountains as well as some of the world's lowest points below sea level. The largest cave in Africa is located in Ethiopia at
Sof Omar, and the country's northernmost area at
Dallol is one of the hottest places year-round anywhere on Earth. There are altogether around 80 different
ethnic groups in Ethiopia today, with the two largest being the
Oromo and the
Amhara, both of which speak
Afro-Asiatic languages. The country is also famous for its Olympic gold medalists, rock-hewn churches and as the place where the
coffee bean originated. Currently, Ethiopia is the top coffee and honey-producing country in Africa, and home to the largest livestock population in Africa.
Ethiopia has close historical ties to all three of the world's major
Abrahamic religions. It was one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted
Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. It still has a Christian majority, but a third of the population is
Muslim. Ethiopia is the site of the first
hijra in Islamic history and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at
Negash. Until the 1980s, a substantial population of
Ethiopian Jews resided in Ethiopia. The country is also the spiritual homeland of the
Rastafari religious movement, which is influenced by
Pan-Africanism. Ethiopia is the source of over 85% of the total Nile waters flow but it underwent a series of tragic
famines in the 1980s, exacerbated by adverse
geopolitics and civil wars, resulting in perhaps a million deaths. Slowly, however, the country has begun to recover, and today Ethiopia has the biggest economy in East Africa (GDP)
[14] as the Ethiopian economy is also one of the fastest growing in the world and it is a
regional powerhouse in the
Horn and east Africa.
[15][16][17][18]
26.Madagascar
Madagascar, or
Republic of Madagascar (older name
Malagasy Republic,
French:
République malgache), is an
island nation in the
Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of
Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the
fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are
endemic to Madagascar.[
citation needed] They include the
lemur infraorder of primates, the carnivorous
fossa, three bird families and six
baobab species. Two thirds of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
[4]
27.Eritrea
28.South Africa
The
Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of
Africa, with a 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) coastline
[7][8] on the
Atlantic and
Indian Oceans.
[9] To the north lie
Namibia,
Botswana and
Zimbabwe; to the east are
Mozambique and
Swaziland; while
Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory.
[10] Modern humans have
inhabited Southern Africa for more than 100,000 years. At the time of
European contact, the dominant
indigenous peoples were tribes who had migrated from other parts of Africa about one thousand years before. From the 4th-5th century
CE,
Bantu-speaking tribes had steadily moved south, where they displaced, conquered and assimilated original
Khoikhoi and
San peoples of southern Africa. At the time of European contact, the two major groups were the
Xhosa and
Zulu peoples.
In 1652, a century and a half after the discovery of the Cape Sea Route, the
Dutch East India Company founded a refreshment station at what would become
Cape Town.
[11] Cape Town became a
British colony in 1806. European settlement expanded during the 1820s as the
Boers (original
Dutch,
Flemish,
German and
French settlers) and the British
1820 Settlers claimed land in the north and east of the country. Conflicts arose among the Xhosa, Zulu and
Afrikaner groups who competed for territory.
The discovery of
diamonds and later
gold triggered the 19th-century conflict known as the
Anglo-Boer War, as the Boers and the British fought for the control of the South African mineral wealth. Although the British defeated the Boers, they gave limited independence to South Africa in 1910 as a British dominion. Within the country, anti-British policies among white South Africans focused on independence. During the Dutch and British colonial years,
racial segregation was mostly informal, though some legislation were enacted to control the settlement and movement of native people, including the
Native Location Act of 1879 and the system of
pass laws.
[12][13][14] Power was held by the European colonists.
In the Boer republics,
[15] from as early as the
Pretoria Convention (
chapter XXVI),
[16] and subsequent South African governments, the system became legally institutionalised
segregation, later known as
apartheid. The government established three classes of racial stratification:
white,
coloured, and
black, with rights and restrictions for each.
South Africa achieved the status of a
republic in 1961. Despite opposition both in and outside of the country, the government legislated for a continuation of apartheid. As the 20th century went on, some Western nations and institutions began to
boycott doing business with the country because of its racial policies and oppression of
civil rights. After years of internal protests, activism and insurgency by black South Africans and their allies, finally in 1990, the South African government began
negotiations that led to dismantling of discriminative laws, and democratic
elections in 1994. The country then rejoined the
Commonwealth of Nations.
South Africa is known for a diversity in cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Eleven official languages are recognised in the
constitution.
[9] English, despite having a large role in public and commercial life, is only the fifth most-spoken home language.
[9] South Africa is ethnically diverse, with the largest
European,
Indian, and racially mixed communities in Africa. Although 79.5% of the South African population is black,
[4] the people are from a variety of ethnic groups speaking different
Bantu languages, nine of which have official status.
[9] About a quarter of the population is
unemployed[17] and lives on less than US $1.25 a day.
[18] South Africa is one of the founding members of the
African Union, and has the largest economy of all the members. It is also a founding member of the
United Nations and
NEPAD. South Africa is a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations,
Antarctic Treaty System,
Group of 77,
South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone,
Southern African Customs Union,
World Trade Organization,
International Monetary Fund,
G20 and
G8+5.
29.Colombia
Colombia (pronounced
/kəˈlʌmbiə/), officially the
Republic of Colombia (
Spanish:
República de Colombia,
pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðe koˈlombja] ( listen)), is a
constitutional republic in northwestern
South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by
Venezuela[7] and
Brazil;
[8] to the south by
Ecuador and
Peru;
[9] to the north by the
Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by
Panama; and to the west by the
Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares maritime borders with
Jamaica,
Haiti, the
Dominican Republic,
Honduras,
Nicaragua and
Costa Rica.
[10][11] With a population of nearly 45 million people, Colombia has the
29th largest population in the world and the second largest in South America, after
Brazil. Colombia has the third largest
Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico and Spain.
The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by
indigenous nations including the
Muisca,
Quimbaya, and
Tairona. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a period of
conquest and colonization killing or taking as slaves almost 90% of that native population, and then creating the
Viceroyalty of New Granada (comprising modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, the northwest region of Brazil and Panama) with its capital in
Bogotá.
[12] Independence from Spain was
won in 1819, but by 1830 "
Gran Colombia" had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. What is now Colombia and Panama emerged as the
Republic of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the
Granadine Confederation (1858), and then the
United States of Colombia (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886.
[2] Panama seceded in 1903 under pressure to fulfill financial responsibilities towards the United States government to build the Panama Canal.
Colombia has a long tradition of constitutional government. The
Liberal and
Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the
Thousand Days War (1899–1902) and
La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s,
government forces,
left-wing insurgents and
right-wing paramilitaries have been engaged in the continent's longest-running
armed conflict. Fuelled by the
cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1980s. However, the insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and in the recent decade (2000s) the violence has decreased significantly. Many paramilitary groups have demobilized as part of a controversial peace process with the government, and the guerrillas have lost control in many areas where they once dominated.
[2] Meanwhile Colombia's
homicide rate, for many years one of the highest in Latin America, has almost halved since 2002.
[13] Colombia is a standing
middle power[14] with the
fourth largest economy in Latin America and a major impact of poverty. It is very ethnically diverse, and the interaction between descendants of the original
native inhabitants,
Spanish colonists,
Africans brought as slaves and twentieth-century immigrants from
Europe and the
Middle East has produced a rich cultural heritage. This has also been influenced by Colombia's varied geography. The majority of the urban centres are located in the highlands of the
Andes mountains, but Colombian territory also encompasses
Amazon rainforest,
tropical grassland and both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. Ecologically, Colombia is one of the world's 18
megadiverse countries (the most biodiverse per unit area).
[15]
30.Lesotho
Lesotho (pronounced
/lɨˈsuːtuː/ ( listen)), officially the
Kingdom of Lesotho, is a
landlocked country and
enclave—entirely surrounded by the
Republic of South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size with an estimated population of almost 1,800,000. Its capital and largest city is
Maseru. Lesotho is the southernmost landlocked country in the world. It is a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations. The name "Lesotho" translates roughly into "the land of the people who speak
Sesotho".
[4] About 40% of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
[5]