Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa
source
Conventional long name	Sub-Saharan Africa
Region	Africa
Area km2	24,000,000
Population estimate	1,100,000,000

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the African continent situated south of the Sahara. It encompasses diverse landscapes from the Sahel belt to the Kalahari and Congolian Rainforest, and includes many of the continent's most populous states such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The region's modern boundaries reflect a mix of precolonial polities like the Mali Empire and Kingdom of Kongo, colonial partitions by Berlin Conference (1884–85), and postcolonial states such as Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa.

Geography

The physical geography spans the Atlas Mountains foothills near the Mediterranean Sea to the Limpopo River basin and the Zambezi River with the Victoria Falls landmark, and includes island states like Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Comoros. Major biomes feature the Sahel savanna between the Sahara and the Sudanian Savanna, the Guinean Forests of West Africa extending into the Gulf of Guinea, and the extensive Congo Basin rainforest drained by the Congo River. Climatic influences derive from the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the Benguela Current, and the Indian Ocean Monsoon, affecting nations such as Somalia, Mozambique, Gabon, Cameroon, and Angola. Geology includes the Great Rift Valley with sites in Ethiopia and Kenya, the Kaapvaal Craton in South Africa and Botswana, and mineral-rich regions exploited by Zambia and Zimbabwe.

History

Precolonial history features empires and kingdoms like Ghana Empire, Songhai Empire, Benin Kingdom, Ashanti Empire, Oyo Empire, Axum, and the Wagadou traditions; notable city-states and trading centers included Timbuktu, Kilwa Kisiwani, Zanzibar, and Cairo's medieval connections. External contacts encompassed the Trans-Saharan trade, the Indian Ocean trade, the Atlantic slave trade, and encounters with Portuguese Empire explorers such as Vasco da Gama and traders from Ottoman Empire and Venice. Colonial partition and rule involved powers including United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, and Italy, formalized by the Berlin Conference (1884–85), producing territories like French West Africa, Belgian Congo, Portuguese Mozambique, and German East Africa. Independence movements led to states including Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah, Algeria after the Algerian War, Kenya after the Mau Mau Uprising, and later Namibia and South Africa transitions with figures such as Nelson Mandela and organizations like the African National Congress. Late 20th-century conflicts included the Rwandan Genocide, civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and interstate disputes such as the Ethiopian–Eritrean War. Regional integration efforts manifested through bodies like the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Southern African Development Community.

Demographics and Languages

Population centers include cities such as Lagos, Kinshasa, Nairobi, Kigali, Accra, Abuja, Dakar, Addis Ababa, and Johannesburg. Ethnolinguistic groups feature the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Akan, Zulu, Xhosa, Shona, and Wolof, alongside smaller groups like the San and Pygmy peoples in rainforest regions. Official and national languages across states include English in Nigeria and Uganda, French in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, Portuguese in Mozambique and Angola, and indigenous lingua francas such as Swahili in Tanzania and Kenya. Religious affiliations vary with major traditions including Islam in Mauritania and Niger, Christianity in Ethiopia and Ghana, and longstanding indigenous beliefs maintained by groups like the Dogon and Zulu. Demographic challenges intersect with public health in nations confronting HIV/AIDS in South Africa and Botswana, malaria endemicity in Ghana and Mozambique, and recent outbreaks such as Ebola virus disease in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Economy and Development

Economic profiles range from resource-rich exporters like Nigeria (oil), Angola (oil), South Africa (minerals), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (cobalt, copper), to diversified economies such as Kenya (horticulture, technology) and Morocco (phosphates, textiles). Development initiatives include programs by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank, and continental frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area. Infrastructure projects feature transnational corridors such as the Maputo Development Corridor, the Northern Corridor linking Mombasa to Kampala, and mega-projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Lamu Port initiative. Challenges include foreign investment from actors like China through the Belt and Road Initiative, debt dynamics involving Eurobond issuances by countries like Ghana and Zambia, and efforts by institutions such as African Export-Import Bank to boost trade finance.

Politics and Governance

Postcolonial governance spans multiparty democracies like Botswana and Benin, military juntas such as historic regimes in Mali and Sierra Leone, long-standing single-party or personalized-rule variants in states like Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, and constitutional transitions exemplified by South Africa's post-apartheid settlement. Regional security mechanisms include African Union peace support, ECOWAS interventions such as the 2017 role in The Gambia, and United Nations peacekeeping operations deployed in Darfur and Liberia. Notable political leaders and figures include Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, Leopold Sédar Senghor, Jomo Kenyatta, Robert Mugabe, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Wangari Maathai. Legal instruments and courts with continental reach include the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Criminal Court cases involving leaders like former officials from Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan.

Culture and Society

Cultural expressions encompass music genres and artists such as Afrobeat pioneered by Fela Kuti, Highlife artists in Ghana, Soukous from Congo, and contemporary performers like Burna Boy, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N'Dour, and Daft Punk collaborators with African artists. Literary traditions include authors Chinua Achebe, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nadine Gordimer, Ama Ata Aidoo, and Leopold Sedar Senghor. Visual arts and film industries feature Nollywood in Nigeria, filmmakers like Ousmane Sembène and Abderrahmane Sissako, and artists exhibited at venues such as the Venice Biennale. Sporting cultures highlight football clubs and players like Samuel Eto'o, George Weah, Didier Drogba, Sadio Mané, and international events hosted in South Africa including the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Culinary diversity ranges from injera staples in Ethiopia to jollof rice rivalries among Nigeria and Ghana, and fermented traditions from Ethiopia and Senegal. Social movements have included feminist and environmental campaigns led by activists like Wangari Maathai and human rights advocacy by organizations such as Amnesty International operating alongside regional NGOs.

Category:Regions of Africa