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East Africa

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   ██ Eastern Africa (UN subregion) ██ East African Community ██ Central
   African Federation (defunct) ██ geographic, including above
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   ██ Eastern Africa ( UN subregion) ██  East African Community ██
   Central African Federation (defunct) ██ geographic, including above

   East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African
   continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. "East Africa"
   commonly refers to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and sometimes Rwanda and
   Burundi, whereas "Eastern Africa", a UN scheme of geographic regions,
   refers to 19 territories throughout the eastern part of Africa:
     * Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda – also members of the East African
       Community (EAC)
     * Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia – often reckoned as the
       Horn of Africa
     * Mozambique and Madagascar – sometimes considered part of Southern
       Africa
     * Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – sometimes included in Southern
       Africa and formerly of the Central African Federation
     * Burundi and Rwanda – sometimes considered part of Central Africa
     * Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles – small island nations in the
       Indian Ocean
     * Réunion and Mayotte – French overseas territories also in the
       Indian Ocean

   Geographically, Egypt and Sudan are sometimes included in this region.

Geography

   Some parts of East Africa have been renowned for their concentrations
   of wild animals, such as the " big five" of elephant, water buffalo,
   lion, leopard and rhinoceros, though populations have been declining
   under increased stress in recent times, particularly the rhino and
   elephant.

   The geography of East Africa is often stunning and scenic. Shaped by
   global plate techonic forces that have created the Great Rift Valley,
   East Africa is the site of Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, the two tallest
   peaks in Africa.

   The unique geography and apparent suitability for farming made East
   Africa a target for European exploration, exploitation and
   colonialization in the nineteenth century. Today, tourism is an
   important part of the economies of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

History

Period of European Imperialism

   East Africa during the 19th and early 20th century became a theatre of
   competition between the major imperialistic European nations of the
   time. During the period of the Scramble for Africa, almost every
   country comprising the nowadays East African region became part of a
   European colonial empire.

   Portugal had first among other European nations established a strong
   presence in southern Mozambique, while during this period their
   possessions increasingly grew including parts from the present northern
   Mozambique country. At Lake Malawi, they finally met the recently
   created British Protectorate of Nyasaland (nowadays Malawi), which
   surrounded the homonymous lake on three sides, leaving the Portuguese
   the control of lake's eastern coast.

   The British Empire set foot to the region's most exploitable and
   promising lands acquiring what is today Uganda, and Kenya. These
   Protectorates were located in a rich farmland area mostly appropriate
   for the cultivation of cash crops like coffee and tea, as well as for
   animal husbundry with products produced from cattle and goats, such as
   goat meat, beef and milk. Moreover this area had the potential for a
   significant residential expansion, being suitable for the relocation of
   a large number of British nationals to the region. Prevailing climatic
   conditions and the regions' geomorphology allowed the establishment of
   flourishing European style settlements like Nairobi and Entebbe.

   The French settled the biggest island of the Indian ocean (and the 4th
   globally), Madagascar along with a group of smaller islands nearby,
   namely Reunion and the Comoros. Madagascar until then under British
   control, was ceded to the French empire, in exchange for the island of
   Zanzibar an important hub of spices trade, off the coast of Tanganyika.
   The British as well held a number of island colonies in the region. The
   Seychelles an extended archipelago and the rich farmland island of
   Mauritius, previously under the French sovereignty, were as such.

   The German empire gained control of a large area named German East
   Africa, comprised from what is today Rwanda, Burundi and the mainland
   part of Tanzania named Tanganyika. In 1922, the British gained a League
   of Nations mandate over Tanganyika and, afterwards, joined it with
   their island possession of Zanzibar to form the colony of Tanzania.
   German East Africa, though very extensive, was not of such strategic
   importance as the British Crown's colonies to the north: the
   inhabitation of these lands was difficult and thus limited, mainly due
   to climatic conditions and the local geomorphology.

   The southern three-fourths of Somalia became an Italian protectorate
   (Italian Somaliland), while a narrow coastal strip of northern Somalia
   remained under British control (British Somaliland). This northern
   coast was just opposite the British colony of Aden on the Arabian
   Peninsula; together, they served as the gatekeeper of the sea lane
   leading to the British Raj. The French also had their own outpost on
   their route to Indochina, the small protectorate of Djibouti, also
   named French Somaliland.

   By then, the Orthodox empire of Ethiopia alone stood independent.
   Later, beginning with the Italians buying a small port town ( Assab)
   from a local sultan in Eritrea, they were able to colonize Eritrea,
   while Ethiopia remained independent (though it was briefly occupied
   from 1936-1941 by Italy during World War II).

Politics

   Until recently most governments were illiberal and corrupt, and several
   countries were riven with political coups, ethnic violence and
   oppressive dictators. Since the end of colonialism, the region has
   endured:
     * Ethiopian Civil War ( Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic
       Front and Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front against the Derg)
     * Ogaden War
     * Second Sudanese Civil War
     * Somali Civil War
     * Burundi Civil War
     * Lord's Resistance Army insurgency in Uganda
     * 1998 American embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam
     * Eritrean-Ethiopian War

   Kenya and Tanzania have enjoyed relatively stable government. The Awdal
   region of Somalia too has seen relative stability.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Africa"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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