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Sub-Saharan Africa

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   A geographical map of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines
   the sub-Saharan area
   Enlarge
   A geographical map of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines
   the sub-Saharan area
   A political map showing national divisions in relation to the
   ecological break
   Enlarge
   A political map showing national divisions in relation to the
   ecological break

   Sub-Saharan Africa is the term used to describe those countries of the
   African continent that are not considered part of North Africa. In 19th
   Century Europe and the Western world, the area was sometimes referred
   to as Black Africa. Africa as a whole was commonly known as "the Dark
   continent", a term that was usually intended to refer to the
   Sub-Saharan region. This was partly due to the skin colour of its
   inhabitants and partly because much of it had not been fully mapped or
   explored by Westerners. These terms are now obsolete and often
   considered to be pejorative. Further, they are misleading, as Africans
   are indigenous to much of North Africa, as well. Cultural writer and
   filmmaker Owen 'Alik Shahadah adds "the notion of some invisible
   border, which divides the North of African from the South, is rooted in
   racism, ... This barrier of sand hence confines/confined Africans to
   the bottom of this make-believe location, which exist neither
   politically or physically". Shahadah argues that the term sub-Saharan
   Africa is a product of European imperialism, "Sub-Saharan Africa is a
   byword for primitive African: a place which has escaped advancement.
   Hence, we see statements like 'no written languages exist in
   Sub-Saharan Africa.' Egypt is not a Sub-Saharan African civilization."

Geography

   Since the end of the last Ice Age, the north and sub-Saharan regions of
   Africa have been separated by the extremely harsh climate of the
   sparsely populated Sahara, forming an effective barrier interrupted by
   only the Nile River. The modern term sub-Saharan corresponds with the
   standard representation of North as above and South as below. Tropical
   Africa is an alternative modern label, used for the distinctive ecology
   of the region. However, if strictly applied, this term would exclude
   South Africa, most of which lies outside the Tropics.

   Generally, sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, still
   suffering from the legacies of colonial conquest and occupation,
   neocolonialism, inter-ethnic conflict, and political strife. The region
   contains many of the least developed countries in the world. (See
   Economy of Africa.) Sub-Saharan Africa, especially East Africa, is
   regarded by geneticists as being the birthplace of the human race.
   Mitochondrial Eve, from whom all humans alive are descended, is thought
   to have lived in present day Ethiopia or Tanzania. Sub-Saharan Africa
   has been the site of many empires and kingdoms, including Nubia, Axum,
   Wagadugu (Ghana), Mali, Nok, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, Benin and Great
   Zimbabwe.

   Up to and including October 2006 many governments faces difficulties in
   implementing policies aimed at mitigating the effects of the
   AIDS-pandemic due to lack of technical support despite a number of
   mitigating measures.

Nations of sub-Saharan Africa

   There are 42 countries located on the sub-Saharan African mainland.The
   6 island nations include Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Cape Verde
   and Sao Tome and Principe. Mauritius is generally not considered to be
   a sub-Saharan African island because the ethnic make up of the country
   is predominantly East Indian, Chinese and French. According to this
   classification scheme, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are:

Central Africa

     * Democratic Republic of Congo
     * Republic of Congo
     * Central African Republic
     * Rwanda
     * Burundi

East Africa

     * Kenya
     * Tanzania
     * Uganda
     * Djibouti
     * Eritrea
     * Ethiopia
     * Somalia (including Somaliland)
     * Sudan

Southern Africa

     * Angola
     * Botswana
     * Lesotho
     * Malawi
     * Mozambique
     * Namibia
     * South Africa
     * Swaziland
     * Zambia
     * Zimbabwe

West Africa

     * Benin
     * Burkina Faso
     * Cameroon
     * Chad
     * Côte d'Ivoire
     * Equatorial Guinea
     * Gabon
     * The Gambia
     * Ghana
     * Guinea
     * Guinea-Bissau
     * Liberia
     * Mali
     * Mauritania
     * Niger
     * Nigeria
     * Senegal
     * Sierra Leone
     * Togo

African island nations

     * Cape Verde (West Africa)
     * Comoros (Southern Africa)
     * Madagascar (Southern Africa)
     * Mauritius (Southern Africa)
     * São Tomé and Príncipe (West Africa)
     * Seychelles (East Africa)

Territories, possessions, départements

     * Mayotte (France)
     * Réunion (France)

   Regions of the world
    Africa  Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Western
   Americas Caribbean • Central • Latin • North • Northern • South
     Asia   Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Southeastern • Western
    Europe  Central • Eastern • Northern • Southern • Western
   Oceania  Australasia • Melanesia • Micronesia • Polynesia
     __________________________________________________________________

    Polar   Arctic • Antarctic
    Oceans  Pacific • Atlantic • Indian  • Southern • Arctic

Political maps of Sub-Saharan Africa

     * Countries
     * Blind map

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-Saharan_Africa"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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