Sub-Saharan Africa - wikipedia

 Sub-Saharan Africa

 Jump to : navigation , search Dark and lighter green : Definition of `` Sub-Saharan Africa '' as used in the statistics of the United Nations institutions . Lighter green : However , Sudan is classified as North Africa by the United Nations Statistics Division . Red : Arab states in Africa ( Arab League and UNESCO ) . Simplified climatic map of Africa : Sub-Saharan Africa consists of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa in the north ( yellow ) , the tropical savannas ( light green ) and the tropical rainforests ( dark green ) of Equatorial Africa , and the arid Kalahari Basin ( yellow ) and the `` Mediterranean '' south coast ( olive ) of Southern Africa . The numbers shown correspond to the dates of all Iron Age artifacts associated with the Bantu expansion .

 Sub-Saharan Africa is , geographically , the area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara . According to the United Nations , it consists of all African countries that are fully or partially located south of the Sahara . It contrasts with North Africa , whose territories are part of the League of Arab states within the Arab world . Somalia , Djibouti , Comoros and Mauritania are geographically in Sub-Saharan Africa , but are likewise Arab states and part of the Arab world .

 The Sahel is the transitional zone in between the Sahara and the tropical savanna of the Sudan region and farther south the forest - savanna mosaic of tropical Africa .

 Since probably 3500 BCE , the Saharan 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 in Sudan , though the Nile was blocked by the river 's cataracts . The Sahara pump theory explains how flora and fauna ( including Homo sapiens ) left Africa to penetrate the Middle East and beyond . African pluvial periods are associated with a `` wet Sahara '' phase during which larger lakes and more rivers existed .

 The use of the term has been criticized because it refers to the South only by cartography conventions and projects a connotation of inferiority ; a vestige of colonialism , which some say , divided Africa into European terms of homogeneity .

 Contents

 ( hide )

 1 Etymology

 2 Climate zones and ecoregions

 3 History

 3.1 Prehistory

 3.2 Central Africa

 3.3 Horn of Africa

 3.4 Southern Africa

 3.5 Southeast Africa

 3.6 Sudan

 3.7 Western Africa

 4 Demographics

 4.1 Population

 4.2 Languages and ethnic groups

 4.2. 1 Afroasiatic

 4.2. 2 Khoisan

 4.2. 3 Niger -- Congo

 4.2. 4 Nilo - Saharan

 5 Economy

 5.1 Energy and power

 5.2 Media

 5.3 Infrastructure

 5.4 Oil and minerals

 5.5 Agriculture

 6 Education

 7 Health

 8 Religion

 9 Culture

 10 Music

 11 Art

 12 Cuisine

 13 Clothing

 14 Sports

 15 Tourism

 16 List of countries and regional organization

 16.1 Central Africa

 16.2 East Africa

 16.2. 1 Horn of Africa

 16.2. 2 Southeast Africa

 16.3 Southern Africa

 16.4 Sudan

 16.5 West Africa

 17 See also

 18 Notes

 19 References

 20 Further reading

 21 External links

 Etymology ( edit )

 Ethnographic map of Africa , from Meyers Blitz - Lexikon ( 1932 ) .

 Geographers historically divided the region into several distinct ethnographic sections based on each area 's respective inhabitants .

 Commentators in Arabic in the medieval period used the general term bilâd as - sûdân ( `` Land of the Blacks '' ) for the vast Sudan region ( an expression denoting West and Central Africa ) , or sometimes extending from the coast of West Africa to Western Sudan . Its equivalent in Southeast Africa was Zanj ( `` Country of the Blacks '' ) , which was situated in the vicinity of the Great Lakes region .

 The geographers drew an explicit ethnographic distinction between the Sudan region and its analogue Zanj , from the area to their extreme east on the Red Sea coast in the Horn of Africa . In modern - day Ethiopia and Eritrea was Al - Habash or Abyssinia , which was inhabited by the Habash or Abyssinians , who were the forebears of the Habesha . In northern Somalia was Barbara or the Bilad al - Barbar ( `` Land of the Berbers '' ) , which was inhabited by the Eastern Baribah or Barbaroi , as the ancestors of the Somalis were referred to by medieval Arab and ancient Greek geographers , respectively .

 In the 19th and 20th centuries , the populations south of the Sahara were divided into three broad ancestral groups : Hamites and Semites in the Horn of Africa and Sahel related to those in North Africa , who spoke languages belonging to the Afroasiatic family ; Negroes in most of the rest of the subcontinent ( hence , the former toponym Black Africa for Tropical Africa ) , who spoke languages belonging to the Niger - Congo and Nilo - Saharan families ; and Khoisan in Southern Africa , who spoke languages belonging to the Khoisan family .

 Climate zones and ecoregions ( edit )

 Further information : Afrotropic ecozone ; Tropical and subtropical grasslands , savannas , and shrublands ; and List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions Climate zones of Africa , showing the ecological break between the hot desert climate of North Africa and the Horn of Africa ( red ) , the hot semi-arid climate of the Sahel and areas surrounding deserts ( orange ) and the tropical climate of Central and Western Africa ( blue ) . Southern Africa has a transition to semi-tropical or temperate climates ( green ) , and more desert or semi-arid regions , centered on Namibia and Botswana .

 Sub-Saharan Africa has a wide variety of climate zones or biomes . South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in particular are considered Megadiverse countries . It has a dry winter season and a wet summer season .

 The Sahel shoots across all of Africa at a latitude of about 10 ° to 15 ° N. Countries that include parts of the Sahara Desert proper in their northern territories and parts of the Sahel in their southern region include Mauritania , Mali , Niger , Chad and Sudan . The Sahel has a hot semi-arid climate .

 South of the Sahel , there is a belt of savanna ( Guinean forest - savanna mosaic , Northern Congolian forest - savanna mosaic ) , widening to include most of South Sudan and Ethiopia in the east ( East Sudanese savanna ) .

 The Horn of Africa globally includes hot desert climate along the coast but hot semi-arid climate can be found much more in the interior , contrasting with savannah and moist broadleaf forests in the interior of Ethiopia .

 Tropical Africa encompasses tropical rainforest stretching along the southern coast of West Africa and across most of Central Africa ( the Congo ) west of the African Great Lakes

 The Eastern Miombo woodlands are an ecoregion of Tanzania , Malawi , and Mozambique .

 The Serengeti ecosystem is located in northwestern Tanzania and extends to southwestern Kenya .

 The Kalahari Basin includes the Kalahari Desert , which is surrounded by a belt of semi-desert .

 The Bushveld is a tropical savanna ecoregion of Southern Africa .

 The Karoo is a semi-desert in western South Africa .

 History ( edit )

 Main article : History of Africa

 Prehistory ( edit )

 Stone chopping tool from Olduvai Gorge

 According to paleontology , early hominid skull anatomy was similar to that of their close cousins , the great African forest apes , gorilla and chimpanzee , but they had adopted a bipedal locomotion and freed hands , giving them a crucial advantage enabling them to live in both forested areas and on the open savanna at a time when Africa was drying up , with savanna encroaching on forested areas . This occurred 10 million to 5 million years ago .

 By 3 million years ago several australopithecine hominid species had developed throughout southern , eastern and central Africa . They were tool users rather than tool manufacturers . The next major evolutionary step occurred around 2.3 million BCE , when primitive stone tools were used to scavenge the carcasses of animals killed by other predators , both for their meat and their marrow . In hunting , H. habilis was most likely not capable of competing with large predators and was more prey than hunter , although H. habilis probably did steal eggs from nests and may have been able to catch small game and weakened larger prey such as cubs and older animals . The tools were classed as Oldowan .

 Roughly 1.8 million years ago , Homo ergaster first appeared in the fossil record in Africa . From Homo ergaster , Homo erectus ( upright man ) evolved 1.5 million years ago . Some of the earlier representatives of this species were small - brained and used primitive stone tools , much like H. habilis . The brain later grew in size , and H. erectus eventually developed a more complex stone tool technology called the Acheulean . Potentially the first hominid to engage in hunting , H. erectus mastered the art of making fire . They were the first hominids to leave Africa , going on to colonize the entire Old World , and perhaps later on giving rise to Homo floresiensis . Although some recent writers suggest that H. georgicus , a H. habilis descendant , was the first and most primitive hominid to ever live outside Africa , many scientists consider H. georgicus to be an early and primitive member of the H. erectus species .

 The fossil record shows Homo sapiens living in southern and eastern Africa anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 years ago . Between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago , their expansion out of Africa launched the colonization of the planet by modern humans . By 10,000 BCE , Homo sapiens had spread to all corners of the world . This dispersal of the human species is suggested by linguistic , cultural and genetic evidence .

 After the Sahara became a desert , it did not present a totally impenetrable barrier for travelers between north and south because of the application of animal husbandry towards carrying water , food , and supplies across the desert . Prior to the introduction of the camel , the use of oxen , mule , and horses for desert crossing was common , and trade routes followed chains of oases that were strung across the desert . The trans - saharan trade was in full motion by 500 BCE with Carthage being a major economic force for its establishment . It is thought that the camel was first brought to Egypt after the Persian Empire conquered Egypt in 525 BCE , although large herds did not become common enough in North Africa for camels to be the pack animal of choice for the trans - saharan trade .

 Central Africa ( edit )

 Main article : Central Africa Nzinga Mbande , queen of the Bantu Ndongo and Matamba kingdoms

 Archaeological finds in Central Africa provide evidence of human settlement that may date back over 10 000 years . According to Zangato and Holl , there is evidence of iron - smelting in the Central African Republic and Cameroon that may date back to 3000 to 2500 BCE . Extensive walled sites and settlements have recently been found in Zilum , Chad . The area is located approximately 60 km ( 37 mi ) southwest of Lake Chad , and has been radiocarbon dated to the first millennium BCE .

 Trade and improved agricultural techniques supported more sophisticated societies , leading to the early civilizations of Sao , Kanem , Bornu , Shilluk , Baguirmi , and Wadai .

 Following the Bantu Migration into Central Africa , during the 14th century , the Luba Kingdom in southeast Congo came about under a king whose political authority derived from religious , spiritual legitimacy . The kingdom controlled agriculture and regional trade of salt and iron from the north and copper from the Zambian / Congo copper belt .

 Rival kingship factions which split from the Luba Kingdom later moved among the Lunda people , marrying into its elite and laying the foundation of the Lunda Empire in the 16th century . The ruling dynasty centralised authority among the Lunda under the Mwata Yamyo or Mwaant Yaav . The Mwata Yamyo 's legitimacy , like that of the Luba king , came from being viewed as a spiritual religious guardian . This imperial cult or system of divine kings was spread to most of central Africa by rivals in kingship migrating and forming new states . Many new states received legitimacy by claiming descent from the Lunda dynasties .

 The Kingdom of Kongo existed from the Atlantic west to the Kwango river to the east . During the 15th century , the Bakongo farming community was united with its capital at M'banza - Kongo , under the king title , Manikongo . Other significant states and peoples included the Kuba Kingdom , producers of the famous raffia cloth , the Eastern Lunda , Bemba , Burundi , Rwanda , and the Kingdom of Ndongo .

 Horn of Africa ( edit )

 Main article : Horn of Africa § History Further information : History of Ethiopia , History of Somalia , History of Eritrea , History of Djibouti , and Ethiopian historiography Stone city of Gondershe , Somalia

 The Axumite Empire spanned the southern Sahara , south Arabia and the Sahel along the western shore of the Red Sea . Located in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea , Aksum was deeply involved in the trade network between India and the Mediterranean . Growing from the proto - Aksumite Iron Age period circa the 4th century BCE , it rose to prominence by the 1st century CE . The Aksumites constructed monolithic stelae to cover the graves of their kings , such as King Ezana 's Stele . The later Zagwe dynasty , established in the 12th century , built churches out of solid rock . These rock - hewn structures include the Church of St. George at Lalibela .

 Fasilides Castle , Ethiopia

 In ancient Somalia , city - states flourished such as Opone , Mosyllon and Malao that competed with the Sabaeans , Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo -- Greco -- Roman trade .

 In the Middle Ages , several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuran Sultanate , which excelled in hydraulic engineering and fortress building , the Sultanate of Adal , whose General Ahmed Gurey was the first African commander in history to use cannon warfare on the continent during Adal 's conquest of the Ethiopian Empire , and the Geledi Sultanate , whose military dominance forced governors of the Omani empire north of the city of Lamu to pay tribute to the Somali Sultan Ahmed Yusuf . In the late 19th century after the Berlin conference had ended , European empires sailed with their armies to the Horn of Africa . The imperial armies in Somalia alarmed the Dervish leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan , who gathered Somali soldiers from across the Horn of Africa and began one of the longest anti-colonial wars known as the Somaliland Campaign .

 Southern Africa ( edit )

 Main article : History of Southern Africa Further information : Kingdom of Mutapa Great Zimbabwe : Tower in the Great Enclosure

 Settlements of Bantu - speaking peoples , who were iron - using agriculturists and herdsmen , were already present south of the Limpopo River by the 4th or 5th century displacing and absorbing the original Khoisan speakers . They slowly moved south , and the earliest ironworks in modern - day KwaZulu - Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050 . The southernmost group was the Xhosa people , whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoisan inhabitants . They reached the Fish River in today 's Eastern Cape Province .

 Monomotapa was a medieval kingdom ( c. 1250 -- 1629 ) , which existed between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers of Southern Africa in the territory of modern - day Zimbabwe and Mozambique . Its old capital was located at Great Zimbabwe .

 In 1487 , Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost tip of Africa . In 1652 , a victualling station was established at the Cape of Good Hope by Jan van Riebeeck on behalf of the Dutch East India Company . For most of the 17th and 18th centuries , the slowly expanding settlement was a Dutch possession .

 Great Britain seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795 , ostensibly to prevent it from falling into the hands of the French but also to use Cape Town in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India . It was later returned to the Dutch in 1803 , but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy , and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806 .

 The Zulu Kingdom was a Southern African tribal state in what is now KwaZulu - Natal in southeastern South Africa . The small kingdom gained world fame during and after the Anglo - Zulu War .

 During the 1950s and early 1960s , most Sub-Saharan African nations achieved independence from colonial rule .

 Southeast Africa ( edit )

 Further information : Southeast Africa

 According to the theory of recent African origin of modern humans , the mainstream position held within the scientific community , all humans originate from either Southeast Africa or the Horn of Africa . During the first millennium CE , Nilotic and Bantu - speaking peoples moved into the region , and the latter now account for three - quarters of Kenya 's population .

 The Tongoni Ruins south of Tanga in Tanzania

 On the coastal section of Southeast Africa , a mixed Bantu community developed through contact with Muslim Arab and Persian traders , leading to the development of the mixed Arab , Persian and African Swahili City States . The Swahili culture that emerged from these exchanges evinces many Arab and Islamic influences not seen in traditional Bantu culture , as do the many Afro - Arab members of the Bantu Swahili people . With its original speech community centered on the coastal parts of Tanzania ( particularly Zanzibar ) and Kenya -- a seaboard referred to as the Swahili Coast -- the Bantu Swahili language contains many Arabic loan - words as a consequence of these interactions .

 The earliest Bantu inhabitants of the Southeast coast of Kenya and Tanzania encountered by these later Arab and Persian settlers have been variously identified with the trading settlements of Rhapta , Azania and Menouthias referenced in early Greek and Chinese writings from 50 CE to 500 CE , ultimately giving rise to the name for Tanzania . These early writings perhaps document the first wave of Bantu settlers to reach Southeast Africa during their migration .

 Between the 14th and 15th centuries , large medieval Southeast African kingdoms and states emerged , such as the Buganda and Karagwe kingdoms of Uganda and Tanzania .

 During the early 1960s , the Southeast African nations achieved independence from colonial rule .

 Sudan ( edit )

 Further information : History of Sudan Sphinx of the Nubian Emperor Taharqa

 Nubia in present - day Northern Sudan and southernmost of Egypt , was referred to as `` Aethiopia '' ( `` land of the burnt face '' ) by the Greeks .

 Nubia at her greatest phase is considered Sub-Saharan Africa 's oldest urban civilisation . Nubia was a major source of gold for the ancient world . Nubians built famous structures and numerous pyramids . Sudan , the site of ancient Nubia , has more pyramids than anywhere in the world .

 Western Africa ( edit )

 Main article : History of West Africa Further information : Ghana Empire , Mali Empire , Songhay Empire , Kingdom of Benin , and Kingdom of Nri Nok sculpture , terracotta , Louvre

 The Bantu expansion is a major migration movement originating in West Africa around 2500 BCE , reaching East and Central Africa by 1000 BCE and Southern Africa by the early centuries CE .

 The Djenné - Djenno city - state flourished from 250 BCE to 900 CE and was influential to the development of the Ghana Empire .

 The Nok culture is known from a type of terracotta figure found in Nigeria , dating to between 500 BCE and 200 CE .

 There were a number of medieval empires of the southern Sahara and the Sahel , based on trans - Saharan trade , including the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire , Songhai Empire , the Kanem Empire and the subsequent Bornu Empire . They built stone structures like in Tichit , but mainly constructed in adobe . The Great Mosque of Djenne is most reflective of Sahelian architecture and is the largest adobe building in the world .

 In the forest zone , several states and empires emerged . The Ashanti Empire arose in the 16th century in modern - day Ghana and Ivory Coast . The Kingdom of Nri , was established by the Igbo in the 11th century . Nri was famous for having a priest - king who wielded no military power . Nri was a rare African state which was a haven for freed slaves and outcasts who sought refuge in their territory . Other major states included the kingdoms of Ifẹ and Oyo in the western block of Nigeria which became prominent about 700 -- 900 and 1400 respectively , and center of Yoruba culture . The Yoruba 's built massive mud walls around their cities , the most famous being Sungbo 's Eredo . Another prominent kingdom in southwestern Nigeria was the Kingdom of Benin 9th -- 11th century whose power lasted between the 15th and 19th century and was one of the greatest Empires of African history documented all over the world . Their dominance reached as far as the well - known city of Eko which was named Lagos by the Portuguese traders and other early European settlers . The Edo speaking people of Benin are known for their famous bronze casting and rich coral , wealth , ancient science and technology and the Walls of Benin , which is the largest man - made structure in the world .

 In the 18th century , the Oyo and the Aro confederacy were responsible for most of the slaves exported from Nigeria , with Great Britain , France and Portugal shipping the majority of the slaves . Following the Napoleonic Wars , the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior . In 1885 , British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition , and in the following year the Royal Niger Company was chartered under the leadership of Sir George Taubman Goldie . In 1900 , the company 's territory came under the control of the British Government , which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria . On 1 January 1901 , Nigeria became a British protectorate , part of the British Empire , the foremost world power at the time .

 By 1960 , most of the region achieved independence from colonial rule .

 Demographics ( edit )

 Main article : Demographics of Africa

 Population ( edit )

 Population density in Africa , 2006 Fertility rates and life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa

 According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects , the population of sub-Saharan Africa was 995,694,907 in 2016 . The current growth rate is 2.3 % . The UN predicts for the region a population between 1.5 and 2 billion by 2050 with a population density of 80 per km compared to 170 for Western Europe , 140 for Asia and 30 for the Americas .

 Sub-Saharan African countries top the list of countries and territories by fertility rate with 40 of the highest 50 , all with TFR greater than 4 in 2008 . All are above the world average except South Africa and Seychelles . More than 40 % of the population in sub-Saharan countries is younger than 15 years old , as well as in Sudan , with the exception of South Africa .

 Country

 Population

 Area ( km )

 Literacy ( M / F )

 GDP per Capita

 Trans ( Rank / Score )

 Life ( Exp . )

 HDI

 EODBR / SAB

 PFI ( RANK / MARK )

 Angola

 18,498,000

 1,246,700

 82.9 % / 54.2 %

 6000

 168 / 2

 42.4

 0.486

 172 / 171

 132 / 58 , 43

 Burundi

 8,988,091

 27,830

 67.3 % / 52.2 %

 101

 168 / 1.8

 49

 0.316

 176 / 130

 103 / 29 , 00

 Democratic Republic of the Congo

 68,692,542

 2,345,410

 80.9 % / 54.1 %

 91

 162 / 11.9

 46.1

 0.286

 182 / 152

 146 / 53 , 50

 Cameroon

 18,879,301

 475,440

 77 % / 59.8 %

 687

 146 / 2.2

 50.3

 0.482

 171 / 174

 109 / 30 , 50

 Central African Republic

 4,511,488

 622,984

 64.8 % / 33.5 %

 22

 158 / 2.8

 44.4

 0.343

 183 / 159

 80 / 17 , 75

 Chad

 10,329,208

 1,284,000

 40.8 % / 12.8 %

 266

 175 / 1.6

 50.6

 0.328

 178 / 182

 132 / 44 , 50

 Republic of the Congo

 3,700,000

 342,000

 90.5 % / 79.0 %

 1,145

 162 / 1.9

 54.8

 0.533

 N / A

 116 / 34 , 25

 Equatorial Guinea

 633,441

 28,051

 93.4 % / 80.3 %

 7,470

 168 / 1.8

 51.1

 0.537

 170 / 178

 158 / 65 , 50

 Gabon

 1,514,993

 267,667

 88.5 % / 79.7 %

 4,263

 106 / 2.9

 56.7

 0.674

 158 / 152

 129 / 43 , 50

 Kenya

 39,002,772

 582,650

 77.7 % / 70.2

 976

 146 / 2.2

 57.8

 0.519

 95 / 124

 96 / 25 , 00

 Nigeria

 174,507,539

 923,768

 84.4 % / 72.7 %

 6,204

 136 / 27

 57

 0.504

 131 / 120

 112 / 34.24

 Rwanda

 10,473,282

 26,338

 71.4 % / 59.8 %

 263

 89 / 3.3

 46.8

 0.429

 67 / 11

 157 / 64 , 67

 São Tomé and Príncipe

 212,679

 1,001

 92.2 % / 77.9 %

 N / A

 111 / 2.8

 65.2

 0.509

 180 / 140

 NA

 Tanzania

 44,928,923

 945,087

 77.5 % / 62.2 %

 339

 126 / 2.6

 51.9

 0.466

 131 / 120

 NA / 15 , 50

 Uganda

 32,369,558

 236,040

 76.8 % / 57.7

 274

 130 / 2.5

 50.7

 0.446

 112 / 129

 86 / 21 , 50

 Sudan

 31,894,000

 1,886,068

 79.6 % / 60.8 %

 2,500

 176 / 1.5

 62.57

 0.408

 154 / 118

 148 / 54 , 00

 South Sudan

 8,260,490

 619,745

 Djibouti

 516,055

 23,000

 N / A

 817

 111 / 2.8

 54.5

 0.430

 163 / 177

 110 / 31 , 00

 Eritrea

 5,647,168

 121,320

 N / A

 160

 126 / 2.6

 57.3

 0.349

 175 / 181

 175 / 115 , 50

 Ethiopia

 85,237,338

 1,127,127

 50 % / 28.8 %

 161

 120 / 2.7

 52.5

 0.363

 107 / 93

 140 / 49 , 00

 Somalia

 9,832,017

 637,657

 N / A

 N / A

 180 / 1.1

 47.7

 N / A

 N / A

 164 / 77 , 50

 Botswana

 1,990,876

 600,370

 80.4 % / 81.8 %

 8,532

 37 / 5.6

 49.8

 0.633

 45 / 83

 62 / 15 , 50

 Comoros

 752,438

 2,170

 N / A

 382

 143 / 2.3

 63.2

 0.433

 162 / 168

 82 / 19 , 00

 Lesotho

 2,130,819

 30,355

 73.7 % / 90.3 %

 528

 89 / 3.3

 42.9

 0.450

 130 / 131

 99 / 27 , 50

 Madagascar

 19,625,000

 587,041

 76.5 % / 65.3 %

 238

 99 / 3.0

 59

 0.480

 134 / 12

 134 / 45 , 83

 Malawi

 14,268,711

 118,480

 N / A

 145

 89 / 3.3

 47.6

 0.400

 132 / 128

 62 / 15 , 50

 Mauritius

 1,284,264

 2,040

 88.2 % / 80.5 %

 4,522

 42 / 5.4

 73.2

 0.728

 17 / 10

 51 / 14 , 00

 Mozambique

 21,669,278

 801,590

 N / A

 330

 130 / 2.5

 42.5

 0.322

 135 / 96

 82 / 19 , 00

 Namibia

 2,108,665

 825,418

 86.8 % / 83.6 %

 2166

 56 / 4.5

 52.5

 0.625

 66 / 123

 35 / 9 , 00

 Seychelles

 87,476

 455

 91.4 % / 92.3 %

 7,005

 54 / 4.8

 72.2

 0.773

 111 / 81

 72 / 16 , 00

 South Africa

 52,981,991

 1,219,912

 N / A

 3,562

 55 / 4.7

 50.7

 0.619

 34 / 67

 33 / 8 , 50

 Swaziland

 1,123,913

 17,363

 80.9 % / 78.3 %

 1,297

 79 / 3.6

 40.8

 0.522

 115 / 158

 144 / 52 , 50

 Zambia

 11,862,740

 752,614

 N / A

 371

 99 / 3.0

 41.7

 0.430

 90 / 94

 97 / 26 , 75

 Zimbabwe

 11,392,629

 390,580

 92.7 % / 86.2 %

 N / A

 146 / 2.2

 42.7

 0.376

 159 / 155

 136 / 46 , 50

 Benin

 8,791,832

 112,620

 47.9 % / 42.3 %

 323

 106 / 2.9

 56.2

 0.427

 172 / 155

 97 / 26 , 75

 Mali

 12,666,987

 1,240,000

 32.7 % / 15.9 %

 290

 111 / 2.8

 53.8

 0.359

 156 / 139

 38 / 8 , 00

 Burkina Faso

 15,730,977

 274,200

 25.3 %

 1,360

 79 / 3.6

 51

 0.331

 150 / 116

 N / A

 Cape Verde

 499,000

 322,462

 Ivory Coast

 20,617,068

 322,463

 Gambia

 1,782,893

 11,295

 Ghana

 24,200,000

 238,535

 Guinea

 10,057,975

 245,857

 Guinea - Bissau

 1,647,000

 36,125

 Liberia

 4,128,572

 111,369

 Mauritania

 3,359,185

 1,030,700

 Niger

 17,129,076

 1,267,000

 Senegal

 12,855,153

 196,712

 Sierra Leone

 6,190,280

 71,740

 Togo

 7,154,237

 56,785

 GDP per Capita ( 2006 in dollars ( US $ ) ) , Life ( Exp . ) ( Life Expectancy 2006 ) , Literacy ( Male / Female 2006 ) , Trans ( Transparency 2009 ) , HDI ( Human Development Index ) , EODBR ( Ease of Doing Business Rank June 2008 through May 2009 ) , SAB ( Starting a Business June 2008 through May 2009 ) , PFI ( Press Freedom Index 2009 )

 Languages and ethnic groups ( edit )

 Further information : Languages of Africa and List of African ethnic groups Map showing the traditional language families spoken in Africa : Afroasiatic Austronesian Indo - European Khoisan Niger - Congo Nilo - Saharan A San man ( Khoisan ) An Afrikaner family ( Indo - European ) Saho women ( Afroasiatic ) Maasai women and children ( Nilo - Saharan ) Yoruba drummers ( Niger - Congo )

 Sub-Saharan Africa contains over 1,000 languages , which is around 1 / 6 of the world 's total .

 Afroasiatic ( edit )

 With the exception of the extinct Sumerian ( a language isolate ) of Mesopotamia , Afro - Asiatic has the oldest documented history of any language family in the world . Egyptian was recorded as early as 3200 BCE . The Semitic branch was recorded as early as 2900 BCE in the form of the Akkadian language of Mesopotamia ( Assyria and Babylonia ) and circa 2500 BCE in the form of the Eblaite language of north eastern Syria .

 The distribution of the Afroasiatic languages within Africa is principally concentrated in North Africa and the Horn of Africa . Languages belonging to the family 's Berber branch are mainly spoken in the north , with its speech area extending into the Sahel ( northern Mauritania , northern Mali , northern Niger ) . The Cushitic branch of Afroasiatic is centered in the Horn , and is also spoken in the Nile Valley and parts of the African Great Lakes region . Additionally , the Semitic branch of the family , in the form of Arabic , is widely spoken in the parts of Africa that are within the Arab world . South Semitic languages are also spoken in parts of the Horn of Africa ( Ethiopia , Eritrea ) . The Chadic branch is distributed in Central and West Africa . Hausa , its most widely spoken language , serves as a lingua franca in West Africa ( Niger , Ghana , Togo , Benin , Cameroon , and Chad ) .

 Khoisan ( edit )

 The several families lumped under the term Khoi - San include languages indigenous to Southern Africa and Tanzania , though some , such as the Khoi languages , appear to have moved to their current locations not long before the Bantu expansion . In Southern Africa , their speakers are the Khoikhoi and San ( Bushmen ) , in Southeast Africa , the Sandawe and Hadza .

 Niger -- Congo ( edit )

 The Niger -- Congo family is the largest in the world in terms of the number of languages ( 1,436 ) it contains . The vast majority of languages of this family are tonal such as Yoruba , and Igbo , However , others such as Fulani and Wolof are not . A major branch of Niger -- Congo languages is the Bantu family , which covers a greater geographic area than the rest of the family put together . Bantu speakers represent the majority of inhabitants in southern , central and southeastern Africa , though San , Pygmy , and Nilotic groups , respectively , can also be found in those regions . Bantu - speakers can also be found in parts of Central Africa such as the Gabon , Equatorial Guinea and southern Cameroon . Swahili , a Bantu language with many Arabic , Persian and other Middle Eastern and South Asian loan words , developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples in southeastern Africa . In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa , the distinct people known as Bushmen ( also `` San '' , closely related to , but distinct from `` Hottentots '' ) have long been present . The San evince unique physical traits , and are the indigenous people of southern Africa . Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous peoples of Central Africa .

 Nilo - Saharan ( edit )

 The Nilo - Saharan languages are concentrated in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers of Central Africa and Southeast Africa . They are principally spoken by Nilotic peoples and are also spoken in Sudan among the Fur , Masalit , Nubian and Zaghawa peoples and in West and Central Africa among the Songhai , Zarma and Kanuri . The Old Nubian language is also a member of this family .

 Major languages of Africa by region , family and number of primary language speakers in millions :

 Central Africa

 Niger -- Congo , Bantu

 Lingala

 Kinyarwanda : 12

 Kongo : 5 +

 Tshiluba

 Kirundi

 Nilo - Saharan

 Nubian : 5 +

 Fur : 5 +

 Zaghawa

 Masalit

 Niger -- Congo

 Kordofanian languages

 Nuba

 Horn of Africa

 Afro - Asiatic

 Semitic

 Amharic : 20 +

 Tigrinya : 5

 Cushitic

 Somali : 10 -- 15

 Oromo : 30 -- 35

 Nilo - Saharan : < 1

 Gumuz

 Anuak

 Kunama

 Nara

 Niger -- Congo : < 1

 Zigula

 Southeast Africa

 Niger -- Congo , Bantu :

 Swahili : 5 -- 10

 Gikuyu : 9

 Ganda : 6

 Luhya : 6

 Austronesian

 Malagasy : 20 +

 Niger - Congo , Ubangian

 Gbaya : 2

 Banda : 1 -- 2

 Zande

 Nilo - Saharan

 Kanuri : 10

 Luo : 5

 Sara : 3 -- 4

 Kalenjin : 5

 Dinka

 Nuer

 Shilluk

 Maasai : 1 -- 2

 Southern Africa

 Niger -- Congo , Bantu

 Zulu : 10

 Xhosa : 8

 Shona : 7

 Sotho : 5

 Tswana : 4

 Umbundu : 4

 Northern Sotho : 4

 Chichewa : 8

 Makua : 8

 Indo - European

 Germanic

 Afrikaans : 7 -- 10

 Romance

 Portuguese : 14

 West Africa

 Niger -- Congo

 Benue -- Congo

 Ibibio ( Nigeria ) : 7

 Volta -- Niger

 Igbo ( Nigeria ) : 30 -- 35

 Yoruba : 40

 Kwa :

 Akan ( Ghana , Ivory Coast ) : 20 -- 25

 Gur

 More : 5

 Senegambian

 Fula ( West Africa ) : 40

 Wolof : 8

 Afro - Asiatic

 Chadic

 Hausa : 50

 Nilo - Saharan

 Saharan

 Kanuri : 10

 Songhai : 5

 Zarma : 5

 Economy ( edit )

 Main article : Economy of Africa The Athlone Power Station in Cape Town , South Africa

 In the mid-2010s , private capital flows to Sub-Saharan Africa -- primarily from the BRICs , private - sector investment portfolios , and remittances -- began to exceed official development assistance .

 As of 2011 , Africa is one of the fastest developing regions in the world . Six of the world 's ten fastest - growing economies over the previous decade were situated below the Sahara , with the remaining four in East and Central Asia . Between 2011 and 2015 , the economic growth rate of the average nation in Africa is expected to surpass that of the average nation in Asia . Sub-Saharan Africa is by then projected to contribute seven out of the ten fastest growing economies in the world . According to the World Bank , the economic growth rate in the region had risen to 4.7 % in 2013 , with a rate of 5.2 % forecasted for 2014 . This continued rise was attributed to increasing investment in infrastructure and resources as well as steady expenditure per household .

 Energy and power ( edit )

 Main article : Mineral industry of Africa

 Oil production by country ( with other key actors of African or oil economy )

 Rank

 Area

 bb / day

 Year

 Like ...

 _

 W : World

 85540000

 2007 est .

 01

 E : Russia

 9980000

 2007 est .

 02

 Ar : Saudi Arb

 9200000

 2008 est .

 04

 As : Libya

 4725000

 2008 est .

 Iran

 10

 Af : Nigeria / Africa

 2352000

 2011 est .

 Norway

 15

 Af : Algeria

 2173000

 2007 est .

 16

 Af : Angola

 1910000

 2008 est .

 17

 Af : Egypt

 1845000

 2007 est .

 27

 Af : Tunisia

 664000

 2007 est .

 Australia

 31

 Af : Sudan

 466100

 2007 est .

 Ecuador

 33

 Af : Eq. Guinea

 368500

 2007 est .

 Vietnam

 38

 Af : DR Congo

 261000

 2008 est .

 39

 Af : Gabon

 243900

 2007 est .

 40

 Af : Sth Africa

 199100

 2007 est .

 45

 Af : Chad

 156000

 2008 est .

 Germany

 53

 Af : Cameroon

 87400

 2008 est .

 France

 56

 E : France

 71400

 2007

 60

 Af : Ivory Coast

 54400

 2008 est .

 _

 Af : Africa

 10780400

 2011

 Russia

 Source : CIA.gov , World Facts Book > Oil exporters .

 As of 2009 , fifty percent of Africa is rural with no access to electricity . Africa generates 47 GW of electricity , less than 0.6 % of the global market share . Many countries are affected by power shortages .

 Because of rising prices in commodities such as coal and oil , thermal sources of energy are proving to be too expensive for power generation . Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to build additional hydropower generation capacity of at least 20,165 MW by 2014 . The region has the potential to generate 1,750 TWh of energy , of which only 7 % has been explored . The failure to exploit its full energy potential is largely due to significant underinvestment , as at least four times as much ( approximately $23 billion a year ) and what is currently spent is invested in operating high cost power systems and not on expanding the infrastructure .

 African governments are taking advantage of the readily available water resources to broaden their energy mix . Hydro Turbine Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa generated revenues of $120.0 million in 2007 and is estimated to reach $425.0 million . Asian countries , notably China , India , and Japan , are playing an active role in power projects across the African continent . The majority of these power projects are hydro - based because of China 's vast experience in the construction of hydro - power projects and part of the Energy & Power Growth Partnership Services programme .

 With electrification numbers , Sub-Saharan Africa with access to the Sahara and being in the tropical zones has massive potential for solar photovoltaic electrical potential . Six hundred million people could be served with electricity based on its photovoltaic potential . China is promising to train 10,000 technicians from Africa and other developing countries in the use of solar energy technologies over the next five years . Training African technicians to use solar power is part of the China - Africa science and technology cooperation agreement signed by Chinese science minister Xu Guanhua and African counterparts during premier Wen Jiabao 's visit to Ethiopia in December 2003 .

 The New Partnership for Africa 's Development ( NEPAD ) is developing an integrated , continent - wide energy strategy . This has been funded by , amongst others , the African Development Bank ( AfDB ) and the EU - Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund . These projects must be sustainable , involve a cross-border dimension and / or have a regional impact , involve public and private capital , contribute to poverty alleviation and economic development , involve at least one country in Sub-Saharan Africa .

 Media ( edit )

 Radio is the major source of information in Sub-Saharan Africa . Average coverage stands at more than a third of the population . Countries such as Gabon , Seychelles , and South Africa boast almost 100 % penetration . Only five countries -- Burundi , Djibouti , Eritrea , Ethiopia , and Somalia -- still have a penetration of less than 10 % . Broadband penetration outside of South Africa has been limited where it is exorbitantly expensive . Access to the internet via cell phones is on the rise .

 Television is the second major source of information . Because of power shortages , the spread of television viewing has been limited . Eight percent have television , a total of 62 million . But those in the television industry view the region as an untapped green market . Digital television and pay for service are on the rise .

 Infrastructure ( edit )

 See also : Water supply and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa Skyline of Libreville , Gabon

 According to researchers at the Overseas Development Institute , the lack of infrastructure in many developing countries represents one of the most significant limitations to economic growth and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs ) . Less than 40 % of rural Africans live within two kilometers of an all - season road , the lowest level of rural accessibility in the developing world . Spending on roads averages just below 2 % of GDP with varying degree among countries . This compares with 1 % of GDP that is typical in industrialised countries , and 2 -- 3 % of GDP found in fast - growing emerging economies . Although the level of effort is high relative to the size of Africa 's economies , it remains little in absolute terms , with low - income countries spending an average of about US $7 per capita per year . Infrastructure investments and maintenance can be very expensive , especially in such as areas as landlocked , rural and sparsely populated countries in Africa .

 Downtown Luanda , Angola

 Infrastructure investments contributed to Africa 's growth , and increased investment is necessary to maintain growth and tackle poverty . The returns to investment in infrastructure are very significant , with on average 30 -- 40 % returns for telecommunications ( ICT ) investments , over 40 % for electricity generation and 80 % for roads .

 In Africa , it is argued that in order to meet the MDGs by 2015 infrastructure investments would need to reach about 15 % of GDP ( around $93 billion a year ) . Currently , the source of financing varies significantly across sectors . Some sectors are dominated by state spending , others by overseas development aid ( ODA ) and yet others by private investors . In Sub-Saharan Africa , the state spends around $9.4 billion out of a total of $24.9 billion . In irrigation , SSA states represent almost all spending ; in transport and energy a majority of investment is state spending ; in ICT and water supply and sanitation , the private sector represents the majority of capital expenditure . Overall , aid , the private sector and non-OECD financiers between them exceed state spending . The private sector spending alone equals state capital expenditure , though the majority is focused on ICT infrastructure investments . External financing increased from $7 billion ( 2002 ) to $27 billion ( 2009 ) . China , in particular , has emerged as an important investor .

 Oil and Minerals ( edit )

 Phenakite from the Jos Plateau , Plateau State , Nigeria

 The region is a major exporter to the world of gold , uranium , chrome , vanadium , antimony , coltan , bauxite , iron ore , copper and manganese . South Africa is a major exporter of manganese as well as Chromium . A 2001 estimate is that 42 % of the world 's reserves of chromium may be found in South Africa . South Africa is the largest producer of platinum , with 80 % of the total world 's annual mine production and 88 % of the world 's platinum reserve . Sub-Saharan Africa produces 33 % of the world 's bauxite with Guinea as the major supplier . Zambia is a major producer of copper . Democratic Republic of Congo is a major source of coltan . Production from Congo is very small but has 80 % of proven reserves . Sub-saharan Africa is a major producer of gold , producing up to 30 % of global production . Major suppliers are South Africa , Ghana , Zimbabwe , Tanzania , Guinea , and Mali . South Africa had been first in the world in terms of gold production since 1905 , but in 2007 it moved to second place , according to GFMS , the precious metals consultancy . Uranium is major commodity from the region . Significant suppliers are Niger , Namibia , and South Africa . Namibia was the number one supplier from Sub-Saharan Africa in 2008 . The region produces 49 % of the world 's diamonds .

 By 2015 , it is estimated that 25 % of North American oil will be from Sub-Saharan Africa , ahead of the Middle East . Sub-Saharan Africa has been the focus of an intense race for oil by the West , China , India , and other emerging economies , even though it holds only 10 % of proven oil reserves , less than the Middle East . This race has been referred to as the second Scramble for Africa . All reasons for this global scramble come from the reserves ' economic benefits . Transportation cost is low and no pipelines have to be laid as in Central Asia . Almost all reserves are offshore , so political turmoil within the host country will not directly interfere with operations . Sub-Saharan oil is viscous , with a very low sulfur content . This quickens the refining process and effectively reduces costs . New sources of oil are being located in Sub-Saharan Africa more frequently than anywhere else . Of all new sources of oil , 1⁄3 are in Sub-Saharan Africa .

 Agriculture ( edit )

 Agricultural fields in Rwanda 's Eastern Province

 Sub-Saharan Africa has more variety of grains than anywhere in the world . Between 13,000 and 11,000 BCE wild grains began to be collected as a source of food in the cataract region of the Nile , south of Egypt . The collecting of wild grains as source of food spread to Syria , parts of Turkey , and Iran by the eleventh millennium BCE . By the tenth and ninth millennia southwest Asians domesticated their wild grains , wheat , and barley after the notion of collecting wild grains spread from the Nile .

 Numerous crops have been domesticated in the region and spread to other parts of the world . These crops included sorghum , castor beans , coffee , cotton okra , black - eyed peas , watermelon , gourd , and pearl millet . Other domesticated crops included teff , enset , African rice , yams , kola nuts , oil palm , and raffia palm .

 Domesticated animals include the guinea fowl and the donkey .

 The Naute Fruit Farm at the Naute Dam outside of Keetmanshoop , Namibia

 Agriculture represents 20 % to 30 % of GDP and 50 % of exports . In some cases , 60 % to 90 % of the labor force are employed in agriculture . Most agricultural activity is subsistence farming . This has made agricultural activity vulnerable to climate change and global warming . Biotechnology has been advocated to create high yield , pest and environmentally resistant crops in the hands of small farmers . The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is a strong advocate and donor to this cause . Biotechnology and GM crops have met resistance both by natives and environmental groups .

 Cash crops include cotton , coffee , tea , cocoa , sugar , and tobacco .

 The OECD says Africa has the potential to become an agricultural superbloc if it can unlock the wealth of the savannahs by allowing farmers to use their land as collateral for credit . There is such international interest in Sub-Saharan agriculture , that the World Bank increased its financing of African agricultural programs to $1.3 billion in the 2011 fiscal year . Recently , there has been a trend to purchase large tracts of land in Sub-Sahara for agricultural use by developing countries . Early in 2009 , George Soros highlighted a new farmland buying frenzy caused by growing population , scarce water supplies and climate change . Chinese interests bought up large swathes of Senegal to supply it with sesame . Aggressive moves by China , South Korea and Gulf states to buy vast tracts of agricultural land in Sub-Saharan Africa could soon be limited by a new global international protocol .

 Education ( edit )

 The University of Botswana 's Earth Science building in Gaborone , Botswana

 Forty percent of African scientists live in OECD countries , predominantly in Europe , the United States and Canada . This has been described as an African brain drain . According to Naledi Pandor , the South African Minister of Science and Technology , even with the drain enrollments in Sub-Saharan African universities tripled between 1991 and 2005 , expanding at an annual rate of 8.7 % , which is one of the highest regional growth rates in the world . In the last 10 to 15 years interest in pursuing university level degrees abroad has increased . In some OECD countries , like the United States , Sub-Saharan Africans are the most educated immigrant group .

 The University of Antananarivo in Antananarivo , Madagascar

 According to the CIA , low global literacy rates are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa , West Asia and South Asia . However , the literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa vary significantly between countries . The highest registered literacy rate in the region is in Zimbabwe ( 90.7 % ; 2003 est . ) , while the lowest literacy rate is in South Sudan ( 27 % ) .

 Sub-Saharan African countries spent an average of 0.3 % of their GDP on science and technology on in 2007 . This represents an increase from US $1.8 billion in 2002 to US $2.8 billion in 2007 , a 50 % increase in spending .

 Health ( edit )

 Further information : HIV / AIDS in Africa The Komfo Anokye Hospital in Kumasi , Ghana

 In 1987 , the Bamako Initiative conference organised by the World Health Organization was held in Bamako , the capital of Mali , and helped reshape the health policy of Sub-Saharan Africa . The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through community - based healthcare reform , resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services . A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care , with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost .

 In 2011 , Sub-Saharan Africa was home to 69 % of all people living with HIV / AIDS worldwide . In response , a number of initiatives have been launched to educate the public on HIV / AIDS . Among these are combination prevention programmes , considered to be the most effective initiative , the abstinence , be faithful , use a condom campaign , and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation 's outreach programs . According to a 2013 special report issued by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS ( UNAIDS ) , the number of HIV positive people in Africa receiving anti-retroviral treatment in 2012 was over seven times the number receiving treatment in 2005 , with an almost 1 million added in the last year alone . The number of AIDS - related deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 was 33 percent less than the number in 2005 . The number of new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 was 25 percent less than the number in 2001 .

 Estimated prevalence in % of HIV among young adults ( 15 -- 49 ) per country as of 2011 .

 Malaria is an endemic illness in Sub-Saharan Africa , where the majority of malaria cases and deaths worldwide occur . Routine immunization has been introduced in order to prevent measles . Onchocerciasis ( `` river blindness '' ) , a common cause of blindness , is also endemic to parts of the region . More than 99 % of people affected by the illness worldwide live in 31 countries therein . In response , the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control ( APOC ) was launched in 1995 with the aim of controlling the disease . Maternal mortality is another challenge , with more than half of maternal deaths in the world occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa . However , there has generally been progress here as well , as a number of countries in the region have halved their levels of maternal mortality since 1990 . Additionally , the African Union in July 2003 ratified the Maputo Protocol , which pledges to prohibit female genital mutilation ( FGM ) .

 National health systems vary between countries . In Ghana , most health care is provided by the government and largely administered by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services . The healthcare system has five levels of providers : health posts which are first level primary care for rural areas , health centers and clinics , district hospitals , regional hospitals and tertiary hospitals . These programs are funded by the government of Ghana , financial credits , Internally Generated Fund ( IGF ) , and Donors - pooled Health Fund .

 Religion ( edit )

 Further information : Religion in Africa , Christianity in Africa , Islam in Africa , Hinduism in Africa , and African traditional religion The Bujumbura Cathedral in Bujumbura , Burundi Mosque in Nouakchott , Mauritania

 African countries below the Sahara are largely Christian , while those above the Sahara , in North Africa , are predominantly Islamic . There are also Muslim majorities in parts of the Horn of Africa ( Djibouti and Somalia ) and in the Sahel and Sudan regions ( the Gambia , Sierra Leone , Guinea , Mali , Niger and Senegal ) , as well as significant Muslim communities in Ethiopia and Eritrea , and on the Swahili Coast ( Tanzania and Kenya ) . Mauritius is the only country in Africa to have a Hindu majority .

 Traditional African religions can be broken down into linguistic cultural groups , with common themes . Among Niger -- Congo - speakers is a belief in a creator God ; ancestor spirits ; territorial spirits ; evil caused by human ill will and neglecting ancestor spirits ; priest of territorial spirits . New world religions such as Santería , Vodun , and Candomblé , would be derived from this world view . Among Nilo - Saharan speakers is the belief in Divinity ; evil is caused by divine judgement and retribution ; prophets as middlemen between Divinity and man . Among Afro - Asiatic - speakers is henotheism , the belief in one 's own gods but accepting the existence of other gods ; evil here is caused by malevolent spirits . The Semitic Abrahamic religion of Judaism is comparable to the latter world view . San religion is non-theistic but a belief in a Spirit or Power of existence which can be tapped in a trance - dance ; trance - healers .

 Traditional religions in Sub-Saharan Africa often display complex ontology , cosmology and metaphysics . Mythologies , for example , demonstrated the difficulty fathers of creation had in bringing about order from chaos . Order is what is right and natural and any deviation is chaos . Cosmology and ontology is also neither simple or linear . It defines duality , the material and immaterial , male and female , heaven and earth . Common principles of being and becoming are widespread : Among the Dogon , the principle of Amma ( being ) and Nummo ( becoming ) , and among the Bambara , Pemba ( being ) and Faro ( becoming ) .

 Ifá divination and its four digit binary code

 West Africa

 Akan mythology

 Ashanti mythology ( Ghana )

 Dahomey ( Fon ) mythology

 Efik mythology ( Nigeria , Cameroon )

 Igbo mythology ( Nigeria , Cameroon )

 Serer religion and Serer creation myth ( Senegal , Gambia and Mauritania )

 Yoruba mythology ( Nigeria , Benin )

 Central Africa

 Dinka mythology ( South Sudan )

 Lotuko mythology ( South Sudan )

 Bushongo mythology ( Congo )

 Bambuti ( Pygmy ) mythology ( Congo )

 Lugbara mythology ( Congo )

 Southeast Africa

 Akamba mythology ( eastern Kenya )

 Masai mythology ( Kenya , Tanzania )

 Southern Africa

 Khoisan religion

 Lozi mythology ( Zambia )

 Tumbuka mythology ( Malawi )

 Zulu mythology ( South Africa )

 Sub-Saharan traditional divination systems display great sophistication . For example , the bamana sand divination uses well established symbolic codes that can be reproduced using four bits or marks . A binary system of one or two marks are combined . Random outcomes are generated using a fractal recursive process . It is analogous to a digital circuit but can be reproduced on any surface with one or two marks . This system is widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa .

 Culture ( edit )

 Sub-Saharan Africa is diverse , with many communities , villages and cities , each with their own beliefs and traditions . Traditional African Societies are communal , they believe that the needs of the many far out weigh an individual needs and achievements . Basically , an individual 's keep must be shared with other extended family members . Extended families are made up of various individuals and families who have shared responsibilities within the community . This extended family is one of the core aspects of every African community . `` An African will refer to an older person as auntie or uncle . Siblings of parents will be called father or mother rather than uncle and aunt . Cousins will be called brother or sister '' . This system can be very difficult for outsiders to understand ; however , it is no less important . `` Also reflecting their communal ethic , Africans are reluctant to stand out in a crowd or to appear different from their neighbors or colleagues , a result of social pressure to avoid offense to group standards and traditions . '' Women also have a very important role in African culture because they take care of the house and children . Traditionally `` men do the heavy work of clearing and plowing the land , women sow the seeds , tend the fields , harvest the crops , haul the water , and bear the major burden for growing the family 's food '' . Despite their work in the fields women are expected to be subservient to men in some African cultures . `` When young women migrate to cities , this imbalance between the sexes , as well as financial need , often causes young women of lower economic status , who lack education and job training , to have sexual relationships with older men who are established in their work or profession and can afford to support a girlfriend or two '' .

 Music ( edit )

 Further information : Music of Africa and African popular music A traditional polyrhythmic kalimba

 Traditional Sub-Saharan African music is as diverse as the region 's various populations . The common perception of Sub-Saharan African music is that it is rhythmic music centered around the drums . It is partially true . A large part of Sub-Saharan music , mainly among speakers of Niger -- Congo and Nilo - Saharan languages , is rhythmic and centered around the drum . Sub-Saharan music is polyrhythmic , usually consisting of multiple rhythms in one composition . Dance involves moving multiple body parts . These aspect of Sub-Saharan music has been transferred to the new world by enslaved Sub-Saharan Africans and can be seen in its influence on music forms as Samba , Jazz , Rhythm and Blues , Rock & Roll , Salsa , Reggae and Rap music .

 But Sub-Saharan music involves a lot of music with strings , horns , and very little poly - rhythms . Music from the eastern sahel and along the nile , among the Nilo - Saharan , made extensive use of strings and horns in ancient times . Among the Afro - Asiatics , we see extensive use of string instruments . Dancing involve swaying body movements and footwork . Among the San is extensive use of string instruments with emphasis on footwork .

 Modern Sub-Saharan African music has been influence by music from the New World ( Jazz , Salsa , Rhythm and Blues etc . ) vice versa being influenced by enslaved Sub-Saharan Africans . Popular styles are Mbalax in Senegal and Gambia , Highlife in Ghana , Zoblazo in Ivory Coast , Makossa in Cameroon , Soukous in the Democratic Republic of Congo , Kizomba in Angola , and Mbaqanga in South Africa . New World styles like Salsa , R&B / Rap , Reggae , and Zouk also have widespread popularity .

 Art ( edit )

 Further information : African art Two Bambara Chiwara c. late 19th early 20th centuries . Female ( left ) and male Vertical styles .

 The oldest abstract art in the world is a shell necklace , dated to 82,000 years in the Cave of Pigeons in Taforalt , eastern Morocco . The second oldest abstract form of art and the oldest rock art is found in the Blombos Cave at the Cape in South Africa , dated 77,000 years . Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the oldest and most varied style of rock art in the world .

 Although Sub-Saharan African art is very diverse there are some common themes . One is the use of the human figure . Second , there is a preference for sculpture . Sub-Saharan African art is meant to be experienced in three dimensions , not two . A house is meant to be experienced from all angles . Third , art is meant to be performed . Sub-Saharan Africans have specific name for masks . The name incorporates the sculpture , the dance , and the spirit that incorporates the mask . The name denotes all three elements . Fourth , art that serves a practical function , utilitarian . The artist and craftsman are not separate . A sculpture shaped like a hand can be used as a stool . Fifth , the use of fractals or non-linear scaling . The shape of the whole is the shape of the parts at different scales . Before the discovery of fractal geometry ) , Leopold Sedar Senghor , Senegal 's first president , referred to this as `` dynamic symmetry . '' William Fagg , the British art historian , compared it to the logarithmic mapping of natural growth by biologist D'Arcy Thompson . Lastly , Sub-Saharan African art is visually abstract , instead of naturalistic . Sub-Saharan African art represents spiritual notions , social norms , ideas , values , etc . An artist might exaggerated the head of a sculpture in relations to the body not because he does not know anatomy but because he wants to illustrate that the head is the seat of knowledge and wisdom . The visual abstraction of African art was very influential in the works of modernist artist like Pablo Picasso , Henri Matisse , and Jacques Lipchitz .

 Cuisine ( edit )

 Further information : African cuisine A plate of fufu accompanied with peanut soup

 Sub-Saharan African cuisine like everything about Africa is very diverse . A lot of regional overlapping occurs , but there are dominant elements region by region .

 West African cuisine can be described as starchy , flavorfully spicey . Dishes include fufu , kenkey , couscous , garri , foutou , and banku . Ingredients are of native starchy tubers , yams , cocoyams , and cassava . Grains include millet , sorghum , and rice , usually in the sahel , are incorporated . Oils include palm oil and shea butter ( sahel ) . One finds recipes that mixes fish and meat . Beverages are palm wine ( sweet or sour ) and millet beer . Roasting , baking , boiling , frying , mashing , and spicing are all cooking techniques .

 Ugali and cabbage

 Southeast African cuisine especially those of the Swahilis reflects its Islamic , geographical Indian Ocean cultural links . Dishes include ugali , sukumi wiki , and halva . Spices such as curry , saffron , cloves , cinnamon , pomegranate juice , cardamon , ghee , and sage are used , especially among Muslims . Meat includes cattle , sheep , and goats , but is rarely eaten since its viewed as currency and wealth .

 In the Horn of Africa , pork and non-fish seafood is avoided by Christians and Muslims . Dairy products and all meats are avoided during lent by Ethiopians . Maize ( corn ) is a major staple . Cornmeal is used to make ugali , a popular dish with different names . Teff is used to make injera or canjeero ( Somali ) bread . Other important foods include enset , noog , lentils , rice , banana , leafy greens , chiles , peppers , coconut milk and tomatoes . Beverages are coffee ( domesticated in Ethiopia ) , chai tea , fermented beer from banana or millet . Cooking techniques include roasting and marinating .

 This meal , consisting of injera and several kinds of wat ( stew ) , is typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine .

 Central African cuisine connects with all major regions of Sub-Saharan Africa : Its cuisine reflects that . Ugali and fufu are eaten in the region . Central African cuisine is very starchy and spicy hot . Dominant crops include plantains , cassava , peanuts , chillis , and okra . Meats include beef , chicken , and sometimes exotic meats called bush meat ( antelope , warthog , crocodile ) . Widespread spicy hot fish cuisine is one of the differentiating aspects . Mushroom is sometimes used as a meat substitute .

 Traditional Southern African cuisine surrounds meat . Traditional society typically focused on raising , sheep , goats , and especially cattle . Dishes include braai ( barbecue meat ) , sadza , bogobe , pap ( fermented cornmeal ) , milk products ( buttermilk , yoghurt ) . Crops utilised are sorghum , maize ( corn ) , pumpkin beans , leafy greens , and cabbage . Beverages include ting ( fermented sorghum or maize ) , milk , chibuku ( milky beer ) . Influences from the Indian and Malay community can be seen its use of curries , sambals , pickled fish , fish stews , chutney , and samosa . European influences can be seen in cuisines like biltong ( dried beef strips ) , potjies ( stews of maize , onions , tomatoes ) , French wines , and crueler or koeksister ( sugar syrup cookie ) .

 Clothing ( edit )

 Further information : Clothing in Africa The Ashanti Kente cloth patterns

 Like most of the world , Sub-Saharan Africans have adopted Western - style clothing . In some country like Zambia , used Western clothing has flooded markets , causing great angst in the retail community . Sub-Saharan Africa boasts its own traditional clothing style . Cotton seems to be the dominant material .

 In East Africa , one finds extensive use of cotton clothing . Shemma , shama , and kuta are types of Ethiopian clothing . Kanga are Swahili cloth that comes in rectangular shapes , made of pure cotton , and put together to make clothing . Kitenges are similar to kangas and kikoy , but are of a thicker cloth , and have an edging only on a long side . Kenya , Uganda , Tanzania , and South Sudan are some of the African countries where kitenge is worn . In Malawi , Namibia and Zambia , kitenge is known as Chitenge . One of the unique materials , which is not a fiber and is used to make clothing is barkcloth , an innovation of the Baganda people of Uganda . It came from the Mutuba tree ( Ficus natalensis ) . On Madagascar a type of draped cloth called lamba is worn .

 Kangas

 In West Africa , again cotton is the material of choice . In the Sahel and other parts of West Africa the boubou and kaftan style of clothing are featured . Kente cloth is created by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast , from silk of the various moth species in West Africa . Kente comes from the Ashanti twi word kenten which means basket . It is sometimes used to make dashiki and kufi . Adire is a type of Yoruba cloth that is starch resistant . Raffia cloth and barkcloth are also utilised in the region .

 In Central Africa , the Kuba people developed raffia cloth from the raffia plant fibers . It was widely used in the region . Barkcloth was also extensively used .

 In Southern Africa one finds numerous uses of animal hide and skins for clothing . The Ndau in central Mozambique and the Shona mix hide with barkcloth and cotton cloth . Cotton cloth is referred to as machira . Xhosa , Tswana , Sotho , and Swazi also made extensive use of hides . Hides come from cattle , sheep , goat , and elephant . Leopard skins were coveted and were a symbol of kingship in Zulu society . Skins were tanned to form leather , dyed , and embedded with beads .

 Sports ( edit )

 The Stade Félix Houphouët - Boigny in Abidjan , Ivory Coast

 Football ( soccer ) is the most popular sport in Sub-Saharan Africa . Sub-Saharan men are its main patrons . Major competitions include the African Champions League , a competition for the best clubs on the continent and the Confederation Cup , a competition primarily for the national cup winner of each African country . The Africa Cup of Nations is a competition of 16 national teams from various African countries held every two years . South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup , a first for a Sub-Saharan country . In 2010 , Cameroon played in the World Cup for the sixth time , which is the current record for a Sub-Saharan team . In 1996 Nigeria won the Olympic gold for football . In 2000 Cameroon maintained the continent 's supremacy by winning the title too . Momentous achievements for Sub-Saharan African football . Famous Sub-Saharan football stars include Abedi Pele , Emmanuel Adebayor , George Weah , Michael Essien , Didier Drogba , Roger Milla , Nwankwo Kanu , Jay - Jay Okocha , Bruce Grobbelaar , Samuel Eto'o , Kolo Touré , Yaya Touré , Sadio Mané and Pierre - Emerick Aubameyang . The most talented Sub-Saharan African football players find themselves courted and sought after by European leagues . There are currently more than 1000 Africans playing for European clubs . Sub-Saharan Africans have found themselves the target of racism by European fans . FIFA has been trying hard to crack down on racist outburst during games .

 The Namibia rugby team

 Rugby is also popular in Sub-Saharan Africa . The Confederation of African Rugby governs rugby games in the region . South Africa is a major force in the game and won the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and in 2007 . Africa is also allotted one guaranteed qualifying place in the Rugby World Cup .

 Boxing is also a popular sport . Battling Siki the first world champion to come out of Sub-Saharan Africa . Countries such as Nigeria , Ghana and South Africa have produced numerous professional world champions such as Dick Tiger , Hogan Bassey , Gerrie Coetzee , Samuel Peter , Azumah Nelson and Jake Matlala .

 Cricket has a following . The African Cricket Association is an international body which oversees cricket in African countries . South Africa and Zimbabwe have their own governing bodies . In 2003 the Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa , first time it was held in Sub-Saharan Africa .

 Over the years , Ethiopia and Kenya have produced many notable long - distance athletes . Each country has federations that identify and cultivate top talent . Athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya hold , save for two exceptions , all the men 's outdoor records for Olympic distance events from 800m to the marathon . Famous runners include Haile Gebrselassie , Kenenisa Bekele , Paul Tergat , and John Cheruiyot Korir .

 Tourism ( edit )

 The development of tourism in this region has been identified as having the ability to create jobs and improve the economy . South Africa , Namibia , Mauritius , Botswana , Ghana , Cape Verde , Tanzania , and Kenya have been identified as having well developed tourism industries . Cape Town and the surrounding area is very popular with tourists .

 List of countries and regional organization ( edit )

 Geo - political map of Africa divided for ethnomusicological purposes , after Alan P. Merriam , 1959 .

 Only seven African countries are not geopolitically a part of Sub-Saharan Africa : Algeria , Egypt , Libya , Morocco , Tunisia , Western Sahara ( claimed by Morocco ) and Sudan ; they form the UN subregion of Northern Africa , which also makes up the largest bloc of the Arab World . Nevertheless , some international organisations include Sudan as part of Sub-Saharan Africa . Although a long - standing member of the Arab League , Sudan has around 30 % non-Arab populations in the west ( Darfur , Masalit , Zaghawa ) , far north ( Nubian ) and south ( Kordofan , Nuba ) . Mauritania and Niger only include a band of the Sahel along their southern borders . All other African countries have at least significant portions of their territory within Sub-Saharan Africa .

 Central Africa ( edit )

 Central Africa Middle Africa ( UN subregion ) Central African Federation ( defunct )

 South Sudan cap . Juba cur . Sudanese pound ( SDG ) lang . English

 ECCAS ( Economic Community of Central African States )

 Angola ( also in SADC ) cap . Luanda cur . Angolan kwanza ( Kz ) lang . Portuguese

 Burundi ( also in EAC ) cap . Bujumbura cur . Burundian franc ( FBu ) lang. French

 Democratic Republic of the Congo ( also in SADC ) cap . Kinshasa cur . Congolese franc ( FC ) lang. French

 Rwanda ( also in EAC ) cap . Kigali cur . Rwandan franc ( RF ) lang . Kinyarwanda , French , English

 São Tomé and Príncipe cap . São Tomé cur . São Tomé and Príncipe dobra ( Db ) lang . Portuguese

 CEMAC ( Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa )

 Cameroon cap . Yaoundé cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang . English , French

 Central African Republic cap . Bangui cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang . Sango , French

 Chad cap . N'Djamena cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang. French , Arabic

 Republic of the Congo cap . Brazzaville cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang. French

 Equatorial Guinea cap . Malabo cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang . Spanish , French

 Gabon cap . Libreville cur . Central African CFA franc ( FCFA ) lang. French

 East Africa ( edit )

 Eastern Africa ( UN subregion ) East African Community Central African Federation ( defunct ) Geographic East Africa , including the UN subregion and East African Community Horn of Africa ( edit )

 Djibouti cap . Djibouti cur . Djiboutian franc ( Fdj ) lang . Arabic , French

 Eritrea cap . Asmara cur . Eritrean nakfa ( Nfk ) ' lang . ' Tigrinya , Arabic , Italian , English

 Ethiopia cap . Addis Ababa cur . Ethiopian birr ( Br ) lang . Amharic

 Somalia cap . Mogadishu cur . Somali shilling ( So.Sh ) lang . Somali , Arabic

 Southeast Africa ( edit )

 EAC

 Burundi ( also in ECCAS ) cap . Bujumbura cur . Burundian franc ( FBu ) lang . Kirundi , French

 Kenya cap . Nairobi cur . Kenyan shilling ( KSh ) lang . Swahili , English

 Rwanda ( also in ECCAS ) cap . Kigali cur . Rwandan franc ( RF ) lang . Kinyarwanda , French , English

 Tanzania ( also in SADC ) cap . Dodoma cur . Tanzanian shilling ( x / y ) lang . Swahili , English

 Uganda cap . Kampala cur . Ugandan shilling ( USh ) lang . Swahili , English

 Southern Africa ( edit )

 Southern Africa ( UN subregion ) geographic , including above Southern African Development Community ( SADC )

 SADC ( Southern African Development Community )

 Angola ( also in ECCAS ) cap . Luanda cur . Angolan kwanza ( Kz ) lang . Portuguese

 Botswana cap . Gaborone cur . Botswana pula ( P ) lang . Tswana , English

 Comoros cap . Moroni cur . Comorian franc ( CF ) lang . Comorian , Arabic , French

 Lesotho cap . Maseru cur . Lesotho loti ( L ) ( M ) lang . Sesotho , English

 Madagascar cap . Antananarivo cur . Malagasy ariary ( MGA ) lang . Malagasy , French

 Malawi cap . Lilongwe cur . Malawian kwacha ( MK ) lang . English

 Mauritius cap . Port Louis cur . Mauritian rupee ( R ) lang . English

 Mozambique cap . Maputo cur . Mozambican metical ( MTn ) lang . Portuguese

 Namibia cap . Windhoek cur . Namibian dollar ( N $ ) lang . English

 Seychelles cap . Victoria cur . Seychellois rupee ( SR ) ( SRe ) lang . Seychellois Creole , English , French

 South Africa cap . Bloemfontein , Cape Town , Pretoria cur . South African rand ( R ) lang. 11 official languages

 Swaziland cap . Mbabane cur . Swazi lilangeni ( L ) ( E ) lang . SiSwati , English

 Zambia cap . Lusaka cur . Zambian kwacha ( ZK ) lang . English

 Zimbabwe cap . Harare cur . Zimbabwean dollar ( $ ) lang . English

 Sudan ( edit )

 Depending on classification Sudan is often not considered part of Sub-Saharan Africa , as it is considered part of North Africa .

 Sudan cap . Khartoum cur . Sudanese pound ( SDG ) lang . Arabic and English

 West Africa ( edit )

 Western Africa ( UN subregion ) Maghreb

 Mauritania cap . Nouakchott cur . Mauritanian ouguiya ( UM ) ( sometimes , like Sudan , considered part of North Africa )

 ECOWAS ( Economic Community of West African States )

 Ivory Coast cap . Abidjan , Yamoussoukro cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 The Gambia cap . Banjul cur . Gambian dalasi ( D )

 Ghana ' cap . Accra cur . Ghanaian cedi ( GH ₵ )

 Guinea cap . Conakry cur . Guinean franc ( FG )

 Liberia cap . Monrovia cur . Liberian dollar ( L $ )

 Nigeria cap . Abuja cur . Nigerian naira ( N )

 Sierra Leone cap . Freetown cur . Sierra Leonean leone ( Le )

 UEMOA ( West African Economic and Monetary Union )

 Benin cap . Porto - Novo cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Burkina Faso cap . Ouagadougou cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Ivory Coast cap . Abidjan , Yamoussoukro cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Guinea - Bissau cap . Bissau cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Mali cap . Bamako cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Niger cap . Niamey cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Senegal cap . Dakar cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 Togo cap . Lomé cur . West African CFA franc ( CFA )

 See also ( edit )

 Geography of Africa

 Notes ( edit )

 Jump up ^ `` Composition of macro geographical ( continental ) regions , geographical sub-regions , and selected economic and other groupings '' . United Nations Statistics Division . 11 February 2013 . Retrieved 20 July 2013 . `` The designation sub-Saharan Africa is commonly used to indicate all of Africa except northern Africa , with the Sudan included in sub-Saharan Africa . ''

 Jump up ^ `` Political definition of `` Major regions '' , according to the UN `` . Archived from the original on 20 April 2010 . Retrieved 15 December 2010 .

 Jump up ^ League of Arab States

 `` Arab States '' . UNESCO .

 Infosamak . `` Centre for Marketing , Information and Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Arab Region '' . Infosamak .

 Halim Barakat , The Arab World : Society , Culture , and State , ( University of California Press : 1993 ) , p. 80

 Khair El - Din Haseeb et al. , The Future of the Arab Nation : Challenges and Options , 1 edition ( Routledge : 1991 ) , p. 54

 John Markakis , Resource conflict in the Horn of Africa , ( Sage : 1998 ) , p. 39

 Ḥagai Erlikh , The struggle over Eritrea , 1962 -- 1978 : war and revolution in the Horn of Africa , ( Hoover Institution Press : 1983 ) , p. 59

 Randall Fegley , Eritrea , ( Clio Press : 1995 ) , p. mxxxviii

 Michael Frishkopf , Music and Media in the Arab World , ( American University in Cairo Press : 2010 ) , p. 61

 Jump up ^ `` Sahara 's Abrupt Desertification Started by Changes in Earth 's Orbit , Accelerated by Atmospheric and Vegetation Feedbacks '' , Science Daily .

 Jump up ^ Claussen , Mark ; Kubatzki , Claudia ; Brovkin , Victor ; Ganopolski , Andrey ; Hoelzmann , Philipp ; Pachur , Hans - Joachim ( 1999 ) . `` Simulation of an Abrupt Change in Saharan Vegetation in the Mid-Holocene '' . Geophysical Research Letters. 26 ( 14 ) : 2037 -- 40 . Bibcode : 1999GeoRL ... 26.2037 C . doi : 10.1029 / 1999GL900494 .

 `` Sahara 's Abrupt Desertification Started By Changes In Earth 's Orbit , Accelerated By Atmospheric And Vegetation Feedbacks '' . Science Daily . Science Daily . 12 July 1999 .

 Jump up ^ van Zinderen - Bakker E.M. ( 14 April 1962 ) . `` A Late - Glacial and Post-Glacial Climatic Correlation between East Africa and Europe '' . Nature . 194 ( 4824 ) : 201 -- 03 . Bibcode : 1962Natur. 194 ... 201V . doi : 10.1038 / 194201a0 .

 Jump up ^ Herbert Ekwe - Ekwe ( 2 May 2014 ) . `` What exactly does ' sub-Sahara Africa ' mean ? '' . Pambazuka News .

 Jump up ^ `` Contemptuousness Of A `` Sub-Saharan Africa '' By Chika Onyeani `` . Africannewsworld . Archived from the original on 27 September 2015 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 ^ Jump up to : Raunig , Walter ( 2005 ) . Afrikas Horn : Akten der Ersten Internationalen Littmann - Konferenz 2 . bis 5 . Mai 2002 in München . Otto Harrassowitz Verlag . p. 130 . ISBN 3 - 447 - 05175 - 2 . ancient Arabic geography had quite a fixed pattern in listing the countries from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean : These are al - Misr ( Egypt ) -- al - Muqurra ( or other designations for Nubian kingdoms ) -- al - Habasha ( Abyssinia ) -- Barbara ( Berber , i.e. the Somali coast ) -- Zanj ( Azania , i.e. the country of the `` blacks '' ) . Correspondingly almost all these terms ( or as I believe : all of them ! ) also appear in ancient and medieval Chinese geography

 Jump up ^ International Association for the History of Religions ( 1959 ) , Numen , Leiden : EJ Brill , p. 131 , West Africa may be taken as the country stretching from Senegal in the west , to the Cameroons in the east ; sometimes it has been called the central and western Sudan , the Bilad as - Sūdan , ' Land of the Blacks ' , of the Arabs

 ^ Jump up to : Nehemia Levtzion , Randall Lee Pouwels , The History of Islam in Africa , ( Ohio University Press , 2000 ) , p. 255 .

 Jump up ^ Sven Rubenson , The survival of Ethiopian independence , ( Tsehai , 2003 ) , p. 30 .

 Jump up ^ Jonah Blank , Mullahs on the mainframe : Islam and modernity among the Daudi Bohras , ( University of Chicago Press , 2001 ) , p. 163 .

 Jump up ^ F.R.C. Bagley et al. , The Last Great Muslim Empires , ( Brill : 1997 ) , p. 174

 Jump up ^ Bethwell A. Ogot , Zamani : A Survey of East African History , ( East African Publishing House : 1974 ) , p. 104

 Jump up ^ James Hastings , Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 12 : V. 12 , ( Kessinger Publishing , LLC : 2003 ) , p. 490

 Jump up ^ Edgar Harry Brookes , Amry Vandenbosch ( 1964 ) . The city of God and the city of man in Africa . University of Kentucky Press . pp. Chapter 3 . Retrieved 8 January 2018 . About two - thirds of the population speaks Negritic and one - third Hamitic and Semitic languages . The former are found in central , or tropical , and southern Africa ; the latter in Ethiopia , the Sahara region , and the northern part of the continent . Tropical Africa is often spoken of as `` Black Africa . ''

 Jump up ^ Cole , Sonia Mary ( 1963 ) . Races of Man . British Museum . pp. 111 , 78 -- 80 , 112 -- 121 , 121 -- 124 . Retrieved 8 January 2018 .

 Jump up ^ Shillington , Kevin ( 2005 ) . History of Africa , Rev. 2nd Ed . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , p. 2 , ISBN 0 - 333 - 59957 - 8 .

 ^ Jump up to : Shillington , Kevin ( 2005 ) . History of Africa , Rev. 2nd Ed . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , pp. 2 -- 3 , ISBN 0 - 333 - 59957 - 8 .

 Jump up ^ Shillington , Kevin ( 2005 ) . History of Africa , Rev. 2nd Ed . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , p. 3 , ISBN 0 - 333 - 59957 - 8 .

 Jump up ^ The genetic studies by Luca Cavalli - Sforza are considered pioneering in tracing the spread of modern humans from Africa .

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 Jump up ^ Davidson , Basil . Africa History , Themes and Outlines , revised and expanded edition . New York : Simon & Schuster , p. 54 , ISBN 0 - 684 - 82667 - 4 .

 Jump up ^ Shillington , Kevin ( 2005 ) . History of Africa , Rev. 2nd Ed . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , p. 47 , ISBN 0 - 333 - 59957 - 8 .

 Jump up ^ McEvedy , Colin ( 1980 ) Atlas of African History , p. 44 . ISBN 0 - 87196 - 480 - 5 .

 Jump up ^ Philippe Lavachery ; et al. ( 2012 ) . Komé - Kribi : Rescue Archaeology Along the Chad - Cameroon Oil Pipeline .

 Jump up ^ É . Zangato ; A.F.C. Holl ( 2010 ) . `` On the Iron Front : New Evidence from North - Central '' . Africa Journal of African Archaeology. 8 ( 1 ) : 7 -- 23 . doi : 10.3213 / 1612 - 1651 - 10153 .

 Jump up ^ J. Cameron Monroe . Akinwumi Ogundiran , Power and Landscape in Atlantic West Africa : Archeological Perspectives . p. 316 . , citing Magnavita 2004 ; Magnavita et al. 2004 , 2006 ; Magnavita and Schleifer 2004 .

 Jump up ^ Peter Mitchell et al. , The Oxford Handbook of African Archeology ( 2013 ) , p. 855 : `` The relatively recent discovery of extensive walled settlements at the transition from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age in the Chad Basin ( Magnavita et al. , 2006 ) indicates what enormous sites and processes may still await recognition . ''

 Jump up ^ Appiah & Gates 2010 , p. 254 .

 ^ Jump up to : Shillington , Kevin ( 2005 ) . History of Africa , Rev. 2nd Ed . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , pp. 138 -- 39 , 142 , ISBN 0 - 333 - 59957 - 8 .

 Jump up ^ Oman in history By Peter Vine Page 324

 Jump up ^ Shaping of Somali society Lee Cassanelli pg. 92

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 Jump up ^ Hua Liu , et al . A Geographically Explicit Genetic Model of Worldwide Human - Settlement History . The American Journal of Human Genetics , volume 79 ( 2006 ) , pp. 230 -- 37 ,

 Jump up ^ James De Vere Allen ( 1993 ) . Swahili Origins : Swahili Culture & the Shungwaya Phenomenon .

 Jump up ^ Daniel Don Nanjira , African Foreign Policy and Diplomacy : From Antiquity to the 21st Century , ABC - CLIO , 2010 , p. 114

 Jump up ^ Jens Finke ( 2010 ) . The Rough Guide to Tanzania .

 Jump up ^ Casson , Lionel ( 1989 ) . The Periplus Maris Erythraei . Lionel Casson . ( Translation by H. Frisk , 1927 , with updates and improvements and detailed notes ) . Princeton , Princeton University Press .

 Jump up ^ Chami , F.A. ( 1999 ) . `` The Early Iron Age on Mafia island and its relationship with the mainland . '' Azania Vol . XXXIV 1999 , pp. 1 -- 10 .

 Jump up ^ Chami , Felix A. 2002 . `` The Egypto - Graeco - Romans and Paanchea / Azania : sailing in the Erythraean Sea . '' From : Red Sea Trade and Travel . The British Museum . Sunday 6 October 2002 . Organised by The Society for Arabian Studies

 Jump up ^ `` Weilue : The Peoples of the West '' . Depts.washington.edu. 2004 - 05 - 23 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Miller , J. Innes. 1969 . Chapter 8 : `` The Cinnamon Route '' . In : The Spice Trade of the Roman Empire . Oxford : University Press . ISBN 0 - 19 - 814264 - 1

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 Jump up ^ Hill , John E. 2004 . `` The Peoples of the West from the Weilue by Yu Huan 魚 豢 : A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE '' . Archived from the original on 15 March 2005 . Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 17 . CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Draft annotated English translation . See especially Section 15 on Zesan = Azania and notes .

 Jump up ^ Evelyne Jone Rich ; Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein ( 1971 ) . Africa : Tradition and Change . p. 124 . ISBN 9780394009384 .

 Jump up ^ W.H. Ingrams ( 1967 ) . Zanzibar : Its History and Its People . p. 24 .

 Jump up ^ Mary Fitzpatrick ; Tim Bewer ( 2012 ) . Lonely Planet Tanzania .

 Jump up ^ Rhonda M. Gonzales ( 30 August 2009 ) . Societies , religion , and history : central - east Tanzanians and the world they created , c. 200 BCE to 1800 CE . Columbia University Press . p. 222 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 231 - 14242 - 7 .

 ^ Jump up to : Roland Oliver , et al. `` Africa South of the Equator , '' in Africa Since 1800 . Cambridge , UK : Cambridge University Press , 2005 , pp. 24 -- 25 .

 Jump up ^ Thompson , Lloyd A. ( 1989 ) . Romans and blacks . Taylor & Francis . p. 57 . ISBN 0 - 415 - 03185 - 0 .

 Jump up ^ Mokhtar ( editor ) , AnciGent Civilizations of Africa Vo. II , General History of Africa , UNESCO , 1990

 Jump up ^ Davidson , Basil . Africa History , Themes and Outlines , revised and expanded edition . New York : Simon & Schuster , pp. 87 -- 107 , ISBN 0 - 684 - 82667 - 4 .

 Jump up ^ `` The Slave Trade '' . Countrystudies.us .

 Jump up ^ `` World Population Prospects : The 2017 Revision '' . ESA.UN.org ( custom data acquired via website ) . United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs , Population Division . Retrieved 10 September 2017 .

 Jump up ^ `` World Population Prospects -- Population Division '' . Esa.un.org. 2015 - 07 - 29 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ `` Fertility rate , total ( births per woman ) Data '' . data.worldbank.org . Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 21 .

 Jump up ^ According to the CIA Factbook : Angola , Benin , Burundi , Burkina Faso , the Central African Republic , Cameroon , Chad , the Republic of Congo , the Democratic Republic of Congo , Djibouti , Equatorial Guinea , Eritrea , Ethiopia , Gabon , the Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea - Bissau , Kenya , Liberia , Madagascar , Malawi , Mali , Mauritania , Mozambique , Namibia , Nigeria , Rwanda , Senegal , Sierra Leone , Somalia , Sudan , Swaziland , Tanzania , Togo , Uganda , and Zambia

 ^ Jump up to : ( 2009 ) . Africa Development Indicators 2008 / 2009 : From the World Bank Africa Database African Development Indicators . World Bank Publications , p. 28 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 8213 - 7787 - 1 .

 Jump up ^ `` Research -- CPI -- Overview '' . Transparency.org . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

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 Jump up ^ `` National Literacy Survey '' . National Bureau of Statistics . June 2010 . Archived from the original on 17 September 2015 . Retrieved 5 September 2015 .

 Jump up ^ `` Sudan '' . International Monetary Fund . Retrieved 21 April 2012 .

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 ^ Jump up to : Bowden , Rob ( 2007 ) . Africa South of the Sahara . Coughlan Publishing : p. 37 , ISBN 1 - 4034 - 9910 - 1 .

 Jump up ^ Brown , Keith and Ogilvie , Sarah ( 2008 ) . Concise encyclopedia of languages of the world Concise Encyclopedias of Language and Linguistics Series . Elsevier , p. 12 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 08 - 087774 - 7 .

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 Jump up ^ African Languages at Michigan State University ( ASC ) Michigan State University `` . Isp.msu.edu. 2010 - 10 - 08 . Archived from the original on April 20 , 2010 . Retrieved 2013 - 04 - 30

 Jump up ^ Peek , Philip M. and Yankah , Kwesi ( 2004 ) . African folklore : an encyclopedia . London : ( Rourledge ) Taylor & Francis , p. 205 , ISBN 0 - 415 - 93933 - X , 9780415939331

 Jump up ^ Schneider , Edgar Werner and Kortmann , Bernd ( 2004 ) . A handbook of varieties of English : a multimedia reference tool , Volume 1 . Berlin : Walter de Gruyter , pp. 867 -- 68 , ISBN 978 - 3 - 11 - 017532 - 5 .

 Jump up ^ Güldemann , Tom and Edward D. Elderkin ( forthcoming ) `` On external genealogical relationships of the Khoe family '' . In Brenzinger , Matthias and Christa König ( eds . ) , Khoisan languages and linguistics : the Riezlern symposium 2003 . Quellen zur Khoisan - Forschung 17 . Köln : Rüdiger Köppe .

 Jump up ^ Bellwood , Peter S. ( 2005 ) . First farmers : the origins of agricultural societies . Wiley - Blackwell , p. 218 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 631 - 20566 - 1 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` DRC '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 16 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Rwanda '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Angola '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 18 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Republic of the Congo '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 18 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Burundi '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Memories of Utopia -- Infoshop , World Bank '' ( PDF ) . secid.org . South East Consortium for International Development . 31 May 2006 . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 6 April 2012 . Retrieved 14 October 2015 .

 Jump up ^ Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre ( 2010 ) . 5th Population and Housing Census in Sudan -- An Incomplete Exercise Archived 15 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine ... Geneva : DRDC . Retrieved 16 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ John A. Shoup ( 2011 ) . Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East . p. 333 . `` The Zaghawa is one of the major divisions of the Beri peoples who live in western Sudan and eastern Chad , and their language , also called Zaghawa , belongs to the Saharan branch of the Nilo - Saharan language group . ''

 Jump up ^ `` Sudan '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 : Population and Housing Census Results '' ( PDF ) . New York City : United Nations Population Fund . 2007 . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 5 March 2009 . Retrieved 14 October 2015 .

 Jump up ^ `` Eritrea '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Report on minority groups in Somalia '' ( PDF ) . somraf.org . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 21 October 2013 . Retrieved 14 October 2015 .

 Jump up ^ `` Somalia '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Kenya '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Uganda '' . CIA World Factbook. 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ Ethnologue , most of them are native speakers

 ^ Jump up to : `` Central African Republic '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` South Sudan '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Nigeria '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Niger '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 13 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Chad '' Archived 26 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine ... CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 16 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Population and Housing Census '' . www.knbs.or.ke . Kenya National Bureau of Statistics . 2009 . Archived from the original on 2 February 2014 . Retrieved 14 October 2015 .

 Jump up ^ `` The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania '' . The Language Journal . 2012 - 04 - 22 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` South Africa '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 16 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Botswana '' . CIA World Factbook. 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Malawi '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 16 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Zambia '' . CIA World Factbook. 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Mozambique '' . CIA World Factbook. 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` The Future of Portuguese '' . BB Portuguese . Retrieved 11 April 2012 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Senegal '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` The Gambia '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Cameroon '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` Mali '' . CIA World Factbook . Retrieved 20 November 2014 .

 Jump up ^ Pugliese , Jessica ( 2 January 2014 ) . `` Rethinking Financing for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa '' . brookings.edu . Retrieved 5 January 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Africa 's impressive growth '' . The Economist. 29 August 2014 .

 Jump up ^ `` Africa 's impressive growth '' . World Bank . 29 August 2014 .

 Jump up ^ Creamer Media Reporter ( 12 November 2009 ) . `` Africa 's energy problems threatens growth , says Nepad CEO '' . www.engineeringnews.co.za . Engineering News . Archived from the original on 4 June 2013 . Retrieved 14 October 2015 .

 ^ Jump up to : Christian K.M. Kingombe 2011 . Mapping the new infrastructure financing landscape Archived 18 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine ... London : Overseas Development Institute

 Jump up ^ `` Creamer Media '' ( PDF ) . Us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ RedOrbit.com Redorbit Archived 20 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine .

 Jump up ^ Flatow , Ira . Could Africa Leapfrog The U.S. In Solar Power ? . Science Friday 6 June 2008 .

 Jump up ^ Hepeng , Jia ( 20 August 2004 ) . `` China to train developing nations in solar technologies '' . scidev.net .

 ^ Jump up to : English , Cynthia . Radio the Chief Medium for News in Sub-Saharan Africa . Gallup 23 June 2008 .

 Jump up ^ Africa Calling : Cellphone usage sees record rise . Mail&Guardian : 23 October 2009 .

 Jump up ^ Aker , Jenny C. ( 2008 ) . `` Can You Hear Me Now ? '' How Cell Phones are Transforming Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa , Center for Global Development .

 Jump up ^ `` MG.co.za '' . MG.co.za. 23 December 2009 .

 Jump up ^ Pfanner , Eric . Competition increases for pay TV in sub-Saharan Africa . New York Times 6 August 2007 .

 ^ Jump up to : John J. Saul and Colin Leys , Sub-Saharan Africa in Global Capitalism , Monthly Review , 1999 , Volume 51 , Issue 03 ( July -- August )

 ^ Jump up to : Fred Magdoff , Twenty - First - Century Land Grabs : Accumulation by Agricultural Dispossession , Monthly Review , 2013 , Volume 65 , Issue 06 ( November )

 Jump up ^ Ken Gwilliam , Vivien Foster , Rodrigo Archondo - Callao , Cecilia Briceño - Garmendia , Alberto Nogales , and Kavita Sethi ( 2008 ) . Africa infrastructure country diagnostic , Roads in Sub-Saharan Africa . World Bank and the SSATP : p. 4

 Jump up ^ Lisa A. Corathers ( January 2009 ) . `` Manganese '' ( PDF ) . Minerals.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 19 . Land - based manganese resources are large but irregularly distributed ; those of the United States are very low grade and have potentially high extraction costs . South Africa accounts for about 80 % of the world 's identified manganese resources , and Ukraine accounts for 10 % .

 Jump up ^ John F. Papp ( 2001 ) . `` Chromium '' ( PDF ) . U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook . Minerals.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 19 . About 42 % of world reserves and about 75 % of the world reserve base are located in South Africa .

 Jump up ^ Vronsky ( May 1 , 1997 ) . `` Platinum : The Rich Man 's Gold '' . Gold-Eagle.com . Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 19 .

 Jump up ^ E. Lee Bray ( January 2009 ) . `` Bauxite and Alumina '' ( PDF ) . U.S. Geological Survey , Mineral Commodity Summaries . Minerals.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Daniel L. Edelstein ( January 2009 ) . `` Copper '' ( PDF ) . U.S. Geological Survey , Mineral Commodity Summaries . Minerals.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 19 .

 Jump up ^ `` From the SelectedWorks of Maheta Matteo : From `` Blood Diamond '' to `` Blood Coltan '' : Should International Corporations Pay the Price for the Rape of the DR Congo ? `` . Works.bepress.com . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ `` MBendi.com '' . MBendi.com .

 Jump up ^ `` World-Nuclear.org '' . World-Nuclear.org .

 Jump up ^ Ghazvinian , John ( 2008 ) . Untapped : The Scramble for Africa 's Oil . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , pp. 1 -- 16 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 15 - 603372 - 5 .

 ^ Jump up to : Christopher Ehret , ( 2002 ) . The Civilization of Africa . University of Virginia Press : Charlottesville , p. 98 , ISBN 0 - 8139 - 2085 - X .

 Jump up ^ Vandaveer , Chelsie ( 2006 ) . What was the cotton of Kush ? Archived 14 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine . KillerPlants.com , Plants That Change History Archive .

 Jump up ^ National Research Council ( U.S. ) . Board on Science and Technology for International Development ( 1996 ) . Lost Crops of Africa : Grains . National Academy Press , ISBN 978 - 0 - 309 - 04990 - 0 .

 Jump up ^ `` WorldDefenseReview.com '' . WorldDefenseReview.com .

 Jump up ^ Business24-7.ae Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine .

 Jump up ^ Evans , Ambrose ( 12 October 2009 ) . `` Blogspot.com '' . Tradeafrica.blogspot.com .

 Jump up ^ `` Africa Regional Brief '' ( PDF ) . World Bank . Retrieved 7 May 2012 .

 Jump up ^ Mathiason , Nick ( 2 November 2009 ) . `` Global protocol could limit Sub-Saharan land grab '' . The Guardian . London . Retrieved 9 April 2010 .

 ^ Jump up to : Gabara , Nthambeleni ( 12 November 2009 ) . `` Developed nations should invest in African universities '' . buanews.gov.za . BuaNews Online . Archived from the original on 23 February 2012 . Retrieved 16 October 2015 .

 Jump up ^ `` World '' . CIA Factbook .

 Jump up ^ Nordling , Linda ( 29 October 2009 ) . `` Africa Analysis : Progress on science spending ? '' . scidev.net .

 Jump up ^ `` South Africa 's Investment in Research and Development on the Rise '' ( Press release ) . Department of Science and Technology . 22 June 2006 . Archived from the original on 27 July 2011 .

 Jump up ^ `` User fees for health : a background '' . Archived from the original on 28 November 2006 . Retrieved 28 December 2006 .

 Jump up ^ Knippenberg R , Alihonou E , Soucat A , et al. ( June 1997 ) . `` Implementation of the Bamako Initiative : strategies in Benin and Guinea '' . The International Journal of Health Planning and Management . 12 ( Suppl 1 ) : S29 -- 47 . doi : 10.1002 / ( SICI ) 1099 - 1751 ( 199706 ) 12 : 1 + < S29 : : AID - HPM465 > 3.0.CO ; 2 - U . PMID 10173105 .

 Jump up ^ `` Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes '' . Archived from the original on 8 October 2007 . Retrieved 28 December 2006 .

 Jump up ^ `` World Aids Day 2012 '' ( PDF ) . Unaids.org . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ `` Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation : What we do '' . Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation . Archived from the original on 16 January 2013 . Retrieved 27 May 2013 .

 Jump up ^ `` UNAIDS reports more than 7 million people now on HIV treatment across Africa -- with nearly 1 million added in the last year -- while new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS continue to fall '' . Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS . 21 May 2013 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ `` Special Report : How Africa Turned AIDS Around '' ( PDF ) . Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS . 2013 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2012 '' ( PDF ) . Retrieved 13 May 2013 .

 Jump up ^ `` AIDSinfo '' . UNAIDS . Retrieved 4 March 2013 .

 Jump up ^ `` WHO Malaria '' . Who.int . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Verguet S , Jassat W , Hedberg C , Tollman S , Jamison DT , Hofman KJ ( February 2012 ) . `` Measles control in Sub-Saharan Africa : South Africa as a case study '' . Vaccine. 30 ( 9 ) : 1594 -- 600 . doi : 10.1016 / j. vaccine. 2011.12. 123 . PMID 22230581 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` WHO Onchocerciasis '' . Who.int . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 ^ Jump up to : `` WHO Maternal mortality '' . Who.int . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Emma Bonino , `` A brutal custom : Join forces to banish the mutilation of women '' , The New York Times , 15 September 2004 ; Charlotte Feldman - Jacobs , `` Commemorating International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation '' , Population Reference Bureau , February 2009 .

 Jump up ^ Canagarajah , Sudharshan ; Ye , Xiao ( April 2001 ) . Public Health and Education Spending in Ghana in 1992 - 98 ( PDF ) . World Bank Publication . p. 21 .

 Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica . Britannica Book of the Year 2003 . Encyclopædia Britannica , ( 2003 ) ISBN 978 - 0 - 85229 - 956 - 2 p. 306 However , Southern Africa is predominantly Christian . According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , as of mid-2002 , there were 376,453,000 Christians , 329,869,000 Muslims and 98,734,000 people who practiced traditional religions in Africa . Ian S. Markham , ( A World Religions Reader . Cambridge , MA : Blackwell Publishers , 1996 . ) is cited by Morehouse University as giving the mid-1990s figure of 278,250,800 Muslims in Africa , but still as 40.8 % of the total . These numbers are estimates and remain a matter of conjecture . See Amadu Jacky Kaba . The spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa : a survey and analysis of the numbers and percentages of Christians , Muslims and those who practice indigenous religions . The Western Journal of Black Studies , Vol 29 , Number 2 , June 2005 . Discusses the estimations of various almanacs and encyclopedium , placing Britannica 's estimate as the most agreed figure . Notes the figure presented at the World Christian Encyclopedia , summarised here , as being an outlier . On rates of growth , Islam and Pentecostal Christianity are highest , see : The List : The World 's Fastest - Growing Religions , Foreign Policy , May 2007 .

 Jump up ^ Baldick , Julian ( 1997 ) . Black God : the Afroasiatic roots of the Jewish , Christian , and Muslim religions . Syracuse University Press : ISBN 0 - 8156 - 0522 - 6

 Jump up ^ Christopher Ehret , ( 2002 ) . The Civilizations of Africa . Charlottesville : University of Virginia , pp. 102 -- 03 , ISBN 0 - 8139 - 2085 - X .

 Jump up ^ Davidson , Basil ( 1969 ) . The African Genius , An Introduction to African Social and Cultural History . Little Brown and Company : Boston , pp. 168 -- 80 . LCCN 70 - 80751 .

 Jump up ^ Eglash , Ron : `` African Fractals : Modern computing and indigenous design . '' Rutgers 1999 ISBN 0 - 8135 - 2613 - 2

 Jump up ^ Richmond , Yale ; Gestrin , Phyllis ( 2009 ) . Into Africa : a guide to Sub-Saharan culture and diversity . Boston : Intercultural Press . ISBN 978 - 1 - 931930 - 91 - 8 .

 Jump up ^ Bowden , Rob ( 2007 ) . Africa South of the Sahara . Coughlan Publishing : p. 40 , ISBN 1 - 4034 - 9910 - 1 .

 Jump up ^ Christopher Ehret , ( 2002 ) . The Civilizations of Africa . Charlottesville : University of Virginia , p. 103 , ISBN 0 - 8139 - 2085 - X .

 Jump up ^ `` ScienceDaily.com '' . ScienceDaily.com. 18 June 2007 .

 Jump up ^ `` ' Oldest ' prehistoric art unearthed '' . BBC News . 10 January 2002 . Retrieved 9 April 2010 .

 Jump up ^ `` > TARA -- Trust for African Rock Art : Rock Art in Africa '' . 6 January 2009 . Archived from the original on 6 January 2009 .

 Jump up ^ `` African Influences in Modern Art Thematic Essay Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History The Metropolitan Museum of Art '' . Metmuseum.org. 2014 - 06 - 02 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Alexandre , Marc ( 1998 ) . World Bank Publication : DC . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8213 - 4195 - 7

 Jump up ^ `` Intangible Heritage Home -- - intangible heritage -- Culture Sector '' . UNESCO .

 Jump up ^ Yoshida , Reiko . Proclamation 2005 : Barcloth making in Uganda Unesco : Intangible Cultural Heritage ( Uganda ) 13 May 2009

 ^ Jump up to : http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/sfc/ho_1999.522.15.htm

 Jump up ^ `` About.com '' . Goafrica.about.com .

 Jump up ^ `` AllAfrica.com '' . AllAfrica.com. 16 November 2009 .

 Jump up ^ `` European Soccer 's Racism Problem '' . Deutsche Welle . Deutsche Welle. 2 December 2005 .

 Jump up ^ `` Men 's outdoor world records '' . iaaf.org . Retrieved 26 October 2013 . As can be seen : 800m is Kenya ; 5000m is Ethiopia ; 10000m is Ethiopia ; marathon is Kenya . The two exceptions are the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase records , though the latter is held by Stephen Cherono , who was born and raised in Kenya .

 Jump up ^ Tucker , Ross and Dugas , Jonathan . Sport 's great rivalries : Kenya vs. Ethiopia , and a one - sided battle ( at least on the track ) , The Science of Sport , 14 July 2008 .

 Jump up ^ `` Tourism in Africa : Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods '' ( PDF ) . Worldbank.org . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ `` South Africa : Political Issues : Constitution : Provincial Government '' . BBC . 2014 - 10 - 29 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Malik , Nesrine ( 23 November 2009 ) . `` ' Nubian monkey ' song and Arab racism '' . The Guardian . London . Retrieved 9 April 2010 .

 Jump up ^ Towson.edu Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine .

 Jump up ^ `` Worldbank.org '' . Web.worldbank.org. 27 October 2006 .

 Jump up ^ `` CDCdevelopmentSolutions.org '' . CDCdevelopmentSolutions.org . Archived from the original on 20 June 2010 .

 Jump up ^ `` Where We Work U.S. Agency for International Development '' . Usaid.gov. 2012 - 05 - 29 . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 Jump up ^ Transparency.org Archived 13 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine .

 Jump up ^ `` U.N. doubles force in turbulent South Sudan ( UPDATE 2 '' . UPI.com . Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 29 .

 References ( edit )

 Taking Action to Reduce Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa , World Bank Publications ( 1997 ) , ISBN 0 - 8213 - 3698 - 3 .

 Further reading ( edit )

 Chido , Diane E. From Chaos to Cohesion : A Regional Approach to Security , Stability , and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa . Carlisle , Pa. : Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press , 2013 .

 Petringa , Maria : Brazza , A Life for Africa . Bloomington , Indiana : AuthorHouse , 2006 . ISBN 978 - 1 - 4259 - 1198 - 0

 Wm . Roger Louis and Jean Stengers : E.D. Morel 's History of the Congo Reform Movement , Clarendon Press Oxford , 1968 .

 External links ( edit )

 African People Website

 50 Factoids about Sub-Saharan Africa

 The Story of Africa -- BBC World Service

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 Regions of the world

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 North Africa

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 Ancient Libya

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 Darfur

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 Pepper Coast

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 Cape Palmas

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 Guinea region

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 Guinean Forests of West Africa

 Niger Delta

 Inner Niger Delta

 Southern Africa

 Madagascar

 Central Highlands ( Madagascar )

 Northern Highlands

 Rhodesia

 North

 South

 Thembuland

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 Bushveld

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 Macro-regions

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 Françafrique

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 East

 Japanese archipelago

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 Northern Canada

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 Canadian Shield

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 West Coast

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 Coastal states

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 Atlantic coastal plain

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 Belt regions

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 Latin

 Northern Mexico

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 Gulf of California

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 Soconusco

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 Valley of Mexico

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 Sierra Madre de Oaxaca

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 Basin and Range Province

 Western Caribbean Zone

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 Gulf of Panama

 Pearl Islands

 Azuero Peninsula

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 West Indies

 Antilles

 Greater Antilles

 Lesser Antilles

 Leeward

 Leeward Antilles

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 Southern Caribbean

 Aridoamerica

 Mesoamerica

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 Northern

 Middle

 Anglo

 Latin

 French

 Hispanic

 American Cordillera

 Ring of Fire

 LAC

 Regions of Oceania

 Australasia

 Gulf of Carpentaria

 New Guinea

 Bonis Peninsula

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 Huon Gulf

 Bird 's Head Peninsula

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 New Zealand

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 North Island

 Coromandel Peninsula

 Zealandia

 New Caledonia

 Solomon Islands ( archipelago )

 Vanuatu

 Kula Gulf

 Australia

 Capital Country

 Eastern Australia

 Lake Eyre basin

 Murray -- Darling basin

 Northern Australia

 Nullarbor Plain

 Outback

 Southern Australia

 Maralinga

 Sunraysia

 Great Victoria Desert

 Gulf of Carpentaria

 Gulf St Vincent

 Lefevre Peninsula

 Fleurieu Peninsula

 Yorke Peninsula

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 Mornington Peninsula

 Bellarine Peninsula

 Mount Henry Peninsula

 Melanesia

 Islands Region

 Bismarck Archipelago

 Solomon Islands Archipelago

 Fiji

 New Caledonia

 Papua New Guinea

 Vanuatu

 Micronesia

 Caroline Islands

 Federated States of Micronesia

 Palau

 Guam

 Kiribati

 Marshall Islands

 Nauru

 Northern Mariana Islands

 Wake Island

 Polynesia

 Easter Island

 Hawaiian Islands

 Cook Islands

 French Polynesia

 Austral Islands

 Gambier Islands

 Marquesas Islands

 Society Islands

 Tuamotu

 Kermadec Islands

 Mangareva Islands

 Samoa

 Tokelau

 Tonga

 Tuvalu

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 Regions of South America

 East

 Amazon basin

 Atlantic Forest

 Caatinga

 Cerrado

 North

 Caribbean South America

 West Indies

 Los Llanos

 The Guianas

 Amazon basin

 Amazon rainforest

 Gulf of Paria

 Paria Peninsula

 Paraguaná Peninsula

 Orinoco Delta

 South

 Tierra del Fuego

 Patagonia

 Pampas

 Pantanal

 Gran Chaco

 Chiquitano dry forests

 Valdes Peninsula

 West

 Andes

 Tropical Andes

 Wet Andes

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 Pariacaca mountain range

 Altiplano

 Atacama Desert

 Latin

 Hispanic

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 LAC

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 Antarctic

 Antarctic Peninsula

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 Eklund Islands

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 Extreme points

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Question: which biome is characteristic of central sub saharan africa nearest the equator