West Africa: countries and their characteristics. Mali (country)

Living in large countries, not everyone and not always can travel to all corners of their homeland. However, there are states in the world, all the sights and attractions of which can be viewed in a day or two. So, we present the top 10 smallest states in the world.

1. Vatican
The Vatican is a closed city-state located in one of the districts of Rome and covers an area of \u200b\u200b44 hectares. It was founded in 1929 by the Roman Catholic Church, ruled by the Pope and the conclave of cardinals, has the status of an independent state and even has its own army. True, in spite of such a small territory, it will hardly be possible to inspect it in one day - so many architectural, sculptural and pictorial masterpieces are collected in it. The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope's residence - the Apostolic Palace, etc. - are not a complete list of masterpieces. Half of the country's territory is occupied by the Vatican Gardens. About 800 people are official citizens of the Vatican, and several thousand Italians travel here to work every day.

2. Monaco
Monaco is the second smallest country. Over the past 20 years, due to the drainage of the sea, the country's area has increased and now it is 20.2 square meters. kilometers. Monaco is a monarchical state, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and has 30 thousand inhabitants. The main income for residents comes from tourism.

3. Nauru
Nauru is located in the South Pacific Ocean in Micronesia. The area of \u200b\u200bthe state is 21.3 sq. kilometers. The Republic of Nauru is the smallest island nation in the world. It gained independence in 1968, although the island has been home to the Aborigines for 3 thousand years. Today the population of the country is about 9 thousand people. The state of Nauru has no armed forces.

4. Tuvalu
Tuvalu is located in the South Pacific Ocean, with an area of \u200b\u200b26 sq. kilometers. The country also includes several coral islands. Previously, these islands belonged to the British crown and were called Ellis Islands, but in 1978 they gained independence from the British. The population of the country is 10.5 thousand people. Due to the lack of natural resources, Tuvalu has to live off the help of other countries.

5. San Marino
The Republic of San Marino covers an area of \u200b\u200b61 sq. kilometer and has the smallest population among the member states of the European Council. It is located in Southern Europe, surrounded on all sides by the territory of Italy. It is the oldest independent country in the world and was founded on September 3, 301. In addition, San Marino is one of the richest countries in the world, with incomes exceeding expenses.

6. Liechtenstein
The area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 160.4 sq. kilometers. Liechtenstein borders with Switzerland and Austria and has no access to the sea. It is one of the richest countries. There are more companies registered here than residents.

7. Marshall Islands
This state is located in the center of the Pacific Ocean and consists mainly of coral islands. The area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 181 sq. kilometer, population 62 thousand. In 1986, the Islands gained independence from the United States, but the country has no natural resources and imports of goods far exceed exports, so so far only America's help has helped them "keep afloat."

8. Seychelles
Paradise on Earth, Seychelles covers an area of \u200b\u200b455 square kilometers, a population of 84 thousand people. The archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar and consists of 115 islands. The islands have developed thanks to the export of coconut, vanilla and cinnamon. But since independence in 1976, tourism has become the main source of income.

9. Maldives
The Maldives is an island country. It is located in the Indian Ocean and is the smallest Asian country in terms of area. The area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 298 sq. km., the population is 396 thousand. The capital of the country, Male, is home to two thirds of the population. Previously, the country developed thanks to the export of dried tuna, cowrie shellfish and coconut ropes, now the main income comes from tourism.

10. Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Located in the West Indies - between North and South America on the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. The state consists of two islands with a total area of \u200b\u200b261 sq. km. These were the first islands inhabited by Europeans. The main source of income is tourism, as well as agriculture and offshore banking.

Africa is the largest in area (30 million sq. Km.) Region, including 54 independent states. Some of them are rich and developing, others are poor, some have access to the sea, while others are not. So how many countries are there in Africa, and which countries are the most developed?

Countries of North Africa

The entire mainland can be divided into five zones: North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, South Africa.

Fig. 1. Countries in Africa.

Almost the entire region of North Africa (10 million sq. Km.) Lies in the Sahara Desert. This natural area is characterized by high temperatures; it is here that the world's highest temperature in the shade is recorded - +58 degrees. The largest African states are located in this region. These are Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan. All of these countries are landlocked territories.

Egypt - the tourist center of Africa. People from all over the world come here to enjoy the warm sea, sandy beaches and infrastructure that is completely suitable for a good holiday.

State of Algeria with the capital of the same name, it is the largest country in terms of area in North Africa. Its area is 2382 thousand square meters. km. The largest river in this area is the Sheliff River, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Its length is 700 km. The rest of the rivers are much smaller and are lost among the deserts of the Sahara. Algeria is producing large volumes of oil and gas.

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Sudan - a country in the North African region, which has access to the Red Sea.

Sudan is sometimes called the "country of the three Niles" - White, Blue, and the main one, which is formed as a result of the merger of the first two.

In Sudan, there is a dense and rich vegetation of tall grass savannas: in the wet season, the grass here reaches 2.5 - 3 m. In the very south, there is a forest savanna with iron, red and black ebony trees.

Fig. 2. Ebony.

Libya - a country in the central part of North Africa, with an area of \u200b\u200b1760 thousand square meters. km. Most of the territory is a flat plain with heights ranging from 200 to 500 meters. Like other countries in North America, Libya has access to the Mediterranean Sea.

West African countries

West Africa is washed by the Atlantic Ocean from the south and from the west. Here are the Guinean forests of the tropical region. These areas are characterized by alternating rainy and drought seasons. West Africa includes many states, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Liberia. The population of this region is 210 million people. It is in this region that Nigeria (195 million people) is located - the largest country in terms of population in Africa, and Cape Verde is a very small island state with a population of about 430 thousand people.

Agriculture plays the main role in the economy. West African countries are leaders in the collection of cocoa beans (Ghana, Nigeria), peanuts (Senegal, Niger), palm oil (Nigeria).

Central African countries

Central Africa is located in the western part of the continent and lies in the equatorial and subequatorial zones. This area is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. There are a lot of rivers in Central Africa: Congo, Ogove, Kwanza, Kvilu. The climate is humid and hot. This area includes 9 countries, including Congo, Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola.

In terms of natural resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the richest countries on the continent. There are unique wet forests - the Selvas of Africa, which make up 6% of the wet forests of the whole world.

Angola is a major export supplier. Coffee, fruit and sugar cane are exported abroad. And in Gabon, copper, oil, manganese, uranium are mined.

Countries of East Africa

The shores of eastern Africa are washed by the Red Sea, as well as by the Nile. The climate in this area is different in every country. For example, the Seychelles is characterized as a humid marine tropics dominated by monsoons. At the same time, Somalia, also part of East Africa, is a desert where there are practically no rainy days. This region includes Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Uganda, Tanzania.

Some East African countries export specific products that are not found in other African states. Kenya exports tea and coffee, while Tanzania and Uganda exports cotton.

Many people are wondering where is the capital of Africa? Naturally, each country has its own capital, but the heart of Africa is considered the capital of Ethiopia - the city of Addis Ababa. It has no outlet to the sea, but it is here that the representations of all countries of the mainland are located.

Fig. 3. Addis Ababa.

Countries of South Africa

South Africa includes South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland.

South Africa is the most developed in its region, while Swaziland is the smallest. Swaziland shares borders with South Africa and Mozambique. The population of the country is only 1.3 million people. This region is located in the tropical and subtropical climatic zone.

List of African countries with capitals

• Algeria (capital - Algeria)
• Angola (capital - Luanda)
• Benin (capital - Porto Novo)
• Botswana (capital - Gaborone)
• Burkina Faso (capital - Ouagadougou)
• Burundi (capital - Bujumbura)
• Gabon (capital - Libreville)
• Gambia (capital - Banjul)
• Ghana (capital - Accra)
• Guinea (capital - Conakry)
• Guinea-Bissau (capital - Bissau)
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital - Kinshasa)
• Djibouti (capital - Djibouti)
• Egypt (capital - Cairo)
• Zambia (capital - Lusaka)
• Western Sahara (capital - El Aaiun)
• Zimbabwe (capital - Harare)
• Cape Verde (capital - Praia)
• Cameroon (capital - Yaounde)
• Kenya (capital - Nairobi)
• Comoros (capital - Moroni)
• Congo (capital - Brazzaville)
• Cote d'Ivoire (table - Yamoussoukro)
• Lesotho (capital - Maseru)
• Liberia (capital - Monrovia)
• Libya (capital - Tripoli)
• Mauritius (capital - Port Louis)
• Mauritania (capital - Nouakchott)
• Madagascar (capital - Antananarivo)
• Malawi (capital - Lilongwe)
• Mali (capital - Bamako)
• Morocco (capital - Rabat)
• Mozambique (capital - Maputo)
• Namibia (capital - Windhoek)
• Niger (capital - Niamey)
• Nigeria (capital - Abuja)
• Saint Helena (capital - Jamestown) (UK)
• Reunion (capital - Saint-Denis) (France)
• Rwanda (capital - Kigali)
• Sao Tome and Principe (capital - Sao Tome)
• Swaziland (capital - Mbabane)
• Seychelles (capital - Victoria)
• Senegal (capital - Dakar)
• Somalia (capital - Mogadishu)
• Sudan (capital - Khartoum)
• Sierra Leone (capital - Freetown)
• Tanzania (capital - Dodoma)
• Togo (capital - Lome)
• Tunisia (capital - Tunisia)
• Uganda (capital - Kampala)
• Central African Republic (capital - Bangui)
• Chad (capital - N'Djamena)
• Equatorial Guinea (capital - Malabo)
• Eritrea (capital - Asmara)
• Ethiopia (capital - Addis Ababa)
• Republic of South Africa (capital - Pretoria)

What have we learned?

Africa is the hottest continent on Earth. There are 54 independent states on the mainland, which belong to one of five regions: North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa. The countries of Africa and their capitals are unique. Each country has its own characteristics and characteristics.

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Africa is a part of the world with an area of \u200b\u200b30.3 million km2 with islands, it is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere (most of it), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland of Gondwana, it has massive outlines, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa from Asia is separated by the Suez Canal, from Europe - by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographic characteristics

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is cut by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are small lowlands, the north-west is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost completely occupied by the Sahara Desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian Highlands, the southeast is the East African Plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Draconic mountains. The highest point in Africa is volcano Kilimanjaro (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, there is the world's largest fault in the earth's crust, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

Rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from the south to north (its origins are on the East African Plateau, and it flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delta). The rivers are rich in water exclusively in the equatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation there, most of them are distinguished by high flow rates, have many rapids and waterfalls. In the lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest lake after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest saline closed lake - Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern edge of the greatest desert in the world of the Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical belts, it is characterized by high total indicators of solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent of the Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in El-Azizia (Libya) - + 58 С 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo depression), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannas and woodlands, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevres and southern Africa, savannas are replaced by semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari. Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains - a zone of rigid-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. Natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided between 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, the countries of Asia were foreign colonies of various European states, and only by the middle of the last century gained independence. Africa is divided into five regions depending on its geographical location: North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of countries in Africa

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is plain. There are mountain systems, highlands and plateaus. They are presented:

• The Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
• the highlands of Tibesti and Ahaggar in the Sahara desert;
• The Ethiopian Highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
• Drakensberg mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is Kilimanjaro Volcano, 5,895 m high, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. On the southwestern side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from it inland to the east is the Kalahari Desert.

The savannah territory occupies the main part of Central Africa. It is much larger in area than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The area is characterized by the presence of savannah pastures, low shrubs and trees. The height of the herbaceous vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. These can be practically desert savannas or tall-grass, with a grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height ...

Rivers

The longest river in the world, the Nile, is located on the territory of the African continent. Its direction is from south to north.

In the list of major water systems of the mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, flowing through the territory of Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 m high and 1,800 meters wide ...

Lakes

Lake Victoria is on the list of large lakes on the African continent, which is the second largest freshwater body of water in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. There are two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the fractures of lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad on the territory of Africa, which is one of the world's largest closed relict lakes that have no connection with the world's oceans ...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans at once: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also on its shores are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. On the side of the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the waters form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. The currents from the Indian Ocean are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in the northern waters, and Igolnoye, in the southern ...

Forests of africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. There are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find a stone oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. High in the mountains, conifers grow, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are forests of cork oak, in the tropical region there are evergreen equatorial plants, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc.

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, about 1000 species of various types of trees grow here: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, oil palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. ... It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects that live right in the trees. Live on earth: bristle-eared pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

40% of Africa's territory is occupied by savannas, which are huge steppe areas covered with herbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and free standing trees (treelike acacias, baobabs).

Here you can see the largest concentration of such large animals as: rhino, giraffe, elephant, hippo, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are such herbivores as: bubal (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-footed antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, in some places there are still rare springbok antelopes.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is poor and unpretentious; these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of grasses. The oases are home to the unique Erg Chebbi date palm, as well as drought and salt tolerant plants. The Namib Desert is home to unique velvichia and nara plants, which feed on porcupines, elephants and other desert animals.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and capable of covering great distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned ram, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, Dorcas gazelle, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are constantly living and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in an area of \u200b\u200blow pressure and receives sufficient moisture, the territories to the north and south of the equator are located in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoon) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme north and south are in the subtropical climatic zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north is the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the peculiarities of the trade wind movement, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all ...

Resources

Natural resources of Africa

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the poorest continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet the primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by areas of significant area with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of adequate water volume, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including valuable species. The countries where they grow, the raw materials are sent for export. Resources are being used unwisely and ecosystems are gradually being destroyed.

There are mineral deposits in the bowels of Africa. Among those exported: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments ...

Among the developed industrial spheres of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

• the mining industry, which sends minerals and fuels for export;
• the oil refining industry, spread mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
• chemical industry, specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
• as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. In the tropical regions of Africa, the oil palm is grown.

Fishing is developed insignificantly and constitutes only 1 - 2% of the total volume of agriculture. Livestock indicators are also not high and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse ...

Culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

The 62 African countries are home to some 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups, for a total of about 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization, it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of humans.

Most of the peoples in Africa can number as many as several thousand people, and several hundred, living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with a population of more than 5 million people, 1/3 are peoples with a population of more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) are Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulus ...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical-African (the majority of the population is a Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

• West Africa... Peoples speaking the languages \u200b\u200bMande (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Vai), Chad (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congolese languages \u200b\u200b(Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, nupe, gbari, igala and idoma, ibibio, efik, kambari, birom and jukun, etc.);
• Equatorial Africa... It is inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Douala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandians), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Como, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Congo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc .;
• South Africa... Rebellious peoples, and speaking the Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
• East Africa... Bantu, Nilot and Sudanese groups;
• North East Africa... Peoples speaking Ethiosemite (Amhara, Tiger, Tiger.), Kushite (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omot languages \u200b\u200b(Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
• Madagascar... Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are the Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the southern European small race, mainly professing Sunni Islam. There also exists an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Christians-Monophysites.

Historically, humanity seeks to divide the vast expanses of our planet into separate pieces. In the course of millennial conquests, each nation has its own territories - some have more, some have less.

We studied the names of most large countries at school, but few remember about these states. They do not have huge armies or natural deposits, but are known for their tiny area. This collection contains the 10 smallest countries in the world!

10 Maldives

9 Saint Kitts and Nevis

8 Marshall Islands

7 Liechtenstein

6 San Marino

5 Tuvalu

4 Nauru

3 Monaco

2 Vatican

1 Order of Malta

All these dwarf states rightfully take their place in the ranking of the smallest countries. They are unique and distinctive, and most of them, despite their small territory, are prosperous countries.

West Africa is a region with magnificent nature and rich resource potential. However, all the countries included in it are characterized by weak and unstable economies. Tribal conflicts, frequent changes of power, high mortality from tropical diseases, total poverty are the main problems here.

Geography of Western Africa

Africa is the second largest continent on the planet. It hosts 55 states and five self-proclaimed unrecognized entities. Conventionally, the mainland is divided into five sub-regions, each of which unites states that are similar not only geographically, but also historically and culturally.

Starts in the central part of the Sahara. In the south and west, it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and in the southeast by the mountains of Cameroon. The territory of the region covers all the main natural zones of the mainland, from deserts and tropical savannas to equatorial forests. Most of it falls on the Sahel and Sudan ecoregions (not to be confused with the country), which are grassy steppes and woodlands. Closer to the coast, there are mangroves and gallery forests.

The nature and resources of the region are full of diversity. Closer to the coast there is a dense river system. Its valleys are inhabited by monkeys, leopards, hippos, forest duikers, buffaloes, giraffes. Local savannas are inhabited by lions, cheetahs, hyena dogs, gazelles and antelopes. Due to the active development of the region in the past, many species are today considered vulnerable or close to extinction, so they can be found only in reserves and national parks.

West African countries

The western region of the mainland is considered the largest both in terms of population and the number of its member states - a total of 16. The largest in terms of population is Nigeria, which is home to 196 million people. It is followed by Niger (22 million) and Mauritania (4.3 million). The largest by area are Niger (1,267,000 km 2) and Mali (1,240,000 km 2).

The westernmost country in Africa is Cape Verde. It is also the smallest in the region in terms of area and population in the region. Cape Verde is located on the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. They are separated from the coast of the mainland by about 600 kilometers.

The countries of West Africa do not receive much attention from travelers. The infrastructure and transport system are practically undeveloped here, and the conditions for recreation do not rise above the basic level.

History

Almost all West African states are former colonies of Great Britain and France. It was they who retained their influence the longest. Before the appearance of Europeans, large state formations existed in the region. The empire of Ghana, the empire of Mali and Songhai were located here.

During the Great Geographical Discoveries, European discoverers appeared on the African coast of the Atlantic Ocean. At first, the development of the region was slow due to numerous tropical diseases - yellow fever, malaria, sleeping sickness, etc.

At the end of the 19th century, colonization accelerated with the invention of medicines for local ailments. West Africa has become a major supplier of ivory, precious stones and metals, as well as free labor. At that time, a huge number of mammals, including elephants, leopards, chimpanzees, were exterminated in the region, and the slave trade reached enormous proportions.

The first country to gain independence from Europeans is Ghana (1957), followed by Nigeria and Mauritania in 1960. Despite their free status, West African countries were in no hurry to abandon slavery, and cases of forced labor or human trafficking were recorded even in the 2000s. In Mauritania, slavery has been prohibited since 1981, but even now it remains a country where slavery is not prosecuted by the authorities.

Economy of countries

The region has significant resource potential. There are deposits of oil, tantalum, niobium, diamonds, gold, manganese, iron, tin, bauxite, uranium, tungsten, and coal. Despite this, the industry in West African countries works primarily for the extraction of minerals, and their processing is carried out only at the initial level.

Some resources are still mined by hand. In some countries, such as Nigeria, spontaneous seizures of deposits often occur and resource wars are waged. All this is hardly regulated by the authorities, due to the developed corruption and frequent changes of managers.

The basis of the economy of states is agriculture, as a rule, highly specialized. For example, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana grow cocoa beans, Senegal and Gambia - peanuts, Nigeria produces palm oil, Guinea specializes in coffee, Togo - in coffee and cocoa. Countries located on the shores of the ocean are engaged in fishing and supply of seafood ...