Cameroon, country lying at the junction of western and central Africa. (Brittanica). The country’s name is derived from Rio dos Camarões (“River of Prawns”)—the name given to the Wouri River estuary by Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. Until the late 19th century, English usage confined the term “the Cameroons” to the mountains, […]

Uganda is a landlocked country in east-central Africa. About the size of Great Britain, Uganda is populated by dozens of ethnic groups. The English language and Christianity help unite these diverse peoples, who come together in the cosmopolitan capital of Kampala, a verdant city whose plan includes dozens of small parks and public gardens and […]

Tanzania, is a country in East Africa situated just south of the Equator. Tanzania was formed as a sovereign state in 1964 through the union of the theretofore separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Mainland Tanganyika covers more than 99 percent of the combined territories’ total area. Mafia Island is administered from the mainland, while […]

Sudan is a country located in northeastern Africa. The name Sudan derives from the Arabic expression bilād al-sūdān (“land of the blacks”), by which medieval Arab geographers referred to the settled African countries that began at the southern edge of the Sahara. For more than a century, Sudan included its neighbour South Sudan, home to […]

South Sudan, located in north-eastern Africa is the world’s newest country. Prior to 2011, South Sudan was part of Sudan, its neighbour to the north. It’s rich biodiversity includes lush savannas, swamplands, and rainforests that are home to many species of wildlife. The country’s economy is described as a low-income oil based Sahelian economy. Decades […]

Somalia is a country in eastern Africa, located in the Horn of Africa. Much of Somalia is semidesert. The central and southern regions are flat, while the northern region rises to form rugged mountain ranges. Only a tiny proportion of its land is arable, though more than half is grazeable. Most of the people are […]

Rwanda is a small and centralised country dominated by rugged hills and fertile volcanic soil — has exerted disproportionate influence over the African Great Lakes region for centuries. Resources include gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land.

Mozambique is a scenic country in southeastern Africa, with a tropical climate and that boasts many natural resources and biological and cultural diversity. Its extensive coastline, fronting the Mozambique Channel, offers some of Africa’s best natural harbours. These have allowed Mozambique an important role in the maritime economy of the Indian Ocean, while the country’s […]

Malawi, landlocked country in south-eastern Africa. Endowed with spectacular highlands and extensive lakes, it occupies a narrow, curving strip of land along the East African Rift Valley. Lake Nyasa, known in Malawi as Lake Malawi, accounts for more than one-fifth of the country’s total area. Most of Malawi’s population engages in cash-crop and subsistence agriculture. […]

Kenya, in East Africa, is famed for its scenic landscapes and vast wildlife preserves. Its Indian Ocean coast provided historically important ports for centuries. Along that coast are predominantly Muslim Swahili cities such as Mombasa. Inland are populous highlands famed for tea plantations and a variety of wildlife. Kenya’s western provinces, marked by lakes and […]