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Algeria (Arabic:الجزائر,Al Jaza'ir,Berber:,Dzayer[ldzæjər]), officially thePeople's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is the second largest country on theAfrican continent. It is bordered byTunisia in the northeast,Libya in the east,Niger in the southeast,Mali andMauritania in the southwest, andMorocco andWestern Sahara in the west.

Algeria is a member of theUnited Nations,African Union,Arab League andOPEC.Constitutionally, Algeria is defined as anIslamic,Arab, andAmazigh (Berber) country.

The name Algeria is derived from the name of the city ofAlgiers, from theArabic wordal-jazā’ir, which translates asthe islands, referring to the four islands which lay off the city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525.Al-jazā’ir is itself a truncated form of the city's older namejazā’ir banī mazghannā, "the jazeera of (the tribe) Bani Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers such asal-Idrisi andYaqut al-Hamawi.(Read more...)

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Angola, formally theRepublic of Angola (Portuguese:República de Angola,pronounced[ʁɛˈpublikɐdɨɐ̃ˈɡɔlɐ],Kongo:Repubilika ya Ngola), is a country in south-centralAfrica borderingNamibia to the south, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo to the north,Zambia to the east, and theAtlantic Ocean to the west. Theexclave provinceCabinda also borders theRepublic of the Congo to the north. At 481,321 mi² (1,246,700 km²), it is the world's twenty-third largest country.

A formerPortuguese colony, it has considerable natural resources, among whichoil anddiamonds are the most significant. Angola's economy has undergone a period of transformation in recent years, moving from the disarray caused by theAngolan Civil War to being the fastest growing economy in Africa and one of the fastest in the world. Growth is almost entirely driven by rising oil production which surpassed 1.4 million barrels per day in late-2005 and which is expected to grow to 2 million barrels per day by 2007.(Read more...)

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Benin, officially theRepublic of Benin, is a country inWestern Africa,formerly known asDahomey (until 1975). It bordersTogo to the west,Nigeria to the east andBurkina Faso andNiger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to theBight of Benin. Its capital isPorto Novo, but the seat of government isCotonou. Its politics takes place in the framework of apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePresident of Benin is bothhead of state andhead of government, and of amulti-party system.

The name "Benin" has no proper connection toKingdom of Benin (orBenin City). The nameDahomey was changed in1975 to The People's Republic of Benin, named after the body of water on which the country lies, theBight of Benin. This name was picked due to its neutrality, since the current political boundaries of Benin encompass over fifty distinct linguistic groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups. The nameDahomey was the name of the ancientFon Kingdom, and was determined to be an inappropriate name.(Read more...)

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Botswana, officially theRepublic of Botswana (Tswana:Lefatshe lo Botswana), is alandlocked nation inSouthern Africa. Citizens of Botswana areBatswana (singular:Motswana), regardless of ethnicity. Formerly theBritishprotectorate ofBechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becomingindependent within theCommonwealth on 30 September 1966. Bordered bySouth Africa to the south and southeast,Namibia to the west,Zambia to the north, andZimbabwe to the northeast, it is divided intonine districts, which are further subdivided into a total twenty-eightsubdistricts.

For over 30 years, Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world, with growth averaging over 9% per year from 1966 to 1999. The economy, closely tied to South Africa's, is dominated by mining (38 percent), services (44 percent), construction (7 percent), manufacturing (4 percent) and agriculture (2 percent). Botswana has been hit very hard by theAIDS epidemic; the averagelife expectancy in Botswana at birth has declined from 64 years in 1990 to 50.6 years in 2007.(Read more...)

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Burkina Faso, alsoBurkina, is alandlocked nation inWest Africa. It is divided into thirteenregions, forty-fiveprovinces, and 301departments. It is surrounded by six countries:Mali to the north,Niger to the east,Benin to the south east,Togo andGhana to the south, andCôte d'Ivoire to the south west. Its inhabitants are known asBurkinabé (pronounced[burkiːnaˈɓeː]).

Formerly called theRepublic of Upper Volta, it wasrenamed on August 4, 1984 by PresidentThomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" inMoré andDioula, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated as "men of integrity", from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. Independence fromFrance came in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year toCôte d'Ivoire andGhana in search of paid labour.(Read more...)

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Burundi, officially theRepublic of Burundi, is a small country in theGreat Lakes region ofAfrica. It is bordered byRwanda on the north,Tanzania on the south and east, and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo on the west. Although the country islandlocked, much of its western border is adjacent toLake Tanganyika.

The politics of Burundi take place in a framework of a transitionalpresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePresident of Burundi is bothhead of state andhead of government, and of amulti-party system.Executive power is exercised by the government.Legislative power is vested in both thegovernment and the two chambers of parliament, theSenate and theNational Assembly.

Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse resources, Burundi has the lowestnominalGDP per capita in the world.(Read more...)

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Cameroon, officially theRepublic of Cameroon, is aunitary republic of central and westernAfrica. It bordersNigeria to the west,Chad to the northeast, theCentral African Republic to the east, andEquatorial Guinea,Gabon, and theRepublic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on theBight of Bonny, part of theGulf of Guinea. The highest point isMount Cameroon in the southwest, and the largest cities areDouala,Yaoundé, andGaroua. Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups.

Compared with other African countries, Cameroon enjoys relative political and social stability. This has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, railways, and large petroleum and timber industries. Nevertheless, large numbers of Cameroonians live in poverty as subsistence farmers. Power lies firmly in the hands of the president,Paul Biya, and hisCameroon People's Democratic Movement party, andcorruption is widespread. TheAnglophone community has grown increasingly alienated from the government, and Anglophone politicians have called for greater decentralisation and even the secession of the former British-governed territories.(Read more...)

Selected country 8

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Cape Verde, officially theRepublic of Cape Verde (Portuguese:Cabo Verde,Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈkabuˈveɾdɨ]), is arepublic located on anarchipelago in theMacaronesiaecoregion of the NorthAtlantic Ocean, off the western coast ofAfrica. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered andcolonized by thePortuguese in thefifteenth century. The country is named afterCap Vert (meaning Green Cape) inSenegal, the westernmost point of continental Africa. It achieved independence from Portugal in 1975 after a long armed struggle in the jungles ofGuinea-Bissau.

The politics of Cape Verde takes place in a framework of aparliamentaryrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePrime Minister of Cape Verde is thehead of government, and of amulti-party system.Executive power is held by the government.Legislative power is vested in both thegovernment and theNational Assembly. TheJudiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.(Read more...)

Selected country 9

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TheCentral African Republic (CAR,French:République CentrafricaineIPA:/ʀepybliksɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn/ orCentrafrique/sɑ̃tʀafʀik/) is alandlocked country inCentral Africa. It bordersChad in the north,Sudan in the east, theRepublic of the Congo and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo in the south, andCameroon in the west. Most of the CAR consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas but it also includes a Sahelo-Sudanese zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south.

Since most of the territory is located in the Ubangi and Shari river basins, the French called the colony it carved out in this regionUbangi-Shari, orOubangui-Chari in French. The colony became a semi-autonomous territory of theFrench Community in 1958 and then an independent nation on 13 August 1960. The first fair democratic elections, held in 1993, broughtAnge-Félix Patassé to power. Patassé wasoverthrown by French-backed GeneralFrançois Bozizé in 2003, who won ademocratic election in May 2005 and remains in power today.(Read more...)

Selected country 10

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Chad (Arabic:تشاد;French:Tchad), officially theRepublic of Chad, is alandlocked country incentral Africa. It bordersLibya to the north,Sudan to the east, theCentral African Republic to the south,Cameroon andNigeria to the southwest, andNiger to the west.

Chad has three major geographical regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertileSudanian savanna zone in the south.Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second largest in Africa. Chad's highest peak is theEmi Koussi in theSahara, and the largest city isN'Djamena, the capital. Chad is home to over 200 differentethnic and linguistic groups.

While many political parties are active, power lies firmly in the hands ofPresidentIdriss Déby and hisPatriotic Salvation Movement. Chad remains plagued by political violence and recurrent attemptedcoups d'état. Recently, theDarfur conflict in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilised the nation.(Read more...)

Selected country 11

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TheComoros (Arabic:جزر القمر,Ğuzur al-Qamar), officially theUnion of the Comoros (French:'Union des Comores',Arabic:الإتّحاد القمريّ,Al-Ittiḥād al-Qamariyy) is an island nation in theIndian Ocean, located off the eastern coast ofAfrica on the northern end of theMozambique Channel between northernMadagascar and northeasternMozambique. Prior to 2002, it was known officially as theIslamic Federal Republic of the Comoros. At 2,235 km² and with a population estimated at 798,000, the Comoros is the third smallest African nation by area and the sixth smallest by population.

The country officially consists of the four islands in thevolcanicComoros archipelago:Ngazidja (French:Grande Comore),Mwali (French:Mohéli),Nzwani (French:Anjouan), andMahoré (French:Mayotte), as well as many smaller islands. However, the government of the Union of the Comoros (or its predecessors since independence) has never administered the island of Mayotte, whichFrance considers anoverseas community and still administers.(Read more...)

Selected country 12

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TheRepublic of the Congo (French:République du Congo;Kongo:Repubilika ya Kongo;Lingala:Republiki ya Kongó), also known asCongo-Brazzaville, is a formerFrenchcolony ofwestern-centralAfrica. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century ofMarxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist PresidentDenis Sassou Nguesso.

The Republic of the Congo borders theDemocratic Republic of the Congo to the south and east,Gabon to the west,Cameroon and theCentral African Republic to the north, andCabinda (Angola) and theGulf of Guinea to the southwest. The southwest of the country is a coastal plain for which the primary drainage is theKouilou-Niari River; the interior consists of a central plateau between two basins to the south and north. The capital,Brazzaville, is located on theCongo River, in the south of the country, immediately across fromKinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.(Read more...)

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TheDemocratic Republic of the Congo (French:République démocratique du Congo) is the third largest country by area on theAfrican continent. Though it is located in theCentral AfricanUN subregion, the nation is economically and regionally affiliated withsouthern Africa as a member of theSouthern African Development Community (SADC).

Formerly theBelgiancolony of theBelgian Congo, the country's post-independence name was the Republic of the Congo until August 1, 1964, when its name was changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to distinguish it from the neighboringRepublic of the Congo. On October 27, 1971, then-PresidentMobutu renamed the countryZaire. Following theFirst Congo War, which led to the overthrow of Mobutu in 1997, the country was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 1998 to 2003, the country suffered from the devastatingSecond Congo War (sometimes referred to as Africa's World War), the world's deadliest conflict sinceWorld War II. Related fighting still continues in the east of the country.(Read more...)

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Côte d'Ivoire (officially theRépublique de Côte d'Ivoire), formerly known asIvory Coast, is a country inWest Africa. It bordersLiberia andGuinea to the west,Mali andBurkina Faso to the north,Ghana to the east, and theGulf of Guinea to the south.

From independence in 1960 until 1993, it was led byFélix Houphouët-Boigny and was closely associated economically and politically with its West African neighbors and maintained close ties to the West, which helped its economic development and political stability. Following the end of Houphoët-Boigny's rule, this stability was destroyed by twocoups (1999 and2001) and theIvorian Civil War.

Côte d'Ivoire is a republic with strong executive power personified in thePresident. Itsde jure capital isYamoussoukro and theofficial language isFrench. The economy is largely market-based and relies heavily onagriculture, with smallholder cash crop production being dominant.(Read more...)

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Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتيJībūtī,Somali:Jabuuti), officially theRepublic of Djibouti, is a small country ineastern Africa. Djibouti is bordered byEritrea in the north,Ethiopia in the west and south, andSomaliland in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by theRed Sea and theGulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on theArabian Peninsula, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the coast of Djibouti, isYemen. The capital of Djibouti is the city ofDjibouti.

The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence from France on June 27, 1977. It is asemi-presidentialrepublic, withexecutive power held by the central government andlegislative power by both the government and parliament. The parliamentary party system is dominated by thePeople's Rally for Progress and the current President isIsmail Omar Guelleh. The country's current constitution was approved in September 1992. Djibouti is aone party dominant state with the People's Rally for Progress in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but have no real chance of gaining power.(Read more...)

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Egypt, officially theArab Republic of Egypt, is a country inNorth Africa that includes theSinai Peninsula, a land bridge toAsia. Covering an area of about 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,560 sq mi), Egypt bordersLibya to the west,Sudan to the south, and theGaza Strip andIsrael to the east. The northern coast borders theMediterranean Sea and the eastern coast borders theRed Sea.

Egypt is one of the most populous countries inAfrica. The vast majority of its estimated 78 million people live near the banks of theNile River in an area of about 40,000 km² (15,000 sq mi) where the onlyarable agricultural land is found. Large areas of land form part of theSaharaDesert and are sparsely inhabited.

Egypt is famous for itsancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including theGiza pyramids and theGreat Sphinx; the southern city ofLuxor contains a particularly large number of ancient artifacts such as theKarnak Temple and theValley of the Kings.(Read more...)

Selected country 17

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Equatorial Guinea, officially theRepublic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country inCentral Africa. One of the smallest countries in continentalAfrica, Equatorial Guinea comprises a mainland territory known asRío Muni (including several offshore islands), the island ofBioko (formerly Fernando Pó), where the capitalMalabo (formerly Santa Isabel) is located, and the island ofAnnobón in theSouth Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered byCameroon on the north,Gabon on the south and east, and theGulf of Guinea on the west, where the island nation ofSão Tomé and Príncipe is located.

Formerly theSpanishcolony ofSpanish Guinea, its post-independence name is suggestive of its location near both theequator and theGulf of Guinea. It is the only country in mainland Africa whereSpanish is an official language, excluding theSpanish exclaves ofCeuta andMelilla, and the UN-recognised but Moroccan-occupiedSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara). The discovery of sizeablepetroleum reserves in recent years is altering the economic and political status of the country.(Read more...)

Selected country 18

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Eritrea (Ge'ez: ኤርትራʾĒrtrā) is a country situated in northernEast Africa. It is a multilingual and multicultural country with two dominant religions (Sunni Islam andOriental Orthodox Christianity) and nine ethnic groups. It is bordered bySudan in the west,Ethiopia in the south, andDjibouti in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country have an extensive coastline on theRed Sea, directly across fromSaudi Arabia andYemen. TheDahlak Archipelago and several of theHanish Islands are part of Eritrea.

Eritrea was consolidated into acolony by theItalian government on January 1, 1890. Upon Italy's losses inWorld War II, Eritrea was ruled as aBritishprotectorate between 1941 and 1952. Following a UN plebiscite in 1950, a resolution 390 (V) was adopted to have Eritrea enter into afederation with Ethiopia in 1952.EmperorHaile Selassie I nevertheless annexed Eritrea as Ethiopia's 14th province in 1961 sparking the 30-yearEritrean War of Independence. Followinga UN-supervised referendum, Eritrea declared and gained international recognition for its independence in 1993.(Read more...)

Selected country 19

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Ethiopia (Ge'ez:ኢትዮጵያʾĪtyōṗṗyā), officially theFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country situated in theHorn of Africa that has beenlandlocked since the independence ofEritrea in 1993. Apart from Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia is bordered bySudan to the west,Kenya to the south,Djibouti to the northeast, andSomalia to the east.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world and Africa's second-most populous nation. It has yielded some of the oldest traces of humanity, making it an important area in the process ofhuman evolution. Historically a relatively isolated mountain empire, Ethiopia has more recently become an active member of the international community. It became a member of theLeague of Nations in 1923, signed theDeclaration by United Nations in 1942, was one of the fifty-one original members of theUnited Nations (UN), founded the UN headquarters in Africa, hasmore than 60 embassies around the world, and currently hosts the headquarters of theAfrican Union (formerly theOrganisation of African Unity), of which it was the principal founder.(Read more...)

Selected country 20

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Gabon, or theGabonese Republic, is a country in west centralAfrica. It borders onEquatorial Guinea,Cameroon, theRepublic of the Congo and theGulf of Guinea. Since its independence fromFrance on August 17, 1960, the Republic has been ruled by only twoautocratic presidents; the incumbentEl Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba has been in power since 1967 and is currently Africa's longest-servinghead of state. Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new democratic constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions.

Gabon has at least fortyethnic groups with separate languages and cultures, of which theFang are generally thought to be the largest. A small population, abundant natural resources (including offshorepetroleum reserves), and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in the region, with aper capita income of four times the average forSub-Saharan Africa, although the distribution of income from this industry is extremely unequal.(Read more...)

Selected country 21

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The Gambia, formally theRepublic of The Gambia, is a country inWest Africa. It is the smallest country on the African continent and is bordered to the north, east, and south bySenegal, and has a small coast on theAtlantic Ocean in the west. Its present boundaries were defined in 1889 by an agreement between theUnited Kingdom andFrance.

A variety ofethnic groups live in The Gambia with a minimum of intertribal friction, each preserving its own language and traditions. TheMandinka tribe is the largest, followed by theFula,Wolof,Jola, andSerahule.Muslims constitute more than 90% of the population.Christians of different denominations account for most of the remainder.

The Gambia has a liberal, market-based economy characterized by traditionalsubsistence agriculture, a historic reliance on groundnuts (peanuts) for export earnings, a re-export trade built up around its ocean port, low import duties, minimal administrative procedures, a fluctuatingexchange rate with noexchange controls, and a significant tourism industry.(Read more...)

Selected country 22

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Ghana, officially theRepublic of Ghana, is a country inWest Africa. It bordersCôte d'Ivoire to the west,Burkina Faso to the north,Togo to the east, and theGulf of Guinea to the south. It was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga Adangbes on the eastern coast, the inlandEmpire of Ashanti and variousFante states. Trade with European states flourished after contact with thePortuguese in the 15th century, and theBritish established acrown colony,Gold Coast, in 1874. Upon achieving independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancientEmpire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of west of Africa.

Ghana is arepublic and member of theCommonwealth of Nations. Its head of state is PresidentJohn Agyekum Kufuor, the ninth leader of the country since independence. The government sits atOsu Castle. TheParliament of Ghana isunicameral and dominated by two main parties, theNew Patriotic Party andNational Democratic Congress.(Read more...)

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Guinea, officially theRepublic of Guinea (French:République de Guinée), is a nation inWest Africa, formerly known asFrench Guinea. It bordersGuinea-Bissau andSenegal to the north,Mali to the north and north-east,Côte d'Ivoire to the south-east,Liberia to the south, andSierra Leone to the south-west. It encompasses the water source of theNiger,Senegal, andGambia rivers. The nameGuinea is used for the region of most of Africa's west coast south of theSahara desert and north of theGulf of Guinea. Guinea is sometimes calledGuinea-Conakry per its capital, to differentiate it from the neighboringGuinea-Bissau (whose capital isBissau).

Richly endowed with minerals, Guinea possesses over 25 billionmetric tons ofbauxite–perhaps up to one half of the world's reserves. In addition, Guinea's mineral wealth includes more than 4 billion tons of high-grade iron ore, significant diamond and gold deposits, and undetermined quantities ofuranium. Soil, water, and climatic conditions provide opportunities for large-scale irrigated farming and agro industry.(Read more...)

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Guinea-Bissau, officially theRepublic of Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese:República da Guiné-Bissau), is a country inwestern Africa, and one of the smallest nations in continental Africa. It is bordered bySenegal to the north,Guinea to the south and east, and theAtlantic Ocean to its west. Formerly thePortuguesecolony ofPortuguese Guinea, the name of its capital,Bissau, was added to the country's official name upon independence in order to prevent confusion between itself and theRepublic of Guinea.Portuguese, theofficial language, is spoken by only 14% of the population.

The protracted liberation war against Portugal brought tremendous damage to the country’s economic infrastructure. Thecivil war that took place in 1998 and 1999 and a militarycoup in September 2003 again disrupted economic activity. Guinea-Bissau is one of the world's poorest countries, with more than two-thirds of its population living below thepoverty threshold. The economy depends mainly on agriculture and fishing, andcashew nuts are its major exports.(Read more...)

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Kenya, officially theRepublic of Kenya, is a country inEastern Africa. It is bordered byEthiopia to the north,Somalia to the northeast,Tanzania to the south,Uganda to the west, andSudan to the northwest, with theIndian Ocean to the southeast. At 224,961 mi² (582,646 km²), Kenya is the world's forty-seventh largest country.Mount Kenya, which reaches 5,199 meters (17,057 ft), is the highest point in Kenya and the second highest in Africa.

Nairobi, the capital, is the primary communication and financial hub of East Africa. It enjoys the region's best transportation linkages, communications infrastructure, and trained personnel, although these advantages are less prominent than in past years. A wide range of foreign firms maintain regional branches or representative offices in the city. In March 1996, the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda re-established theEast African Community (EAC). The EAC's objectives include harmonizing tariffs and customs regimes, free movement of people, and improving regional infrastructures. In March 2004, the three East African countries signed aCustoms Union Agreement.(Read more...)

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Lesotho, officially theKingdom of Lesotho, is alandlocked country entirely surrounded by theRepublic of South Africa. FormerlyBasutoland, it is a member of theCommonwealth of Nations. The name Lesotho roughly translates into "the land of the people who speakSesotho".

Lesotho covers 30,355 square kilometres (11,720 sq mi). The most notable geographic fact about Lesotho, apart from its status as anenclave, is that it is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point is 1,400 meters (4,593 ft), and over 80% of the country lies above 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).

The Lesotho Government is aconstitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister is thehead of government and has executive authority. The king serves a largely ceremonial function; he no longer possesses any executive authority and is proscribed from actively participating in political initiatives.(Read more...)

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Liberia, officially theRepublic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast ofAfrica, bordered bySierra Leone,Guinea, andCôte d'Ivoire. Liberia, which means "Land of the Free", was founded as an independent nation, with support of theAmerican government, for free-born and formerlyenslavedBlacks and, thus, is one of only two nations in Africa (along withEthiopia) that didn't fall underEuropean domination. Since 1989, it has witnessed twocivil wars, theFirst Liberian Civil War (1989 – 1996), and theSecond Liberian Civil War (1999 – 2003), that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed the country'seconomy.

The population of over 3 million comprises 16 indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. Indigenous peoples comprise about 95% of the population, the largest of which are theKpelle in central and western Liberia. Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of freed slaves that arrived after 1821, make up an estimated 5% of the population. As of 2006, Liberia has the highestpopulation growth rate in the world (4.91%).(Read more...)

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Libya (Arabic: ليبياLībiyā), officially theState of Libya, is a country inNorth Africa. Bordering theMediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies betweenEgypt to the east,Sudan to the southeast,Chad andNiger to the south, andAlgeria andTunisia to the west. With an area of almost 1.8 million square kilometres (700,000 sq mi), 90% of which is desert, Libya is the fourth largest country inAfrica by area, and the seventeenthlargest in the world. Thecapital,Tripoli, is also Libya's largest city. The three traditional parts of the country areTripolitania, theFezzan andCyrenaica.

Libya was ruled byMuammar Gaddafi under theGreat Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for 42 years before he was overthrown andkilled by rebel forces during the 2011Libyan civil war. From 2014 to 2020 the country endureda second civil war between rival governments based in Tripoli andTobruk. The Libyan economy has historically depended primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, and under Gaddafi's government these oil revenues combined with a small population gave Libya one of the highestGDPs per person in Africa.(Read more...)

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Madagascar, officially theRepublic of Madagascar (older nameMalagasy Republic), is anisland nation in theIndian Ocean, off the southeastern coast ofAfrica. The main island, also called Madagascar, is thefourth largest island in the world, and is home to five percent of the world'splant andanimalspecies, more than 80 percent of which areendemic to Madagascar. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy. Major exports are coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts and livestock products.

The principal institutions of the Republic of Madagascar are apresidency, aparliament (National Assembly andSenate), a prime ministry and cabinet, and an independentjudiciary. The president is elected by directuniversal suffrage for a 5-year term, renewable twice. The National Assembly consists of 160 representatives elected by directvote every 5 years. The Senate consists of 90 senators, two-thirds elected by local legislators and other Grand Electors and one-third appointed by the president, all for 6-year terms.(Read more...)

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Malawi, officially theRepublic of Malawi (formerlyNyasaland), is a country in southeasternAfrica. It bordersZambia to the north-west,Tanzania to the north, andMozambique to the east, south, and west.

TheGreat Rift Valley runs through the country from north to south. In this deep trough liesLake Malawi (also called LakeNyasa), the third-largestlake in Africa, and the tenth largest in the world, constituting about 20% of Malawi's area. East and west of theRift Valley are highplateaus, generally between 900 and 1,200 m (3,000–4,000 ft) above sea level. The Nyika Uplands rise as high as 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in the north and south of the lake lie theShire Highlands, with an elevation of 600–1,600 m (2,000–5,000 ft).

Malawi is one ofSub-Saharan Africa's mostdensely populated countries.Lilongwe, Malawi's capital since 1971, has a population of more than 400,000.Blantyre remains Malawi's major commercial center and largest city, having grown from an estimated 109,000 inhabitants in 1966 to nearly 500,000 in 1998.(Read more...)

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Mali, officially theRepublic of Mali (French:République du Mali), is alandlocked nation inWestern Africa. It is the seventh largest country inAfrica. It bordersAlgeria on the north,Niger on the east,Burkina Faso and theCôte d'Ivoire on the south,Guinea on the south-west, andSenegal andMauritania on the west. FormerlyFrench Sudan, the country is named after theMali Empire. The name of the country comes from theBambara word forhippopotamus; the name of its capital city,Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning "place ofcrocodiles".

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. With 65% of its land area desert or semidesert, economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by theNiger River. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Pottery is also practised by women whose wares are bought by dealers and are transported to markets where they are sold by traders. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export.(Read more...)

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Mauritania (Arabic:موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā), officially theIslamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in northwestAfrica. It is bordered by theAtlantic Ocean on the west, bySenegal on the southwest, byMali on the east and southeast, byAlgeria on the northeast, and by theMoroccan-annexed territory ofWestern Sahara on the northwest. It is named after the ancientBerber kingdom ofMauretania. The capital and largest city isNouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

Approximately three-fourths of Mauritania is desert or semidesert. As a result of extended, severe drought, the desert has been expanding since the mid-1960s. A majority of the population still depends onagriculture andlivestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits ofiron ore, which account for almost 50% of total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue.(Read more...)

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Mauritius (French:Maurice/mɔʁis/;Mauritian Creole:Moris), officially theRepublic of Mauritius (French:République de Maurice), is anisland nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwestIndian Ocean, about 900 kilometers (560 mi) east ofMadagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands ofSt. Brandon,Rodrigues and theAgalega Islands. Mauritius is part of theMascarene Islands.

Mauritius attained independence in 1968 and became arepublic in the Commonwealth of Nations in 1992. It is a parliamentary democracy, with the government headed by theprime minister and a council of ministers. Thehead of state is thePresident of Mauritius, who is elected for a five-year term by theNational Assembly, theunicameral Mauritian parliament. The National Assembly consists of 62 members elected directly by popular vote, with between four and eight further members appointed from "best losers" election candidates to represent ethnic minorities, if underrepresented after the elections.(Read more...)

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Morocco, officially theKingdom of Morocco (Arabic:المملكة المغربية), is a country inNorth Africa. It has a coast on theAtlantic Ocean that reaches past theStrait of Gibraltar into theMediterranean Sea. Morocco has international borders withAlgeria to the east,Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with two small Spanishautonomous cities,Ceuta andMelilla), andMauritania to the south.

The fullArabic nameAl-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya translates to "The Western Kingdom."Al-Maghrib (meaning "The West") is commonly used. The Latinized name "Morocco" originates from medievalLatin "Morroch," which referred to the name of the formerAlmoravid andAlmohad capital,Marrakech.

Morocco is ade jure constitutionalmonarchy. TheKing of Morocco, with vast executive powers, can dissolve the government and deploy themilitary, among other prerogatives. Opposition political parties are legal, and several have been formed in recent years.(Read more...)

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Mozambique, officially theRepublic of Mozambique (Portuguese:República de Moçambique), is a country in southeasternAfrica bordered by theIndian Ocean to the east,Tanzania to the north,Malawi andZambia to the northwest,Zimbabwe to the west andEswatini andSouth Africa to the southwest. It was explored byVasco da Gama in 1498 and colonized byPortugal in 1505.

The north-central provinces ofZambezia andNampula are the most populous, containing about 45% of the population. The estimated four millionMakua are the dominant group in the northern part of the country; the Sena andShona (mostlyNdau) are prominent in theZambezi valley, and theShangaan (Tsonga) dominate in southern Mozambique.

Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 40% of the population. Most educated Mozambicans speakEnglish, which is used in schools and business as a second or third language.(Read more...)

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Namibia, officially theRepublic of Namibia, is a country insouthern Africa on theAtlantic coast. It shares borders withAngola andZambia to the north,Botswana to the east, andSouth Africa to the south. It gained independence from South Africa in1990 and its capital city isWindhoek (German: Windhuk). It is divided into 13 regions and subdivided into 102 constituencies. Namibia is a member state of theUnited Nations (UN), theSouthern African Development Community (SADC), theAfrican Union (AU), and theCommonwealth of Nations.

The politics of Namibia takes place in a framework of apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePresident of Namibia is elected to a five year term and is both thehead of state and thehead of government, and of amulti-party system.Executive power is exercised by the government.Legislative power is vested in both thegovernment and the two chambers ofparliament. TheJudiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.(Read more...)

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Niger, officially theRepublic of Niger, is alandlocked country inWestern Africa, named after theNiger River. It bordersNigeria andBenin to the south,Burkina Faso andMali to the west,Algeria andLibya to the north andChad to the east. The capital city isNiamey.

At 1,267,000 square kilometres (489,000 sq mi), of which 300 square kilometres (115 sq mi) is water, Niger is the world's twenty-second largest country. Niger has a total of 5,697 kilometres (3,540 mi) of borders, the longest of which is with Nigeria to the south.

Niger'ssubtropical climate is mainly hot and dry. In the extreme south there is atropical climate on the edges of theNiger River basin. The terrain is predominantly desert plains andsand dunes, with flat to rolling savannah in the south and hills in the north. The lowest point is theNiger River, with an elevation of 200 metres (722 ft) and the highest is Monts Bagzane at 2,022 metres (6,634 ft).(Read more...)

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Nigeria, officially theFederal Republic of Nigeria, is acountry inWest Africa and the most populous country inAfrica. Nigeria shares landborders with the Republic ofBenin in the west,Chad andCameroon in the east, andNiger in the north. Its coast lies on theGulf of Guinea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south.

Nigeria gained its independence on October 1, 1960, and now consists of 36states and the federal capital territory. Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999, having been ruledfrom 1966 until 1999 (except for the short-livedsecond republic) by military dictators.

Nigeria is afederal republic modeled after theUnited States, withexecutive power exercised by thepresident and with overtones of theWestminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. Since 1991, itscapital has been the centrally-located city ofAbuja; previously, theNigerian government was headquartered in the coastal cityLagos.(Read more...)

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Rwanda officially theRepublic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country inEast Africa. Known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" for its high elevation and rolling terrain, its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna in the southeast.

The largest and most notable lakes are mainly in the western and northern regions of the country, and several volcanoes that form part of theVirunga volcanic chain are primarily in the northwest. The climate is consideredtropical highland, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. Itscapital and largest city isKigali, located at the centre of the country, at 1,567 metres above sea level.

Rwanda lies a few degrees south of theEquator in theGreat Rift Valley ofEast Africa, where theAfrican Great Lakes region andSoutheast Africa converge. Going clockwise Rwanda is bordered byUganda to the north,Tanzania to the east,Burundi to the south, and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo to the west.(Read more...)

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São Tomé and Príncipe (/saʊtəˈmeɪəndˈprɪnsɪpɪ/,Portuguese pronunciationPortuguese pronunciation:[sɐ̃ũtuˈmɛiˈpɾı̃sɨpɨ]), officially theDemocratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is anisland nation in theGulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast ofAfrica. It consists of two islands:São Tomé andPríncipe, located about 140 kilometres apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres respectively, off of the northwestern coast ofGabon. Both islands are part of an extinctvolcanicmountain range. São Tomé, the sizable southern island, is situated just north of theequator. It was named afterSaint Thomas byPortuguese explorers who discovered the island on hisfeast day.

São Tomé and Príncipe is the second smallest African country in terms of population, larger only thanSeychelles. It is the smallest country in the world that is not a former UK dependency, a former US trusteeship, or a European microstate. It is also the smallestPortuguese-speaking country.(Read more...)

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Senegal (French:le Sénégal), officially theRepublic of Senegal, is a country south of theSénégal River inwestern Africa. Senegal is bounded by theAtlantic Ocean to the west,Mauritania to the north,Mali to the east, andGuinea andGuinea-Bissau to the south. TheRepublic of The Gambia lies almost entirely within Senegal, surrounded on the north, east and south; from its western coast, Gambia's territory follows theGambia River more than 300 kilometers (190 mi) inland.

The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the westernSahel which rise to foothills in the southeast. Here is also found Senegal's highest point, an otherwise unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha at 581 m (1906 ft). The northern border is formed by theSenegal River; other rivers include theGambia andCasamance Rivers. The capitalDakar lies on theCap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of continentalAfrica. The localclimate istropical with well-defined dry and humid seasons that result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds.(Read more...)

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Seychelles, officially theRepublic of Seychelles (French:République des Seychelles;Creole:Repiblik Sesel), is anarchipelago nation of 155 islands (115 islands and 40 islets) in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 km east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island ofMadagascar. It consists of 42granitic islands, two coral sand cays north of the granitics, twocoral islands south of the granitics, 29 coral islands in theAmirantes group, west of the granitics, 13 coral islands in theFarquhar Group, south-south west of the Amirantes, and 67 raised coral islands in theAldabra Group, west of the Farquhar Group. Seychelles has the smallest population of any sovereign state of Africa.

The Seychellespresident, who is bothhead of state andhead of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office. The previous president,France-Albert René, first came to power in acoup d'état in 1977, one year after independence. He was democratically elected after theconstitutional reforms of 1992. He stood down in 2004 in favour of his vice-president,James Michel, who was re-elected in 2006.(Read more...)

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Sierra Leone, officially theRepublic of Sierra Leone, is a country inWest Africa. It is bordered byGuinea on the north andLiberia on the south, with theAtlantic Ocean on the west. The name Sierra Leone was adapted from thePortuguese name for the country:Serra Leoa, literally "Lion Mountain Range".

During the 18th century, Sierra Leone was an important center of the transatlantic trade inAfrican slaves. The capitalFreetown was founded in 1787 by theSierra Leone Company as a home for formerlyenslavedAfrican Americans who had fought for the British in theAmerican Revolutionary War. In 1808, Freetown became aBritishCrown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a Britishprotectorate.

The Crown Colony and Protectorate joined and gainedindependence in 1961. From 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone suffered greatly under the devastating effects ofrebel activities, which were stopped byUN andBritish forces disarming 17,000 militia and rebels. Sierra Leone has been at peace since 2002.(Read more...)

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Somalia (Somali:Soomaaliya;Arabic:الصومال,aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially theSomali Republic (Somali:Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiga Soomaliya;Arabic:جمهورية الصومال,Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmāl) and formerly known as theSomali Democratic Republic, is located on theHorn of Africa inEast Africa. It is bordered byDjibouti to the northwest,Kenya on its southwest, theGulf of Aden withYemen on its north, theIndian Ocean at its east andEthiopia to the west.

The Somalistate currently exists largely in ade jure capacity; Somalia has a weak but largely recognised central government authority, theTransitional Federal Government, that currently controls only the central region of Somalia and, until recently, controlled onlyBaidoa.De facto authority in the north of the country resides in the hands ofPuntland,Maakhir, andSomaliland respectively. In the south of the country, no government exists at all, while various tribal militias battle for dominance or rule their own regions. Violence has plaguedMogadishu, the capital, sincewarlords ousted former PresidentMohamed Siad Barre in 1991.(Read more...)

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South Africa, officially theRepublic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of theAfricancontinent. It bordersNamibia,Botswana,Zimbabwe,Mozambique,Swaziland, andLesotho. South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation", a term coined byArchbishopDesmond Tutu and later adopted by thenPresidentNelson Mandela.

South Africa is an ethnically diverse nation with the largestwhite,Indian, andracially-mixed communities in Africa.Black South Africans, who speak nine officially-recognized languages and many more dialects, account for slightly less than 80% of the population. Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in the country'shistory andpolitics, culminating inapartheid, which was instituted in 1948 by theNational Party (althoughsegregation existed prior to then). The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990 after a long and sometimes violent struggle.(Read more...)

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Sudan (orThe Sudan), officially theRepublic of the Sudan orRepublic of Sudan (Arabic: السودانas-Sūdān), is the largest African and Arab country by area. The country is situated at a crossroads between theHorn of Africa and theMiddle East. It is bordered byEgypt to the north, theRed Sea to the northeast,Eritrea andEthiopia to the east,Kenya andUganda to the southeast, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo and theCentral African Republic to the southwest,Chad to the west, andLibya to the northwest. It is thesixteenth largest country in the world by area.

In Sudan's 1993census, the population was recorded to be 25 million. No comprehensive census has been carried out since then due to the continuation of theSecond Sudanese Civil War. A 2006United Nations estimate put the population at about 37 million. The population of metropolitan Khartoum (including Khartoum,Omdurman, andKhartoum North) is growing rapidly and is estimated at about 5 to 7 million, including around 2 million displaced persons from the southern war zone as well as western and eastern drought-affected areas.(Read more...)

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Eswatini (/ˌɛswɑːˈtiːni/ESS-wah-TEE-nee;Swazi:eSwatini[ɛswáˈtʼiːni]), officially theKingdom of Eswatini (Swazi:Umbuso weSwatini), sometimes written in English aseSwatini, and formerly and still commonly known in English asSwaziland (/ˈswɑːzilænd/SWAH-zee-land; officially renamed in 2018), is alandlocked country inSouthern Africa. It is bordered byMozambique to its northeast andSouth Africa to its north, west, and south. At no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate andtopography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainoushighveld to a hot and drylowveld.

The population is composed primarily of ethnicSwazis. The prevalent language isSwazi (siSwati in native form). The Swazis established their kingdom in the mid-18th century under the leadership ofNgwane III. The country and the Swazi take their names fromMswati II, the 19th-century king under whose rule Swazi territory was expanded and unified; the present boundaries were drawn up in 1881 in the midst of theScramble for Africa. After theSecond Boer War, the kingdom, under the name of Swaziland, was aBritish protectorate from 1903 until it regained its independence on 6 September 1968. In April 2018, the official name was changed from theKingdom of Swaziland to theKingdom of Eswatini, mirroring the name commonly used in Swazi.

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Tanzania, formally theUnited Republic of Tanzania (Swahili:Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country inEast Africa bordered byKenya andUganda on the north,Rwanda,Burundi and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo on the west,Zambia,Malawi andMozambique on the south, and theIndian Ocean on the east.

The country is named afterTanganyika, its mainland part, and theZanzibar islands off its east coast. Tanganyika united with Zanzibar in 1964, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. In 1996 government offices were transferred fromDar es Salaam toDodoma, making Dodoma the country's political capital. Dar es Salaam remains the principal commercial city.

Tanzania is mountainous in the north-east, whereMount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is situated. To the north and west areLake Victoria (Africa's largest lake) andLake Tanganyika (Africa's deepest lake). Central Tanzania comprises a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the island of Zanzibar just offshore.(Read more...)

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Togo, or theTogolese Republic, is a country inWest Africa borderingGhana in the west,Benin in the east,Burkina Faso in the north, and theGulf of Guinea in the south, where the capitalLomé is located.

Togo's smallsub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on bothcommercial andsubsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force.Cocoa,coffee, andcotton together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodgoods when harvests are normal, with occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector,phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition.

Togo'sculture reflects the influences of its 37 ethnic groups, the largest and most influential of which are theEwe,Mina^{[disambiguation needed]}, andKabre. Despite the influences ofChristianity andIslam, over half of the population follow nativeanimistic practices and beliefs.French is the official language.(Read more...)

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Tunisia (Arabic:تونس Tūnis), officially theTunisian Republic (الجمهورية التونسية), is a country situated on theMediterranean coast ofNorth Africa. It is the northernmost African country and the smallest of the nations situated along theAtlas Mountains. Around forty percent of the country is composed of theSahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil, and a 1300 km coastline.

Tunisia is arepublic with a strongpresidential system dominated by a single political party. PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali has been in office since 1987, the year he deposedHabib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup. The ruling party, theDemocratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), was the sole legal party for 25 years, known previously as the Socialist Destourian Party (PSD). The RCD still dominates political life.

The majority (98%) of modern Tunisians areArab, and are speakers ofTunisian Arabic. There is also a small population ofBerbers, located in the Jabal Dahar mountains and on the island ofJerba, andJews.(Read more...)

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Uganda, formally theRepublic of Uganda, is alandlocked country inEast Africa, bordered on the east byKenya, on the north bySudan, on the west by theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest byRwanda, and on the south byTanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion ofLake Victoria, within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania. The country is located on the East Africanplateau, averaging about 900 metres (2,950 ft) above sea level. Uganda takes its name from theBuganda kingdom, which encompasses a portion of the south of the country including the capitalKampala.

ThePresident of Uganda, currentlyYoweri Museveni, is bothhead of state and head of government. The president appoints aprime minister who aids him in his tasks. The current prime minister isApolo Nsibambi. The parliament is formed by theNational Assembly, which has 303 members. Eighty-six of these members are nominated by interest groups, including women andthe army. The remaining members are elected for five-year terms duringgeneral elections.(Read more...)

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Zambia, officially theRepublic of Zambia (formerlyNorthern Rhodesia), is alandlocked country inSouthern Africa. It borders theDemocratic Republic of the Congo to the north,Tanzania to the north-east,Malawi to the east,Mozambique,Zimbabwe,Botswana, andNamibia to the south, andAngola to the west.

Zambia's politics takes place in a framework of apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePresident of Zambia is bothhead of state andhead of government in amulti-party system.Executive power is exercised by the government.Legislative power is vested in both thegovernment and parliament.

The official language isEnglish, used to conduct official business and is the medium of instruction in schools. Commonly-spoken indigenous languages include the 7 major languages:Chibemba,Chinyanja,Lunda,Chitonga,Kaonde,Silozi andLuvale.(Read more...)

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Zimbabwe, officially theRepublic of Zimbabwe, is alandlocked country in southernAfrica, between theZambezi andLimpopo rivers. It bordersSouth Africa to the south,Botswana to the southwest,Zambia to the northwest, andMozambique to the east. The nameZimbabwe derives from "Zimba Remabwe" meaning "big house of stone" in theShona language. Its use as the country's name is a tribute toGreat Zimbabwe, site of the capital of theEmpire of Great Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's highest peak isMount Nyangani, which lies withinNyanga National Park in the east of the country. The official language of Zimbabwe isEnglish, however the majority of the population speaksShona.

Under the leadership of former presidentRobert Mugabe and the current presidentEmmerson Mnangagwa, theeconomy of Zimbabwe declined from one of the strongest in Africa to one of the weakest and political tension has never been higher. In1999, theMovement for Democratic Change was established and have campaigned for an end to"Mugabe's Reign of Terror". 80% of Zimbabweans are unemployed and inflation has soared to well over 15,000%.(Read more...)

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South Sudan (/suːˈdɑːn,-ˈdæn/), officially known as theRepublic of South Sudan, is alandlocked country inEast-Central Africa. It is bordered to the east byEthiopia, to the north bySudan, to the west by theCentral African Republic, to the southwest byDemocratic Republic of the Congo, to the south byUganda and to the southeast byKenya.

It gained independence from theRepublic of the Sudan in 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state or country with widespread recognition. Its capital and largest city isJuba. It includes the vast swamp region of theSudd, formed by theWhite Nile and known locally as theBahr al Jabal meaning "Mountain River". Sudan was occupied byEgypt under theMuhammad Ali dynasty and was governed as anAnglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudanese independence in 1956. Following theFirst Sudanese Civil War, theSouthern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. Asecond Sudanese civil war soon broke out, ending in 2005 with theComprehensive Peace Agreement. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when anAutonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed. South Sudan became anindependent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.83% support for independence ina January 2011 referendum.

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