Western Africa
-
What is Western Africa?
Western Africa, a region on the western part of the African continent, is made up of 19 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, CĂ´te dâIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The region has varied physical features, such as the semi-arid terrain of the western Sudan in the north and the equatorial forests of the Guinea Coast along the Atlantic. Western Africa is culturally diverse, with the majority of people belonging to three major language families: Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Saharan.
Agriculture is the single most important economic activity in Africa. The economy of most of Africa can be characterized as underdeveloped.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which countries are located in Western Africa?
Western Africa consists of a diverse group of countries. The region includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, CĂ´te dâIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Western Africa can be divided into the Sudanic savanna and the Guinea Coast. The savanna area has grasslands, few forests, and little rain. The Guinea Coast has heavy rainfall, hardwood tropical forests, and dense foliage.
Culturally, the people of Western Africa belong to three major language families: Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Saharan.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some major physical features of Western Africa?
Western Africa features diverse physical characteristics. The northern part consists of a semiarid area known as the western Sudan, which stretches 2,500 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad. This plateau region borders the Sahara Desert to the north and the Guinea Coast forests to the south.
The Gulf of Guinea is also a major feature, with a coastline that corresponds to the continental margin of South America. The Niger River flows through the region, entering the sea through its delta in southern Nigeria. Additionally, the Senegal-Mauritanian Basin is a flat depression, with higher elevations only on the Cape Verde Peninsula and in the southeast.
7 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kinds of cultures and languages are found in Western Africa?
Western Africa is home to a diverse array of cultures and languages, reflecting adaptations to its varied climates and historical migrations. The region can be divided into the Sudanic savanna and the Guinea Coast.
The savanna area is characterized by extensive grasslands and is home to groups such as the Mande (including the Bambara, Malinke, and Soninke), the Gur-speaking peoples (such as the Senufo, Lobi, and Dogon), the Fulani, and Berber-speaking groups like the Tuareg. The Guinea Coast, with its heavy rainfall and tropical forests, is inhabited by groups such as the Igbo, Yoruba, Akan (including the Asante), Ewe, Mende, and Wolof.
There are an estimated 900 to 1,500 different languages spoken in Africa. Hausa is one of the most important languages in Western Africa. Other languages include Songhai, Fula, Tamashek, and Kanuri. The West-Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages includes Wolof, Serer, Balante, Limba, Temne, Kissi, and Gola.
6 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How have trade and commerce influenced Western Africa's history?
Trade and commerce have significantly shaped Western Africa's history. The arrival of European sea traders in the 15th century marked a new era, with the Portuguese initially seeking gold and trade routes to Asia. This led to the development of coastal trade centers like the Gold Coast, where the Akan people exchanged gold for European goods.
The Portuguese constructed forts to control trade, but their influence remained limited. As the Atlantic trade expanded, particularly the slave trade, kingdoms like Oyo and Dahomey grew in power by controlling trade routes and selling slaves to Europeans. The demand for slaves led to warfare and political changes as kingdoms sought to dominate the trade.
The trade in firearms also influenced the region, becoming essential for hunting, protection, and warfare. By the 18th century, Western African kingdoms were as powerful as those in the western Sudan, with trade playing a vital role in their growth.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some challenges and opportunities facing Western Africa today?
Western Africa faces challenges and opportunities across various sectors. A significant challenge is the vulnerability of economies due to reliance on a few agricultural products or minerals for export, with fluctuating commodity prices and frequent droughts undermining agricultural productivity. Rapid population growth also strains economic development.
However, the region has opportunities for economic improvement through population control and the organization of states into regional economic blocs to create larger internal markets. The discovery of petroleum in countries like Nigeria and Cameroon and the exploitation of minerals such as diamonds and uranium ore also present export opportunities. Additionally, there is potential for growth in trade of manufactured goods between countries as industrialization progresses.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
News •
Western Africa, region of the western African continent comprising the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, CĂ´te dâIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Western Africa is a term used in the EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica to designate a geographic region within the continent of Africa. The term West Africa is also often used to refer to this part of the continent. As conventionally understood, however, West Africa is primarily a political and economic designation and comprises all the areas considered here except Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and the Saharan parts of Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
The region may be divided into several broad physiographic regions. The northern portion of western Africa is composed of a broad band of semiarid terrain, called the western Sudan, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to the area of Lake Chad on the east, a distance of about 2,500 miles (4,000 km). It is largely a plateau of modest elevation and borders the Sahara (desert) on the north and the Guinea Coast forests on the south. Rainfall in this region ranges from less than 10 inches (250 mm) in its arid northern reaches to about 50 inches (1,250 mm) in the south. The flora of the western Sudan consists of the scrub vegetation of the transitional zone known as the Sahel in the north and a mix of tall trees and high savanna grasslands in the south. Lying south of the western Sudan are the Guinea Coast equatorial forests, which flourish along the Atlantic coast and extend inland for about 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km).
Most of the Sahara and the transitional vegetational zones to its south (the Sahel and the western Sudan) are drained, where there is enough rainfall to support surface streams, either southward via the Niger River system or inland to the Lake Chad basin in the east. Along the better-watered Atlantic coastal areas, the chief features are (west to east) the Mauritanian-Senegal Basin, drained by the SĂŠnĂŠgal River; the Fouta Djallon and Guinea Highlands; the Volta River and Niger River coastal plains; and the uplands of Nigeriaâs Jos Plateau and the Cameroon Highlands.
Culturally, the people of the region belong for the most part to one of three major language families. In the northern and least-populous Saharan regions, Arabs and Imazighen (Berbers; singular Amazigh) of the Afro-Asiatic language family predominate. South of a line connecting the course of the SĂŠnĂŠgal River, the Niger River, and the southern two-thirds of Nigeria, Niger-Congo languages are spoken. Along the middle course of the Niger River and around Lake Chad, Nilo-Saharan languages related to those of peoples farther east predominate. These peoples are divided into a very complex ethnic mosaic but may often be conveniently classified by their individual languages.
This article covers the history of the region primarily from the 11th century through the 20th century. Coverage of the regionâs physical and human geography can be found in the article Africa. For discussion of the physical and human geography of individual countries in the region and of their postcolonial history, see Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, CĂ´te dâIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. For an overview of when countries in Africa were established or became independent, see List of African Countriesâ Independence Dates. Area 3,059,702 square miles (7,924,592 square km). Pop. (2014 est.) 375,477,000.
