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class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Prehistory"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Prehistory</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Prehistory-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Empires" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Empires"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Empires</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Empires-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-European_contact_and_enslavement" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#European_contact_and_enslavement"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>European contact and enslavement</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-European_contact_and_enslavement-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Colonialism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Colonialism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.4</span> <span>Colonialism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Colonialism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Postcolonial_era" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Postcolonial_era"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.5</span> <span>Postcolonial era</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Postcolonial_era-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Geopolitical_division" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Geopolitical_division"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Geopolitical division</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Geopolitical_division-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Geopolitical division subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Geopolitical_division-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Area" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Area"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Area</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Area-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-List_of_countries" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#List_of_countries"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>List of countries</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-List_of_countries-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Cities" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Cities"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Cities</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Cities-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Environment" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Environment"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Environment</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Environment-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Environment subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Environment-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Nature" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Nature"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Nature</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Nature-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Deforestation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Deforestation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Deforestation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Deforestation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Overfishing" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Overfishing"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Overfishing</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Overfishing-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Geography_and_climate" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Geography_and_climate"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.4</span> <span>Geography and climate</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Geography_and_climate-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Background" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Background"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.4.1</span> <span>Background</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Background-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Climate_change" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Climate_change"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.5</span> <span>Climate change</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Climate_change-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Transport" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Transport"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Transport</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Transport-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Transport subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Transport-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Rail_transport" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rail_transport"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Rail transport</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rail_transport-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Road_transport" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Road_transport"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Road transport</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Road_transport-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Air_transport" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Air_transport"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Air transport</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Air_transport-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Health" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Health"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Health</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Health-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Culture" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Culture"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Culture</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Culture-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Culture subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Culture-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Art" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Art"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1</span> <span>Art</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Art-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Traditional_architecture" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Traditional_architecture"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.2</span> <span>Traditional architecture</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Traditional_architecture-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Clothing" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Clothing"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.3</span> <span>Clothing</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Clothing-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Cuisine" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Cuisine"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.4</span> <span>Cuisine</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Cuisine-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Recreation_and_sports" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Recreation_and_sports"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.5</span> <span>Recreation and sports</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Recreation_and_sports-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Music" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Music"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.6</span> <span>Music</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Music-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Griot_artists" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Griot_artists"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.6.1</span> <span>Griot artists</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Griot_artists-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Theatre" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Theatre"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.7</span> <span>Theatre</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Theatre-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Film_industry" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Film_industry"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.8</span> <span>Film industry</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Film_industry-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Religion</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Religion-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Religion subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Religion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Islam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Islam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.1</span> <span>Islam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Islam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-African_traditional" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#African_traditional"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.2</span> <span>African traditional</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-African_traditional-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Christianity" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Christianity"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.3</span> <span>Christianity</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Christianity-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Demographics_and_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Demographics_and_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Demographics and languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Demographics_and_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Architecture" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Architecture"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Architecture</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Architecture-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Science_and_technology" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Science_and_technology"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>Science and technology</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Science_and_technology-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Economic_and_regional_organizations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Economic_and_regional_organizations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>Economic and regional organizations</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Economic_and_regional_organizations-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Economic and regional organizations subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Economic_and_regional_organizations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Economic_Community_of_West_Africa" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Economic_Community_of_West_Africa"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11.1</span> <span>Economic Community of West Africa</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Economic_Community_of_West_Africa-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-West_African_Monetary_Union" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#West_African_Monetary_Union"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11.2</span> <span>West African Monetary Union</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-West_African_Monetary_Union-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Women's_peace_movement" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Women's_peace_movement"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11.3</span> <span>Women's peace movement</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Women's_peace_movement-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Gallery" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Gallery"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12</span> <span>Gallery</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Gallery-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Gallery subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Gallery-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Cityscapes_of_the_largest_cities" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Cityscapes_of_the_largest_cities"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12.1</span> <span>Cityscapes of the largest cities</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Cityscapes_of_the_largest_cities-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Capital_cities_of_West_Africa" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Capital_cities_of_West_Africa"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12.2</span> <span>Capital cities of West Africa</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Capital_cities_of_West_Africa-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">13</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">14</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">15</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">16</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">West Africa</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 126 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-126" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">126 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ace mw-list-item"><a href="https://ace.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Barat" title="Afrika Barat – Acehnese" lang="ace" hreflang="ace" data-title="Afrika Barat" data-language-autonym="Acèh" data-language-local-name="Acehnese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Acèh</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-af mw-list-item"><a href="https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes-Afrika" title="Wes-Afrika – Afrikaans" lang="af" hreflang="af" data-title="Wes-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Afrikaans" data-language-local-name="Afrikaans" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Afrikaans</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-am mw-list-item"><a href="https://am.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%88%9D%E1%8B%95%E1%88%AB%E1%89%A5_%E1%8A%A0%E1%8D%8D%E1%88%AA%E1%8A%AB" title="ምዕራብ አፍሪካ – Amharic" lang="am" hreflang="am" data-title="ምዕራብ አፍሪካ" data-language-autonym="አማርኛ" data-language-local-name="Amharic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>አማርኛ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-smn mw-list-item"><a href="https://smn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viest%C3%A2r-Afrik" title="Viestâr-Afrik – Inari Sami" lang="smn" hreflang="smn" data-title="Viestâr-Afrik" data-language-autonym="Anarâškielâ" data-language-local-name="Inari Sami" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Anarâškielâ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%A5%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7" title="غرب إفريقيا – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="غرب إفريقيا" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-frp mw-list-item"><a href="https://frp.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_du_Cuchient" title="Africa du Cuchient – Arpitan" lang="frp" hreflang="frp" data-title="Africa du Cuchient" data-language-autonym="Arpetan" data-language-local-name="Arpitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Arpetan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81frica_Occidental" title="África Occidental – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="África Occidental" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q%C9%99rbi_Afrika" title="Qərbi Afrika – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Qərbi Afrika" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA%DB%8C_%D8%A2%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7" title="باتی آفریقا – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="باتی آفریقا" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE_%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE" title="পশ্চিম আফ্রিকা – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="পশ্চিম আফ্রিকা" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-min-nan mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Hui-chiu" title="Sai Hui-chiu – Minnan" lang="nan" hreflang="nan" data-title="Sai Hui-chiu" data-language-autonym="閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú" data-language-local-name="Minnan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ba mw-list-item"><a href="https://ba.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D3%A9%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%8B%D1%88_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Көнбайыш Африка – Bashkir" lang="ba" hreflang="ba" data-title="Көнбайыш Африка" data-language-autonym="Башҡортса" data-language-local-name="Bashkir" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Башҡортса</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8F%D1%8F_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Заходняя Афрыка – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Заходняя Афрыка" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be-x-old mw-list-item"><a href="https://be-tarask.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8F%D1%8F_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Заходняя Афрыка – Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" lang="be-tarask" hreflang="be-tarask" data-title="Заходняя Афрыка" data-language-autonym="Беларуская (тарашкевіца)" data-language-local-name="Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская (тарашкевіца)</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bcl mw-list-item"><a href="https://bcl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aprikang_Solnopan" title="Aprikang Solnopan – Central Bikol" lang="bcl" hreflang="bcl" data-title="Aprikang Solnopan" data-language-autonym="Bikol Central" data-language-local-name="Central Bikol" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bikol Central</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Западна Африка – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Западна Африка" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bs mw-list-item"><a href="https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapadna_Afrika" title="Zapadna Afrika – Bosnian" lang="bs" hreflang="bs" data-title="Zapadna Afrika" data-language-autonym="Bosanski" data-language-local-name="Bosnian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bosanski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-br mw-list-item"><a href="https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_ar_C%27hornaoueg" title="Afrika ar C'hornaoueg – Breton" lang="br" hreflang="br" data-title="Afrika ar C'hornaoueg" data-language-autonym="Brezhoneg" data-language-local-name="Breton" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Brezhoneg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80frica_Occidental" title="Àfrica Occidental – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Àfrica Occidental" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cv mw-list-item"><a href="https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BD%C4%83%C3%A7_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Анăç Африка – Chuvash" lang="cv" hreflang="cv" data-title="Анăç Африка" data-language-autonym="Чӑвашла" data-language-local-name="Chuvash" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Чӑвашла</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%A1padn%C3%AD_Afrika" title="Západní Afrika – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Západní Afrika" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sn mw-list-item"><a href="https://sn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afurika_ye_Madokero" title="Afurika ye Madokero – Shona" lang="sn" hreflang="sn" data-title="Afurika ye Madokero" data-language-autonym="ChiShona" data-language-local-name="Shona" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ChiShona</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cy mw-list-item"><a href="https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorllewin_Affrica" title="Gorllewin Affrica – Welsh" lang="cy" hreflang="cy" data-title="Gorllewin Affrica" data-language-autonym="Cymraeg" data-language-local-name="Welsh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Cymraeg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestafrika" title="Vestafrika – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Vestafrika" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westafrika" title="Westafrika – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Westafrika" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A4%C3%A4ne-Aafrika" title="Lääne-Aafrika – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Lääne-Aafrika" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%94%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE_%CE%91%CF%86%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE" title="Δυτική Αφρική – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Δυτική Αφρική" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81frica_Occidental" title="África Occidental – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="África Occidental" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okcidenta_Afriko" title="Okcidenta Afriko – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Okcidenta Afriko" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendebaldeko_Afrika" title="Mendebaldeko Afrika – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Mendebaldeko Afrika" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%A2%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7" title="غرب آفریقا – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="غرب آفریقا" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrique_de_l%27Ouest" title="Afrique de l'Ouest – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Afrique de l'Ouest" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fy mw-list-item"><a href="https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/West-Afrika" title="West-Afrika – Western Frisian" lang="fy" hreflang="fy" data-title="West-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Frysk" data-language-local-name="Western Frisian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Frysk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gl mw-list-item"><a href="https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81frica_Occidental" title="África Occidental – Galician" lang="gl" hreflang="gl" data-title="África Occidental" data-language-autonym="Galego" data-language-local-name="Galician" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Galego</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%84%9C%EC%95%84%ED%94%84%EB%A6%AC%EC%B9%B4" title="서아프리카 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="서아프리카" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ha mw-list-item"><a href="https://ha.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afirka_ta_Yamma" title="Afirka ta Yamma – Hausa" lang="ha" hreflang="ha" data-title="Afirka ta Yamma" data-language-autonym="Hausa" data-language-local-name="Hausa" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hausa</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B1%D6%80%D6%87%D5%B4%D5%BF%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D4%B1%D6%86%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%AF%D5%A1" title="Արևմտյան Աֆրիկա – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Արևմտյան Աֆրիկա" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AB%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE" title="पश्चिमी अफ्रीका – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="पश्चिमी अफ्रीका" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapadna_Afrika" title="Zapadna Afrika – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Zapadna Afrika" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ilo mw-list-item"><a href="https://ilo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laud_nga_Aprika" title="Laud nga Aprika – Iloko" lang="ilo" hreflang="ilo" data-title="Laud nga Aprika" data-language-autonym="Ilokano" data-language-local-name="Iloko" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ilokano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Barat" title="Afrika Barat – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Afrika Barat" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-is mw-list-item"><a href="https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestur-Afr%C3%ADka" title="Vestur-Afríka – Icelandic" lang="is" hreflang="is" data-title="Vestur-Afríka" data-language-autonym="Íslenska" data-language-local-name="Icelandic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Íslenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_occidentale" title="Africa occidentale – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Africa occidentale" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%91_%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%94" title="מערב אפריקה – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="מערב אפריקה" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-jv mw-list-item"><a href="https://jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Kulon" title="Afrika Kulon – Javanese" lang="jv" hreflang="jv" data-title="Afrika Kulon" data-language-autonym="Jawa" data-language-local-name="Javanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Jawa</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kn mw-list-item"><a href="https://kn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B2%AA%E0%B2%B6%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%9A%E0%B2%BF%E0%B2%AE_%E0%B2%86%E0%B2%AB%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%B0%E0%B2%BF%E0%B2%95%E0%B2%BE" title="ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಆಫ್ರಿಕಾ – Kannada" lang="kn" hreflang="kn" data-title="ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಆಫ್ರಿಕಾ" data-language-autonym="ಕನ್ನಡ" data-language-local-name="Kannada" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ಕನ್ನಡ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ka mw-list-item"><a href="https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%93%E1%83%90%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%95%E1%83%9A%E1%83%94%E1%83%97%E1%83%98_%E1%83%90%E1%83%A4%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%99%E1%83%90" title="დასავლეთი აფრიკა – Georgian" lang="ka" hreflang="ka" data-title="დასავლეთი აფრიკა" data-language-autonym="ქართული" data-language-local-name="Georgian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ქართული</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%81_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Батыс Африка – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Батыс Африка" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sw mw-list-item"><a href="https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_ya_Magharibi" title="Afrika ya Magharibi – Swahili" lang="sw" hreflang="sw" data-title="Afrika ya Magharibi" data-language-autonym="Kiswahili" data-language-local-name="Swahili" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kiswahili</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kg mw-list-item"><a href="https://kg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afelika_ya_Lumonso" title="Afelika ya Lumonso – Kongo" lang="kg" hreflang="kg" data-title="Afelika ya Lumonso" data-language-autonym="Kongo" data-language-local-name="Kongo" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kongo</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-avk mw-list-item"><a href="https://avk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taltefa_Afrika" title="Taltefa Afrika – Kotava" lang="avk" hreflang="avk" data-title="Taltefa Afrika" data-language-autonym="Kotava" data-language-local-name="Kotava" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kotava</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ht mw-list-item"><a href="https://ht.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrik_lw%C3%A8s" title="Afrik lwès – Haitian Creole" lang="ht" hreflang="ht" data-title="Afrik lwès" data-language-autonym="Kreyòl ayisyen" data-language-local-name="Haitian Creole" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kreyòl ayisyen</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ky mw-list-item"><a href="https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%88_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Батыш Африка – Kyrgyz" lang="ky" hreflang="ky" data-title="Батыш Африка" data-language-autonym="Кыргызча" data-language-local-name="Kyrgyz" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Кыргызча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-la mw-list-item"><a href="https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Occidentalis" title="Africa Occidentalis – Latin" lang="la" hreflang="la" data-title="Africa Occidentalis" data-language-autonym="Latina" data-language-local-name="Latin" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rietum%C4%81frika" title="Rietumāfrika – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Rietumāfrika" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lb mw-list-item"><a href="https://lb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westafrika" title="Westafrika – Luxembourgish" lang="lb" hreflang="lb" data-title="Westafrika" data-language-autonym="Lëtzebuergesch" data-language-local-name="Luxembourgish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lëtzebuergesch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vakar%C5%B3_Afrika" title="Vakarų Afrika – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Vakarų Afrika" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ln mw-list-item"><a href="https://ln.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afil%C3%ADka_ya_W%C9%9B%CC%81sita" title="Afilíka ya Wɛ́sita – Lingala" lang="ln" hreflang="ln" data-title="Afilíka ya Wɛ́sita" data-language-autonym="Lingála" data-language-local-name="Lingala" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lingála</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lfn mw-list-item"><a href="https://lfn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_ueste" title="Africa ueste – Lingua Franca Nova" lang="lfn" hreflang="lfn" data-title="Africa ueste" data-language-autonym="Lingua Franca Nova" data-language-local-name="Lingua Franca Nova" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lingua Franca Nova</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyugat-Afrika" title="Nyugat-Afrika – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Nyugat-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Западна Африка – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Западна Африка" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mg mw-list-item"><a href="https://mg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Andrefana" title="Afrika Andrefana – Malagasy" lang="mg" hreflang="mg" data-title="Afrika Andrefana" data-language-autonym="Malagasy" data-language-local-name="Malagasy" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Malagasy</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%9F%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%9E%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9E%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%87_%E0%B4%86%E0%B4%AB%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95" title="പടിഞ്ഞാറേ ആഫ്രിക്ക – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="പടിഞ്ഞാറേ ആഫ്രിക്ക" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE_%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%AB%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE" title="पश्चिम आफ्रिका – Marathi" lang="mr" hreflang="mr" data-title="पश्चिम आफ्रिका" data-language-autonym="मराठी" data-language-local-name="Marathi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>मराठी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-xmf mw-list-item"><a href="https://xmf.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%9F%E1%83%90%E1%83%93%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98_%E1%83%90%E1%83%A4%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%99%E1%83%90" title="ბჟადალი აფრიკა – Mingrelian" lang="xmf" hreflang="xmf" data-title="ბჟადალი აფრიკა" data-language-autonym="მარგალური" data-language-local-name="Mingrelian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>მარგალური</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Barat" title="Afrika Barat – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Afrika Barat" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mdf mw-list-item"><a href="https://mdf.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8C%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%8C" title="Шиньмадомаширень Африкась – Moksha" lang="mdf" hreflang="mdf" data-title="Шиньмадомаширень Африкась" data-language-autonym="Мокшень" data-language-local-name="Moksha" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Мокшень</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mn mw-list-item"><a href="https://mn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D3%A8%D1%80%D0%BD%D3%A9%D0%B4_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA" title="Өрнөд Африк – Mongolian" lang="mn" hreflang="mn" data-title="Өрнөд Африк" data-language-autonym="Монгол" data-language-local-name="Mongolian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Монгол</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/West-Afrika" title="West-Afrika – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="West-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nds-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nds-nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/West-Afrika" title="West-Afrika – Low Saxon" lang="nds-NL" hreflang="nds-NL" data-title="West-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Nedersaksies" data-language-local-name="Low Saxon" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nedersaksies</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A5%BF%E3%82%A2%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AB" title="西アフリカ – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="西アフリカ" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nqo mw-list-item"><a href="https://nqo.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DF%8A%DF%9D%DF%99%DF%8C%DF%9E%DF%8C%DF%AB_%DF%95%DF%9F%DF%8B%DF%AC%DF%93%DF%8B" title="ߊߝߙߌߞߌ߫ ߕߟߋ߬ߓߋ – N’Ko" lang="nqo" hreflang="nqo" data-title="ߊߝߙߌߞߌ߫ ߕߟߋ߬ߓߋ" data-language-autonym="ߒߞߏ" data-language-local-name="N’Ko" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ߒߞߏ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vest-Afrika" title="Vest-Afrika – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Vest-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vest-Afrika" title="Vest-Afrika – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Vest-Afrika" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st" title="Africa de l'Oèst – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Africa de l'Oèst" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-om mw-list-item"><a href="https://om.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaa_Dhihaa" title="Afrikaa Dhihaa – Oromo" lang="om" hreflang="om" data-title="Afrikaa Dhihaa" data-language-autonym="Oromoo" data-language-local-name="Oromo" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oromoo</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uz mw-list-item"><a href="https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%CA%BBarbiy_Afrika" title="Gʻarbiy Afrika – Uzbek" lang="uz" hreflang="uz" data-title="Gʻarbiy Afrika" data-language-autonym="Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча" data-language-local-name="Uzbek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pa mw-list-item"><a href="https://pa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A8%AA%E0%A9%B1%E0%A8%9B%E0%A8%AE%E0%A9%80_%E0%A8%85%E0%A8%AB%E0%A8%BC%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%80%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%BE" title="ਪੱਛਮੀ ਅਫ਼ਰੀਕਾ – Punjabi" lang="pa" hreflang="pa" data-title="ਪੱਛਮੀ ਅਫ਼ਰੀਕਾ" data-language-autonym="ਪੰਜਾਬੀ" data-language-local-name="Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ਪੰਜਾਬੀ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pnb mw-list-item"><a href="https://pnb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%84%DB%81%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7" title="لہندا افریقا – Western Punjabi" lang="pnb" hreflang="pnb" data-title="لہندا افریقا" data-language-autonym="پنجابی" data-language-local-name="Western Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>پنجابی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ps mw-list-item"><a href="https://ps.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%84%D9%88%DB%90%D8%AF%D9%8A%DA%81%D9%87_%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A7" title="لوېديځه افريقا – Pashto" lang="ps" hreflang="ps" data-title="لوېديځه افريقا" data-language-autonym="پښتو" data-language-local-name="Pashto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>پښتو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afryka_Zachodnia" title="Afryka Zachodnia – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Afryka Zachodnia" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81frica_Ocidental" title="África Ocidental – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="África Ocidental" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kaa mw-list-item"><a href="https://kaa.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat%C4%B1s_Afrika" title="Batıs Afrika – Kara-Kalpak" lang="kaa" hreflang="kaa" data-title="Batıs Afrika" data-language-autonym="Qaraqalpaqsha" data-language-local-name="Kara-Kalpak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Qaraqalpaqsha</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Occidental%C4%83" title="Africa Occidentală – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Africa Occidentală" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Западная Африка – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Западная Африка" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sah mw-list-item"><a href="https://sah.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D2%95%D0%B0%D0%B0_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Арҕаа Африка – Yakut" lang="sah" hreflang="sah" data-title="Арҕаа Африка" data-language-autonym="Саха тыла" data-language-local-name="Yakut" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Саха тыла</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sat mw-list-item"><a href="https://sat.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B1%AF%E1%B1%9F%E1%B1%AA%E1%B1%AE_%E1%B1%9F%E1%B1%AF%E1%B1%B7%E1%B1%A8%E1%B1%A4%E1%B1%A0%E1%B1%9F" title="ᱯᱟᱪᱮ ᱟᱯᱷᱨᱤᱠᱟ – Santali" lang="sat" hreflang="sat" data-title="ᱯᱟᱪᱮ ᱟᱯᱷᱨᱤᱠᱟ" data-language-autonym="ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ" data-language-local-name="Santali" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nso mw-list-item"><a href="https://nso.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Bodikela" title="Afrika Bodikela – Northern Sotho" lang="nso" hreflang="nso" data-title="Afrika Bodikela" data-language-autonym="Sesotho sa Leboa" data-language-local-name="Northern Sotho" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sesotho sa Leboa</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Per%C3%ABndimore" title="Afrika Perëndimore – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Afrika Perëndimore" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa" title="West Africa – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="West Africa" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sd mw-list-item"><a href="https://sd.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%D9%87%D9%87_%D8%A2%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%DA%AA%D8%A7" title="اولهه آفريڪا – Sindhi" lang="sd" hreflang="sd" data-title="اولهه آفريڪا" data-language-autonym="سنڌي" data-language-local-name="Sindhi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>سنڌي</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%A1padn%C3%A1_Afrika" title="Západná Afrika – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Západná Afrika" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahodna_Afrika" title="Zahodna Afrika – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Zahodna Afrika" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-szl mw-list-item"><a href="https://szl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachodni%C5%8F_Afryka" title="Zachodniŏ Afryka – Silesian" lang="szl" hreflang="szl" data-title="Zachodniŏ Afryka" data-language-autonym="Ślůnski" data-language-local-name="Silesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ślůnski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-so mw-list-item"><a href="https://so.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galbeedka_Afrika" title="Galbeedka Afrika – Somali" lang="so" hreflang="so" data-title="Galbeedka Afrika" data-language-autonym="Soomaaliga" data-language-local-name="Somali" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Soomaaliga</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ckb mw-list-item"><a href="https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%95%DB%86%DA%98%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C_%D8%A6%DB%95%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7" title="ڕۆژاوای ئەفریقا – Central Kurdish" lang="ckb" hreflang="ckb" data-title="ڕۆژاوای ئەفریقا" data-language-autonym="کوردی" data-language-local-name="Central Kurdish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>کوردی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Западна Африка – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Западна Африка" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapadna_Afrika" title="Zapadna Afrika – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Zapadna Afrika" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-su mw-list-item"><a href="https://su.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Kulon" title="Afrika Kulon – Sundanese" lang="su" hreflang="su" data-title="Afrika Kulon" data-language-autonym="Sunda" data-language-local-name="Sundanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sunda</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A4nsi-Afrikka" title="Länsi-Afrikka – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Länsi-Afrikka" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4stafrika" title="Västafrika – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Västafrika" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tl mw-list-item"><a href="https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanlurang_Aprika" title="Kanlurang Aprika – Tagalog" lang="tl" hreflang="tl" data-title="Kanlurang Aprika" data-language-autonym="Tagalog" data-language-local-name="Tagalog" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tagalog</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B1%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81_%E0%AE%86%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE" title="மேற்கு ஆப்பிரிக்கா – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="மேற்கு ஆப்பிரிக்கா" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kab mw-list-item"><a href="https://kab.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafriqt_Umalu" title="Tafriqt Umalu – Kabyle" lang="kab" hreflang="kab" data-title="Tafriqt Umalu" data-language-autonym="Taqbaylit" data-language-local-name="Kabyle" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Taqbaylit</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tt mw-list-item"><a href="https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D3%A9%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%88_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Көнбатыш Африка – Tatar" lang="tt" hreflang="tt" data-title="Көнбатыш Африка" data-language-autonym="Татарча / tatarça" data-language-local-name="Tatar" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Татарча / tatarça</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%9F%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%81" title="แอฟริกาตะวันตก – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="แอฟริกาตะวันตก" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tg mw-list-item"><a href="https://tg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D2%9B%D0%BE%D0%B8_%D2%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B1%D3%A3" title="Африқои Ғарбӣ – Tajik" lang="tg" hreflang="tg" data-title="Африқои Ғарбӣ" data-language-autonym="Тоҷикӣ" data-language-local-name="Tajik" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Тоҷикӣ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat%C4%B1_Afrika" title="Batı Afrika – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Batı Afrika" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tk mw-list-item"><a href="https://tk.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnbatar_Afrika" title="Günbatar Afrika – Turkmen" lang="tk" hreflang="tk" data-title="Günbatar Afrika" data-language-autonym="Türkmençe" data-language-local-name="Turkmen" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkmençe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tw mw-list-item"><a href="https://tw.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa" title="West Africa – Twi" lang="tw" hreflang="tw" data-title="West Africa" data-language-autonym="Twi" data-language-local-name="Twi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Twi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kcg mw-list-item"><a href="https://kcg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afi%CC%B1rika_Jenshyung" title="Afi̱rika Jenshyung – Tyap" lang="kcg" hreflang="kcg" data-title="Afi̱rika Jenshyung" data-language-autonym="Tyap" data-language-local-name="Tyap" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tyap</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%85%D1%96%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Західна Африка – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Західна Африка" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%DB%8C_%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7" title="مغربی افریقا – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="مغربی افریقا" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vec mw-list-item"><a href="https://vec.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Osidenta%C5%82e" title="Africa Osidentałe – Venetian" lang="vec" hreflang="vec" data-title="Africa Osidentałe" data-language-autonym="Vèneto" data-language-local-name="Venetian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Vèneto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2y_Phi" title="Tây Phi – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Tây Phi" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wa mw-list-item"><a href="https://wa.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrike_co%C3%BBtchantrece" title="Afrike coûtchantrece – Walloon" lang="wa" hreflang="wa" data-title="Afrike coûtchantrece" data-language-autonym="Walon" data-language-local-name="Walloon" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Walon</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-war mw-list-item"><a href="https://war.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katundan_nga_Aprik%C3%A1" title="Katundan nga Apriká – Waray" lang="war" hreflang="war" data-title="Katundan nga Apriká" data-language-autonym="Winaray" data-language-local-name="Waray" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Winaray</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wo mw-list-item"><a href="https://wo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowwu_Afrig" title="Sowwu Afrig – Wolof" lang="wo" hreflang="wo" data-title="Sowwu Afrig" data-language-autonym="Wolof" data-language-local-name="Wolof" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Wolof</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wuu mw-list-item"><a href="https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A5%BF%E9%9D%9E" title="西非 – Wu" lang="wuu" hreflang="wuu" data-title="西非" data-language-autonym="吴语" data-language-local-name="Wu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>吴语</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-yi mw-list-item"><a href="https://yi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%91_%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%A2" title="מערב אפריקע – Yiddish" lang="yi" hreflang="yi" data-title="מערב אפריקע" data-language-autonym="ייִדיש" data-language-local-name="Yiddish" 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class="latitude">12°N</span> <span class="longitude">3°E</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">12°N 3°E</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">12; 3</span></span></span></a></span></span></div></div> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Western_Africa&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Western Africa">Western Africa</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Westernmost region of the African continent</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For the region of the African Union, see <a href="/wiki/Regions_of_the_African_Union#West" title="Regions of the African Union">Regions of the African Union § West</a>. For the album by Willis Jackson, see <a href="/wiki/West_Africa_(album)" title="West Africa (album)">West Africa (album)</a>. For the weekly news magazine, see <a href="/wiki/West_Africa_(magazine)" title="West Africa (magazine)">West Africa (magazine)</a>.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox geography"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above">West Africa</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Africa-countries-WAFU-UFOA.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Africa-countries-WAFU-UFOA.png/300px-Africa-countries-WAFU-UFOA.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="327" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Africa-countries-WAFU-UFOA.png 1.5x" data-file-width="360" data-file-height="392" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption"><div style="float: left;"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r981673959">.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}</style><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:#00a000; color:black;"> </span> Western Africa (<a href="/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme" title="United Nations geoscheme">UN subregion</a>)</div></div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Area</th><td class="infobox-data">5,112,903 km<sup>2</sup> (1,974,103 sq mi) (<a href="/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area" title="List of countries and dependencies by area">7th</a>)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Population</th><td class="infobox-data">418,544,337 (2021 est.) (<a href="/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population" class="mw-redirect" title="List of countries by population">3rd</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP_2022-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <br /> 381,981,000 (female: 189,672,000; male: 192,309,000 (2017 est.<sup id="cite_ref-UN_Wt_Af_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_Wt_Af-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Density</th><td class="infobox-data">49.2/km<sup>2</sup> (127.5/sq mi)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Demonym" title="Demonym">Demonym</a></th><td class="infobox-data">West African</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Countries</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="collapsible-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: left;"> <div style="line-height: 1.6em; font-weight: bold;"><div><span class="nowrap">Sovereign states (16)</span></div></div> <ul class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin-left: 0;"><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/23px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/35px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/45px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/35px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/45px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1020" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/23px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/35px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/45px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">Gambia</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/45px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/46px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/23px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/35px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/45px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg/23px-Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="11" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg/35px-Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg/46px-Flag_of_Liberia_23px.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1255" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="800" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/18px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png" decoding="async" width="18" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/27px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/35px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="700" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/45px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/45px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="750" data-file-height="500" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a> </li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dependencies</th><td class="infobox-data"><span data-sort-value="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Time zones</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/UTC%E2%88%921" class="mw-redirect" title="UTC−1">UTC−1</a> to <a href="/wiki/UTC%2B1" class="mw-redirect" title="UTC+1">UTC+1</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Major Regional Organizations</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Economic Community of West African States">Economic Community of West African States</a> (ECOWAS; established 1975)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Total <a href="/wiki/Gross_domestic_product" title="Gross domestic product">GDP</a> (<a href="/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity" title="Purchasing power parity">PPP</a>)</th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="white-space: nowrap"><a href="/wiki/United_States_dollar" title="United States dollar">US$</a></span>2.091 trillion (2022) (<a href="/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)" title="List of countries by GDP (PPP)">23rd</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Gross_domestic_product" title="Gross domestic product">GDP</a> (<a href="/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity" title="Purchasing power parity">PPP</a>) per capita</th><td class="infobox-data">$2,500 (2013)<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Total <a href="/wiki/Gross_domestic_product" title="Gross domestic product">GDP</a> (nominal)</th><td class="infobox-data">$810 billion (2023)<sup id="cite_ref-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Total <a href="/wiki/Gross_domestic_product" title="Gross domestic product">GDP</a> (nominal) per capita</th><td class="infobox-data">$1,937 (2023)<sup id="cite_ref-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Currency</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="collapsible-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: left;"> <div style="line-height: 1.6em; font-weight: bold; background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;"><div>List</div></div> <ul class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin-left: 0;"><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana"><img alt="Ghana" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Ghana_cedi" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghana cedi">Cedi</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(GHS)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia"><img alt="The Gambia" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/23px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/35px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/45px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Gambian_dalasi" title="Gambian dalasi">Dalasi</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(GMD)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea"><img alt="Guinea" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/45px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Guinean_franc" title="Guinean franc">Franc</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(GNF)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia"><img alt="Liberia" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1140" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Liberian_dollar" title="Liberian dollar">Dollar</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(LRD)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania"><img alt="Mauritania" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="800" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Mauritanian_Ouguiya" class="mw-redirect" title="Mauritanian Ouguiya">Ouguiya</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(MRU)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria"><img alt="Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Nigerian_naira" title="Nigerian naira">Naira</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(NGN)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena" title="Saint Helena"><img alt="Saint Helena" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg/35px-Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg/46px-Flag_of_Saint_Helena.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena_pound" title="Saint Helena pound">Pound</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SHP)</span> </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone"><img alt="Sierra Leone" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/45px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leonean_leone" title="Sierra Leonean leone">Leone</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SLL)</span>  </li><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/West_African_CFA_franc" title="West African CFA franc">W. African CFA franc</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(XOF)</span></span></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Largest cities</th><td class="infobox-data"><br /> <div class="collapsible-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: left;"> <div style="line-height: 1.6em; font-weight: bold;"><div>List</div></div> <ul class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin-left: 0;"><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria"><img alt="Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Lagos" title="Lagos">Lagos</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast"><img alt="Ivory Coast" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/23px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/35px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/45px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Abidjan" title="Abidjan">Abidjan</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali"><img alt="Mali" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Bamako" title="Bamako">Bamako</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana"><img alt="Ghana" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Accra" title="Accra">Accra</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria"><img alt="Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Kano_(city)" title="Kano (city)">Kano</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal"><img alt="Senegal" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Dakar" title="Dakar">Dakar</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria"><img alt="Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Abuja" title="Abuja">Abuja</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria"><img alt="Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Ibadan" title="Ibadan">Ibadan</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso"><img alt="Burkina Faso" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/35px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/45px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Ouagadougou" title="Ouagadougou">Ouagadougou</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana"><img alt="Ghana" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Kumasi" title="Kumasi">Kumasi</a></li></ul> </li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/UN_M.49" class="mw-redirect" title="UN M.49">UN M.49 code</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><code>011</code> – West Africa<br /><code>202</code> – <a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan_Africa" title="Sub-Saharan Africa">Sub-Saharan Africa</a><br /><code>002</code> – <a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a><br /><code>001</code> – <a href="/wiki/World" title="World">World</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>West Africa</b>, also called <b>Western Africa</b>, is the westernmost region of <a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a>. The <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme_for_Africa#Western_Africa" title="United Nations geoscheme for Africa">United Nations defines</a> Western Africa as the 16 countries of <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">The Gambia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a>, <a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>, <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a>, <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a>, as well as <a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a> (<a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_Overseas_Territories" class="mw-redirect" title="United Kingdom Overseas Territories">United Kingdom Overseas Territory</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Paul_R._Masson_2001_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Paul_R._Masson_2001-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million<sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP_2022-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> people as of 2021, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 were female and 192,309,000 male.<sup id="cite_ref-UN_Wt_Af_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_Wt_Af-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The region is demographically<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and economically<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> one of the fastest growing on the African continent. </p><p>Early history in West Africa includes a number of prominent regional powers that dominated different parts of both the coastal and internal trade networks, such as the <a href="/wiki/Mali_Empire" title="Mali Empire">Mali</a> and <a href="/wiki/Gao_Empire" title="Gao Empire">Gao Empires</a>. West Africa sat at the intersection of trade routes between <a href="/wiki/Arabs" title="Arabs">Arab</a>-dominated <a href="/wiki/North_Africa" title="North Africa">North Africa</a> and further south on the continent, the source of specialized goods such as <a href="/wiki/Gold" title="Gold">gold</a>, advanced <a href="/wiki/Iron-working" class="mw-redirect" title="Iron-working">iron-working</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Ivory" title="Ivory">ivory</a>. After European exploration encountered rich local economies and kingdoms, the <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_slave_trade" title="Atlantic slave trade">Atlantic slave trade</a> built on already existing slave systems to provide labor for colonies in the Americas. After the <a href="/wiki/Blockade_of_Africa" title="Blockade of Africa">end of the slave trade in the early 19th century</a>, European nations, especially <a href="/wiki/French_West_Africa" title="French West Africa">France</a> and <a href="/wiki/British_West_Africa" title="British West Africa">Britain</a>, continued to <a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">exploit the region through colonial relationships</a>. For example, they continued exporting a number of <a href="/wiki/Extractive_industries" class="mw-redirect" title="Extractive industries">extractive goods</a>, including labor-intensive agricultural crops like <a href="/wiki/Cocoa_bean" title="Cocoa bean">cocoa</a> and <a href="/wiki/Coffee" title="Coffee">coffee</a>, forestry products like <a href="/wiki/Tropical_timber" title="Tropical timber">tropical timber</a>, and mineral resources like gold. Since independence, many West African countries, like <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> and <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, have played important roles in the regional and global economies. </p><p>West Africa has a rich <a href="/wiki/Ecology" title="Ecology">ecology</a>, with strong <a href="/wiki/Biodiversity" title="Biodiversity">biodiversity</a> and several distinct regions. The area's climate and ecology are heavily influenced by the dry <a href="/wiki/Sahara" title="Sahara">Sahara</a> to the north and east, which provides dry winds during the <a href="/wiki/Harmattan" title="Harmattan">Harmattan</a>, as well as the <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic Ocean</a> to the south and west, which provides seasonal monsoons. This mixture of climates gives West Africa a rich array of <a href="/wiki/Biome" title="Biome">biomes</a>, from biodiversity-rich <a href="/wiki/Tropical_forest" title="Tropical forest">tropical forests</a> to <a href="/wiki/Drylands" title="Drylands">drylands</a> supporting rare and endangered fauna such as <a href="/wiki/Pangolin" title="Pangolin">pangolins</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rhinoceros" title="Rhinoceros">rhinoceros</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Elephant" title="Elephant">elephants</a>. Because of the pressure for economic development, many of these ecologies are threatened by processes like <a href="/wiki/Deforestation" title="Deforestation">deforestation</a>, <a href="/wiki/Biodiversity_loss" title="Biodiversity loss">biodiversity loss</a>, <a href="/wiki/Overfishing" title="Overfishing">overfishing</a>, <a href="/wiki/Environmental_effects_of_mining" class="mw-redirect" title="Environmental effects of mining">pollution from mining</a>, <a href="/wiki/Plastics_industry" title="Plastics industry">plastics</a> and other industries, and extreme changes resulting from <a href="/wiki/Climate_change_in_Africa" title="Climate change in Africa">climate change in West Africa</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/History_of_West_Africa" title="History of West Africa">History of West Africa</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan_Africa#Western_Africa" title="Sub-Saharan Africa">Sub-Saharan Africa § Western Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/African_empires#West_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="African empires">African empires § West Africa</a>, and <a href="/wiki/List_of_kingdoms_in_pre-colonial_Africa#West_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="List of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa">List of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa § West Africa</a></div> <p>The history of West Africa can be divided into five major periods: first, its prehistory, in which the first <a href="/wiki/Human" title="Human">human</a> settlers arrived, developed <a href="/wiki/Agriculture" title="Agriculture">agriculture</a>, and made contact with peoples to the north; the second, the Iron Age empires that consolidated both intra-Africa, and extra-Africa trade, and developed centralized states; third, major polities flourished, which would undergo an extensive history of contact with non-Africans; fourth, the colonial period, in which <a href="/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Great Britain</a> and <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> controlled nearly the entire region; and fifth, the post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Prehistory">Prehistory</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Prehistory"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Prehistoric_West_Africa#Early_Stone_Age_2" title="Prehistoric West Africa">Prehistoric West Africa § Early Stone Age 2</a></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies,_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg/200px-Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="274" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg/300px-Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg/400px-Two_steatopyous_figures_said_to_represent_Dahomey_pygmies%2C_Wellcome_M0012407.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2937" data-file-height="4017" /></a><figcaption>Representations of <a href="/wiki/West_African_hunter-gatherers" title="West African hunter-gatherers">West African hunter-gatherers</a> from the <a href="/wiki/Dahomey" title="Dahomey">Dahomey</a> region of <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a></figcaption></figure> <p>West African populations were considerably mobile and interacted with one another throughout the <a href="/wiki/Population_history_of_West_Africa" title="Population history of West Africa">population history of West Africa</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Haour_II_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Haour_II-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Acheulean tool-using <a href="/wiki/Archaic_humans" title="Archaic humans">archaic humans</a> may have dwelled throughout West Africa since at least between 780,000 BP and 126,000 BP (<a href="/wiki/Middle_Pleistocene" class="mw-redirect" title="Middle Pleistocene">Middle Pleistocene</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-Scerri_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Scerri-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During the <a href="/wiki/Pleistocene" title="Pleistocene">Pleistocene</a>, <a href="/wiki/Middle_Stone_Age" title="Middle Stone Age">Middle Stone Age</a> peoples (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Iwo_Eleru_skull" class="mw-redirect" title="Iwo Eleru skull">Iwo Eleru people</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> possibly <a href="/wiki/Aterians" class="mw-redirect" title="Aterians">Aterians</a>), who dwelled throughout West Africa between <a href="/wiki/MIS_4" class="mw-redirect" title="MIS 4">MIS 4</a> and <a href="/wiki/MIS_2" class="mw-redirect" title="MIS 2">MIS 2</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Niang_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Niang-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> were gradually replaced by incoming <a href="/wiki/Central_African_foragers" class="mw-redirect" title="Central African foragers">Late Stone Age peoples</a>, who migrated into West Africa<sup id="cite_ref-Schlebusch_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Schlebusch-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as an increase in humid conditions resulted in the subsequent expansion of the <a href="/wiki/Guinean_Forests_of_West_Africa" title="Guinean Forests of West Africa">West African forest</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Scerri_II_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Scerri_II-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/West_African_hunter-gatherers" title="West African hunter-gatherers">West African hunter-gatherers</a> occupied western <a href="/wiki/Central_Africa" title="Central Africa">Central Africa</a> (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Shum_Laka" title="Shum Laka">Shum Laka</a>) earlier than 32,000 BP,<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> dwelled throughout <a href="/wiki/Guinea_(region)" title="Guinea (region)">coastal West Africa</a> by 12,000 BP,<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_X_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald_X-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and migrated northward between 12,000 BP and 8000 BP as far as Mali, Burkina Faso,<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_X_18-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald_X-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and Mauritania.<sup id="cite_ref-Abd-El-Moniem_19-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Abd-El-Moniem-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg/200px-Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="305" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg/300px-Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg/400px-Fondazione_Passar%C3%A9_V31_474.jpg 2x" data-file-width="570" data-file-height="869" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Round_Head_Period" title="Round Head Period">Round Head</a> figure wearing a <a href="/wiki/Barbary_sheep" title="Barbary sheep">Barbary sheep</a>-styled mask<sup id="cite_ref-Soukopova_XX_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Soukopova_XX-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></figcaption></figure> <p>During the <a href="/wiki/Holocene" title="Holocene">Holocene</a>, <a href="/wiki/Niger-Congo" class="mw-redirect" title="Niger-Congo">Niger-Congo</a> speakers independently created pottery in <a href="/wiki/Ounjougou" title="Ounjougou">Ounjougou</a>, Mali<sup id="cite_ref-Ness_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ness-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Ehret_V_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ehret_V-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Jesse_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Jesse-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – the earliest <a href="/wiki/Pottery#Africa" title="Pottery">pottery in Africa</a><sup id="cite_ref-Huysecom_X_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Huysecom_X-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – by at least 9400 BCE,<sup id="cite_ref-Ness_21-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ness-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and along with their pottery,<sup id="cite_ref-Huysecom_X_24-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Huysecom_X-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as well as wielding independently invented <a href="/wiki/Bows_and_arrows" class="mw-redirect" title="Bows and arrows">bows and arrows</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Blench_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Blench-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Roy_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Roy-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> migrated into the Central Sahara,<sup id="cite_ref-Huysecom_X_24-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Huysecom_X-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which became their primary region of residence by 10,000 BP.<sup id="cite_ref-Blench_25-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Blench-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The emergence and expansion of ceramics in the Sahara may be linked with the origin of Round Head and Kel Essuf rock art, which occupy rockshelters in the same regions (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Djado" title="Djado">Djado</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tadrart_Acacus" class="mw-redirect" title="Tadrart Acacus">Acacus</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tadrart_Rouge" title="Tadrart Rouge">Tadrart</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-Achrati_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Achrati-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Hunters in the Central Sahara farmed, stored, and cooked undomesticated central Saharan <a href="/wiki/Flora" title="Flora">flora</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Mercuri_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Mercuri-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> underwent domestication of <a href="/wiki/Antelope" title="Antelope">antelope</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Aïn-Séba_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Aïn-Séba-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Domesticated" class="mw-redirect" title="Domesticated">domesticated</a> and shepherded <a href="/wiki/Barbary_sheep" title="Barbary sheep">Barbary sheep</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Mercuri_28-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Mercuri-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After the <a href="/wiki/Kel_Essuf_Period" title="Kel Essuf Period">Kel Essuf Period</a> and <a href="/wiki/Round_Head_Period" title="Round Head Period">Round Head Period</a> of the Central Sahara, the <a href="/wiki/Pastoral_Period" class="mw-redirect" title="Pastoral Period">Pastoral Period</a> followed.<sup id="cite_ref-Soukopova_I_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Soukopova_I-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some of the hunter-gatherers who created the Round Head rock art may have adopted pastoral culture, and others may have not.<sup id="cite_ref-Soukopova_X_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Soukopova_X-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As a result of increasing <a href="/wiki/Aridification" title="Aridification">aridification</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Green_Sahara" class="mw-redirect" title="Green Sahara">Green Sahara</a>, Central Saharan <a href="/wiki/Hunter-gatherers" class="mw-redirect" title="Hunter-gatherers">hunter-gatherers</a> and cattle <a href="/wiki/Herders" class="mw-redirect" title="Herders">herders</a> may have used seasonal waterways as the migratory route taken to the <a href="/wiki/Niger_River" title="Niger River">Niger River</a> and <a href="/wiki/Chad_Basin" title="Chad Basin">Chad Basin</a> of West Africa.<sup id="cite_ref-Soukopova_II_32-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Soukopova_II-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2000 BCE, "<a href="/wiki/Thiaroye" title="Thiaroye">Thiaroye</a> Woman",<sup id="cite_ref-Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art_33-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> also known as the "<a href="/wiki/Venus_figurine" title="Venus figurine">Venus</a> of Thiaroye",<sup id="cite_ref-Thiam_34-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Thiam-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art_33-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> may have been the earliest <a href="/wiki/Statuette" class="mw-redirect" title="Statuette">statuette</a> created in <a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan" class="mw-redirect" title="Sub-Saharan">Sub-Saharan</a> West Africa; it may have particularly been a <a href="/wiki/Fertility_rite" title="Fertility rite">fertility</a> statuette, created in the region of <a href="/wiki/Senegambia" title="Senegambia">Senegambia</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Thiam_34-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Thiam-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and may be associated with the emergence of <a href="/wiki/Complex_society" title="Complex society">complexly organized</a> <a href="/wiki/Pastoral_period" title="Pastoral period">pastoral societies</a> in <a href="/wiki/History_of_West_Africa#Iron_Age" title="History of West Africa">West Africa</a> between 4000 BCE and 1000 BCE.<sup id="cite_ref-LaGamma_35-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-LaGamma-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Though possibly developed as early as 5000 BCE,<sup id="cite_ref-Akpan_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Akpan-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Nsibidi" title="Nsibidi">Nsibidi</a> may have also developed in 2000 BCE,<sup id="cite_ref-Hales_37-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hales-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Akpan_36-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Akpan-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as evidenced by depictions of the <a href="/wiki/West_African_script" class="mw-redirect" title="West African script">West African script</a> on <a href="/wiki/Ikom_monoliths" title="Ikom monoliths">Ikom monoliths</a> at <a href="/wiki/Ikom" title="Ikom">Ikom</a>, in <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Akpan_36-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Akpan-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Migration of Saharan peoples south of the Sahelian region resulted in seasonal interaction with and gradual absorption of West African hunter-gatherers, who primarily dwelt in the <a href="/wiki/West_Sudanian_savanna" title="West Sudanian savanna">savannas</a> and <a href="/wiki/Guinean_Forests_of_West_Africa" title="Guinean Forests of West Africa">forests</a> of West Africa.<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_X_18-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald_X-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In West Africa, which may have been a major regional cradle in Africa for the <a href="/wiki/Domestication" title="Domestication">domestication</a> of crops and animals,<sup id="cite_ref-Shen_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shen-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Scarcelli_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Scarcelli-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Niger-Congo speakers domesticated the <a href="/wiki/Helmeted_guineafowl" title="Helmeted guineafowl">helmeted guineafowl</a><sup id="cite_ref-Murunga_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murunga-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> between 5500 BP and 1300 BP;<sup id="cite_ref-Shen_38-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shen-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> domestication of field crops occurred throughout various locations in West Africa, such as <a href="/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)" title="Yam (vegetable)">yams</a> (d. praehensilis) in the Niger River basin between eastern Ghana and western Nigeria (northern Benin), <a href="/wiki/Rice" title="Rice">rice</a> (<a href="/wiki/Oryza_glaberrima" title="Oryza glaberrima">oryza glaberrima</a>) in the <a href="/wiki/Inner_Niger_Delta" title="Inner Niger Delta">Inner Niger Delta</a> region of Mali, <a href="/wiki/Pearl_millet#Africa" title="Pearl millet">pearl millet</a> (<a href="/wiki/Cenchrus_americanus" class="mw-redirect" title="Cenchrus americanus">cenchrus americanus</a>) in northern Mali and Mauritania, and <a href="/wiki/Cowpeas" class="mw-redirect" title="Cowpeas">cowpeas</a> in northern Ghana.<sup id="cite_ref-Scarcelli_39-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Scarcelli-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After having persisted as late as 1000 BP,<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_X_18-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald_X-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or some period of time after 1500 CE,<sup id="cite_ref-Van_Beek_41-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Van_Beek-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> remaining West African hunter-gatherers, many of whom dwelt in the <a href="/wiki/Guinean_forest-savanna_mosaic" class="mw-redirect" title="Guinean forest-savanna mosaic">forest-savanna</a> region, were ultimately acculturated and admixed into the larger groups of West African <a href="/wiki/Agriculturalists" class="mw-redirect" title="Agriculturalists">agriculturalists</a>, akin to the migratory <a href="/wiki/Bantu_peoples" title="Bantu peoples">Bantu</a>-speaking agriculturalists and their <a href="/wiki/Bantu_expansion#Central_Africa" title="Bantu expansion">encounters</a> with <a href="/wiki/Central_African_hunter-gatherers" class="mw-redirect" title="Central African hunter-gatherers">Central African hunter-gatherers</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-MacDonald_X_18-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MacDonald_X-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp/300px-West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="171" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp/450px-West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp/600px-West_African_sites_with_archaeobotanical_remains_from_third_to_first_millennium_cal_bc.webp.png 2x" data-file-width="1888" data-file-height="1077" /></a><figcaption>West African sites with <a href="/wiki/Archaeobotany" class="mw-redirect" title="Archaeobotany">archaeobotanical</a> remains from third to first millennium cal bc. The arrows indicate directions of <a href="/wiki/Pearl_millet" title="Pearl millet">pearl millet</a> diffusion into <a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan" class="mw-redirect" title="Sub-Saharan">sub-Saharan</a> West Africa.</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Empires">Empires</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Empires"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/History_of_West_Africa#Iron_Age" title="History of West Africa">History of West Africa § Iron Age</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/History_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="History of Africa">History of Africa § West Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/History_of_Africa#West_Africa_2" title="History of Africa">History of Africa § West Africa 2</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Blacksmiths_of_western_Africa" title="Blacksmiths of western Africa">Blacksmiths of western Africa</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Jews_of_Bilad_el-Sudan" title="Jews of Bilad el-Sudan">Jews of Bilad el-Sudan</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mansa_Musa.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Mansa_Musa.jpg/220px-Mansa_Musa.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="168" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Mansa_Musa.jpg/330px-Mansa_Musa.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Mansa_Musa.jpg/440px-Mansa_Musa.jpg 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="381" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Mansa_Musa" title="Mansa Musa">Mansa Musa</a> depicted holding a <a href="/wiki/Gold_nugget" title="Gold nugget">gold nugget</a> from a 1395 map of <a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a> and <a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe">Europe</a></figcaption></figure> <p>The development of the region's economy allowed more centralized states and civilizations to form, beginning with <a href="/wiki/Dhar_Tichitt" title="Dhar Tichitt">Dhar Tichitt</a> that began in 1600 B.C. followed by <a href="/wiki/Djenn%C3%A9-Djenno" title="Djenné-Djenno">Djenné-Djenno</a> beginning in 300 B.C. This was then succeeded by the <a href="/wiki/Ghana_Empire" title="Ghana Empire">Ghana Empire</a> that first flourished roughly between the 2nd and 12th centuries C.E., which later gave way to the <a href="/wiki/Mali_Empire" title="Mali Empire">Mali Empire</a>. In current-day Mauritania, there exist archaeological sites in the towns of <a href="/wiki/Tichit" title="Tichit">Tichit</a> and <a href="/wiki/Oualata" title="Oualata">Oualata</a> that were initially constructed around 2000 B.C., and were found to have originated from the <a href="/wiki/Soninke_people" title="Soninke people">Soninke</a> branch of the <a href="/wiki/Mand%C3%A9_peoples" title="Mandé peoples">Mandé peoples</a>. Also, based on the archaeology of the city of <a href="/wiki/Kumbi_Saleh" class="mw-redirect" title="Kumbi Saleh">Kumbi Saleh</a> in modern-day Mauritania, the Mali empire came to dominate much of the region until its defeat by <a href="/wiki/Almoravid" class="mw-redirect" title="Almoravid">Almoravid</a> invaders in 1052. </p><p>Three great kingdoms were identified in <i>Bilad al-Sudan</i> by the ninth century. They included Ghana, <a href="/wiki/Gao" title="Gao">Gao</a> and <a href="/wiki/Kanem_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Kanem Empire">Kanem</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Sosso_Empire" title="Sosso Empire">Sosso Empire</a> sought to fill the void but was defeated (<abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 1240</span>) by the <a href="/wiki/Mandinka_people" title="Mandinka people">Mandinka</a> forces of <a href="/wiki/Sundiata_Keita" title="Sundiata Keita">Sundiata Keita</a>, founder of the new Mali Empire. The Mali Empire continued to flourish for several centuries, most particularly under Sundiata's grandnephew <a href="/wiki/Mansa_Musa" title="Mansa Musa">Musa I</a>, before a succession of weak rulers led to its collapse under <a href="/wiki/Mossi_people" title="Mossi people">Mossi</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tuareg_people" title="Tuareg people">Tuareg</a> and <a href="/wiki/Songhai_people" title="Songhai people">Songhai</a> invaders. In the 15th century, the Songhai would form a new dominant state based on <a href="/wiki/Gao" title="Gao">Gao</a>, in the <a href="/wiki/Songhai_Empire" title="Songhai Empire">Songhai Empire</a>, under the leadership of <a href="/wiki/Sonni_Ali" title="Sonni Ali">Sonni Ali</a> and <a href="/wiki/Askia_Mohammed" class="mw-redirect" title="Askia Mohammed">Askia Mohammed</a>. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:African_slave_trade.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/African_slave_trade.png/220px-African_slave_trade.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="183" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/African_slave_trade.png/330px-African_slave_trade.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/African_slave_trade.png/440px-African_slave_trade.png 2x" data-file-width="721" data-file-height="600" /></a><figcaption>13th-century Africa – Map of the main trade routes and states, kingdoms and empires.</figcaption></figure> <p>Meanwhile, south of Sudan, strong city-states arose in <a href="/wiki/Igboland" title="Igboland">Igboland</a>, such as the 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Nri" title="Kingdom of Nri">Kingdom of Nri</a>, which helped birth the arts and customs of the <a href="/wiki/Igbo_people" title="Igbo people">Igbo people</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bono_state" title="Bono state">Bono State</a> in the 11th century, which gave birth to the numerous <a href="/wiki/Akan_people" title="Akan people">Akan</a> States, while <a href="/wiki/Ife" class="mw-redirect" title="Ife">Ife</a> rose to prominence around the 12th century. Further east, <a href="/wiki/Oyo_Empire" title="Oyo Empire">Oyo</a> arose as the dominant <a href="/wiki/Yoruba_people" title="Yoruba people">Yoruba</a> state and the <a href="/wiki/Aro_Confederacy" title="Aro Confederacy">Aro Confederacy</a> as a dominant <a href="/wiki/Igbo_people" title="Igbo people">Igbo</a> state in modern-day Nigeria. </p><p>The Kingdom of Nri was a West African medieval state in present-day southeastern Nigeria and a subgroup of the Igbo people. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and was administered by a priest-king called an <a href="/wiki/Eze_Nri" class="mw-redirect" title="Eze Nri">Eze Nri</a>. The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people and possessed divine authority in religious matters. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Oyo_Empire" title="Oyo Empire">Oyo Empire</a> was a <a href="/wiki/Yoruba_people" title="Yoruba people">Yoruba</a> empire of what is today Western, North Central <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> and Southern Republic of <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a>. Established in the 14th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational skills of the Yoruba, wealth gained from trade and its powerful <a href="/wiki/Cavalry" title="Cavalry">cavalry</a>. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in <a href="/wiki/Yorubaland" title="Yorubaland">Yorubaland</a>, but also over nearby African states, notably the <a href="/wiki/Fon_people" title="Fon people">Fon</a> <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Dahomey" class="mw-redirect" title="Kingdom of Dahomey">Kingdom of Dahomey</a> in the modern Republic of Benin to the west. </p><p>The Benin Empire was a <a href="/wiki/Post-classical" class="mw-redirect" title="Post-classical">post-classical</a> empire located in what is now southern <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>. Its capital was Edo, now known as <a href="/wiki/Benin_City" title="Benin City">Benin City</a>, <a href="/wiki/Edo_State" title="Edo State">Edo</a>. It should not be confused with the modern-day country called <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a>, formerly called <a href="/wiki/Republic_of_Dahomey" title="Republic of Dahomey">Dahomey</a>. The Benin Empire was "one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa, dating perhaps to the eleventh century CE". The Benin Empire was governed by a sovereign Emperor with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a powerful council rich in resources, wealth, ancient science and technology with cities described as beautiful and large as <a href="/wiki/Haarlem" title="Haarlem">Haarlem</a>. "<a href="/wiki/Olfert_Dapper" title="Olfert Dapper">Olfert Dapper</a>, a Dutch writer, describing Benin in his book <i><a href="/wiki/Description_of_Africa_(Olfert_Dapper)" class="mw-redirect" title="Description of Africa (Olfert Dapper)">Description of Africa</a></i> (1668) ". Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of Africa. It was annexed by the <a href="/wiki/British_Empire" title="British Empire">British Empire</a> in 1897 during the invasion and scramble of Africa. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="European_contact_and_enslavement">European contact and enslavement</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: European contact and enslavement"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_slave_trade" title="Atlantic slave trade">Atlantic slave trade</a></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg/260px-Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg.png" decoding="async" width="260" height="126" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg/390px-Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg/520px-Africa_de_l%27O%C3%A8st_en_1875-es.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1588" data-file-height="771" /></a><figcaption>West Africa <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 1875</span></figcaption></figure> <p>Portuguese traders began establishing settlements along the coast in 1445, followed by the <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">French</a>, <a href="/wiki/England" title="England">English</a>, <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spanish</a>, <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Danish</a> and <a href="/wiki/Netherlands" title="Netherlands">Dutch</a>; the <a href="/wiki/African_slave_trade" class="mw-redirect" title="African slave trade">African slave trade</a> began not long after, which over the following centuries would debilitate the region's economy and population.<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The slave trade also encouraged the formation of states such as the <a href="/wiki/Bono_state" title="Bono state">Bono State</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bambara_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Bambara Empire">Bambara Empire</a> and <a href="/wiki/Dahomey" title="Dahomey">Dahomey</a>, whose economic activities include but not limited to exchanging slaves for European <a href="/wiki/Firearm" title="Firearm">firearms</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Colonialism">Colonialism</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Colonialism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Colonisation_of_Africa" title="Colonisation of Africa">Colonisation of Africa</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:French_West_Africa_1913_map.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/French_West_Africa_1913_map.png/220px-French_West_Africa_1913_map.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="182" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/French_West_Africa_1913_map.png/330px-French_West_Africa_1913_map.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/French_West_Africa_1913_map.png 2x" data-file-width="440" data-file-height="363" /></a><figcaption>French in West Africa <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 1913</span></figcaption></figure> <p>In the early 19th century, a series of Fulani reformist <a href="/wiki/Jihad" title="Jihad">jihads</a> swept across Western Africa. The most notable include <a href="/wiki/Usman_dan_Fodio" title="Usman dan Fodio">Usman dan Fodio</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Fulani_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Fulani Empire">Fulani Empire</a>, which replaced the <a href="/wiki/Hausa_people" title="Hausa people">Hausa</a> city-states, <a href="/wiki/Seku_Amadu" title="Seku Amadu">Seku Amadu</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Massina_Empire" title="Massina Empire">Massina Empire</a>, which defeated the Bambara, and El Hadj <a href="/wiki/Umar_Tall" class="mw-redirect" title="Umar Tall">Umar Tall</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Toucouleur_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Toucouleur Empire">Toucouleur Empire</a>, which briefly conquered much of modern-day Mali. </p><p>However, the <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">French</a> and <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">British</a> continued to advance in the <a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">Scramble for Africa</a>, subjugating kingdom after kingdom. With the fall of <a href="/wiki/Samory" class="mw-redirect" title="Samory">Samory Ture's</a> established <a href="/wiki/Wassoulou_Empire" title="Wassoulou Empire">Wassoulou Empire</a> in 1898 and the <a href="/wiki/Ashanti_people" class="mw-redirect" title="Ashanti people">Ashanti</a> queen <a href="/wiki/Yaa_Asantewaa" title="Yaa Asantewaa">Yaa Asantewaa</a> in 1902, most West African military resistance to colonial rule resulted in failure. </p><p>Part of the West African regions underwent an increase in the <a href="/wiki/Numeracy" title="Numeracy">numeracy</a> level throughout the 19th century. The reason for such a growth was predetermined by a number of factors. Namely, the <a href="/wiki/Peanut" title="Peanut">peanut</a> production and trade, which was boosted by the <a href="/wiki/Demand" title="Demand">demand</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Colonialism" title="Colonialism">colonial states</a>. Importantly, the rise of numeracy was higher in the regions which were less <a href="/wiki/Hierarchy" title="Hierarchy">hierarchical</a> and had less dependence on the <a href="/wiki/Slavery" title="Slavery">slavery</a> trade (e.g. Sine and Salum). Whereas areas with the opposite trends illustrated opposite tendencies (e.g. central and northern Senegal). Those patterns were further even more stimulated by the French colonial campaign.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Britain controlled the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria throughout the colonial era, while France unified Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger into <a href="/wiki/French_West_Africa" title="French West Africa">French West Africa</a>. <a href="/wiki/Portugal" title="Portugal">Portugal</a> founded the colony of <a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a>, while <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a> claimed <a href="/wiki/Togoland" title="Togoland">Togoland</a>, but was forced to divide it between France and Britain following <a href="/wiki/First_World_War" class="mw-redirect" title="First World War">First World War</a> due to the <a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles" title="Treaty of Versailles">Treaty of Versailles</a>. Only <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a> retained its independence, at the price of major territorial concessions. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Postcolonial_era">Postcolonial era</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Postcolonial era"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Decolonisation_of_Africa" title="Decolonisation of Africa">Decolonisation of Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/Postcolonial_Africa#West_Africa" title="Postcolonial Africa">Postcolonial Africa § West Africa</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Neocolonialism" title="Neocolonialism">Neocolonialism</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Neocolonialism#Françafrique" title="Neocolonialism">Neocolonialism § Françafrique</a>, <a href="/wiki/West_African_CFA_franc" title="West African CFA franc">West African CFA franc</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Status_of_forces_agreement" title="Status of forces agreement">Status of forces agreement</a></div> <p>Following <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>, nationalist movements arose across West Africa. In 1957, Ghana, under <a href="/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah" title="Kwame Nkrumah">Kwame Nkrumah</a>, became the first West African colony to achieve its independence, followed the next year by France's colonies (Guinea in 1958 under the leadership of President Ahmed Sekou Touré); by 1974, West Africa's nations were entirely autonomous. </p><p>Since independence, many West African nations have been submerged under political instability, with notable civil wars in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, and a succession of military coups in <a href="/wiki/History_of_Ghana" title="History of Ghana">Ghana</a> and <a href="/wiki/History_of_Burkina_Faso" title="History of Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>. </p><p>Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War" title="Nigerian Civil War">Nigerian Civil War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Liberian_Civil_War" title="First Liberian Civil War">First Liberian Civil War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Liberian_Civil_War" title="Second Liberian Civil War">Second Liberian Civil War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau_Civil_War" title="Guinea-Bissau Civil War">Guinea-Bissau Civil War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Ivorian_Civil_War" title="First Ivorian Civil War">Ivorian Civil War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone_Civil_War" title="Sierra Leone Civil War">Sierra Leone Rebel War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mali_War" title="Mali War">Mali War</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Geopolitical_division">Geopolitical division</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Geopolitical division"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Map_of_West_AFrica.gif" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Map_of_West_AFrica.gif/350px-Map_of_West_AFrica.gif" decoding="async" width="350" height="298" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Map_of_West_AFrica.gif/525px-Map_of_West_AFrica.gif 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Map_of_West_AFrica.gif/700px-Map_of_West_AFrica.gif 2x" data-file-width="1227" data-file-height="1044" /></a><figcaption><div align="center"><a href="/wiki/Geopolitical" class="mw-redirect" title="Geopolitical">Geopolitical</a> <a href="/wiki/State_(polity)" title="State (polity)">States</a> of West Africa;<br /> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1216972533">.mw-parser-output .col-begin{border-collapse:collapse;padding:0;color:inherit;width:100%;border:0;margin:0}.mw-parser-output .col-begin-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .col-break{vertical-align:top;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .col-break-2{width:50%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-3{width:33.3%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-4{width:25%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-5{width:20%}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .col-begin,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr>td{display:block!important;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output .col-break{padding-left:0!important}}</style><div> <table class="col-begin" role="presentation" style="width: 100%;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col-break"> * <b><a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">The Gambia</a></b> </td> <td class="col-break"> * <b><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a></b> </td> <td class="col-break"> * <b><a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a></b> * <b><a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a></b> </td> <td class="col-break">   </td></tr></tbody></table></div> </div> </figcaption></figure> <div style="clear:left;" class=""></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Geopolitically" class="mw-redirect" title="Geopolitically">Geopolitically</a>, the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme_for_Africa#Western_Africa" title="United Nations geoscheme for Africa">United Nations definition</a> of <a href="/wiki/Subregion" title="Subregion">subregion</a> Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The UN region also includes the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_Overseas_Territories" class="mw-redirect" title="United Kingdom Overseas Territories">United Kingdom Overseas Territory</a> of <a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a> in the south <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic Ocean</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div style="clear:left;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Area">Area</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Area"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">United Nations</a> <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme_for_Africa" title="United Nations geoscheme for Africa">scheme of African regions</a>, the region of Western Africa includes 16 <a href="/wiki/Sovereign_state" title="Sovereign state">states</a> and the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_Overseas_Territories" class="mw-redirect" title="United Kingdom Overseas Territories">United Kingdom Overseas Territory</a> of <a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a>:<sup id="cite_ref-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes_8-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UNSD_Country_and_Area_Codes-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>, <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a> are mostly in the <a href="/wiki/Sahel" title="Sahel">Sahel</a>, a transition zone between the <a href="/wiki/Sahara_Desert" class="mw-redirect" title="Sahara Desert">Sahara desert</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Sudanian_Savanna" class="mw-redirect" title="Sudanian Savanna">Sudanian Savanna</a>; <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">The Gambia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a>, <a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a>, <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a>, <a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a> and <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> compose most of <a href="/wiki/Guinea_(region)" title="Guinea (region)">Guinea</a>, the traditional name for the area near the <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Guinea" title="Gulf of Guinea">Gulf of Guinea</a>; <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> lies in the <a href="/wiki/Maghreb" title="Maghreb">Maghreb</a>, the northwestern region of Africa that has historically been inhabited by West African groups such as the <a href="/wiki/Fulani" class="mw-redirect" title="Fulani">Fulani</a>, <a href="/wiki/Soninke_people" title="Soninke people">Soninke</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wolof_people" title="Wolof people">Wolof</a>, <a href="/wiki/Serer_people" title="Serer people">Serer</a> and <a href="/wiki/Toucouleur_people" title="Toucouleur people">Toucouleur people</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> along with <a href="/wiki/Arab-Berber" class="mw-redirect" title="Arab-Berber">Arab-Berber</a> <a href="/wiki/Maghrebis" title="Maghrebis">Maghrebi people</a> such as the <a href="/wiki/Tuareg" class="mw-redirect" title="Tuareg">Tuareg</a>; <a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a> is an island country in the <a href="/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic Ocean</a>; and <a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a> consists of eight main islands located in four different parts of the Atlantic. Due to Mauritania's increasingly close ties to the <a href="/wiki/Arab_World" class="mw-redirect" title="Arab World">Arab World</a> and its 1999 withdrawal from the <a href="/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Economic Community of West African States">Economic Community of West African States</a> (ECOWAS), in modern times it is often considered, especially in Africa, as now part of western <a href="/wiki/North_Africa" title="North Africa">North Africa</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="List_of_countries">List of countries</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: List of countries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/23px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/35px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/45px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/35px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/45px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1020" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/23px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/35px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/45px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/23px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/35px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg/45px-Flag_of_The_Gambia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">The Gambia</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/45px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/46px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Flag_of_Liberia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1140" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="800" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/18px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png" decoding="async" width="18" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/27px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/35px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="700" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/45px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg/45px-Flag_of_Togo_%283-2%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="750" data-file-height="500" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a></li> <li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> <ul><li><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena,_Ascension_and_Tristan_da_Cunha" title="Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha">Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_Overseas_Territories" class="mw-redirect" title="United Kingdom Overseas Territories">United Kingdom Overseas Territory</a>)</li></ul></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Cities">Cities</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Cities"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Major and principal cities in West Africa include, geographically eastward: </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1216972533"><div> <table class="col-begin" role="presentation"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col-break col-break-2"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dakar" title="Dakar">Dakar</a>, Senegal</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Touba" title="Touba">Touba</a>, Senegal</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Serrekunda" class="mw-redirect" title="Serrekunda">Serrekunda</a>, The Gambia</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bissau" title="Bissau">Bissau</a>, Guinea-Bissau</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conakry" title="Conakry">Conakry</a>, Guinea</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Freetown" title="Freetown">Freetown</a>, Sierra Leone</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Monrovia" title="Monrovia">Monrovia</a>, Liberia</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bamako" title="Bamako">Bamako</a>, Mali</li></ul> </td> <td class="col-break col-break-3"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abidjan" title="Abidjan">Abidjan</a>, Ivory Coast</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yamoussoukro" title="Yamoussoukro">Yamoussoukro</a>, Ivory Coast</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bouak%C3%A9" title="Bouaké">Bouaké</a>, Ivory Coast</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ouagadougou" title="Ouagadougou">Ouagadougou</a>, Burkina Faso</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bobo-Dioulasso" title="Bobo-Dioulasso">Bobo-Dioulasso</a>, Burkina Faso</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Accra" title="Accra">Accra</a>, Ghana</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kumasi" title="Kumasi">Kumasi</a>, Ghana</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lom%C3%A9" title="Lomé">Lomé</a>, Togo</li></ul> </td> <td class="col-break col-break-4"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cotonou" title="Cotonou">Cotonou</a>, Benin</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abuja" title="Abuja">Abuja</a>, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lagos" title="Lagos">Lagos</a>, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ibadan" title="Ibadan">Ibadan</a>, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Port_Harcourt" title="Port Harcourt">Port Harcourt</a>, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kano_(city)" title="Kano (city)">Kano</a>, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Benin_City" title="Benin City">Benin City</a>, Nigeria</li></ul> <p>  </p> </td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Environment">Environment</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Environment"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Nature">Nature</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Nature"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg/250px-Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="188" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg/375px-Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg/500px-Rhinoceros_blanc-_r%C3%A9serve_de_Bandia_-_panoramio.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2048" data-file-height="1536" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Rhinoceros" title="Rhinoceros">rhinoceros</a> in Bandia Nature Reserve, <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a></figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Yankari_Elephants.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Yankari_Elephants.jpg/250px-Yankari_Elephants.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="188" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Yankari_Elephants.jpg/375px-Yankari_Elephants.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Yankari_Elephants.jpg/500px-Yankari_Elephants.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="600" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/African_bush_elephants" class="mw-redirect" title="African bush elephants">African bush elephants</a> in <a href="/wiki/Yankari_National_Park" class="mw-redirect" title="Yankari National Park">Yankari National Park</a>, Nigeria</figcaption></figure> <p>Before <a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">European colonisation</a>, West African countries such as those from the <a href="/wiki/Senegambia" title="Senegambia">Senegambia region</a> (Senegal and the Gambia) used to have a diverse <a href="/wiki/Wildlife" title="Wildlife">wildlife</a> including <a href="/wiki/Lion" title="Lion">lions</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hippopotamus" title="Hippopotamus">hippopotamus</a>, <a href="/wiki/Elephant" title="Elephant">elephants</a>, <a href="/wiki/Antelope" title="Antelope">antelopes</a>, <a href="/wiki/Leopard" title="Leopard">leopards</a> etc.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, during colonization, the European colonizers such as the French and British killed most of the wildlife particularly the lions, using their body parts as trophies. By the turn of the 20th century, the Senegambia region had lost most of its lion population and other exotic animals due to <a href="/wiki/Poaching" title="Poaching">poaching</a>. By the 1930s, the Gambian elephant population became extinct. That phenomenon was not only limited to the Senegambia region but affected much of West Africa as the region lost much of its "natural resources once tied so closely to its cultural identity. <a href="/wiki/Poaching" title="Poaching">Poaching</a> has stolen most of its wildlife." The British issued poaching licenses, and although they would later try to reverse the damage that had been done by attempting to preserve what was left of the local wildlife, but by that time, it was too late.<sup id="cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-New_York_Times-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Somerville_56-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Somerville-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During the 1930s, the elephant population in the <a href="/wiki/Gold_Coast_(region)" title="Gold Coast (region)">Gold Coast</a> was about 300, and Sierra Leone between 500 and 600. Although a small number of elephants survived in Nigeria, hunting, <a href="/wiki/Agricultural_expansion" title="Agricultural expansion">agricultural expansion</a> and <a href="/wiki/Deforestation_in_Nigeria" title="Deforestation in Nigeria">clearing of forest in that country</a> drastically affected its wildlife population, particularly elephants.<sup id="cite_ref-Somerville_56-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Somerville-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Despite the historical damage that has been done to the region's wildlife populations, there are still some protected nature reserves within the region. Some of these include: </p> <ul><li>The Bandia Nature Reserve in Senegal (French: <i>Réserve de Bandia</i>), animal life includes: <a href="/wiki/Giraffes" class="mw-redirect" title="Giraffes">giraffes</a>, <a href="/wiki/Zebras" class="mw-redirect" title="Zebras">zebras</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rhinos" class="mw-redirect" title="Rhinos">rhinos</a>, a variety of antelopes, <a href="/wiki/African_buffalo" title="African buffalo">buffaloes</a>, <a href="/wiki/Monkeys" class="mw-redirect" title="Monkeys">monkeys</a>, <a href="/wiki/Crocodiles" class="mw-redirect" title="Crocodiles">crocodiles</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tortoises" class="mw-redirect" title="Tortoises">tortoises</a>. apes and a variety of exotic birds.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Yankari_National_Park" class="mw-redirect" title="Yankari National Park">Yankari National Park</a> in Nigeria, animal life includes: the <a href="/wiki/African_bush_elephant" title="African bush elephant">African bush elephant</a>, <a href="/wiki/Olive_baboon" title="Olive baboon">olive baboon</a>, <a href="/wiki/Patas_monkey" class="mw-redirect" title="Patas monkey">patas monkey</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tantalus_monkey" title="Tantalus monkey">Tantalus monkey</a>, <a href="/wiki/Roan_antelope" title="Roan antelope">roan antelope</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hartebeest" title="Hartebeest">western hartebeest</a>, <a href="/wiki/West_African_lion" class="mw-redirect" title="West African lion">West African lion</a>, <a href="/wiki/African_buffalo" title="African buffalo">African buffalo</a>, <a href="/wiki/Waterbuck" title="Waterbuck">waterbuck</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bushbuck" class="mw-redirect" title="Bushbuck">bushbuck</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hippopotamus" title="Hippopotamus">hippopotamus</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul> <ol><li>The <a href="/wiki/Ankasa_Conservation_Area" title="Ankasa Conservation Area">Ankasa Conservation Area</a> in Ghana, animal life includes the elephant, <a href="/wiki/Bongo_(antelope)" title="Bongo (antelope)">bongo</a>, leopard, <a href="/wiki/Common_chimpanzee" class="mw-redirect" title="Common chimpanzee">chimpanzee</a>, <a href="/wiki/Diana_Monkey" class="mw-redirect" title="Diana Monkey">Diana monkey</a>, and other primates.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ol> <ul><li>The <a href="/wiki/Mole_National_Park" title="Mole National Park">Mole National Park</a> is Ghana's biggest wildlife refuge. It is home to over 83 mammal species including about 800 resident elephants, buffalo, hippos, and warthogs<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as well as various fauna and flora.</li></ul> <p>West Africa is also home to several <a href="/wiki/Adansonia" title="Adansonia">baobab</a> trees and other <a href="/wiki/Plant_life" class="mw-redirect" title="Plant life">plant life</a>. Some baobab trees are several centuries old and form part of the local folklore, for example, a mythical baobab tree named <i>Ngoye njuli</i> in Senegal which is regarded as a sacred site by the <a href="/wiki/Serer_people" title="Serer people">Serer</a>. The tree itself is rather majestic and looks like a huge <a href="/wiki/Phallus" title="Phallus">phallus</a> and a deformed animal or thing is protruding from it. It is said to be the dwelling place of a <a href="/wiki/Pangool" title="Pangool">pangool</a>. Ngoye njuli is protected by the Senegalese authorities and attracts visitors. In West Africa, as in other parts of Africa where the baobab tree is found, the leaves are mixed with couscous and eaten, the bark of the tree is used to make ropes, and the fruit and seeds are used for drinks and oils.<sup id="cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-New_York_Times-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-SRC_63-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SRC-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Filepine_forest.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Filepine_forest.jpg/200px-Filepine_forest.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="299" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Filepine_forest.jpg/300px-Filepine_forest.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Filepine_forest.jpg 2x" data-file-width="356" data-file-height="533" /></a><figcaption> <a href="/wiki/Deforestation_in_Nigeria" title="Deforestation in Nigeria">Deforestation in Nigeria</a>.</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Deforestation">Deforestation</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Deforestation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Deforestation_in_Nigeria" title="Deforestation in Nigeria">Deforestation in Nigeria</a></div> <p>West Africa is greatly affected by <a href="/wiki/Deforestation" title="Deforestation">deforestation</a> and has one of the worst deforestation rate.<sup id="cite_ref-ThoughtCo_64-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ThoughtCo-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Even "the beloved baobab tree" which is viewed as sacred by some West African cultures are under threat due to <a href="/wiki/Climate_change" title="Climate change">climate change</a>, <a href="/wiki/Urbanization" title="Urbanization">urbanization</a> and population growth. "Huge swaths of forest are being razed to clear space for palm oil and cocoa plantations. Mangroves are being killed off by pollution. Even wispy <a href="/wiki/Acacia" title="Acacia">acacias</a> are hacked away for use in cooking fires to feed growing families."<sup id="cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-New_York_Times-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, have lost large areas of their <a href="/wiki/Rainforest" title="Rainforest">rainforest</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-65"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2005, the <a href="/wiki/Food_and_Agriculture_Organization" title="Food and Agriculture Organization">Food and Agriculture Organization</a> of the United Nations ranked <a href="/wiki/Deforestation_in_Nigeria" title="Deforestation in Nigeria">Nigeria as the state with the worst deforestation rate</a> in the entire world. Causes include logging, <a href="/wiki/Subsistence_agriculture" title="Subsistence agriculture">subsistence agriculture</a>, and the collection of fuelwoods.<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-67"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>67<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>According to a <a href="/wiki/ThoughtCo" class="mw-redirect" title="ThoughtCo">ThoughtCo</a> publication authored Steve Nix (2018), almost 90 percent of West Africa's original rainforest has been destroyed, and the rest is "heavily fragmented and in a degraded state, being poorly used."<sup id="cite_ref-ThoughtCo_64-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ThoughtCo-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Overfishing">Overfishing</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Overfishing"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Overfishing" title="Overfishing">Overfishing</a> is a major issue in West Africa. Besides reducing fish stocks in the region, it also threatens <a href="/wiki/Food_security" title="Food security">food security</a> and the livelihoods of many coastal communities that largely depend on <a href="/wiki/Artisanal_fishing" title="Artisanal fishing">artisanal fishing</a>. The overfishing generally comes from <a href="/wiki/Trawling" title="Trawling">foreign trawlers</a> operating in the region.<sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-68"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>68<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>To combat the overfishing, <a href="/wiki/Greenpeace" title="Greenpeace">Greenpeace</a> has recommended countries reduce the number of registered trawlers operating in African waters, increase the monitoring and control and set up regional fisheries organizations.<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-69"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>69<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some steps have already been taken in the form of <a href="/w/index.php?title=WARFP&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="WARFP (page does not exist)">WARFP</a> (the World Bank's West Africa Regional Fisheries Program which empowers west-African countries (i.e. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, and Senegal) with information, training and monitoring systems. Furthermore, Liberia enacted a fisheries regulations Act in 2010<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-70"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>70<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and installed a satellite-based monitoring system and Senegal enacted a fisheries code in 2015. In Cape Verde, the fishermen communities of Palmiera and Santa Maria have organized themselves to protect fishing zones. Mozambique finally created a <a href="/wiki/Conservation_biology" title="Conservation biology">conservation</a> area, including a coastline. <sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-71"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>71<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-72"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>72<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Geography_and_climate">Geography and climate</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Geography and climate"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>West Africa, broadly defined to include the western portion of the <a href="/wiki/Maghreb" title="Maghreb">Maghreb</a> (<a href="/wiki/Western_Sahara" title="Western Sahara">Western Sahara</a>, <a href="/wiki/Morocco" title="Morocco">Morocco</a>, <a href="/wiki/Algeria" title="Algeria">Algeria</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Tunisia" title="Tunisia">Tunisia</a>), occupies an area in excess of 6,140,000 km<sup>2</sup>, or approximately one-fifth of Africa. The vast majority of this land is plains lying less than 300 meters above sea level, though isolated high points exist in numerous states along the southern shore of West Africa.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table style="background-color:darkgray; color:black; border:thin solid black;" align="center" cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px"> <tbody><tr> <td></td> <td><i><b>Western <a href="/wiki/Afrotropical_realm" title="Afrotropical realm">Afrotropical realm</a></b></i> </td></tr> <tr align="center"> <td> <table> <tbody><tr style="text-align:left;text-decoration:none;width:220px;" valign="middle"> <td> <p><a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Benin" title="Geography of Benin">Benin</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Burkina_Faso" title="Geography of Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_The_Gambia" class="mw-redirect" title="Geography of The Gambia">The Gambia</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Ghana" title="Geography of Ghana">Ghana</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Guinea-Bissau" title="Geography of Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Guinea" title="Geography of Guinea">Guinea</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Ivory_Coast" title="Geography of Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Liberia" title="Geography of Liberia">Liberia</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Mali" title="Geography of Mali">Mali</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Mauritania" title="Geography of Mauritania">Mauritania</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Nigeria" title="Geography of Nigeria">Nigeria</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Niger" title="Geography of Niger">Niger</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Senegal" title="Geography of Senegal">Senegal</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Sierra_Leone" title="Geography of Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a><br /> <a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Togo" title="Geography of Togo">Togo</a><br /> </p> </td></tr></tbody></table> </td> <td><figure class="mw-halign-none" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/300px-Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="204" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/450px-Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/600px-Afrotropic-Ecozone-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="340" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> </td> <td><figure class="mw-halign-none" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/300px-Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="334" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/450px-Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg/600px-Afrotropic-West_Tropical_Africa.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="2487" data-file-height="2770" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> </td></tr> <tr align="center" valign="top"> <td width="200"><b>State</b> </td> <td width="100"><b>The biostate</b> </td> <td width="100"><b>Location in Afrotropic</b> </td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg/500px-West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg" decoding="async" width="500" height="375" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg/750px-West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg/1000px-West_Africa_may_8_2001_1200Z.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4000" data-file-height="3000" /></a><figcaption><div class="center" style="width:auto; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"><a href="/wiki/Satellite_imagery" title="Satellite imagery">Satellite imagery</a> from <a href="/wiki/Outer_space" title="Outer space">outer space</a> of West Africa</div></figcaption></figure> <p>The northern section of West Africa (narrowly defined to exclude the western Maghreb) is composed of semi-arid terrain known as <a href="/wiki/Sahel" title="Sahel">Sahel</a>, a transitional zone between the Sahara and the <a href="/wiki/West_Sudanian_savanna" title="West Sudanian savanna">West Sudanian savanna</a>. <a href="/wiki/Forest" title="Forest">Forests</a> form a belt between the savannas and the southern coast, ranging from 160 km to 240 km in width.<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-74"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The northwest African region of <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> periodically suffers country-wide plagues of <a href="/wiki/Locust" title="Locust">locusts</a> which consume water, salt and crops on which the human population relies.<sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-75"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>75<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Background">Background</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>West Africa is west of an imagined north-south axis lying close to <a href="/wiki/10th_meridian_east" title="10th meridian east">10° east longitude</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Atlantic <a href="/wiki/The_Atlantic_Ocean" class="mw-redirect" title="The Atlantic Ocean">Ocean</a> forms the western as well as the southern borders of the West African region.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The northern border is the <a href="/wiki/Sahara_Desert" class="mw-redirect" title="Sahara Desert">Sahara Desert</a>, with the Ranishanu Bend generally considered the northernmost part of the region.<sup id="cite_ref-76" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-76"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>76<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The eastern border is less precise, with some placing it at the <a href="/wiki/Benue_Trough" title="Benue Trough">Benue Trough</a>, and others on a line running from <a href="/wiki/Mount_Cameroon" title="Mount Cameroon">Mount Cameroon</a> to <a href="/wiki/Lake_Chad" title="Lake Chad">Lake Chad</a>. </p><p>Colonial boundaries are reflected in the modern boundaries between contemporary West African states, cutting across ethnic and cultural lines, often dividing single ethnic groups between two or more states.<sup id="cite_ref-77" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-77"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>77<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In contrast to most of Central, Southern, and Southeast Africa, West Africa is not populated by <a href="/wiki/Bantu_languages" title="Bantu languages">Bantu</a>-speaking peoples.<sup id="cite_ref-78" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-78"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>78<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Climate_change">Climate change</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Climate change"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="excerpt-block"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066933788">.mw-parser-output .excerpt-hat .mw-editsection-like{font-style:normal}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable dablink excerpt-hat selfref">This section is an excerpt from <a href="/wiki/Climate_change_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel" title="Climate change in Africa">Climate change in Africa § West Africa and the Sahel</a>.<span class="mw-editsection-like plainlinks"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Climate_change_in_Africa&action=edit">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div><div class="excerpt"> <p>The West African region can be divided into four climatic sub-regions namely the Guinea Coast, Soudano-Sahel, Sahel (extending eastward to the Ethiopian border) and the Sahara,<sup id="cite_ref-79" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-79"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> each with different climatic conditions. The seasonal cycle of rainfall is mainly driven by the south-north movement of the <a href="/wiki/Intertropical_Convergence_Zone" title="Intertropical Convergence Zone">Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone</a> (ITCZ) which is characterised by the confluence between moist southwesterly monsoon winds and the dry northeasterly Harmattan.<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-80"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>80<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Based on the inter-annual rainfall variability, three main climatic periods have been observed over the Sahel: the wet period from 1950 to the early 1960s followed by a dry period from 1972 to 1990 and then the period from 1991 onwards which has seen a partial rainfall recovery.<sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-81"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>81<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-82" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-82"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>82<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-83"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>83<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During the dry period, the Sahel experienced a number of particularly severe drought events, with devastating effects.<sup id="cite_ref-Climate_change_in_Africa_Funk_84-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Climate_change_in_Africa_Funk-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-85" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-85"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>85<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The recent decades, have also witnessed a moderate increment in annual rainfall since the beginning of 1990s. However, total annual rainfall remains significantly below that observed during the 1950s.<sup id="cite_ref-86" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-86"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>86<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Climate_change_in_Africa_Funk_84-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Climate_change_in_Africa_Funk-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Some have identified the two recent decades as a recovery period.<sup id="cite_ref-87" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-87"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>87<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Others refer to this as a period of "hydrological intensification" with much of the annual rainfall increase coming from more severe rain events and sometimes flooding rather than more frequent rainfall, or similarly other works<sup id="cite_ref-88" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-88"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>88<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-89" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-89"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>89<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> underline the continuity of the drought even though the rainfall has increased. Since 1985, 54 percent of the population has been affected by five or more floods in the 17 Sahel region countries.<sup id="cite_ref-Climate_change_in_Africa_Sahel2011_90-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Climate_change_in_Africa_Sahel2011-90"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>90<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2012, severe <a href="/wiki/2012_Sahel_drought" title="2012 Sahel drought">drought conditions</a> in the Sahel were reported. Governments in the region responded quickly, launching strategies to address the issue.<sup id="cite_ref-91" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-91"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>91<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The region is projected to experience changes in rainfall regime, with climate models suggesting that decreases in wet season rainfall are more likely in the western Sahel, and increases more likely in the central to east Sahel, although opposite trends cannot yet be ruled out.<sup id="cite_ref-92" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-92"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>92<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-93" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-93"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>93<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-94" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-94"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>94<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> These trends will affect the frequency and severity of floods, droughts, <a href="/wiki/Desertification" title="Desertification">desertification</a>, sand and dust storms, desert locust plagues and water shortages.<sup id="cite_ref-95" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-95"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>95<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-96" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-96"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>96<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, irrespective of the changes in seasonal mean rain, the most intense storms are expected to become more intense, amplifying flood frequency.<sup id="cite_ref-97" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-97"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>97<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-98" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-98"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>98<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Enhanced carbon emissions and global warming may also lead to an increase in dry spells especially across the Guinea Coast associated with a reduction of the wet spells under both 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming level.<sup id="cite_ref-99" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-99"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>99<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> Fifteen percent of <a href="/wiki/Sahel" title="Sahel">Sahel</a> region population has also experienced a temperature increase of more than 1 °C from 1970 to 2010. The Sahel region, in particular, will experience higher average temperatures over the course of the 21st century and changes in rainfall patterns, according to the <a href="/wiki/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change" title="Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC).</div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Transport">Transport</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Transport"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rail_transport">Rail transport</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Rail transport"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_rail" title="ECOWAS rail">ECOWAS rail</a></div> <p>A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone. One of the goals of the <a href="/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Economic Community of West African States">Economic Community of West African States</a> (ECOWAS) is the development of an integrated <a href="/wiki/Railroad" class="mw-redirect" title="Railroad">railroad</a> network.<sup id="cite_ref-Proposed_Ecowas_railway_100-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Proposed_Ecowas_railway-100"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>100<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Aims include the extension of railways in member countries, the interconnection of previously isolated railways and the standardization of gauge, brakes, couplings, and other parameters. The first line would connect the cities and ports of <a href="/wiki/Lagos" title="Lagos">Lagos</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cotonou" title="Cotonou">Cotonou</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lom%C3%A9" title="Lomé">Lomé</a> and <a href="/wiki/Accra" title="Accra">Accra</a> and would allow the largest container ships to focus on a smaller number of large ports, while efficiently serving a larger <a href="/wiki/Hinterland" title="Hinterland">hinterland</a>. This line connects <a href="/wiki/3_ft_6_in_gauge_railways" title="3 ft 6 in gauge railways"><span class="nowrap">3 ft 6 in</span></a> (<span class="nowrap">1,067 mm</span>) gauge and <span class="nowrap">1,000 mm</span> (<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1154941027">.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}</style><span class="nowrap">3 ft <span class="frac">3<span class="sr-only">+</span><span class="num">3</span>⁄<span class="den">8</span></span> in</span>) <span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/Metre_gauge" class="mw-redirect" title="Metre gauge">metre gauge</a></span> systems, which would require four rail <a href="/wiki/Dual_gauge" title="Dual gauge">dual gauge</a>, which can also provide <a href="/wiki/Standard_gauge" class="mw-redirect" title="Standard gauge">standard gauge</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Proposed_Ecowas_railway_100-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Proposed_Ecowas_railway-100"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>100<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Road_transport">Road transport</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: Road transport"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Trans%E2%80%93West_African_Coastal_Highway" title="Trans–West African Coastal Highway">Trans–West African Coastal Highway</a></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Dakar-Lagos_Highway_Map.PNG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Dakar-Lagos_Highway_Map.PNG/450px-Dakar-Lagos_Highway_Map.PNG" decoding="async" width="450" height="278" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Dakar-Lagos_Highway_Map.PNG 1.5x" data-file-width="470" data-file-height="290" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>The <i>Trans–West African Coastal Highway</i> is a transnational <a href="/wiki/Highway" title="Highway">highway</a> project to link 12 West African coastal states, from <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> in the north-west of the region to <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a><sup id="cite_ref-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review_101-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review-101"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>101<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlocked countries, <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> and <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-NEPAD_102-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NEPAD-102"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>102<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The eastern end of the highway terminates at <a href="/wiki/Lagos" title="Lagos">Lagos</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review_101-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review-101"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>101<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Economic Community of West African States">Economic Community of West African States</a> (ECOWAS) consider its western end to be <a href="/wiki/Nouakchott" title="Nouakchott">Nouakchott</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a>, or to be <a href="/wiki/Dakar" title="Dakar">Dakar</a>, <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, giving rise to these alternative names for the road: </p> <ul><li>Nouakchott–Lagos Highway</li> <li>Lagos–Nouakchott Highway</li> <li>Dakar–Lagos Highway</li> <li>Lagos–Dakar Highway</li> <li>Trans-African Highway 7 in the <a href="/wiki/Trans-African_Highway" class="mw-redirect" title="Trans-African Highway">Trans-African Highway</a> network</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Air_transport">Air transport</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: Air transport"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The capitals' airports include: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cadjehoun_Airport" title="Cadjehoun Airport">Cadjehoun Airport</a> (COO) International; Cotonou, Benin</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ouagadougou_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Ouagadougou Airport">Ouagadougou Airport</a> (OUA); Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Am%C3%ADlcar_Cabral_International_Airport" title="Amílcar Cabral International Airport">Amílcar Cabral International Airport</a> (SID); Praia, Cape Verde</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Banjul_International_Airport" title="Banjul International Airport">Banjul International Airport</a> (BJL) International; Banjul, Gambia</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kotoka_International_Airport" title="Kotoka International Airport">Kotoka International Airport</a> (ACC); Accra; Ghana</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conakry_International_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Conakry International Airport">Conakry International Airport</a> (CKY); Conakry, Guinea</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Osvaldo_Vieira_International_Airport" title="Osvaldo Vieira International Airport">Osvaldo Vieira International Airport</a> (OXB); Bissau, Guinea-Bissau</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Port_Bouet_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Port Bouet Airport">Port Bouet Airport</a> (ABJ); Abidjan, Ivory Coast</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roberts_International_Airport" title="Roberts International Airport">Roberts International Airport</a> (ROB); Monrovia, Liberia</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bamako%E2%80%93S%C3%A9nou_International_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Bamako–Sénou International Airport">Bamako–Sénou International Airport</a> (BKO); Bamako, Mali</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nouakchott%E2%80%93Oumtounsy_International_Airport" title="Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport">Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport</a> (NKC); Nouakchott, Mauritania</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Diori_Hamani_International_Airport" title="Diori Hamani International Airport">Diori Hamani International Airport</a> (NIM); Niamey, Niger</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Murtala_Muhammed_International_Airport" title="Murtala Muhammed International Airport">Murtala Muhammed International Airport</a> (LOS); Lagos, Nigeria</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saint_Helena_Airport" title="Saint Helena Airport">Saint Helena Airport</a>; Jamestown, Saint Helena</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blaise_Diagne_International_Airport" title="Blaise Diagne International Airport">Blaise Diagne International Airport</a> (DSS); Dakar, Senegal</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lungi_International_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Lungi International Airport">Lungi International Airport</a> (FNA); Freetown, Sierra Leone</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lom%C3%A9%E2%80%93Tokoin_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Lomé–Tokoin Airport">Lomé–Tokoin Airport</a> (LFW); Lomé, Togo</li></ul> <p>Of the sixteen, the most important hub and entry point to West Africa are <a href="/wiki/Kotoka_International_Airport" title="Kotoka International Airport">Kotoka International Airport</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Murtala_Muhammed_International_Airport" title="Murtala Muhammed International Airport">Murtala Muhammed International Airport</a>, offering many international connections. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Health">Health</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: Health"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/History_of_West_Africa#Health" title="History of West Africa">History of West Africa § Health</a></div> <p>West Africa has made considerable improvement in the health outcomes of its populations, despite the challenges posed by pervasive poverty, epidemic diseases, and food insecurity. The traditional communicable diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are still the major reasons for mortality. Primary health care is the best answer to curing diseases, as it provides the basic preventive strategies and it reduce the rate of child and maternal morbidity and mortality—two of the most preventable outcomes that can prolong life expectancy at birth.<sup id="cite_ref-103" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-103"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>103<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Recently, mental health problems are on the rise in West Africa, as they are in many other world regions. However, the subject is largely a taboo, and professional treatment is still rare.<sup id="cite_ref-104" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-104"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>104<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Culture">Culture</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: Culture"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> through to <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, there are general similarities in <a href="/wiki/Boubou_(clothing)" title="Boubou (clothing)">dress</a>, <a href="/wiki/West_African_cuisine" title="West African cuisine">cuisine</a>, <a href="/wiki/Music_of_West_Africa" title="Music of West Africa">music</a> and culture that are not shared extensively with groups outside the geographic region. This long history of cultural exchange predates the colonization era of the region and can be approximately placed at the time of the <a href="/wiki/Ghana_Empire" title="Ghana Empire">Ghana Empire</a> (proper: <a href="/wiki/Wagadou" class="mw-redirect" title="Wagadou">Wagadou</a> Empire), <a href="/wiki/Mali_Empire" title="Mali Empire">Mali Empire</a> or perhaps before these empires. West Africa varies a series of tribes and cultures that have combined a diverse regional subculture.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2024)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Art">Art</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: Art"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/African_art#West_Africa" title="African art">African art § West Africa</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Traditional_architecture">Traditional architecture</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=25" title="Edit section: Traditional architecture"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="Architecture of Africa">Architecture of Africa § West Africa</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg/220px-Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="96" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg/330px-Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg/440px-Airport_in_Timbuktu.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2559" data-file-height="1119" /></a><figcaption>A street and airport in the famous town of <a href="/wiki/Timbuktu" title="Timbuktu">Timbuktu</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, showing the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style of the West African interior</figcaption></figure> <p>The main traditional styles of building (in conjunction with modern styles) are the distinct <a href="/wiki/Sudano-Sahelian_architecture" title="Sudano-Sahelian architecture">Sudano-Sahelian</a> style in inland areas, and the coastal forest styles more reminiscent of other sub-Saharan areas. They differ greatly in construction due to the demands made by the variety of climates in the area, from tropical humid forests to arid grasslands and deserts. Despite the architectural differences, buildings perform similar functions, including the <a href="/wiki/Compound_(enclosure)" title="Compound (enclosure)">compound</a> structure central to West African family life or the strict distinction between the private and public worlds needed to maintain taboos or social etiquette.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2024)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Clothing">Clothing</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=26" title="Edit section: Clothing"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Folk_costume#Western_Africa" title="Folk costume">Folk costume § Western Africa</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg/220px-Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="325" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg/330px-Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg/440px-Philip_Emeagwali_in_white_%22agbada.%22.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2348" data-file-height="3473" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Philip_Emeagwali" title="Philip Emeagwali">Philip Emeagwali</a> wearing the <a href="/wiki/Boubou_(clothing)" title="Boubou (clothing)">Boubou</a> (or <i>Agbada</i>), a traditional robe symbolic of West Africa</figcaption></figure> <p>In contrast to other parts of the continent south of the <a href="/wiki/Sahara_Desert" class="mw-redirect" title="Sahara Desert">Sahara Desert</a>, the concepts of <a href="/wiki/Hem" title="Hem">hemming</a> and <a href="/wiki/Embroidered" class="mw-redirect" title="Embroidered">embroidering</a> clothing have been traditionally common to West Africa for centuries, demonstrated by the production of various <a href="/wiki/Breeches" title="Breeches">breeches</a>, <a href="/wiki/Shirts" class="mw-redirect" title="Shirts">shirts</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tunic" title="Tunic">tunics</a> and <a href="/wiki/Jackets" class="mw-redirect" title="Jackets">jackets</a>. As a result, the people of the region's diverse nations wear a wide variety of clothing with underlying similarities. Typical pieces of West African formal attire include the knee-to-ankle-length, flowing <a href="/wiki/Boubou_(clothing)" title="Boubou (clothing)">Boubou</a> robe, <a href="/wiki/Dashiki" title="Dashiki">Dashiki</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Senegalese" class="mw-redirect" title="Senegalese">Senegalese</a> <a href="/wiki/Kaftan" title="Kaftan">Kaftan</a> (also known as <i>Agbada</i> and <i>Babariga</i>), which has its origins in the clothing of nobility of various West African empires in the 12th century. Traditional half-sleeved, hip-long, woven smocks or tunics (known as <i>fugu</i> in Gurunsi, <i>riga</i> in Hausa) – worn over a pair of baggy trousers—are another popular garment.<sup id="cite_ref-105" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-105"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>105<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the coastal regions stretching from southern Ivory Coast to Benin, a huge rectangular cloth is wrapped under one arm, draped over a shoulder, and held in one of the wearer's hands—coincidentally, reminiscent of <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome">Romans</a>' <a href="/wiki/Toga" title="Toga">togas</a>. The best-known of these toga-like garments is the <a href="/wiki/Kente" class="mw-redirect" title="Kente">Kente</a> (made by the <a href="/wiki/Akan_people" title="Akan people">Akan people</a> of <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a> and <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>), who wear them as a gesture of national pride. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Cuisine">Cuisine</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=27" title="Edit section: Cuisine"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/West_African_cuisine" title="West African cuisine">West African cuisine</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/History_of_West_Africa#Cuisine" title="History of West Africa">History of West Africa § Cuisine</a>, <a href="/wiki/African_cuisine#West_Africa" title="African cuisine">African cuisine § West Africa</a>, and <a href="/wiki/List_of_African_cuisines#West_African_cuisine" title="List of African cuisines">List of African cuisines § West African cuisine</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Jollof_rice.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Jollof_rice.jpg/220px-Jollof_rice.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="206" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Jollof_rice.jpg/330px-Jollof_rice.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Jollof_rice.jpg 2x" data-file-width="371" data-file-height="348" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Jollof_rice" title="Jollof rice">Jollof rice</a> or <i>Benachin</i>, one of many Pan–West African dishes found only in West Africa</figcaption></figure> <p>Scores of foreign visitors to West African nations (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Merchant" title="Merchant">traders</a>, <a href="/wiki/Historians" class="mw-redirect" title="Historians">historians</a>, <a href="/wiki/Emigrant" class="mw-redirect" title="Emigrant">emigrants</a>, colonists, missionaries) have benefited from its citizens' generosity, and even left with a piece of its cultural heritage, via its foods. West African cuisines have had a significant influence on those of <a href="/wiki/Western_culture" title="Western culture">Western civilization</a> for centuries; several dishes of West African origin are currently enjoyed in the <a href="/wiki/Caribbean" title="Caribbean">Caribbean</a> (e.g., the <a href="/wiki/West_Indies" title="West Indies">West Indies</a> and <a href="/wiki/Haiti" title="Haiti">Haiti</a>); Australia; the USA (particularly <a href="/wiki/Louisiana" title="Louisiana">Louisiana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Virginia" title="Virginia">Virginia</a>, <a href="/wiki/North_Carolina" title="North Carolina">North</a> and <a href="/wiki/South_Carolina" title="South Carolina">South Carolina</a>); Italy; and other countries. Although some of these recipes have been altered to suit the sensibilities of their adopters, they retain a distinct West African essence.<sup id="cite_ref-106" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-106"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>106<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>West African cuisines include fish (especially among the coastal areas), meat, vegetables, and fruits—most of which are grown by the nation's local farmers. In spite of the obvious differences among the various local cuisines in this multinational region, the foods display more similarities than differences. The small difference may be in the ingredients used. Most foods are cooked via boiling or frying. Commonly featured, starchy vegetables include <a href="/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)" title="Yam (vegetable)">yams</a>, <a href="/wiki/Plantain_(cooking)" class="mw-redirect" title="Plantain (cooking)">plantains</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cassava" title="Cassava">cassava</a>, and sweet potatoes.<sup id="cite_ref-107" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-107"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>107<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Rice is also a staple food, as is the <a href="/wiki/Serer_people" title="Serer people">Serer people</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Sorghum" title="Sorghum">sorghum</a> <a href="/wiki/Couscous" title="Couscous">couscous</a> (called <span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span><i>Chereh</i><span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span> in <a href="/wiki/Serer_language" title="Serer language">Serer</a>) particularly in Senegal and <a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">the Gambia</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-108" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-108"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>108<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Jollof_rice" title="Jollof rice">Jollof rice</a>—originally from the <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Jolof" title="Kingdom of Jolof">Kingdom of Jolof</a> (now part of modern-day Senegal) but has spread to the Wolofs of Gambia—is also enjoyed in many Western nations, as well;<sup id="cite_ref-109" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-109"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>109<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Maafe" class="mw-redirect" title="Maafe">Mafé</a> (proper: <span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span><i>Tigh-dege-na<span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span></i> or <i>Domodah</i>) from <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> (via the <a href="/wiki/Bambara_people" title="Bambara people">Bambara</a> and <a href="/wiki/Mandinka_people" title="Mandinka people">Mandinka</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-110" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-110"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>110<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>—a peanut-butter stew served with rice;<sup id="cite_ref-111" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-111"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>111<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-112" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-112"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>112<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Akara" title="Akara">Akara</a> (fried bean balls seasoned with spices served with sauce and bread) from Nigeria is a favorite breakfast for Gambians and Senegalese, as well as a favorite side snack or side dish in <a href="/wiki/Brazil" title="Brazil">Brazil</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Caribbean" title="Caribbean">Caribbean</a> just as it is in West Africa. It is said that its exact origin may be from <a href="/wiki/Yorubaland" title="Yorubaland">Yorubaland</a> in Nigeria.<sup id="cite_ref-113" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-113"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>113<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-114" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-114"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>114<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Fufu" title="Fufu">Fufu</a> (from the <a href="/wiki/Twi_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Twi language">Twi language</a>, a dough served with a spicy stew or sauce for example <a href="/wiki/Okra" title="Okra">okra</a> stew etc.) from <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a> is enjoyed throughout the region and beyond even in <a href="/wiki/Central_Africa" title="Central Africa">Central Africa</a> with their own versions of it.<sup id="cite_ref-115" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-115"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>115<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Dishes such as <a href="/wiki/Taguella" title="Taguella">taguella</a>, <a href="/wiki/Eghajira" title="Eghajira">eghajira</a>, etc. are popular among the <a href="/wiki/Tuareg_people" title="Tuareg people">Tuareg people</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-116" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-116"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>116<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Recreation_and_sports">Recreation and sports</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=28" title="Edit section: Recreation and sports"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/West_Africa_cricket_team" title="West Africa cricket team">West Africa cricket team</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Supportairemimos.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Supportairemimos.jpg/220px-Supportairemimos.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="139" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Supportairemimos.jpg/330px-Supportairemimos.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Supportairemimos.jpg/440px-Supportairemimos.jpg 2x" data-file-width="450" data-file-height="285" /></a><figcaption>Supporters of <a href="/wiki/ASEC_Mimosas" title="ASEC Mimosas">ASEC Mimosas</a></figcaption></figure> <p>The board game <a href="/wiki/Oware" title="Oware">oware</a> is quite popular in many parts of Southern Africa. The word <i>"Oware"</i> originates from the <a href="/wiki/Akan_people" title="Akan people">Akan people</a> of Ghana. However, virtually all African peoples have a version of this board game.<sup id="cite_ref-117" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-117"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>117<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The major <a href="/wiki/Multi-sport_event" title="Multi-sport event">multi-sport event</a> of West Africa is the ECOWAS Games which commenced at the <a href="/wiki/2012_ECOWAS_Games" title="2012 ECOWAS Games">2012 ECOWAS Games</a>. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Association_football" title="Association football">Football</a> is also a pastime enjoyed by many, either spectating or playing. The major national teams of West Africa, the <a href="/wiki/Ghana_national_football_team" title="Ghana national football team">Ghana national football team</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast_national_football_team" title="Ivory Coast national football team">Ivory Coast national football team</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Nigeria_national_football_team" title="Nigeria national football team">Nigeria national football team</a> regularly win the <a href="/wiki/Africa_Cup_of_Nations" title="Africa Cup of Nations">Africa Cup of Nations</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-118" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-118"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>118<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Major <a href="/wiki/Football_team" title="Football team">football teams</a> of West Africa are <a href="/wiki/Asante_Kotoko_SC" class="mw-redirect" title="Asante Kotoko SC">Asante Kotoko SC</a> and <a href="/wiki/Accra_Hearts_of_Oak_SC" class="mw-redirect" title="Accra Hearts of Oak SC">Accra Hearts of Oak SC</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Ghana_Premier_League" title="Ghana Premier League">Ghana Premier League</a>, <a href="/wiki/Enyimba_International_F.C." class="mw-redirect" title="Enyimba International F.C.">Enyimba International</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Nigerian_Premier_League" class="mw-redirect" title="Nigerian Premier League">Nigerian Premier League</a> and <a href="/wiki/ASEC_Mimosas" title="ASEC Mimosas">ASEC Mimosas</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Ligue_1_(Ivory_Coast)" title="Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast)">Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast)</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Association_football" title="Association football">football</a> governing body of West Africa is the <a href="/wiki/West_African_Football_Union" title="West African Football Union">West African Football Union</a> (WAFU) and the major tournament is the <a href="/wiki/West_African_Club_Championship" title="West African Club Championship">West African Club Championship</a> and <a href="/wiki/WAFU_Nations_Cup" title="WAFU Nations Cup">WAFU Nations Cup</a>, along with the annual individual award of <a href="/wiki/West_African_Footballer_of_the_Year" title="West African Footballer of the Year">West African Footballer of the Year</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-119" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-119"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>119<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-WAFU_split-2_120-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WAFU_split-2-120"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>120<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Music">Music</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=29" title="Edit section: Music"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Music_of_West_Africa" title="Music of West Africa">Music of West Africa</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Music_of_Africa#West,_Central,_Southeast_and_South_Africa" title="Music of Africa">Music of Africa § West, Central, Southeast and South Africa</a>; and <a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan_African_music_traditions#West_Africa" title="Sub-Saharan African music traditions">Sub-Saharan African music traditions § West Africa</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:TalkingDrum.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/TalkingDrum.jpg/220px-TalkingDrum.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/TalkingDrum.jpg/330px-TalkingDrum.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/TalkingDrum.jpg/440px-TalkingDrum.jpg 2x" data-file-width="614" data-file-height="461" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Talking_drum" title="Talking drum">talking drum</a> is an instrument unique to West Africa.</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Mbalax" title="Mbalax">Mbalax</a>, <a href="/wiki/Highlife" title="Highlife">Highlife</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fuji_music" title="Fuji music">Fuji</a>, <a href="/wiki/Afrobeat" title="Afrobeat">Afrobeat</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Afrobeats" title="Afrobeats">Afrobeats</a> are modern musical genres of West Africa and its diaspora. Traditional <a href="/wiki/Folk_music" title="Folk music">folk music</a> is also well-preserved. Some types of folk music are religious in nature such as the "Tassou" tradition used in <a href="/wiki/Serer_religion" title="Serer religion">Serer religion</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-121" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-121"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>121<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Griot_artists">Griot artists</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=30" title="Edit section: Griot artists"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg/220px-Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="328" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg/330px-Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg/440px-Bijoutier_et_joueurs_de_kora.jpg 2x" data-file-width="510" data-file-height="760" /></a><figcaption>Kora-playing <a href="/wiki/Griots" class="mw-redirect" title="Griots">griots</a> in <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, 1900. Both the <a href="/wiki/Kora_(instrument)" title="Kora (instrument)">Kora</a>, a 21-stringed harp-lute, and the griot musical caste are unique to West Africa.</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Griot" title="Griot">Griot</a> artists and praise-singing is an important musical tradition related to the oral history of West African culture. Traditionally, musical and oral history as conveyed over generations by griots are typical of West African culture in <a href="/wiki/Mand%C3%A9_peoples" title="Mandé peoples">Mande</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wolof_people" title="Wolof people">Wolof</a>, <a href="/wiki/Songhai_people" title="Songhai people">Songhay</a>, <a href="/wiki/Serer_people" title="Serer people">Serer</a> and, to some extent, <a href="/wiki/Fula_people" title="Fula people">Fula</a> areas in the far west. A hereditary caste occupying the fringes of society, the griots were charged with memorizing the histories of local rulers and personages and the caste was further broken down into music-playing griots (similar to <a href="/wiki/Bard" title="Bard">bards</a>) and non-music-playing griots. Like Praise-singers, the griot's main profession was musical acquisition and prowess, and patrons were the sole means of financial support. Modern griots enjoy higher status in the patronage of rich individuals in places such as <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a> and <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a>, and to some extent make up the vast majority of musicians in these countries. Examples of modern popular griot artists include <a href="/wiki/Youssou_N%27Dour" title="Youssou N'Dour">Youssou N'Dour</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mamadou_Diabate" class="mw-redirect" title="Mamadou Diabate">Mamadou Diabate</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sona_Jobarteh" title="Sona Jobarteh">Sona Jobareteh</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Toumani_Diabate" class="mw-redirect" title="Toumani Diabate">Toumani Diabate</a>. </p><p>In other areas of West Africa, primarily among the <a href="/wiki/Hausa_people" title="Hausa people">Hausa</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mossi_people" title="Mossi people">Mossi</a>, <a href="/wiki/Dagomba_people" title="Dagomba people">Dagomba</a> and <a href="/wiki/Yoruba_people" title="Yoruba people">Yoruba</a> in the area encompassing <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>, northern <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> and <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a>, the traditional profession of non-hereditary praise-singers, <a href="/wiki/Minstrels" class="mw-redirect" title="Minstrels">minstrels</a>, bards and poets play a vital role in extending the public show of power, lineage and prestige of traditional rulers through their exclusive patronage. Like the griot tradition, praise singers are charged with knowing the details of specific historical events and royal lineages, but more importantly need to be capable of poetic improvisation and creativity, with knowledge of traditional songs directed towards showing a patron's financial and political or religious power. Competition between Praise-singing ensembles and artists is high, and artists responsible for any extraordinarily skilled prose, musical compositions, and panegyric songs are lavishly rewarded with money, clothing, provisions and other luxuries by patrons who are usually politicians, rulers, Islamic clerics and merchants; these successful praise-singers rise to national stardom. Examples include <a href="/wiki/Mamman_Shata" title="Mamman Shata">Mamman Shata</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=Souley_Konko&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Souley Konko (page does not exist)">Souley Konko</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fati_Niger" title="Fati Niger">Fati Niger</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=Saadou_Bori&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Saadou Bori (page does not exist)">Saadou Bori</a> and <a href="/wiki/Dan_Maraya" title="Dan Maraya">Dan Maraya</a>. In the case of Niger, numerous praise songs are composed and shown on television in praise of local rulers, Islamic clerics, and politicians. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Theatre">Theatre</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=31" title="Edit section: Theatre"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/History_of_theatre#West_African_theatre" title="History of theatre">History of theatre § West African theatre</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Film_industry">Film industry</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=32" title="Edit section: Film industry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Cinema_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="Cinema of Africa">Cinema of Africa § West Africa</a></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Nollywood" title="Nollywood">Nollywood</a> of Nigeria, is the main film industry of West Africa. The Nigerian cinema industry is the second largest film industry in terms of number of annual film productions, ahead of the <a href="/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_States" title="Cinema of the United States">American film industry</a> in <a href="/wiki/Hollywood,_Los_Angeles" title="Hollywood, Los Angeles">Hollywood</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-122" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-122"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>122<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Cinema_of_Senegal" title="Cinema of Senegal">Senegal</a> and <a href="/wiki/Cinema_of_Ghana" title="Cinema of Ghana">Ghana</a> also have long traditions of producing films. The late <a href="/wiki/Ousmane_Semb%C3%A8ne" title="Ousmane Sembène">Ousmane Sembène</a>, the Senegalese film director, producer and writer is from the region, as is the <a href="/wiki/Ghanaian" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghanaian">Ghanaian</a> <a href="/wiki/Shirley_Frimpong-Manso" title="Shirley Frimpong-Manso">Shirley Frimpong-Manso</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Religion">Religion</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=33" title="Edit section: Religion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Islam">Islam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=34" title="Edit section: Islam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Islam_in_Africa" title="Islam in Africa">Islam in Africa</a> and <a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Africa#Islam" title="Religion in Africa">Religion in Africa § Islam</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg/280px-Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg" decoding="async" width="280" height="133" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg/420px-Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg/560px-Djenn%C3%A9_Moschee.jpg 2x" data-file-width="708" data-file-height="336" /></a><figcaption>The 13th-century <a href="/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Djenn%C3%A9" title="Great Mosque of Djenné">Great Mosque of Djenné</a> is a superb example of the indigenous <a href="/wiki/Sahelian_architecture" class="mw-redirect" title="Sahelian architecture">Sahelian architectural</a> style prevalent in the Savannah and Sahelian interior of West Africa. It is listed an <a href="/wiki/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site" class="mw-redirect" title="UNESCO World Heritage Site">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a> is the predominant <a href="/wiki/Religion" title="Religion">religion</a> of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent (71% of West Africans); and was introduced to the region by traders in the 9th century. Islam is the religion of the region's biggest ethnic groups by population. Islamic rules on livelihood, values, dress and practices had a profound effect on the populations and cultures in their predominant areas, so much so that the concept of tribalism<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Vagueness" title="Wikipedia:Vagueness"><span title="This information is too vague. (June 2024)">vague</span></a></i>]</sup> is less observed by Islamized groups like the <a href="/wiki/Wolof_people" title="Wolof people">Wolof</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hausa_people" title="Hausa people">Hausa</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fula_people" title="Fula people">Fula</a>, <a href="/wiki/Songhai_people" title="Songhai people">Songhai</a>, <a href="/wiki/Zarma_people" title="Zarma people">Zarma</a> or <a href="/wiki/Soninke_people" title="Soninke people">Soninke</a>, than they are by non-Islamized groups.<sup id="cite_ref-123" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-123"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>123<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Ethnic intermarriage and shared cultural icons are established through a superseded commonality of belief or community, known as <a href="/wiki/Ummah" title="Ummah">ummah</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-124" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-124"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>124<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Traditional Muslim areas include <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gambia" class="mw-redirect" title="Gambia">Gambia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mauritania" title="Mauritania">Mauritania</a>, <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a>, <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a>; the upper coast of <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a> and inland <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a>; the western, northern and far-eastern regions of <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>; and the northern halves of the coastal nations of <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a> and <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-125" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-125"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>125<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="African_traditional">African traditional</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=35" title="Edit section: African traditional"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Traditional_African_religion#West_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="Traditional African religion">Traditional African religion § West Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/West_African_Vodun" class="mw-redirect" title="West African Vodun">West African Vodun</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Africa#African_Traditional_Religion" title="Religion in Africa">Religion in Africa § African Traditional Religion</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Voodo-altar.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Voodo-altar.jpg/150px-Voodo-altar.jpg" decoding="async" width="150" height="100" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Voodo-altar.jpg/225px-Voodo-altar.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Voodo-altar.jpg/300px-Voodo-altar.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3888" data-file-height="2592" /></a><figcaption>Voodoo altar with several fetishes in <a href="/wiki/Abomey" title="Abomey">Abomey</a>, Benin</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Traditional_African_religion" class="mw-redirect" title="Traditional African religion">Traditional African religions</a> (noting the many different belief systems) are the oldest belief systems among the populations of this region, and include <a href="/wiki/Akan_religion" title="Akan religion">Akan religion</a>, <a href="/wiki/Yoruba_religion" title="Yoruba religion">Yoruba religion</a>, <a href="/wiki/Odinani" class="mw-redirect" title="Odinani">Odinani</a>-<a href="/wiki/Igbo_people" title="Igbo people">Igbo</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Serer_religion" title="Serer religion">Serer religion</a>. They are <a href="/wiki/Spirituality" title="Spirituality">spiritual</a> <a href="/wiki/Creed" title="Creed">creeds</a> that also perform other functions such as preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the people,<sup id="cite_ref-126" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-126"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>126<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and "West African tribal groups" blend social and <a href="/wiki/Religious_ritual" class="mw-redirect" title="Religious ritual">religious rituals</a> together to the point where there is usually not "much distinction" between them.<sup id="cite_ref-:02_127-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:02-127"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>127<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although traditional beliefs vary from one place to the next, there are more similarities than differences.<sup id="cite_ref-128" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-128"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>128<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Most traditional religious organizations "do not have a formal hierarchy of <a href="/wiki/Priest" title="Priest">priests</a>."<sup id="cite_ref-:02_127-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:02-127"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>127<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Group rituals are usually overseen by tribal elders who, "within many cultures", "serve as the main religious figures and determine the time, nature, and intricacies of rituals", or <a href="/wiki/Shamanism" title="Shamanism">shaman</a> priests who can use magic to heal, control fate, and connect to the spirit world.<sup id="cite_ref-:02_127-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:02-127"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>127<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Christianity">Christianity</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=36" title="Edit section: Christianity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_Africa" title="Christianity in Africa">Christianity in Africa</a> and <a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Africa#Christianity" title="Religion in Africa">Religion in Africa § Christianity</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity,_Onitsha.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg/220px-Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="232" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg/330px-Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg/440px-Basilica_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity%2C_Onitsha.jpg 2x" data-file-width="675" data-file-height="713" /></a><figcaption>Cathedral <a href="/wiki/Basilica" title="Basilica">Basilica</a> of the Most <a href="/wiki/Trinity" title="Trinity">Holy Trinity</a>, <a href="/wiki/Onitsha" title="Onitsha">Onitsha</a>, Nigeria</figcaption></figure> <p>In 2010, around 20% of West Africans identified as <a href="/wiki/Christians" title="Christians">Christians</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-129" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-129"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>129<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> was largely introduced from the late 19th century onward, when missionaries from European countries brought the religion to the region.<sup id="cite_ref-130" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-130"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>130<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> West African Christians are predominantly <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Roman Catholic</a> or <a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglican</a>; some <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Christianity" class="mw-redirect" title="Evangelical Christianity">Evangelical</a> churches have also been established. Christianity has become the predominant religion in the <a href="/wiki/Middle_Belt" title="Middle Belt">central</a> and southern part of <a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Nigeria" title="Religion in Nigeria">Nigeria</a>, southern <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>, and the coastal regions stretching from southern <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a> to coastal parts of <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a>. Like Islam, elements of traditional African religion are mixed with Christianity.<sup id="cite_ref-131" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-131"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>131<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Demographics_and_languages">Demographics and languages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=37" title="Edit section: Demographics and languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Demographics_of_Africa" title="Demographics of Africa">Demographics of Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="List of ethnic groups of Africa">List of ethnic groups of Africa § West Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_African_countries_by_population" title="List of African countries by population">List of African countries by population</a>, <a href="/wiki/African_diaspora" title="African diaspora">African diaspora</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Writing_systems_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="Writing systems of Africa">Writing systems of Africa § West Africa</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Recent_Language_Family_map.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Recent_Language_Family_map.png/220px-Recent_Language_Family_map.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="85" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Recent_Language_Family_map.png/330px-Recent_Language_Family_map.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Recent_Language_Family_map.png/440px-Recent_Language_Family_map.png 2x" data-file-width="994" data-file-height="383" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Native West Africans primarily speak <a href="/wiki/Niger%E2%80%93Congo_languages" title="Niger–Congo languages">Niger–Congo languages</a>, belonging mostly, though not exclusively, to its non-Bantu branches, though some <a href="/wiki/Nilo-Saharan" class="mw-redirect" title="Nilo-Saharan">Nilo-Saharan</a> and <a href="/wiki/Afroasiatic_languages" title="Afroasiatic languages">Afro-Asiatic</a> speaking groups are also found in West Africa. The Niger–Congo-speaking <a href="/wiki/Yoruba_people" title="Yoruba people">Yoruba</a>, <a href="/wiki/Igbo_people" title="Igbo people">Igbo</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fulani" class="mw-redirect" title="Fulani">Fulani</a>, <a href="/wiki/Akan_people" title="Akan people">Akan</a> and <a href="/wiki/Wolof_people" title="Wolof people">Wolof</a> ethnic groups are the largest and most influential. In the central Sudan/Sahel, <a href="/wiki/Mandinka_people" title="Mandinka people">Mandinka</a> or <a href="/wiki/Mand%C3%A9_peoples" title="Mandé peoples">Mande</a> groups are most significant. Chadic-speaking groups, most prominently including the <a href="/wiki/Hausa_people" title="Hausa people">Hausa</a>, and Nilo-Saharan-speaking communities, such as the <a href="/wiki/Songhai_people" title="Songhai people">Songhai</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kanuri_people" title="Kanuri people">Kanuri</a> and <a href="/wiki/Zarma_people" title="Zarma people">Zarma</a>, are found in the eastern parts of the Sahel bordering <a href="/wiki/Central_Africa" title="Central Africa">Central Africa</a>. In <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>, <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>, the nomadic <a href="/wiki/Tuareg" class="mw-redirect" title="Tuareg">Tuareg</a> speak the <a href="/wiki/Tuareg_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Tuareg language">Tuareg language</a>, a Berber language. The population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million<sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UN_WPP_2022-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> people as of 2021. </p><p>Colonial languages also play a pivotal cultural and political role, being adopted as the official languages of most countries in the region, as well as <i>linguae franca</i> in communication between the region's various ethnic groups. For historical reasons, Western European languages such as <a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a>, <a href="/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English</a> and <a href="/wiki/Portuguese_language" title="Portuguese language">Portuguese</a> predominate in Southern and Coastal subregions, whilst <a href="/wiki/Arabic_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Arabic language">Arabic</a> (in its <a href="/wiki/Maghrebi_Arabic" title="Maghrebi Arabic">Maghrebi</a> varieties) spreads inland northwards. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Architecture">Architecture</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=38" title="Edit section: Architecture"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Further information in the sections of <a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_Africa" title="Architecture of Africa">Architecture of Africa</a>:</i> </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_Africa#North_Africa" title="Architecture of Africa">Prehistoric West African Architecture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_Africa#West_Africa" title="Architecture of Africa">Ancient West African Architecture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_Africa#West_Africa_2" title="Architecture of Africa">Medieval West African Architecture</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Science_and_technology">Science and technology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=39" title="Edit section: Science and technology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Further information in the sections of <a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa" title="History of science and technology in Africa">History of science and technology in Africa</a>:</i> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1184024115">.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}</style><div class="div-col div-col-small"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Education</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_2" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Astronomy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_3" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Mathematics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Metallurgy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_4" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_5" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Agriculture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_6" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Textiles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_7" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Maritime technology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_2" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Architecture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_3" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Communication systems</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_4" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Warfare</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_and_the_Sahel_8" title="History of science and technology in Africa">Commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_science_and_technology_in_Africa#West_Africa_5" title="History of science and technology in Africa">By country</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Economic_and_regional_organizations">Economic and regional organizations</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=40" title="Edit section: Economic and regional organizations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg/310px-Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg.png" decoding="async" width="310" height="300" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg/465px-Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg/620px-Petroleum_regions_-_West_Africa_map-fr.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1270" data-file-height="1229" /></a><figcaption>Map of <a href="/wiki/Petroleum" title="Petroleum">petroleum</a> and <a href="/wiki/Natural_gas" title="Natural gas">natural gas</a> within West Africa</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Economic_Community_of_West_Africa">Economic Community of West Africa</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=41" title="Edit section: Economic Community of West Africa"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="excerpt-block"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1066933788"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable dablink excerpt-hat selfref">This section is an excerpt from <a href="/wiki/ECOWAS" title="ECOWAS">ECOWAS</a>.<span class="mw-editsection-like plainlinks"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ECOWAS&action=edit">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div><div class="excerpt"> <p>The Economic Community of West African States (<a href="/wiki/ECOWAS" title="ECOWAS">ECOWAS</a>; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional <a href="/wiki/Political_union" title="Political union">political</a> and <a href="/wiki/Economic_union" title="Economic union">economic union</a> of fifteen countries of West Africa. Collectively, the countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km<sup>2</sup> (1,974,589 sq mi) and have an estimated population of over 424.34 million.<sup id="cite_ref-132" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-132"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>132<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Considered one of the pillar <a href="/wiki/Regional_Economic_Communities" title="Regional Economic Communities">regional blocs</a> of the continent-wide <a href="/wiki/African_Economic_Community" title="African Economic Community">African Economic Community</a> (AEC), the stated goal of ECOWAS is to achieve "collective <a href="/wiki/Self-sustainability" title="Self-sustainability">self-sufficiency</a>" for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union. Additionally, ECOWAS aims to raise <a href="/wiki/Standard_of_living" title="Standard of living">living standards</a> and promote <a href="/wiki/Economic_development" title="Economic development">economic development</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-133" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-133"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>133<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the <a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Lagos" title="Treaty of Lagos">Treaty of Lagos</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-134" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-134"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>134<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. A revised version of the <a href="/wiki/Treaty" title="Treaty">treaty</a> was agreed and signed on 24 July 1993 in <a href="/wiki/Cotonou" title="Cotonou">Cotonou</a>, the largest city in Benin.<sup id="cite_ref-135" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-135"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>135<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>ECOWAS's fundamental principles rely on <a href="/wiki/Equity_(law)" title="Equity (law)">equity</a>, inter-dependence, solidarity, co-operation, nonaggression, regional peace, promotion of <a href="/wiki/Human_rights" title="Human rights">human rights</a>, and economic and <a href="/wiki/Social_justice" title="Social justice">social justice</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-136" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-136"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>136<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Notably among ECOWAS's protocols and plans are the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons, Residences and Establishment Protocol and the Ecotour Action Plan 2019–2029. The <i>Free Movement of Persons Protocol</i> permits citizens the right to enter and reside in any member state's territory,<sup id="cite_ref-ECOWAS_:4_137-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ECOWAS_:4-137"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>137<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the <i>Ecotour Action Plan</i> aims to develop and integrate the tourist industry of each member state.<sup id="cite_ref-ECOWAS_:6_138-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ECOWAS_:6-138"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>138<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>ECOWAS also serves as a <a href="/wiki/Peacekeeping" title="Peacekeeping">peacekeeping</a> force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint <a href="/wiki/Military_forces" class="mw-redirect" title="Military forces">military forces</a> to intervene in the bloc's member countries at times of political instability and unrest.<sup id="cite_ref-ECOWAS_deployment_to_liberia_2003_08_06_janes_defense_weekly_139-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ECOWAS_deployment_to_liberia_2003_08_06_janes_defense_weekly-139"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>139<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ECOWAS_yahoomilint_140-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ECOWAS_yahoomilint-140"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>140<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> In 2024, <a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a>, <a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> announced their withdrawal from the bloc.<sup id="cite_ref-141" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-141"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>141<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The countries had earlier been suspended from ECOWAS due to <a href="/wiki/Coup_Belt" title="Coup Belt">military takeovers of their respective governments</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-142" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-142"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>142<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="West_African_Monetary_Union">West African Monetary Union</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=42" title="Edit section: West African Monetary Union"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/West_African_Monetary_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="West African Monetary Union">West African Monetary Union</a> (or UEMOA from its name in French, <i>Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine</i>) is limited to the eight, mostly Francophone countries that employ the <a href="/wiki/CFA_franc" title="CFA franc">CFA franc</a> as their common currency. The <a href="/wiki/Liptako%E2%80%93Gourma_Authority" title="Liptako–Gourma Authority">Liptako–Gourma Authority</a> of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso seeks to jointly develop the contiguous areas of the three countries. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Women's_peace_movement"><span id="Women.27s_peace_movement"></span>Women's peace movement</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=43" title="Edit section: Women's peace movement"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Since the adoption of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_1325" title="United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325</a> in 2000, women have been engaged in rebuilding war-torn Africa. Starting with the <a href="/wiki/Women_of_Liberia_Mass_Action_for_Peace" title="Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace">Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace</a> and Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), the <a href="/wiki/Peace_movement" title="Peace movement">peace movement</a> has grown to include women across West Africa. </p><p>Established on 8 May 2006, <a href="/wiki/Women_Peace_and_Security_Network_%E2%80%93_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="Women Peace and Security Network – Africa">Women Peace and Security Network – Africa</a> (WIPSEN-Africa), is a women-focused, women-led <a href="/wiki/Pan-African" class="mw-redirect" title="Pan-African">Pan-African</a> non-governmental organization based in <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-About_WIPSEN_143-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-About_WIPSEN-143"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>143<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The organization focuses on empowering women to have a role in political and peace governance in Africa.<sup id="cite_ref-About_WIPSEN_143-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-About_WIPSEN-143"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>143<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It has a presence in <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a>, <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a>. Regional leaders of <a href="/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance" title="Nonviolent resistance">nonviolent resistance</a> include <a href="/wiki/Leymah_Gbowee" title="Leymah Gbowee">Leymah Gbowee</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-144" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-144"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>144<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Comfort_Freeman" class="mw-redirect" title="Comfort Freeman">Comfort Freeman</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Aya_Virginie_Toure" class="mw-redirect" title="Aya Virginie Toure">Aya Virginie Toure</a>. </p><p><i><a href="/wiki/Pray_the_Devil_Back_to_Hell" title="Pray the Devil Back to Hell">Pray the Devil Back to Hell</a></i> is a documentary film about the origin of this peace movement. The film has been used as an advocacy tool in post-conflict zones like <a href="/wiki/Sudan" title="Sudan">Sudan</a> and <a href="/wiki/Zimbabwe" title="Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe</a>, mobilizing African women to petition for peace and security.<sup id="cite_ref-145" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-145"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>145<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Gallery">Gallery</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=44" title="Edit section: Gallery"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Cityscapes_of_the_largest_cities">Cityscapes of the largest cities</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=45" title="Edit section: Cityscapes of the largest cities"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti">.mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparent;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbcaption{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-left{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-right{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-center{text-align:center}@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti 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href="/wiki/File:Lagos_Island.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Lagos_Island.jpg/425px-Lagos_Island.jpg" decoding="async" width="425" height="241" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Lagos_Island.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="583" data-file-height="330" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:362px;max-width:362px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg/360px-Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg" decoding="async" width="360" height="240" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg/540px-Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Lagos_1_galleryfull.jpg 2x" data-file-width="583" data-file-height="389" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Lagos" title="Lagos">Lagos</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lagos_State" title="Lagos State">Lagos State</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a></div></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti"><div class="thumb tmulti tright" style="background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:1116px;max-width:1116px;background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:370px;max-width:370px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Abuja,_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg/368px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg" decoding="async" width="368" height="276" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg/552px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg/736px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_3.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:370px;max-width:370px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Abuja,_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg/368px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg" decoding="async" width="368" height="276" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg/552px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg/736px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory_2.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:370px;max-width:370px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Abuja,_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg/368px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg" decoding="async" width="368" height="276" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg/552px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg/736px-Abuja%2C_Federal_Capital_Territory.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Abuja" title="Abuja">Abuja</a>, <a href="/wiki/Federal_Capital_Territory_(Nigeria)" title="Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria)">Federal Capital Territory</a>, Nigeria</div></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti"><div class="thumb tmulti tright" style="background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:1119px;max-width:1119px;background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:337px;max-width:337px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:City_Of_Accra.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/City_Of_Accra.jpg" decoding="async" width="335" height="222" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="320" data-file-height="212" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:439px;max-width:439px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:City_of_Accra.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/City_of_Accra.jpg/437px-City_of_Accra.jpg" decoding="async" width="437" height="223" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/City_of_Accra.jpg/656px-City_of_Accra.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/City_of_Accra.jpg/874px-City_of_Accra.jpg 2x" data-file-width="929" data-file-height="474" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:337px;max-width:337px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg/335px-Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg" decoding="async" width="335" height="223" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg/503px-Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg/670px-Modern_Accra_Buildings.jpg 2x" data-file-width="960" data-file-height="640" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Accra" title="Accra">Accra</a>, <a href="/wiki/Greater_Accra_Region" title="Greater Accra Region">Greater Accra</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a></div></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti"><div class="thumb tmulti tright" style="background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:1119px;max-width:1119px;background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:371px;max-width:371px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:AbidjanSib.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/AbidjanSib.JPG/369px-AbidjanSib.JPG" decoding="async" width="369" height="277" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/AbidjanSib.JPG/554px-AbidjanSib.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/AbidjanSib.JPG/738px-AbidjanSib.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:371px;max-width:371px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG/369px-Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG" decoding="async" width="369" height="277" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG/554px-Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG/738px-Abidjan-Plateau1.JPG 2x" data-file-width="819" data-file-height="614" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:371px;max-width:371px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Abidjanpyramid.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Abidjanpyramid.JPG/369px-Abidjanpyramid.JPG" decoding="async" width="369" height="277" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Abidjanpyramid.JPG/554px-Abidjanpyramid.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Abidjanpyramid.JPG/738px-Abidjanpyramid.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Abidjan" title="Abidjan">Abidjan</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lagunes_Region" title="Lagunes Region">Lagunes</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a></div></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti"><div class="thumb tmulti tright" style="background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:1114px;max-width:1114px;background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:354px;max-width:354px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg/352px-Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg" decoding="async" width="352" height="264" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg/528px-Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Aerial_View_of_Kumasi_in_2003.jpg 2x" data-file-width="640" data-file-height="480" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:354px;max-width:354px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg/352px-Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg" decoding="async" width="352" height="264" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg/528px-Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg/704px-Ghana_Commercial_Bank_in_Kumasi.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3264" data-file-height="2448" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:400px;max-width:400px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Gravity_Road,_Kumasi.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg/398px-Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg" decoding="async" width="398" height="264" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg/597px-Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg/796px-Gravity_Road%2C_Kumasi.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4928" data-file-height="3264" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Kumasi" title="Kumasi">Kumasi</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ashanti_Region" title="Ashanti Region">Ashanti</a>, Ghana</div></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti"><div class="thumb tmulti tright" style="background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:768px;max-width:768px;background-color:#BBDD99"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:297px;max-width:297px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:PortHacourt1.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/PortHacourt1.jpg/295px-PortHacourt1.jpg" decoding="async" width="295" height="257" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/PortHacourt1.jpg/443px-PortHacourt1.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/PortHacourt1.jpg/590px-PortHacourt1.jpg 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="522" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="background-color:#BBDD99;width:467px;max-width:467px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Pitakwa.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Pitakwa.jpg/465px-Pitakwa.jpg" decoding="async" width="465" height="257" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Pitakwa.jpg/698px-Pitakwa.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Pitakwa.jpg/930px-Pitakwa.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="565" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flow-root"><div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align:center;background-color:#BBDD99"><a href="/wiki/Bird%27s-eye_view" title="Bird's-eye view">Bird's-eye view</a> of the West Africa <a href="/wiki/City" title="City">City</a> of <a href="/wiki/Port_Harcourt" title="Port Harcourt">Port Harcourt</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rivers_State" title="Rivers State">Rivers State</a>, Nigeria</div></div></div></div> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Capital_cities_of_West_Africa">Capital cities of West Africa</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=46" title="Edit section: Capital cities of West Africa"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul class="gallery mw-gallery-packed"> <li class="gallerycaption">Capital cities of West Africa</li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 246.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 244.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Praia, Cape Verde"><img alt="Praia, Cape Verde" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg/367px-Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg" decoding="async" width="245" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg/550px-Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg/734px-Praia_coast_Cape_Verde.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4146" data-file-height="2036" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Praia" title="Praia">Praia</a>, Cape Verde</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Dakar, Senegal"><img alt="Dakar, Senegal" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg/240px-Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg/360px-Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg/480px-Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1280" data-file-height="960" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Dakar" title="Dakar">Dakar</a>, Senegal</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Lomé, Togo"><img alt="Lomé, Togo" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg/240px-Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg/360px-Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Imagelom%C3%A920.jpg 2x" data-file-width="460" data-file-height="345" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Lom%C3%A9" title="Lomé">Lomé</a>, Togo</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 179.33333333333px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 177.33333333333px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Porto-Novo, Benin"><img alt="Porto-Novo, Benin" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg/266px-Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg" decoding="async" width="178" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg/398px-Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg/531px-Grande_mosquee_porto-novo.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3228" data-file-height="2189" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Porto-Novo" title="Porto-Novo">Porto-Novo</a>, Benin</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 182.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 180.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Niamey, Niger"><img alt="Niamey, Niger" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg/271px-Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg" decoding="async" width="181" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg/406px-Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg/542px-Street_scene_niamey_2006_002.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="681" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Niamey" title="Niamey">Niamey</a>, Niger</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG" class="mw-file-description" title="Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso"><img alt="Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG/240px-Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG/360px-Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG/480px-Kwamenkrumah_av2.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Ouagadougou" title="Ouagadougou">Ouagadougou</a>, Burkina Faso</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 172.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 170.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Freetown, Sierra Leone"><img alt="Freetown, Sierra Leone" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg/256px-Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg" decoding="async" width="171" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg/384px-Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg/512px-Fort_Thornton_-_Freetown_-_Sierra_Leone.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1724" data-file-height="1212" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Freetown" title="Freetown">Freetown</a>, Sierra Leone</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 182px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 180px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Banjul_great_mosque.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Banjul, Gambia"><img alt="Banjul, Gambia" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Banjul_great_mosque.jpg/270px-Banjul_great_mosque.jpg" decoding="async" width="180" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Banjul_great_mosque.jpg/405px-Banjul_great_mosque.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Banjul_great_mosque.jpg/540px-Banjul_great_mosque.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3888" data-file-height="2592" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Banjul" title="Banjul">Banjul</a>, Gambia</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Conakry_street_(3329204314).jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Conakry, Guinea"><img alt="Conakry, Guinea" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg/241px-Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="161" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg/361px-Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg/481px-Conakry_street_%283329204314%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="766" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Conakry" title="Conakry">Conakry</a>, Guinea</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara,_Bissau.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Bissau, Guinea-Bissau"><img alt="Bissau, Guinea-Bissau" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg/240px-Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg/360px-Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg/480px-Pra%C3%A7a_Che_Guevara%2C_Bissau.jpg 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="384" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Bissau" title="Bissau">Bissau</a>, Guinea-Bissau</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Monrovia_Street.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Monrovia, Liberia"><img alt="Monrovia, Liberia" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Monrovia_Street.jpg/240px-Monrovia_Street.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Monrovia_Street.jpg/360px-Monrovia_Street.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Monrovia_Street.jpg/480px-Monrovia_Street.jpg 2x" data-file-width="584" data-file-height="438" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Monrovia" title="Monrovia">Monrovia</a>, Liberia</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Place_des_explorateurs,_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Bamako, Mali"><img alt="Bamako, Mali" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg/240px-Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg/360px-Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg/480px-Place_des_explorateurs%2C_Koulouba_-_Bamako.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3264" data-file-height="2448" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Bamako" title="Bamako">Bamako</a>, Mali</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 162px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 160px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Nouakchott.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Nouakchott, Mauritania"><img alt="Nouakchott, Mauritania" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Nouakchott.jpg/240px-Nouakchott.jpg" decoding="async" width="160" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Nouakchott.jpg/360px-Nouakchott.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Nouakchott.jpg/480px-Nouakchott.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1280" data-file-height="960" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Nouakchott" title="Nouakchott">Nouakchott</a>, Mauritania</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 182px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 180px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Abuja, Nigeria"><img alt="Abuja, Nigeria" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg/270px-View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg" decoding="async" width="180" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg/405px-View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg/540px-View_of_Abuja_from_Katampe_hill_01.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5472" data-file-height="3648" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Abuja" title="Abuja">Abuja</a>, Nigeria</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 201.33333333333px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 199.33333333333px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central,_Ghana.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Accra, Ghana"><img alt="Accra, Ghana" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg/299px-A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg/448px-A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg/597px-A_drone_footage_of_Accra_central%2C_Ghana.jpg 2x" data-file-width="960" data-file-height="579" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Accra" title="Accra">Accra</a>, Ghana</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 216px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 214px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_(29916932210).jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Abidjan, Ivory Coast"><img alt="Abidjan, Ivory Coast" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg/321px-Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="214" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg/481px-Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg/641px-Quartier_d%27Affaires_au_Plateau_%C3%A0_Abidjan_%2829916932210%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4000" data-file-height="2248" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Abidjan" title="Abidjan">Abidjan</a>, Ivory Coast</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 182.66666666667px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 180.66666666667px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast"><img alt="Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg/271px-Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg" decoding="async" width="181" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg/406px-Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Yamoussoukro_downtown.jpg 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="333" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Yamoussoukro" title="Yamoussoukro">Yamoussoukro</a>, Ivory Coast</div> </li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 215.33333333333px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 213.33333333333px;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Jamestown, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha"><img alt="Jamestown, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg/320px-Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg" decoding="async" width="214" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg/480px-Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg/640px-Overlooking_Jamestown_from_the_south.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5312" data-file-height="2988" /></a></span></div> <div class="gallerytext"><a href="/wiki/Jamestown,_Saint_Helena" title="Jamestown, Saint Helena">Jamestown</a>, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</div> </li> </ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=47" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239009302">.mw-parser-output .portalbox{padding:0;margin:0.5em 0;display:table;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:175px;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portalborder{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa)}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-entry{display:table-row;font-size:85%;line-height:110%;height:1.9em;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-image{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-link{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .portalleft{clear:left;float:left;margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0}.mw-parser-output .portalright{clear:right;float:right;margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em}}</style><ul role="navigation" aria-label="Portals" class="noprint portalbox portalborder portalright"> <li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="map" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg/28px-Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="28" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg/42px-Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg/56px-Africa_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="550" data-file-height="550" /></span></span></span><span class="portalbox-link"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Africa" title="Portal:Africa">Africa portal</a></span></li><li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Terra.png/28px-Terra.png" decoding="async" width="28" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Terra.png/42px-Terra.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Terra.png/56px-Terra.png 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="600" /></span></span></span><span class="portalbox-link"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Geography" title="Portal:Geography">Geography portal</a></span></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/African_historiography" title="African historiography">African historiography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Agroecology_in_West_Africa" title="Agroecology in West Africa">Agroecology in West Africa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ajami" class="mw-redirect" title="Ajami">Ajami</a> – Arabic word referring to people whose first language is not Arabic<span style="display:none" class="category-annotation-with-redirected-description">Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets</span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ebola_virus_epidemic_in_West_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa">Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa</a> – 2013–2016 major disease outbreak<span style="display:none" class="category-annotation-with-redirected-description">Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets</span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_regions_of_Africa" title="List of regions of Africa">List of regions of Africa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Manillas" class="mw-redirect" title="Manillas">Manillas</a> – West African money<span style="display:none" class="category-annotation-with-redirected-description">Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets</span>, a form of archaic money unique to West Africa</li> <li><a href="/wiki/N%27Ko_script" title="N'Ko script">N'Ko script</a> – Alphabet for the Manding languages of West Africa</li> <li><a href="/wiki/North_Africa" title="North Africa">North Africa</a> – Northernmost region of Africa</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nsibidi" title="Nsibidi">Nsibidi Script</a> – Medieval symbol system, an indigenously developed West African writing system</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sub-Saharan_Africa" title="Sub-Saharan Africa">Sub-Saharan Africa</a> – Region south of the Sahara Desert <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Central_Africa" title="Central Africa">Central Africa</a> – Core region of African continent</li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_Africa" title="East Africa">East Africa</a> – Eastern region of the African continent</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Southern_Africa" title="Southern Africa">Southern Africa</a> – Southernmost region of the African continent</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vai_syllabary" title="Vai syllabary">Vai syllabary</a> – Writing system</li> <li><a href="/wiki/West_African_Craton" title="West African Craton">West African Craton</a> – One of the five cratons of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_Sahara" title="Western Sahara">Western Sahara</a> – Disputed territory in North-western Africa</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=48" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-UN_WPP-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://population.un.org/wpp/">"World Population Prospects 2022"</a>. <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Department_of_Economic_and_Social_Affairs" title="United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs</a>, Population Division<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 July</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=World+Population+Prospects+2022&rft.pub=United+Nations+Department+of+Economic+and+Social+Affairs%2C+Population+Division&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fpopulation.un.org%2Fwpp%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-UN_WPP_2022-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-UN_WPP_2022_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_General/WPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx">"World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(XSLX)</span> ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Department_of_Economic_and_Social_Affairs" title="United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs</a>, Population Division<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 July</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=World+Population+Prospects+2022%3A+Demographic+indicators+by+region%2C+subregion+and+country%2C+annually+for+1950-2100&rft.pub=United+Nations+Department+of+Economic+and+Social+Affairs%2C+Population+Division&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fpopulation.un.org%2Fwpp%2FDownload%2FFiles%2F1_Indicators%2520%28Standard%29%2FEXCEL_FILES%2F1_General%2FWPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-UN_Wt_Af-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-UN_Wt_Af_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-UN_Wt_Af_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Department_of_Economic_and_Social_Affairs" title="United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs</a>, Population Division (2017). World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, custom data acquired via website. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/">[1]</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=62&pr.y=13&sy=2012&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=668%2C638%2C748%2C678%2C624%2C692%2C694%2C722%2C662%2C724%2C648%2C652%2C742%2C656&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a=">"IMF GDP 2011"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=IMF+GDP+2011&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imf.org%2Fexternal%2Fpubs%2Fft%2Fweo%2F2014%2F01%2Fweodata%2Fweorept.aspx%3Fpr.x%3D62%26pr.y%3D13%26sy%3D2012%26ey%3D2019%26scsm%3D1%26ssd%3D1%26sort%3Dcountry%26ds%3D.%26br%3D1%26c%3D668%252C638%252C748%252C678%252C624%252C692%252C694%252C722%252C662%252C724%252C648%252C652%252C742%252C656%26s%3DPPPGDP%26grp%3D0%26a%3D&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2012&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=80&pr1.y=16&c=638%2C668%2C748%2C678%2C624%2C692%2C694%2C662%2C722%2C724%2C648%2C652%2C742%2C656%2C654&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a=">"IMF GDP data, September 2011"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=IMF+GDP+data%2C+September+2011&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imf.org%2Fexternal%2Fpubs%2Fft%2Fweo%2F2011%2F02%2Fweodata%2Fweorept.aspx%3Fsy%3D2012%26ey%3D2012%26scsm%3D1%26ssd%3D1%26sort%3Dcountry%26ds%3D.%26br%3D1%26pr1.x%3D80%26pr1.y%3D16%26c%3D638%252C668%252C748%252C678%252C624%252C692%252C694%252C662%252C722%252C724%252C648%252C652%252C742%252C656%252C654%26s%3DPPPPC%26grp%3D0%26a%3D&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-IMF_GDP_Nominal_data,_October_2013_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=95&pr.y=7&sy=2013&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=668%2C638%2C748%2C678%2C624%2C692%2C694%2C722%2C662%2C724%2C648%2C652%2C742%2C656&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a=">"IMF GDP data, October 1515"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. 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International Monetary Fund, 2001. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-58906-014-8" title="Special:BookSources/1-58906-014-8">1-58906-014-8</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20211030144214/http://west-africa-brief.org/content/en/west-african-population-1950-2050">"West African population, 1950–2050 | West Africa Gateway | Portail de l'Afrique de l'Ouest"</a>. <i>west-africa-brief.org</i>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 October</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=west-africa-brief.org&rft.atitle=UEMOA+economies+are+projected+to+grow+by+6.6%25+in+2020+%7C+West+Africa+Gateway+%7C+Portail+de+l%27Afrique+de+l%27Ouest&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.west-africa-brief.org%2Fcontent%2Fen%2Fuemoa-economies-are-projected-grow-66-2020&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Haour_II-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Haour_II_12-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHaour2013" class="citation book cs1">Haour, Anne (25 July 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=xYBpAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22population+history+of+west+africa%22&pg=PP1">"Wealth-in-people"</a>. <i>Outsiders and Strangers: An Archaeology of Liminality in West Africa</i>. Oxford University Press. p. 38. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Facprof%3Aosobl%2F9780199697748.001.0001">10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199697748.001.0001</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-969774-8" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-969774-8"><bdi>978-0-19-969774-8</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/855890703">855890703</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:127485241">127485241</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Wealth-in-people&rft.btitle=Outsiders+and+Strangers%3A+An+Archaeology+of+Liminality+in+West+Africa&rft.pages=38&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2013-07-25&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F855890703&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A127485241%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Facprof%3Aosobl%2F9780199697748.001.0001&rft.isbn=978-0-19-969774-8&rft.aulast=Haour&rft.aufirst=Anne&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DxYBpAgAAQBAJ%26dq%3D%2522population%2Bhistory%2Bof%2Bwest%2Bafrica%2522%26pg%3DPP1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Scerri-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Scerri_13-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFScerri2017" class="citation book cs1">Scerri, Eleanor (2017). 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University of London. p. 221. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/500051500">500051500</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:130112115">130112115</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+New+Recording+of+Mauritanian+Rock+Art&rft.pages=221&rft.pub=University+of+London&rft.date=2005-05&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F500051500&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A130112115%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.aulast=Abd-El-Moniem&rft.aufirst=Hamdi+Abbas+Ahmed&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscovery.ucl.ac.uk%2Fid%2Feprint%2F1444476%2F1%2FU591781.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Soukopova_XX-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Soukopova_XX_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSoukopova2013" class="citation book cs1">Soukopova, Jitka (16 January 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=07wwBwAAQBAJ&q=Tuareg&pg=PR5">"Round Head Paintings and Landscape"</a>. <i>Round Heads: The Earliest Rock Paintings in the Sahara</i>. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 45–55. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781443845793" title="Special:BookSources/9781443845793"><bdi>9781443845793</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/826685273">826685273</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Round+Head+Paintings+and+Landscape&rft.btitle=Round+Heads%3A+The+Earliest+Rock+Paintings+in+the+Sahara&rft.pages=45-55&rft.pub=Cambridge+Scholars+Publishing&rft.date=2013-01-16&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F826685273&rft.isbn=9781443845793&rft.aulast=Soukopova&rft.aufirst=Jitka&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D07wwBwAAQBAJ%26q%3DTuareg%26pg%3DPR5&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Ness-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Ness_21-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Ness_21-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNess2014" class="citation book cs1">Ness, Immanuel (10 November 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=2HMTBwAAQBAJ&q=niger+congo+bce&pg=PA100">"Sub-Saharan Africa: Linguistics"</a>. <i>The Global Prehistory of Human Migration</i>. Wiley Blackwell. p. 100. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781118970591" title="Special:BookSources/9781118970591"><bdi>9781118970591</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/890071926">890071926</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:160957067">160957067</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Sub-Saharan+Africa%3A+Linguistics&rft.btitle=The+Global+Prehistory+of+Human+Migration&rft.pages=100&rft.pub=Wiley+Blackwell&rft.date=2014-11-10&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F890071926&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A160957067%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.isbn=9781118970591&rft.aulast=Ness&rft.aufirst=Immanuel&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D2HMTBwAAQBAJ%26q%3Dniger%2Bcongo%2Bbce%26pg%3DPA100&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Ehret_V-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Ehret_V_22-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEhret2023" class="citation book cs1">Ehret, Christopher (2023). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5KjEAAAQBAJ">"African Firsts in the History of Technology"</a>. <i>Ancient Africa: A Global History, to 300 CE</i>. 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title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Genome+Biology+and+Evolution&rft.atitle=Genomic+analyses+unveil+helmeted+guinea+fowl+%28Numida+meleagris%29+domestication+in+West+Africa&rft.volume=13&rft.issue=evab090&rft.date=2021-05-01&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC8214406%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A234783117%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fgbe%2Fevab090&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F9123485061&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F34009300&rft.aulast=Shen&rft.aufirst=Quan-Kuan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC8214406&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Scarcelli-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Scarcelli_39-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Scarcelli_39-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFScarcelli2019" class="citation journal cs1">Scarcelli, Nora (2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6527260">"Yam genomics supports West Africa as a major cradle of crop domestication"</a>. <i>Science Advances</i>. <b>5</b> (5): eaaw1947. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019SciA....5.1947S">2019SciA....5.1947S</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fsciadv.aaw1947">10.1126/sciadv.aaw1947</a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/8291779404">8291779404</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6527260">6527260</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31114806">31114806</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:155124324">155124324</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Science+Advances&rft.atitle=Yam+genomics+supports+West+Africa+as+a+major+cradle+of+crop+domestication&rft.volume=5&rft.issue=5&rft.pages=eaaw1947&rft.date=2019&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6527260%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A155124324%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2019SciA....5.1947S&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F8291779404&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F31114806&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1126%2Fsciadv.aaw1947&rft.aulast=Scarcelli&rft.aufirst=Nora&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6527260&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Murunga-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Murunga_40-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMurunga2018" class="citation journal cs1">Murunga, Philip; et al. (2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6258102">"Mitochondrial DNA D-Loop Diversity of the Helmeted Guinea Fowls in Kenya and Its Implications on HSP70 Gene Functional Polymorphism"</a>. <i>BioMed Research International</i>. <b>2018</b>: 1–12. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1155%2F2018%2F7314038">10.1155/2018/7314038</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/8754386965">8754386965</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6258102">6258102</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30539018">30539018</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:54463512">54463512</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BioMed+Research+International&rft.atitle=Mitochondrial+DNA+D-Loop+Diversity+of+the+Helmeted+Guinea+Fowls+in+Kenya+and+Its+Implications+on+HSP70+Gene+Functional+Polymorphism&rft.volume=2018&rft.pages=1-12&rft.date=2018&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6258102%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A54463512%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1155%2F2018%2F7314038&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F8754386965&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F30539018&rft.aulast=Murunga&rft.aufirst=Philip&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6258102&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Van_Beek-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Van_Beek_41-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVan_BeekBanga2002" class="citation book cs1">Van Beek, Walter E.A.; Banga, Pieteke M. (11 March 2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ppuKAgAAQBAJ&q=%22Tellem%22+%22Dogon%22&pg=PA57">"The Dogon and their trees"</a>. <i>Bush Base, Forest Farm: Culture, Environment, and Development</i>. Routledge. p. 66. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780203036129-10">10.4324/9780203036129-10</a> (inactive 1 November 2024). <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781134919567" title="Special:BookSources/9781134919567"><bdi>9781134919567</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/252799202">252799202</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:126989016">126989016</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=The+Dogon+and+their+trees&rft.btitle=Bush+Base%2C+Forest+Farm%3A+Culture%2C+Environment%2C+and+Development&rft.pages=66&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.date=2002-03-11&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F252799202&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A126989016%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.4324%2F9780203036129-10&rft.isbn=9781134919567&rft.aulast=Van+Beek&rft.aufirst=Walter+E.A.&rft.au=Banga%2C+Pieteke+M.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DppuKAgAAQBAJ%26q%3D%2522Tellem%2522%2B%2522Dogon%2522%26pg%3DPA57&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_book" title="Template:Cite book">cite book</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_DOI_inactive_as_of_November_2024" title="Category:CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024">link</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLevtzion1973" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Nehemia_Levtzion" title="Nehemia Levtzion">Levtzion, Nehemia</a> (1973). <i>Ancient Ghana and Mali</i>. New York: Methuen & Co Ltd. p. 3. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0841904316" title="Special:BookSources/978-0841904316"><bdi>978-0841904316</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Ancient+Ghana+and+Mali&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=3&rft.pub=Methuen+%26+Co+Ltd&rft.date=1973&rft.isbn=978-0841904316&rft.aulast=Levtzion&rft.aufirst=Nehemia&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070223090720/http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-24156">"Historical survey: Slave-owning societies"</a>. <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-24156">the original</a> on 23 February 2007.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft.atitle=Historical+survey%3A+Slave-owning+societies&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Fblackhistory%2Farticle-24156&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPetersonGavuaRassool2015" class="citation book cs1">Peterson, Derek R.; Gavua, Kodzo; Rassool, Ciraj (2 March 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Om12BgAAQBAJ"><i>The Politics of Heritage in Africa</i></a>. Cambridge University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-107-09485-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-107-09485-7"><bdi>978-1-107-09485-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Politics+of+Heritage+in+Africa&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2015-03-02&rft.isbn=978-1-107-09485-7&rft.aulast=Peterson&rft.aufirst=Derek+R.&rft.au=Gavua%2C+Kodzo&rft.au=Rassool%2C+Ciraj&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DOm12BgAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBaten2017" class="citation journal cs1">Baten, Jörg (May 2017). "European Trade, Colonialism and Human Capital Accumulation in Senegal, Gambia and Western Mali, 1770 – 1900". <i>CESifo Working Papers</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=CESifo+Working+Papers&rft.atitle=European+Trade%2C+Colonialism+and+Human+Capital+Accumulation+in+Senegal%2C+Gambia+and+Western+Mali%2C+1770+%E2%80%93+1900&rft.date=2017-05&rft.aulast=Baten&rft.aufirst=J%C3%B6rg&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060516091903/https://www.un.org/unowa/unowa/bckgrdnew.pdf">"<i>The UN office for West Africa</i>"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.un.org/unowa/unowa/bckgrdnew.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 16 May 2006.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+UN+office+for+West+Africa&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Funowa%2Funowa%2Fbckgrdnew.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych, <i>Studies on the Developing Countries, Issues 6–8</i>, <a href="/wiki/Polish_Institute_of_International_Affairs" title="Polish Institute of International Affairs">Polish Institute of International Affairs</a> (1988), p. 53</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.uneca.org/sro-na">"Office for North Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa"</a>. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Office+for+North+Africa+of+the+Economic+Commission+for+Africa&rft.pub=United+Nations+Economic+Commission+for+Africa&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uneca.org%2Fsro-na&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-49">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486026.html">"2014 UNHCR country operations profile – Mauritania"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=2014+UNHCR+country+operations+profile+%E2%80%93+Mauritania&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unhcr.org%2Fpages%2F49e486026.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/north-africa/mauritania/">"African Development Bank Group: Mauritania"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=African+Development+Bank+Group%3A+Mauritania&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.afdb.org%2Fen%2Fcountries%2Fnorth-africa%2Fmauritania%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Facts on File, Incorporated, <i>Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East</i> (2009), p. 448, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/143812676X" title="Special:BookSources/143812676X">143812676X</a>: "The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, situated in western North Africa..."</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">David Seddon, <i>A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East</i> (2004), <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/020340291X" title="Special:BookSources/020340291X">020340291X</a>: "We have, by contrast, chosen to include the predominantly Arabic-speaking countries of western North Africa (the Maghreb), including Mauritania (which is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union)..."</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Mohamed Branine, Managing Across Cultures: Concepts, Policies and Practices (2011), p. 437, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1849207291" title="Special:BookSources/1849207291">1849207291</a>: "The Magrebian countries or the Arab countries of western North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia)..."</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Koslow, Philip, <i>Senegambia: Land of the Lion</i>, Chelsea House Publishers (1997), pp. 11, 35–47, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780791031353" title="Special:BookSources/9780791031353">9780791031353</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-New_York_Times-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-New_York_Times_55-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/world/africa/senegal-baobabs-climate-change.html">"Across Senegal, the Beloved Baobab Tree Is the 'Pride of the Neighborhood<span style="padding-right:.15em;">'</span>"</a>, by Dionne Searcey (30 Sept. 2018) (Retrieved 1 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Somerville-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Somerville_56-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Somerville_56-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Somerville, Keith, <i>Ivory: Power and Poaching in Africa</i>, <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a> (2016), p. 84–85 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781849046763" title="Special:BookSources/9781849046763">9781849046763</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=D2sjDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA85">[2]</a> (Retrieved 1 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-57">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bandia Nature Reserve is sometimes called <i>Bandia park reserve</i>, <a href="/wiki/Lonely_Planet" title="Lonely Planet">Lonely Planet</a>, <i>Half-Day Somone Lagoon and Bandia Park Safari from Dakar</i>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/senegal/dakar/activities/half-day-somone-lagoon-and-bandia-park-safari-from-dakar/a/pa-act/v-28135P1/355589">[3]</a> (Retrieved 1 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lonely Plane, <i>Yankari National Park</i><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/nigeria/northern-nigeria/yankari-national-park">[4]</a> (Retrieved 1 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTilahunDamnyagAnglaaere2016" class="citation journal cs1">Tilahun, Mesfin; Damnyag, Lawrence; Anglaaere, Luke C.N. (2016). "The Ankasa Forest Conservation Area of Ghana: Ecosystem service values and on-site REDD + opportunity cost". <i>Forest Policy and Economics</i>. <b>73</b>: 168–176. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.forpol.2016.08.011">10.1016/j.forpol.2016.08.011</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Forest+Policy+and+Economics&rft.atitle=The+Ankasa+Forest+Conservation+Area+of+Ghana%3A+Ecosystem+service+values+and+on-site+REDD+%2B+opportunity+cost&rft.volume=73&rft.pages=168-176&rft.date=2016&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.forpol.2016.08.011&rft.aulast=Tilahun&rft.aufirst=Mesfin&rft.au=Damnyag%2C+Lawrence&rft.au=Anglaaere%2C+Luke+C.N.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRiley2005" class="citation book cs1">Riley, Laura (2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/59347952"><i>Nature's strongholds: the world's great wildlife reserves</i></a>. William Riley. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-691-12219-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-691-12219-9"><bdi>0-691-12219-9</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/59347952">59347952</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Nature%27s+strongholds%3A+the+world%27s+great+wildlife+reserves&rft.place=Princeton%2C+N.J.&rft.pub=Princeton+University+Press&rft.date=2005&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F59347952&rft.isbn=0-691-12219-9&rft.aulast=Riley&rft.aufirst=Laura&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldcat.org%2Foclc%2F59347952&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-61">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBrodowsky2009" class="citation book cs1">Brodowsky, Pamela K. (2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/233549707"><i>Destination wildlife: an international site-by-site guide to the best places to experience endangered, rare, and fascinating animals and their habitats</i></a>. National Wildlife Federation. New York: Penguin. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-399-53486-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-399-53486-7"><bdi>978-0-399-53486-7</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/233549707">233549707</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Destination+wildlife%3A+an+international+site-by-site+guide+to+the+best+places+to+experience+endangered%2C+rare%2C+and+fascinating+animals+and+their+habitats&rft.place=New+York&rft.pub=Penguin&rft.date=2009&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F233549707&rft.isbn=978-0-399-53486-7&rft.aulast=Brodowsky&rft.aufirst=Pamela+K.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldcat.org%2Foclc%2F233549707&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-62">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMartinBecker1979" class="citation journal cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source">Martin, V.; Becker, C. (1979). "Lieux de culte et emplacements celebres dans les pays Sereer (Sénégal)" [Places of worship and famous locations in the Sereer countries (Senegal)]. <i>Bulletin de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Série B: Sciences humaines</i> (in French). <b>41</b>: 133–189.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Bulletin+de+l%27Institut+Fondamental+d%27Afrique+Noire%2C+S%C3%A9rie+B%3A+Sciences+humaines&rft.atitle=Lieux+de+culte+et+emplacements+celebres+dans+les+pays+Sereer+%28S%C3%A9n%C3%A9gal%29&rft.volume=41&rft.pages=133-189&rft.date=1979&rft.aulast=Martin&rft.aufirst=V.&rft.au=Becker%2C+C.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-SRC-63"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-SRC_63-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190430163337/https://www.seereer.org/">"The Seereer Resource Centre (SRC)"</a>. <i>The Seereer Resource Centre (SRC)</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.seereer.org/">the original</a> on 30 April 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 April</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Seereer+Resource+Centre+%28SRC%29&rft.atitle=The+Seereer+Resource+Centre+%28SRC%29&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seereer.org%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ThoughtCo-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-ThoughtCo_64-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-ThoughtCo_64-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/ThoughtCo" class="mw-redirect" title="ThoughtCo">ThoughtCo</a>, <i>The Territory and Current Status of the African Rainforest</i> by Steve Nix (4 November 2018) <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.thoughtco.com/african-rainforest-1341794">[5]</a> (Retrieved 2 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-65">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Deforestation by Country & Region ("Country Forest Data [sorted by region]") [in] <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://data.mongabay.com/deforestation_rate_tables.htm">Mongabay.com</a> (Retrieved 2 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-66"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-66">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rainforest Destruction</i> [in] rainforestweb.org. Archived by <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090205200836/http://rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Destruction/">[6]</a> (Retrieved 2 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-67"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-67">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Mongabay" title="Mongabay">Mongabay News</a>, <i>Nigeria has worst deforestation rate, FAO revises figures</i> (17 November 2005) by Rhett A. Butler, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-forests.html">[7]</a> (Retrieved 2 April 2019)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-68"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-68">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-july-2017/overfishing-destroying-livelihoods">"Overfishing destroying livelihoods | Africa Renewal"</a>. United Nations. 12 May 2017.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Overfishing+destroying+livelihoods+%26%23124%3B+Africa+Renewal&rft.pub=United+Nations&rft.date=2017-05-12&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fafricarenewal%2Fmagazine%2Fmay-july-2017%2Foverfishing-destroying-livelihoods&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-69"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-69">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://en.africanmanager.com/greenpeace-welcomes-cancellation-of-fishing-licences-of-29-foreign-trawlers-2/">"Greenpeace welcomes cancellation of fishing licences of 29 foreign trawlers"</a>. <i>African Manager</i>. 4 May 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 July</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=African+Manager&rft.atitle=Greenpeace+welcomes+cancellation+of+fishing+licences+of+29+foreign+trawlers&rft.date=2012-05-04&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fen.africanmanager.com%2Fgreenpeace-welcomes-cancellation-of-fishing-licences-of-29-foreign-trawlers-2%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-70"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-70">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fcwc-fish.org/other-news/liberia-gets-new-fisheries-regulations">"Liberia Gets New Fisheries Regulations"</a>. <i>Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea</i>. 5 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 July</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Fisheries+Committee+for+the+West+Central+Gulf+of+Guinea&rft.atitle=Liberia+Gets+New+Fisheries+Regulations.&rft.date=2011-01-05&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ffcwc-fish.org%2Fother-news%2Fliberia-gets-new-fisheries-regulations&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-71"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-71">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190728124507/https://nepadwatercoe.org/cape-verde-greenpeace-raises-awareness-on-the-state-of-fisheries-in-west-africa/">"Cape Verde: Greenpeace Raises Awareness on the State of Fisheries in West Africa"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://nepadwatercoe.org/cape-verde-greenpeace-raises-awareness-on-the-state-of-fisheries-in-west-africa/">the original</a> on 28 July 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">28 July</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Cape+Verde%3A+Greenpeace+Raises+Awareness+on+the+State+of+Fisheries+in+West+Africa&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnepadwatercoe.org%2Fcape-verde-greenpeace-raises-awareness-on-the-state-of-fisheries-in-west-africa%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-72"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-72">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.iucn.org/news/secretariat/201701/overfishing-threatens-food-security-africa%E2%80%99s-western-and-central-coast-many-fish-species-region-face-extinction-%E2%80%93-iucn-report">"Overfishing threatens food security off Africa's western and central coast as many fish species in the region face extinction – IUCN report"</a>. <i>IUCN</i>. 19 January 2017.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=IUCN&rft.atitle=Overfishing+threatens+food+security+off+Africa%27s+western+and+central+coast+as+many+fish+species+in+the+region+face+extinction+%E2%80%93+IUCN+report&rft.date=2017-01-19&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iucn.org%2Fnews%2Fsecretariat%2F201701%2Foverfishing-threatens-food-security-africa%25E2%2580%2599s-western-and-central-coast-many-fish-species-region-face-extinction-%25E2%2580%2593-iucn-report&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-autogenerated1-73"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-autogenerated1_73-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Speth. <i>Impacts of Global Change on the Hydrological Cycle in West and Northwest Africa</i>, p. 33. Springer, 2010. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-642-12956-0" title="Special:BookSources/3-642-12956-0">3-642-12956-0</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-74"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-74">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Speth. <i>Impacts of Global Change on the Hydrological Cycle in West and Northwest Africa</i>, p. 33. Springer, 2010. Prof. Kayode Omitoogun 2011, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-642-12956-0" title="Special:BookSources/3-642-12956-0">3-642-12956-0</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-75"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-75">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>National Geographic</i>, February 2013, p. 8.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-76"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-76">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Anthony Ham. <i>West Africa</i>, p. 79. 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(23 April 2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478940">"Enhanced future changes in wet and dry extremes over Africa at convection-permitting scale"</a>. <i>Nature Communications</i>. <b>10</b> (1): 1794. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019NatCo..10.1794K">2019NatCo..10.1794K</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41467-019-09776-9">10.1038/s41467-019-09776-9</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478940">6478940</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31015416">31015416</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Nature+Communications&rft.atitle=Enhanced+future+changes+in+wet+and+dry+extremes+over+Africa+at+convection-permitting+scale&rft.volume=10&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=1794&rft.date=2019-04-23&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6478940%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F31015416&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1038%2Fs41467-019-09776-9&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2019NatCo..10.1794K&rft.aulast=Kendon&rft.aufirst=Elizabeth+J.&rft.au=Stratton%2C+Rachel+A.&rft.au=Tucker%2C+Simon&rft.au=Marsham%2C+John+H.&rft.au=Berthou%2C+S%C3%A9gol%C3%A8ne&rft.au=Rowell%2C+David+P.&rft.au=Senior%2C+Catherine+A.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC6478940&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-99"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-99">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKlutseAjayiGbobaniyiEgbebiyi2018" class="citation journal cs1">Klutse, Nana Ama Browne; Ajayi, Vincent O; Gbobaniyi, Emiola Olabode; Egbebiyi, Temitope S; Kouadio, Kouakou; Nkrumah, Francis; Quagraine, Kwesi Akumenyi; Olusegun, Christiana; Diasso, Ulrich; Abiodun, Babatunde J; Lawal, Kamoru; Nikulin, Grigory; Lennard, Christopher; Dosio, Alessandro (1 May 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F1748-9326%2Faab37b">"Potential impact of 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming on consecutive dry and wet days over West Africa"</a>. <i>Environmental Research Letters</i>. <b>13</b> (5): 055013. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018ERL....13e5013A">2018ERL....13e5013A</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F1748-9326%2Faab37b">10.1088/1748-9326/aab37b</a></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Environmental+Research+Letters&rft.atitle=Potential+impact+of+1.5+%C2%B0C+and+2+%C2%B0C+global+warming+on+consecutive+dry+and+wet+days+over+West+Africa&rft.volume=13&rft.issue=5&rft.pages=055013&rft.date=2018-05-01&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1088%2F1748-9326%2Faab37b&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2018ERL....13e5013A&rft.aulast=Klutse&rft.aufirst=Nana+Ama+Browne&rft.au=Ajayi%2C+Vincent+O&rft.au=Gbobaniyi%2C+Emiola+Olabode&rft.au=Egbebiyi%2C+Temitope+S&rft.au=Kouadio%2C+Kouakou&rft.au=Nkrumah%2C+Francis&rft.au=Quagraine%2C+Kwesi+Akumenyi&rft.au=Olusegun%2C+Christiana&rft.au=Diasso%2C+Ulrich&rft.au=Abiodun%2C+Babatunde+J&rft.au=Lawal%2C+Kamoru&rft.au=Nikulin%2C+Grigory&rft.au=Lennard%2C+Christopher&rft.au=Dosio%2C+Alessandro&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1088%252F1748-9326%252Faab37b&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Proposed_Ecowas_railway-100"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Proposed_Ecowas_railway_100-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Proposed_Ecowas_railway_100-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/10/proposed-ecowas-railway/">"Proposed Ecowas railway"</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091024131043/http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/10/proposed-ecowas-railway/">Archived</a> 2009-10-24 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>. <i>railwaysafrica.com</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review-101"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review_101-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Nigeria_Real_Estate_Market_Review_101-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.northcourtrealestate.com/download/Nigeria_RE_Market_Review_H1_2022.pdf"><i>Nigeria Real Estate Market Review</i></a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Northcourt.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Nigeria+Real+Estate+Market+Review&rft.pub=Northcourt&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.northcourtrealestate.com%2Fdownload%2FNigeria_RE_Market_Review_H1_2022.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="This citation requires a reference to the specific page or range of pages in which the material appears. (January 2024)">page needed</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NEPAD-102"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-NEPAD_102-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol20no3/203-highways.html">Itai Madamombe (2006): "NEPAD promotes better transport networks"</a>, <i>Africa Renewal</i>, Vol. 20, No. 3 (October 2006), p. 14.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-103"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-103">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAzevedo2017" class="citation book cs1">Azevedo, Mario J. (February 2017). "The State of Health System(s) in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities". <i>Historical Perspectives on the State of Health and Health Systems in Africa, Volume II</i>. African Histories and Modernities. pp. 1–73. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-319-32564-4_1">10.1007/978-3-319-32564-4_1</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-319-32563-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-3-319-32563-7"><bdi>978-3-319-32563-7</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/PMC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7123888">7123888</a></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=The+State+of+Health+System%28s%29+in+Africa%3A+Challenges+and+Opportunities&rft.btitle=Historical+Perspectives+on+the+State+of+Health+and+Health+Systems+in+Africa%2C+Volume+II&rft.series=African+Histories+and+Modernities&rft.pages=1-73&rft.date=2017-02&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC7123888%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1007%2F978-3-319-32564-4_1&rft.isbn=978-3-319-32563-7&rft.aulast=Azevedo&rft.aufirst=Mario+J.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-104"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-104">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAbi2019" class="citation web cs1">Abi, Samir (12 June 2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/west-africa-traditional-or-religious-practices-are-often-preferred-method-treating-mental">"Metaphysical explanations"</a>. <i>D+C, Development and Cooperation</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=D%2BC%2C+Development+and+Cooperation&rft.atitle=Metaphysical+explanations&rft.date=2019-06-12&rft.aulast=Abi&rft.aufirst=Samir&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dandc.eu%2Fen%2Farticle%2Fwest-africa-traditional-or-religious-practices-are-often-preferred-method-treating-mental&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-105"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-105">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Barbara K. Nordquist, Susan B. Aradeon, Howard University. School of Human Ecology, Museum of African Art (U.S.). <i>Traditional African dress and textiles: an exhibition of the Susan B. Aradeon collection of West African dress at the Museum of African Art</i> (1975), pp. 9–15.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-106"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-106">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Chidi Asika-Enahoro. <i>A Slice of Africa: Exotic West African Cuisines</i>, Introduction. iUniverse, 2004. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-595-30528-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-595-30528-8">0-595-30528-8</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="This citation requires a reference to the specific page or range of pages in which the material appears. (January 2024)">page needed</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-107"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-107">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Pamela Goyan Kittler, Kathryn Sucher. <i>Food and Culture</i>, p. 212. Cengage Learning, 2007. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-495-11541-X" title="Special:BookSources/0-495-11541-X">0-495-11541-X</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-108"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-108">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/UNESCO" title="UNESCO">UNESCO</a>. The Case for indigenous West African food culture, p. 4. BREDA series, Vol. 9 (1995), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001055/105546E.pdf">(UNESCO)</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-109"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-109">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Alan Davidson, Tom Jaine. <i>The Oxford Companion to Food</i>, p. 423. Oxford University Press, 2006. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-280681-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-280681-5">0-19-280681-5</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-110"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-110">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Mafé</i> or <i>Maafe</i> is a Wolof word for it, the proper name is <i>"Domodah"</i> among the <a href="/wiki/Mandinka_people" title="Mandinka people">Mandinka people</a> of <a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a> and <a href="/wiki/Gambia" class="mw-redirect" title="Gambia">Gambia</a>, who are the originators of this dish, or <span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span><i>Tigh-dege-na</i><span style="padding-left:.15em;">"</span> among the <a href="/wiki/Bambara_people" title="Bambara people">Bambara people</a> or Mandinka people of <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a>. "Domodah" is also used by all <a href="/wiki/Senegambians" class="mw-redirect" title="Senegambians">Senegambians</a> borrowed from the <a href="/wiki/Mandinka_language" title="Mandinka language">Mandinka language</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-111"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-111">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">James McCann. <i>Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine</i>, p. 132. Ohio University Press, 2009. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-89680-272-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-89680-272-8">0-89680-272-8</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-112"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-112">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Emma Gregg, Richard Trillo. <i>Rough Guide to The Gambia</i>, p. 39. Rough Guides, 2003. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84353-083-X" title="Special:BookSources/1-84353-083-X">1-84353-083-X</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-113"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-113">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Carole_Boyce_Davies" title="Carole Boyce Davies">Carole Boyce Davies</a> (ed.), <i>Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences and Culture</i>, Volume 1, p. 72. ABC-CLIO, 2008. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85109-700-7" title="Special:BookSources/1-85109-700-7">1-85109-700-7</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-114"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-114">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Toyin Ayeni. <i>I Am a Nigerian, Not a Terrorist</i>, p. 2. Dog Ear Publishing, 2010. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-60844-735-9" title="Special:BookSources/1-60844-735-9">1-60844-735-9</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-115"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-115">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dayle Hayes, Rachel Laudan. <i>Food and Nutrition</i>. Dayle Hayes, Rachel Laudan, editorial advisers. Volume 7, p. 1097. Marshall Cavendish, 2008. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7614-7827-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-7614-7827-2">0-7614-7827-2</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-116"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-116">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200920183119/https://diningforwomen.org/customsandcuisine/customs-cuisine-of-niger-amman-imman/">"Customs & Cuisine of Niger | Amman Imman | Dining for Women"</a>. 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Rahman I. Doi, Spread of Islam in West Africa. <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/304/">http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/304/</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-126"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-126">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">John S. Mbiti. <i>Introduction to African Religion</i>, p. 19. 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Cengage Learning, 2006. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-495-05053-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-495-05053-9">0-495-05053-9</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-129"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-129">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJohnsonZurloHickmanCrossing2017" class="citation journal cs1">Johnson, Todd M.; Zurlo, Gina A.; Hickman, Albert W.; Crossing, Peter F. (November 2017). "Christianity 2018: More African Christians and Counting Martyrs". <i>International Bulletin of Mission Research</i>. <b>42</b> (1): 20–28. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2396939317739833">10.1177/2396939317739833</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:165905763">165905763</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=International+Bulletin+of+Mission+Research&rft.atitle=Christianity+2018%3A+More+African+Christians+and+Counting+Martyrs&rft.volume=42&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=20-28&rft.date=2017-11&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1177%2F2396939317739833&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A165905763%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.aulast=Johnson&rft.aufirst=Todd+M.&rft.au=Zurlo%2C+Gina+A.&rft.au=Hickman%2C+Albert+W.&rft.au=Crossing%2C+Peter+F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-130"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-130">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Robert O. Collins. <i>African History: Western African History</i>, p. 153. Markus Wiener Publishers, 1990. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55876-015-6" title="Special:BookSources/1-55876-015-6">1-55876-015-6</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-131"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-131">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong. <i>Themes in West Africa's History</i>, p. 152. 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"Constructing Avatime: questions of history and identity in a West African polity, c. 1690s to the twentieth century." <i>Journal of African History</i> 49.1 (2008): 23–42. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/files/17533525/Brydon_2008_Journal_of_African_History.pdf">online</a></li> <li>Collins, Robert O. <i>African History: Western African History</i> (1990).</li> <li>Davidson, Basil. <i>A History of West Africa, 1000–1800</i> (1978), numerous editions</li> <li>Delavignette, Robert. <i>Freedom and Authority in French West Africa</i> (Routledge, 2018).</li> <li>Dueppen, Stephen A. "The archaeology of West Africa, ca. 800 BCE to 1500 CE." <i>History Compass</i> 14.6 (2016): 247–263.</li> <li>Edgerton, Robert B. <i>The Fall of the Asante Empire: The Hundred-Year War For Africa'S Gold Coast</i> (2002).</li> <li>Fage, J. D. <i>A Guide to Original Sources for Precolonial Western Africa Published in European Languages</i> (2nd ed. 1994); updated in Stanley B. Alpern, ed. <i>Guide to Original Sources for Precolonial Western Africa</i> (2006).</li> <li>Festus, Jacob et al. eds. <i>History of West Africa</i> (Vol. 1, 1989).</li> <li>Greene, S. E. <i>Sacred Sites and the Colonial Encounter: A History of Meaning and Memory in Ghana</i> (2002).</li> <li>Griswold, Wendy. <i>Writing African women: Gender, popular culture and literature in West Africa</i> (Zed Books Ltd., 2017).</li> <li>Ham, Anthony. <i>West Africa</i> (2013) <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/westafrica0000hama">online</a>.</li> <li>Hayward, Derek F., and Julius Oguntoyinbo. <i>Climatology of West Africa</i> (Routledge, 2019).</li> <li>Hopkins, Antony Gerald. <i>An economic history of West Africa</i> (2014) <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/economichistoryo0000hopk">online</a>.</li> <li>Huber, Caroline, Lyn Finelli, and Warren Stevens. "The economic and social burden of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa." <i>Journal of infectious diseases 218.Supplement_5</i> (2018): S698–S704.</li> <li>Kane, Ousmane Oumar, <i>Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa</i> (2016).</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLavalléeRoubaud2019" class="citation journal cs1">Lavallée, Emmanuelle; Roubaud, François (3 June 2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://basepub.dauphine.psl.eu/handle/123456789/24991">"Corruption in the Informal Sector: Evidence from West Africa"</a>. <i>The Journal of Development Studies</i>. <b>55</b> (6): 1067–1080. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00220388.2018.1438597">10.1080/00220388.2018.1438597</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:158886041">158886041</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Journal+of+Development+Studies&rft.atitle=Corruption+in+the+Informal+Sector%3A+Evidence+from+West+Africa&rft.volume=55&rft.issue=6&rft.pages=1067-1080&rft.date=2019-06-03&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1080%2F00220388.2018.1438597&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A158886041%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.aulast=Lavall%C3%A9e&rft.aufirst=Emmanuelle&rft.au=Roubaud%2C+Fran%C3%A7ois&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbasepub.dauphine.psl.eu%2Fhandle%2F123456789%2F24991&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLaw1985" class="citation journal cs1">Law, Robin (1985). "Human Sacrifice in Pre-Colonial West Africa". <i>African Affairs</i>. <b>84</b> (334): 53–87. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Foxfordjournals.afraf.a097676">10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097676</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/722523">722523</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=African+Affairs&rft.atitle=Human+Sacrifice+in+Pre-Colonial+West+Africa&rft.volume=84&rft.issue=334&rft.pages=53-87&rft.date=1985&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Foxfordjournals.afraf.a097676&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F722523%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Law&rft.aufirst=Robin&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMann2005" class="citation journal cs1">Mann, Gregory (2005). "Locating Colonial Histories: Between France and West Africa". <i>The American Historical Review</i>. <b>110</b> (2): 409–434. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr%2F110.2.409">10.1086/ahr/110.2.409</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/531320">10.1086/531320</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+American+Historical+Review&rft.atitle=Locating+Colonial+Histories%3A+Between+France+and+West+Africa&rft.volume=110&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=409-434&rft.date=2005&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2Fahr%2F110.2.409&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F10.1086%2F531320%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Mann&rft.aufirst=Gregory&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMartinez-AlvarezJardeUsufBrotherton2020" class="citation journal cs1">Martinez-Alvarez, Melisa; Jarde, Alexander; Usuf, Effua; Brotherton, Helen; Bittaye, Mustapha; Samateh, Ahmadou L; Antonio, Martin; Vives-Tomas, Joan; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Roca, Anna (May 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7186549">"COVID-19 pandemic in west Africa"</a>. <i>The Lancet Global Health</i>. <b>8</b> (5): e631–e632. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS2214-109X%2820%2930123-6">10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30123-6</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7186549">7186549</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32246918">32246918</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Lancet+Global+Health&rft.atitle=COVID-19+pandemic+in+west+Africa&rft.volume=8&rft.issue=5&rft.pages=e631-e632&rft.date=2020-05&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC7186549%23id-name%3DPMC&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F32246918&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2FS2214-109X%2820%2930123-6&rft.aulast=Martinez-Alvarez&rft.aufirst=Melisa&rft.au=Jarde%2C+Alexander&rft.au=Usuf%2C+Effua&rft.au=Brotherton%2C+Helen&rft.au=Bittaye%2C+Mustapha&rft.au=Samateh%2C+Ahmadou+L&rft.au=Antonio%2C+Martin&rft.au=Vives-Tomas%2C+Joan&rft.au=D%27Alessandro%2C+Umberto&rft.au=Roca%2C+Anna&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC7186549&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Mazrui, Ali A. <i>Islam and the English language in East and West Africa</i> (Routledge, 2017).</li> <li>Meillassoux, Claude, ed. <i>The development of indigenous trade and markets in West Africa: studies presented and discussed at the tenth International African seminar at Fourah Bay college, Freetown, December 1969</i> (Routledge, 2018).</li> <li>Mendonsa, Eugene L. <i>West Africa: An Introduction to Its History</i> (2002)</li> <li>O'Brien, Donal Cruise, Richard Rathbone, John Dunn, eds. <i>Contemporary West African States</i> (2002) <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/contemporarywest00crui">online free to borrow</a></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSoares2014" class="citation journal cs1">Soares, Benjamin (March 2014). "The Historiography of Islam in West Africa: An Anthropologist's View". <i>The Journal of African History</i>. <b>55</b> (1): 27–36. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0021853713000819">10.1017/S0021853713000819</a>. <a href="/wiki/Hdl_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hdl (identifier)">hdl</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://hdl.handle.net/1887%2F25369">1887/25369</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:162823960">162823960</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Journal+of+African+History&rft.atitle=The+Historiography+of+Islam+in+West+Africa%3A+An+Anthropologist%27s+View&rft.volume=55&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=27-36&rft.date=2014-03&rft_id=info%3Ahdl%2F1887%2F25369&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A162823960%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS0021853713000819&rft.aulast=Soares&rft.aufirst=Benjamin&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWest+Africa" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Tonkin, Elizabeth. <i>Narrating our pasts: The social construction of oral history</i> (Cambridge university press, 1995), on West Africa</li> <li>Westermann, Diedrich, and Margaret Arminel Bryan. <i>The Languages of West Africa: Handbook of African Languages</i> (Routledge, 2017).</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=West_Africa&action=edit&section=50" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output 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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/20px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="27" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/40px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></span></span></span><span class="sister-link"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:West_Africa" class="extiw" title="c:Category:West Africa">Media</a> from Commons</span></li><li><span class="sister-logo"><span class="mw-valign-middle" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/23px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="27" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/35px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/46px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="355" /></span></span></span><span class="sister-link"><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/West_Africa" class="extiw" title="q:Special:Search/West Africa">Quotations</a> from Wikiquote</span></li><li><span class="sister-logo"><span class="mw-valign-middle" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/27px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="27" height="27" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/41px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/54px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="193" data-file-height="193" /></span></span></span><span class="sister-link"><a href="https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/West_Africa" class="extiw" title="voy:West Africa">Travel information</a> from Wikivoyage</span></li><li><span class="sister-logo"><span class="mw-valign-middle" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/27px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="27" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/41px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/54px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1050" data-file-height="590" /></span></span></span><span class="sister-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4412" class="extiw" title="d:Q4412">Data</a> from Wikidata</span></li></ul></div></div> </div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/West.html#tbl"><i>West Africa by Region and Country</i></a> – African Studies at <a href="/wiki/Columbia_University" title="Columbia University">Columbia University</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ouestaf.com/">ouestaf.com</a> – Ouestaf, a West African online newspaper <span class="languageicon">(in French)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.loccidental.net/">Loccidental</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060307145452/http://www.loccidental.net/">Archived</a> 7 March 2006 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> – An online West African newspaper <span class="languageicon">(in French)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.westafricareview.com/">West Africa Review</a> – An e-journal on West Africa research and scholarship <span class="languageicon">(in English)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.wdl.org/en/item/638">The Voyage of the Sieur Le Maire, to the Canary Islands, Cape-Verde, Senegal, and Gambia</a> is the first published writing about Western Africa, dating from 1695 <span class="languageicon">(in English)</span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output 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title="ECOWAS">ECOWAS</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Leadership</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Chairmen</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gnassingb%C3%A9_Eyad%C3%A9ma" title="Gnassingbé Eyadéma">Eyadéma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Olusegun_Obasanjo" title="Olusegun Obasanjo">Obasanjo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/L%C3%A9opold_S%C3%A9dar_Senghor" title="Léopold Sédar Senghor">Senghor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gnassingb%C3%A9_Eyad%C3%A9ma" title="Gnassingbé Eyadéma">Eyadéma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siaka_Stevens" title="Siaka Stevens">Stevens</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mathieu_K%C3%A9r%C3%A9kou" title="Mathieu Kérékou">Kérékou</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ahmed_S%C3%A9kou_Tour%C3%A9" title="Ahmed Sékou Touré">Touré</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lansana_Cont%C3%A9" title="Lansana Conté">Conté</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari" title="Muhammadu Buhari">Buhari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ibrahim_Babangida" title="Ibrahim Babangida">Babangida</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawda_Jawara" title="Dawda Jawara">Jawara</a> <a href="/wiki/Blaise_Compaor%C3%A9" title="Blaise Compaoré">Compaoré</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawda_Jawara" title="Dawda Jawara">Jawara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abdou_Diouf" title="Abdou Diouf">Diouf</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nic%C3%A9phore_Soglo" title="Nicéphore Soglo">Soglo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jerry_John_Rawlings" class="mw-redirect" title="Jerry John Rawlings">Rawlings</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sani_Abacha" title="Sani Abacha">Abacha</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abdulsalami_Abubakar" title="Abdulsalami Abubakar">Abubakar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gnassingb%C3%A9_Eyad%C3%A9ma" title="Gnassingbé Eyadéma">Eyadéma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alpha_Oumar_Konar%C3%A9" title="Alpha Oumar Konaré">Konaré</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abdoulaye_Wade" title="Abdoulaye Wade">Wade</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Agyekum_Kufuor" class="mw-redirect" title="John Agyekum Kufuor">Kufuor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mamadou_Tandja" title="Mamadou Tandja">Tandja</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blaise_Compaor%C3%A9" title="Blaise Compaoré">Compaoré</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Umaru_Yar%27Adua" class="mw-redirect" title="Umaru Yar'Adua">Yar'Adua</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Goodluck_Jonathan" title="Goodluck Jonathan">Jonathan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alassane_Ouattara" title="Alassane Ouattara">Ouattara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Dramani_Mahama" class="mw-redirect" title="John Dramani Mahama">Mahama</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Macky_Sall" title="Macky Sall">Sall</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ellen_Johnson_Sirleaf" title="Ellen Johnson Sirleaf">Johnson Sirleaf</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Faure_Gnassingb%C3%A9" title="Faure Gnassingbé">Gnassingbé</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari" title="Muhammadu Buhari">Buhari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mahamadou_Issoufou" title="Mahamadou Issoufou">Issoufou</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nana_Akufo-Addo" title="Nana Akufo-Addo">Akufo Addo</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">President of<br /> the Commission</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Executive Secretaries (1975–2006)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aboubakar_Diaby_Ouattara" title="Aboubakar Diaby Ouattara">Ouattara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Momodu_Munu" title="Momodu Munu">Munu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abass_Bundu" title="Abass Bundu">Bundu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/%C3%89douard_Benjamin" title="Édouard Benjamin">Benjamin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lansana_Kouyat%C3%A9" title="Lansana Kouyaté">Kouyaté</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mohamed_Ibn_Chambas" title="Mohamed Ibn Chambas">Chambas</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Presidents (2007–present)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mohamed_Ibn_Chambas" title="Mohamed Ibn Chambas">Chambas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/James_Victor_Gbeho" class="mw-redirect" title="James Victor Gbeho">Gbeho</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kadr%C3%A9_D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9_Ou%C3%A9draogo" title="Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo">Ouédraogo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marcel_Alain_de_Souza" title="Marcel Alain de Souza">de Souza</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jean-Claude_Brou" title="Jean-Claude Brou">Brou</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Member states</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">UEMOA</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Benin" title="Benin">Benin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso">Burkina Faso</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinea-Bissau" title="Guinea-Bissau">Guinea-Bissau</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Niger" title="Niger">Niger</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Senegal" title="Senegal">Senegal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">WAMZ</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/The_Gambia" title="The Gambia">Gambia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sierra_Leone" title="Sierra Leone">Sierra Leone</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">ECOWAS only</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Verde" title="Cape Verde">Cape Verde</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">See also</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/CFA_franc" title="CFA franc">CFA franc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eco_(currency)" title="Eco (currency)">Eco</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_rail" title="ECOWAS rail">ECOWAS rail</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Economic_Community_of_West_African_States_Monitoring_Group" title="Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group">ECOMOG</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_Bank_for_Investment_and_Development" title="ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development">ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_Parliament" class="mw-redirect" title="ECOWAS Parliament">ECOWAS Parliament</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_Court" title="ECOWAS Court">ECOWAS Community Court of Justice</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ECOWAS_Policy_on_Science_and_Technology_(ECOPOST)" class="mw-redirect" title="ECOWAS Policy on Science and Technology (ECOPOST)">ECOPOST</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/UEMOA_Tournament" title="UEMOA Tournament">UEMOA Tournament</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Regions_of_Africa" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Regions_of_Africa" title="Template:Regions of Africa"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Regions_of_Africa" title="Template talk:Regions of Africa"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Regions_of_Africa" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Regions of Africa"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Regions_of_Africa" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Subregion#Africa" title="Subregion">Regions</a> of <a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa">Africa</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Central_Africa" title="Central Africa">Central</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Guinea_(region)" title="Guinea (region)">Guinea region</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Guinea" title="Gulf of Guinea">Gulf of Guinea</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Lopez" title="Cape Lopez">Cape Lopez</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mayombe" title="Mayombe">Mayombe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Igboland" title="Igboland">Igboland</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mbaise" title="Mbaise">Mbaise</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pool_Malebo" title="Pool Malebo">Pool Malebo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Congo_Basin" title="Congo Basin">Congo Basin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chad_Basin" title="Chad Basin">Chad Basin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cameroonian_Highlands_forests" title="Cameroonian Highlands forests">Cameroonian Highlands forests</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_Sudanian_savanna" title="East Sudanian savanna">East Sudanian savanna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Congolian_rainforests" title="Congolian rainforests">Congolian rainforests</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ouadda%C3%AF_highlands" title="Ouaddaï highlands">Ouaddaï highlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ennedi_Plateau" title="Ennedi Plateau">Ennedi Plateau</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/East_Africa" title="East Africa">East</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/African_Great_Lakes" title="African Great Lakes">African Great Lakes</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Albertine_Rift" title="Albertine Rift">Albertine Rift</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_African_Rift" title="East African Rift">East African Rift</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley" title="Great Rift Valley">Great Rift Valley</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gregory_Rift" title="Gregory Rift">Gregory Rift</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rift_Valley_lakes" title="Rift Valley lakes">Rift Valley lakes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Virunga_Mountains" title="Virunga Mountains">Virunga Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kavirondo" title="Kavirondo">Kavirondo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zanj" title="Zanj">Zanj</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_African_montane_forests" title="East African montane forests">East African montane forests</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Arc_Mountains" title="Eastern Arc Mountains">Eastern Arc Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Serengeti" title="Serengeti">Serengeti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Horn_of_Africa" title="Horn of Africa">Horn of Africa</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Afar_Triangle" title="Afar Triangle">Afar Triangle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Al-Habash" class="mw-redirect" title="Al-Habash">Al-Habash</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Barbaria_(East_Africa)" class="mw-redirect" title="Barbaria (East Africa)">Barbaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Danakil_Alps" title="Danakil Alps">Danakil Alps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Danakil_Desert" title="Danakil Desert">Danakil Desert</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ethiopian_Highlands" title="Ethiopian Highlands">Ethiopian Highlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dahlak_Archipelago" title="Dahlak Archipelago">Dahlak Archipelago</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hanish_Islands" title="Hanish Islands">Hanish Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Aden" title="Gulf of Aden">Gulf of Aden</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Tadjoura" title="Gulf of Tadjoura">Gulf of Tadjoura</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Red_Sea" title="Red Sea">Red Sea</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_islands_in_the_Indian_Ocean" title="List of islands in the Indian Ocean">Indian Ocean islands</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Comoro_Islands" title="Comoro Islands">Comoro Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lamu_Archipelago" title="Lamu Archipelago">Lamu Archipelago</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Madagascar" title="Madagascar">Madagascar</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Central_Highlands_(Madagascar)" title="Central Highlands (Madagascar)">Central Highlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Northern_Highlands" title="Northern Highlands">Northern Highlands</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zanzibar_Archipelago" title="Zanzibar Archipelago">Zanzibar Archipelago</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Swahili_coast" title="Swahili coast">Swahili coast</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/North_Africa" title="North Africa">North</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Desert" title="Eastern Desert">Eastern Desert</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maghreb" title="Maghreb">Maghreb</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ancient_Libya" title="Ancient Libya">Ancient Libya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Atlas_Mountains" title="Atlas Mountains">Atlas Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Barbary_Coast" title="Barbary Coast">Barbary Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gibraltar_Arc" title="Gibraltar Arc">Gibraltar Arc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ifriqiya" title="Ifriqiya">Ifriqiya</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nile" title="Nile">Nile Valley</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nile_Delta" title="Nile Delta">Nile Delta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bashmur" title="Bashmur">Bashmur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cataracts_of_the_Nile" title="Cataracts of the Nile">Cataracts of the Nile</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darfur" title="Darfur">Darfur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lower_Egypt" title="Lower Egypt">Lower Egypt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lower_Nubia" title="Lower Nubia">Lower Nubia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Middle_Egypt" title="Middle Egypt">Middle Egypt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nile_Delta" title="Nile Delta">Nile Delta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nuba_Mountains" title="Nuba Mountains">Nuba Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nubia" title="Nubia">Nubia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Sudans" title="The Sudans">The Sudans</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Upper_Egypt" title="Upper Egypt">Upper Egypt</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tibesti_Mountains" title="Tibesti Mountains">Tibesti Mountains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_Sahara" title="Western Sahara">Western Sahara</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Southern_Africa" title="Southern Africa">South</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rhodesia_(region)" title="Rhodesia (region)">Rhodesia</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Northern_Rhodesia" title="Northern Rhodesia">North</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Southern_Rhodesia" title="Southern Rhodesia">South</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thembuland" title="Thembuland">Thembuland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Succulent_Karoo" title="Succulent Karoo">Succulent Karoo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nama_Karoo" title="Nama Karoo">Nama Karoo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bushveld" title="Bushveld">Bushveld</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maputaland" title="Maputaland">Maputaland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Highveld" title="Highveld">Highveld</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fynbos" title="Fynbos">Fynbos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_Ocean_coastal_belt" title="Indian Ocean coastal belt">Indian Ocean coastal belt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Albany_thickets" title="Albany thickets">Albany thickets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Floristic_Region" title="Cape Floristic Region">Cape Floristic Region</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Skeleton_Coast" title="Skeleton Coast">Skeleton Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kalahari_Desert" title="Kalahari Desert">Kalahari Desert</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Okavango_Delta" title="Okavango Delta">Okavango Delta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Peninsula" title="Cape Peninsula">Cape Peninsula</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/False_Bay" title="False Bay">False Bay</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">West</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Pepper_Coast" title="Pepper Coast">Pepper Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gold_Coast_(region)" title="Gold Coast (region)">Gold Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Slave_Coast_of_West_Africa" title="Slave Coast of West Africa">Slave Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ivory_Coast" title="Ivory Coast">Ivory Coast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Palmas" title="Cape Palmas">Cape Palmas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cape_Mesurado" title="Cape Mesurado">Cape Mesurado</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinea_(region)" title="Guinea (region)">Guinea region</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Guinean_Forests_of_West_Africa" title="Guinean Forests of West Africa">Guinean Forests of West Africa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Upper_Guinean_forests" title="Upper Guinean forests">Upper Guinean forests</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lower_Guinean_forests" title="Lower Guinean forests">Lower Guinean forests</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinean_forest-savanna_mosaic" class="mw-redirect" title="Guinean forest-savanna mosaic">Guinean forest-savanna mosaic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guinea_Highlands" title="Guinea Highlands">Guinea Highlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Guinea" title="Gulf of Guinea">Gulf of Guinea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dahomey_Gap" title="Dahomey Gap">Dahomey Gap</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Niger_River" title="Niger River">Niger Basin</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Niger_Delta" title="Niger Delta">Niger Delta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inner_Niger_Delta" title="Inner Niger Delta">Inner Niger Delta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/West_Sudanian_savanna" title="West Sudanian savanna">West Sudanian savanna</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yorubaland" title="Yorubaland">Yorubaland</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Macro-regions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aethiopia" title="Aethiopia">Aethiopia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Afromontane" title="Afromontane">Afromontane</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arab_world" title="Arab world">Arab world</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Commonwealth_realm" title="Commonwealth realm">Commonwealth realm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Equatorial_Africa" title="Equatorial Africa">Equatorial Africa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fran%C3%A7afrique" title="Françafrique">Françafrique</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greater_Middle_East" title="Greater Middle East">Greater Middle East</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guineo-Congolian_region" title="Guineo-Congolian region">Guineo-Congolian region</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Islands_of_Africa" title="Islands of Africa">Islands of Africa</a></li> <li><a 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