Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of Africa that lies south of the Sahara Desert. It includes areas such as Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. This area has many countries, and the number can change depending on who is counting. Some groups say there are 46 to 48 countries, while the African Union includes all 55 African countries in five regions.

The term "sub-Saharan Africa" is used to distinguish it from North Africa, which is sometimes grouped with the Middle East as part of the MENA region. Some countries, like the Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, and Somalia, are geographically in sub-Saharan Africa but also belong to the Arab League.

For thousands of years, the Sahara Desert has separated North and South Africa. However, during wet periods called the "Wet Sahara" phase, the desert had more water, making travel easier. This allowed plants, animals, and early humans to move out of Africa into other parts of the world.

Nomenclature and conceptual criticism

People have divided sub-Saharan Africa into different parts based on the people who live there. But the idea of "sub-Saharan Africa" has been seen as unfair because it might separate areas that are really connected.

Long ago, writers who spoke Arabic used words like bilâd as-sûdân ("Land of the Blacks") to talk about places in West Africa. They used the word Zanj ("Country of the Blacks") for parts of Southeast Africa near the Swahili coast. Some places had their own names, like Al-Habash for parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and Barbara for northern Somalia.

List of countries and regional organisation

Sub-Saharan Africa has 49 countries. Six African countries are not part of sub-Saharan Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara; these belong to the UN subregion of Northern Africa. Some groups also include Sudan, which has ties to both North and sub-Saharan Africa.

Central Africa

Central Africa includes countries such as Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

East Africa

East Africa consists of nations like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

Southern Africa

Southern Africa features countries including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

West Africa

West Africa includes Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.

History

Main articles: History of Africa, History of West Africa, History of Central Africa, History of East Africa, and History of Southern Africa

Further information: African empires, List of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa § List of African kingdoms, and African archaeology

Long ago, early humans in Africa used simple tools and learned to walk on two legs. Over time, they made better tools and learned to make fire. These early people moved out from Africa to other parts of the world.

Later, powerful kingdoms like the Mali Empire and the Kingdom of Benin grew in West Africa. They traded goods and built impressive buildings. In East Africa, the Axumite Empire was a big trading center. In Southern Africa, groups like the Xhosa people moved into new areas. These changes shaped the history of Africa for many years.

Geography

Further information: Afrotropical realm; Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands; and List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions

Sub-Saharan Africa has many different climate zones and natural areas. It has places with dry winters and wet summers.

The area includes deserts, savannas, forests, and mountains. Some famous places are the Serengeti in East Africa and the Cape Floristic Region at the southern tip of the continent. Each of these places has its own special plants and animals.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Africa

In the mid-2010s, money started flowing into sub-Saharan Africa from places like BRICS and private investors. This help came instead of official aid.

By 2011, Africa was growing fast. Six of the ten fastest-growing places were in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2013, the economic growth rate was 4.7%. This growth came from building things and using natural resources.

Energy and power

In 2009, half of Africa had no electricity. By 2021, Africa made 889 TWh of electricity. Many places still had too little power. Sub-Saharan Africa has lots of untapped energy, but only 7% has been used. Governments are using water to make more energy. Countries like China help build big water power projects. The area also has lots of sun power, which could help 600 million people. Groups like the New Partnership for Africa's Development work on energy projects.

Oil and minerals

Sub-Saharan Africa has many minerals. It exports gold, uranium, chromium, vanadium, antimony, coltan, bauxite, iron ore, copper, and manganese. South Africa makes a lot of platinum and manganese. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has most of the world's coltan. The area also has lots of diamonds and gold. Many countries want to invest in sub-Saharan oil.

Agriculture

Sub-Saharan Africa has many types of grains and crops like sorghum, coffee, cotton, okra, and watermelon. Farming is important, but it faces challenges like weather changes. People are working to improve farming with new technology and help from groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Science and technology

Further information: History of science and technology in Africa, Internet in Africa, Mobile technology in Africa, and Educational technology in sub-Saharan Africa

Tourism

Tourism can help create jobs and improve the economy. Places like South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Botswana, Ghana, Cape Verde, Tanzania and Kenya have strong tourism. Cape Town and nearby areas are very popular with visitors.

Infrastructure

See also: Water supply and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa

Investing in things like roads, electricity, and telecommunications is important for growth in sub-Saharan Africa. But these investments are still small, especially in rural areas. Both government and private money, plus help from other countries, are needed to reach development goals and reduce poverty.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has many big cities. Lagos is a major city in Nigeria and is growing very fast. Johannesburg is the biggest city in South Africa. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Other important cities are Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Abidjan, Cape Town, Kinshasa, Luanda, Mogadishu, and Addis Ababa.

The population of sub-Saharan Africa was about 1.1 billion in 2019 and is growing fast. Many people are children, with more than 40% younger than 15 years old. People in sub-Saharan Africa often practice Christianity, Islam, or traditional African religions. The area has over 1,500 languages, with the Niger–Congo family being the largest.

Culture

Further information: Culture of Africa, West Africa § Culture, Central Africa § Culture, East Africa § Culture, Horn of Africa § Culture, Southern Africa § Culture, and Southeast Africa § Culture

Sub-Saharan Africa is a colorful place with many different groups. Each group has its own beliefs and traditions. In many places, families and communities are very important.

Art

Further information: African art, Pottery § Africa, and Ceramic art § Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the oldest and most interesting art in the world. The art often shows people and can be three-dimensional, like sculpture. Art can be useful and also show important ideas and values. It has inspired many artists around the world.

Architecture

Further information: History of architecture § Africa, Megalith § African megaliths, and Tumulus § Africa

Music

Traditional music in Sub-Saharan Africa is full of rhythm and drums. This style of music has influenced many kinds of music around the world, like jazz, rock, and reggae. Today, African music keeps changing, mixing old sounds with new ones from around the globe.

Clothing

Further information: Clothing in Africa and Folk costume § Africa

People in Sub-Saharan Africa wear both traditional clothes and clothes from other parts of the world. Traditional clothes look different in each place, but often use cotton or animal hides. Some special fabrics like kanga, kitenge, and kente are popular and mean different things to different groups.

Theater

Further information: History of theatre § African theatre

Media

In 2007, most people in Sub-Saharan Africa got their news from radio. Television is becoming more common, but some places still have trouble getting it because of power issues. More people are getting online, often using mobile phones.

Film industry

Further information: Cinema of Africa and List of African films

Games

Further information: History of games § Africa

Cuisine

Further information: African cuisine, List of African cuisines, History of breakfast § Africa, and History of the potato § Africa

The food in Sub-Saharan Africa is rich and different in each place. Common foods include grains like rice and millet, starchy foods like yams and cassava, and meats and vegetables. People cook in many ways, such as roasting, boiling, and frying.

Sports

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Sub-Saharan Africa, with many great players from the region. Other popular sports are rugby, boxing, and cricket. The region has also produced many top long-distance runners, especially from Ethiopia and Kenya.