A sign reads Dublin Banana Island, Isle of Remembrance. Photograph: Sally Hayden. Regional leaders of nonviolent resistance include Leymah Gbowee,[126] Comfort Freeman, and Aya Virginie Toure. The only people living on the island are the staff and researchers that work as part of the eco-project. 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 Ghana and Burkina Faso. Our own species Homo sapiens . After European exploration encountered rich local economies and kingdoms, the Atlantic slave trade built on already existing slave systems to provide labor for colonies in the Americas. Freetown, the nation's capital city, has one of the world's largest natural harbours. The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today Western,North central Nigeria and southern Republic of Benin. Like Islam, elements of traditional African religion are mixed with Christianity.[122]. How many languages do we have in Sierra Leone? We have a very easy life. The history of West Africa can be divided into five major periods: first, its prehistory, in which the first human settlers arrived, developed agriculture, 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 Great Britain and France controlled nearly the entire region; and fifth, the post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed. The Bandia Nature Reserve in Senegal (French: Brydon, Lynne. We recommend using one of the . (Introduction). Beaches and Islands Sulima This is between the Moa and Mano Rivers. The major national teams of West Africa, the Ghana national football team, the Ivory Coast national football team, and the Nigeria national football team regularly win the Africa Cup of Nations. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consider its western end to be Nouakchott, Mauritania, or to be Dakar, Senegal, giving rise to these alternative names for the road: Of the sixteen, the most important hub and entry point to West Africa are Kotoka International Airport, and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, offering many international connections. This line connects 3ft6in (1,067mm) gauge and 1,000mm (.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}3ft3+38in) metre gauge systems, which would require four rail dual gauge, which can also provide standard gauge. It should not be confused with the modern-day country called Benin, formerly called Dahomey. Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and displacement is one of its most devastating consequences. Williams said the island is a perfect place to live its beautiful and very quiet. [47][54][55], West Africa is greatly affected by deforestation and has one of worst deforestation rate. [13] During the Pleistocene, Middle Stone Age peoples (e.g., Iwo Eleru people,[14] possibly Aterians), who dwelled throughout West Africa between MIS 4 and MIS 2,[15] were gradually replaced by incoming Late Stone Age peoples, who migrated into West Africa[16] as an increase in humid conditions resulted in the subsequent expansion of the West African forest. The South Atlantic Ocean borders it to the southwest. Sierra Leone's population. Up until now we still maintain the name, says Kamara, gesturing around him as he stands on one of Dublins many secluded beaches. West Africa is west of an imagined northsouth axis lying close to 10 east longitude. [125] It has a presence in Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 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 linguae franca in communication between the region's various ethnic groups. Although some of these recipes have been altered to suit the sensibilities of their adopters, they retain a distinct West African essence. About 50,000 slaves left from Bunce Island, but it is not clear how many of them came through Dublin first. Despite the architectural differences, buildings perform similar functions, including the compound structure central to West African family life or strict distinction between the private and public worlds needed to maintain taboos or social etiquette. The area is calledWestern AreaorFreetown Peninsula. As stated earlier, the Republic of the Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, of these islands, only 2,000 are inhabited. Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from Nigeria through to Senegal, there are general similarities in dress, cuisine, music and culture that are not shared extensively with groups outside the geographic region. Density. Following World War II, nationalist movements arose across West Africa. Sint Philipsland. The provinces are Eastern, Northern, North Western, and Southern. Sierra Leone is well known for its vast endowment in minerals which include diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold, iron ore, limonite, platinum, chromite, coltan, tantalite, columbite, and zircon, as well as promising petroleum potential. Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including: Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of subregion Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of Mauritania (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km. Furthermore, Liberia enacted a fisheries regulations Act in 2010[62] and installed a satellite-based monitoring system and Senegal enacted a fisheries code in 2015. Nollywood of Nigeria, is the main film industry of West Africa. "[118] 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 shaman priests who can use magic to heal, control fate, and connect to the spirit world. Served Countries | FedEx United Kingdom Established in the 14th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. C (6)s 27C (80.6F) 25C (77.0F) to 29C (84.2F) year. It lies on the African Plate. Land boundaries: Located two hours by motor boat from the mainland, Sherbro Island has about 30.000 inhabitants. Osman Kamara, a tour guide with Freetown-headquartered IPC Travel, said he would strongly encourage Irish people to visit Dublin. Most Americans of. West African populations were considerably mobile and interacted with one another throughout the population history of West Africa. Since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, women have been engaged in rebuilding war-torn Africa. The eastern end of the highway terminates at Lagos, [[Nigeria]]. There are barely any motor vehicles on the island, therefore transportation is limited to walking, using motorbikes and boat rides. Sine and Salum). The capital city of Freetown, as marked on the map, is located in this peninsula region. The tree itself is rather majestic and looks like a huge phallus and a deformed animal or thing is protruding from it. As observed on the physical map above, it has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Big Sand Beach is by far the best. The country also has several islands on the Atlantic Ocean. This mixture of climates gives West Africa a rich array of biomes, from biodiversity-rich tropical forests to drylands supporting rare and endangered fauna such as pangolins, rhinoceros, and elephants. Sierra Leone is drained by several rivers crisscrossing the country. We are available in more than 200 countries/regions and support 25 currencies. [65] The northern border is the Sahara Desert, with the Ranishanu Bend generally considered the northernmost part of the region. Refers to P. falciparum malaria unless otherwise noted. International Monetary Fund, 2001. Ngoye njuli is protected by the Senegalese authorities and attracts visitors. Some of the greatest attractions in the islands are Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, with its panoramic water views and scenic nature sites, and Mount Liamuiga, from which one can view the whole island and the Caribbean Sea. ". 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",. [91], A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone. In contrast, the more well-known Bunce Island recently received a $500,000 (423,000) grant from the US government for refurbishments. How Many Islands are in the World? - AZ Animals St. Helena, a British dependency, is the least populated territory in Africa. The districts are divided into 186 chiefdoms. Digital 2021: Sierra Leone - DataReportal - Global Digital Insights [79] 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[80][81] underline the continuity of the drought even though the rainfall has increased. Sierra Leone as a country lies between latitude and longitude 12.2 degrees west and 8.5 degrees north respectively. And just offshore from Kent, is Banana Island. Sierra Leone Flag. Mohamed Branine, Managing Across Cultures: Concepts, Policies and Practices (2011), p. 437, Bandia Nature Reserve is sometimes called, Deforestation by Country & Region ("Country Forest Data [sorted by region]") [in]. West Africa has made considerably improvement in the health outcomes of its populations, in spite of the challenges posed by pervasive poverty, epidemic diseases, and food insecurity. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and was administered by a priest-king called as an Eze Nri. continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation. By the end of the slave trade in 1808, thousands of slaves would pass through here. Sierra Leone | Culture, History, & People | Britannica The Liptako-Gourma Authority of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso seeks to jointly develop the contiguous areas of the three countries. contiguous zone: 24nmi (44.4km; 27.6mi). 'Ghost' DNA In West Africans Complicates Story Of Human Origins The film has been used as an advocacy tool in post-conflict zones like Sudan and Zimbabwe, mobilizing African women to petition for peace and security. Importantly, the rise of the numeracy was higher in the regions which were less hierarchical and had less dependent from the slavery trade (e.g. [92] 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. [5] The country has a total area of 71,740km2 (27,699sqmi), divided into a land area of 71,620km2 (27,653sqmi) and water of 120km2 (46sqmi). Ebola didn't touch Dublin the last time anyway, according to resident Moses Williams (58). Neither did the war, except that locals welcomed refugees from the mainland who wanted to shelter there during it. To clearly define these islands, they have been subdivided into three major groups, i.e., Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Like Praise-singers, the griot's main profession was musical acquisition and prowess, and patrons were the sole means of financial support. Examples of modern popular griot artists include Youssou N'Dour, Mamadou Diabate, Sona Jobareteh, and Toumani Diabate. According to local guides, each slave would be branded on the chest with RAC the initials of the Royal African Company. The Turtle Islands lie, like a cartographer's spilt biscuit crumbs, off the western tip of the much larger island of Shebro, roughly three-quarters of the way down Sierra Leone's coastline. Lungi International, Freetown's airport, is across a sea estuary from Freetown. Photograph: Sally Hayden. [29] 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 savannas and forests of West Africa. Early history in West Africa included a number of prominent regional powers that dominated different parts of both the coastal and internal trade networks, such as the Mali and Gao Empires. Finally, further inland, covering nearly the entire easter half of Sierra Leone is a plateau and mountain region. In current-day Mauritania, there exist archaeological sites in the towns of Tichit and Oualata that were initially constructed around 2000 B.C., and were found to have originated from the Soninke branch of the Mand peoples. Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of Africa. The outline map represents mainland Sierra Leone. Africa Sierra Leone Maps of Sierra Leone Provinces Map Where is Sierra Leone? ", "Enhanced future changes in wet and dry extremes over Africa at convection-permitting scale", "IPCC Sees Severe Climate Change Impacts on Africa", "Why Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change", "Improved climatological precipitation characteristics over West Africa at convection-permitting scales", "Potential impact of 1.5\hspace0.167emC and 2\hspace0.167emC global warming on consecutive dry and wet days over West Africa", Itai Madamombe (2006): "NEPAD promotes better transport networks", "The State of Health System(s) in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities", "Customs & Cuisine of Niger | Amman Imman | Dining for Women", "Why does the West dominate African football? If Im in need of something I dont have, I ask my close neighbour or friend. Today, Dublin is visited by wealthy Sierra Leoneans and foreigners working in the capital city, Freetown, and the surrounding provinces. "Constructing Avatime: questions of history and identity in a West African polity, c. 1690s to the twentieth century. [104][105] Fufu (from the Twi language, a dough served with a spicy stew or sauce for example okra stew etc.) [4] The Rokel River is the largest river in Sierra Leone. Locals are seeking donations so they can maintain what remains of the islands past, but a worn box covered in a plastic bag bearing the words Towards Relics Banana Island Organisation, seemed pretty empty. [68] The eastern border is less precise, with some placing it at the Benue Trough, and others on a line running from Mount Cameroon to Lake Chad. The different communities of the country have their own styles of costume and dance. arable land: 24.4% 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. In Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, the nomadic Tuareg speak the Tuareg language, a Berber language. Major and principal cities in West Africa include, geographically eastward: Before European colonisation, West African countries such as those from the Senegambia region (Senegal and the Gambia) used to have a diverse wildlife including lions, hippopotamus, elephants, antelopes, leopards etc. This list may not reflect recent changes. Westernmost point the point at which the border with Guinea enters the Atlantic Ocean, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 18:26. Read More Beaches and Islands Freetown Peninsula [94] Recently, mental health problems are on the rise in West Africa, as they are in many other world regions. [31] After having persisted as late as 1000 BP,[18] or some period of time after 1500 CE,[33] remaining West African hunter-gatherers, many of whom dwelt in the forest-savanna region, were ultimately acculturated and admixed into the larger groups of West African agriculturalists, akin to the migratory Bantu agriculturalists and their encounters with Central African hunter-gatherers.[18]. The island's main geographical features include wooded hill country, an upland plateau, and mountains in the east. Bloody Bunce: A Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Sierra Leone Starting with the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), the peace movement has grown to include women across West Africa. from Ghana is enjoyed throughout the region and beyond even in Central Africa with their own versions of it. These are local government units headed by tribal, hereditary chiefs. permanent crops: 2.3% An island is a body of land surrounded by water. "Olfert Dapper, a Dutch writer, describing Benin in his book Description of Africa (1668) ". [70], 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,[71] each with different climatic conditions. [19], During the Holocene, Niger-Congo speakers independently created pottery in Ounjougou, Mali[20][21] the earliest pottery in Africa[22] by at least 9400 BCE,[20] and along with their pottery,[22] as well as wielding bows and arrows,[23] migrated into the Central Sahara,[22] which became their primary region of residence by 10,000 BP. [97], West Africans cuisines include fish (especially among the coastal areas), meat, vegetables, and fruitsmost of which are grown by the nations' local farmers. Competition between Praise-singing ensembles and artistes are 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. [57][58] In 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ranked Nigeria as the state with the worst deforestation rate in the entire world. After the end of the slave trade in the early 19th century, European nations, especially France and Britain, continued to exploit the region through colonial relationships. lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m They included Ghana, Gao and Kanem.[34]. Islam is the predominant religion of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent (60% of West Africans); and was introduced to the region by traders in the 9th century. 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