Map of Africa & Resource Links

The URL for this Map of Africa page is: www.africaspeaks.com/maps

Algeria | Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi | Cameroon
Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Comoros | Congo | Congo DR
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | Djibouti | Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea
Ethiopia | Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya
Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Madagascar | Malawi | Mali | Mauritania
Mauritius | Mayotte | Morocco | Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria
Reunion | Rwanda | Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles
Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa | Sudan | Swaziland | Tanzania
Togo | Tunisia | Uganda | Western Sahara (SADR) | Zambia | Zimbabwe

Large Map of Africa

Origins of "Africa"
A dialog from the nuafrica list, January 1996.
Origins of the word "Africa" and the spread of "Ifriquia"
from the north of the continent.
A dialogue from Rastafari Speaks Message Board
on the origin of the name Africa

The origins of African Country Names or what they mean.
'provided courtesy of www.clickafrique.com'
CIA's World Factbook 2000 info, IRIN News & Stanford Edu. Links.
(Not comprehensive Links but they are maintained.)

Africa Country Profile
www.channelafrica.org

Algeria - Named after the capital city Algiers or Al-Jazair ("The Island") in Arabic. A reference to the small islands that once dotted the bay of the city.
IRIN News (Fr) - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Angola - When Portuguese mariner Diego Cao landed at the mouth of the Congo River in 1483, two distinct Kingdoms ruled the region. The Kingdom of the Bakongo reigned in the north. The Quimbundos Kingdom, also known as Ndongo, dominated in the western and central areas. The king of the Quimbundos was called "Ngola". The region, taking its name from the king, became Angola.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Benin - (Formerly Dahomey) named after the ancient Nigerian Kingdom of Benin. The former name Dahomey, pronounced Dan Ho Me ("on the belly of Dan") was an ancient Kingdom located in the south of what is modern-day Benin Republic.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Botswana - A name used to collectively describe the Tswana, the country's dominant ethnic group. Formerly known as Bechuanaland, Bechauna being an alternative spelling for Botswana.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Burkina Faso - Mossi for "Land of Incorruptible Men" was changed to this from Upper Volta in 1984. Upper Volta reffered to its geographical location in relation to the Volta river.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Burundi - Derives from Rundi (Kirundi) the language universally spoken throughout Burundi.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Cameroon (also Cameroun in French) - The name is derived from Rio de Camarões (the River of Prawns) the name given to River Wouri by Portuguese Explorers in the 15th century.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) - Named after the westernmost point in mainland Africa. The nearest point on the continent to this Island Nation.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Central African Republic (CAR) - It's in Central Africa! Africa is believed to have originated from either the Latin word aprica ("Sunny") or greek aphrike ("without cold") and originally applied to North Africa. However as Europe discovered the extent of continental Africa, the term came to match its modern day usage.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Chad - The name appears to derive from the Lake which forms it South-Western border with Nigeria.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Comoros - The name "Comoros" is derived from the Arabic kamar or kumr, meaning "moon," although this name was first applied by Arab geographers to Madagascar. It was adopted by French Colonialists to describe the Islands.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Congo - Named after the 15th Kingdom of Kongo which thrived on both banks of the River Congo, extending into Modern day Congo, Congo DR, Angola and Zambia.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Congo DR (DRC) - As Above. Also formerly known as Zaire a traditional local name for River Congo.
IRIN News - stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) - The Reference by European traders to the availabiilty of Ivory Tusks.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Djibouti - (Fomerly Territory of the Afars and Issas) Named after the Port capital.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Egypt - Direct geographical descendent of Ancient Egypt.
IRIN News - abyznews.com Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Equatorial Guinea - Guinea derives from the berber word aguinaw, or gnawa ("black man"), which Berbers (Nomadic Saharan Peoples) have used to describe most of West Africa.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Eritrea - The Latin phrase Mare Erythraeum ("Red Sea") was used by Italy to describe its colonies in the horn of Africa. This later became Eritrea and was adopted by the country on independence from Ethiopia.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Ethiopia - Direct geographical descendent of Ancient Ethiopia.
IRIN News - Google News - MSN Live Search

Gabon - Gabon's first European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century and subsequent Portuguese references refered to it as Gabon after the Portuguese word gabao, a coat with sleeves and hood resembling the shape of the Como River estuary, where they first explored.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Gambia - Named after the River Gambia which flows through the Country.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Ghana - Named after the Ancient West African Kingdom of Ghana. See Ancient Ghana.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Guinea - See Equatorial Guinea.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Guinea-Bissau - See Equatorial Guinea.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Kenya - Named after the mountain of the same name. and this in turn derives it name from The Kikuyu, who refer to the mountain as Kirinyaga, or Kere-Nyaga ("Mountain of Whiteness").
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Lesotho - Named after the Sotho People, the dominant Ethnic Group. Formerly known as Basutoland.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Liberia - Derived from the Latin word liber ("Free") - Reference to the return of Freed American Slaves who founded the modern Republic of Liberia.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Libya - In 1934, Italy adopted the name "Libya" (used by the ancient Greeks for all of North Africa, except Egypt) as the official name of their new colony, which consisted of the Provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, and Fezzan.
compuserve.com Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Madagascar - The origin of the Madagascar is uncertain, some people believe the European Traveller Marco Polo (who never visted the island) confused it with Mogadishu in present - day Somalia. Hence Early reference to the Island as Madeigascar or Mogelasio, this eventually became Madagascar about the 16th centruty. Others believe that the Madagascar may be a local reference to the "Country of Malagasy". However, the Kings of Malagasy tended to refer to the whole Island by "Izao will rehetra izao " or " Izao tontolo izao ("this entire country").
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Malawi - Derived from Marawi - A confederacy of states that existed in the area of present day Malawi.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Mali - Named after the ancient West African Kingdom of Mali. See Ancient Mali.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Mauritania - The name is derived from Spanish description of the area as the land of the Moors, a term used to describe Arab rulers of Southern Spain. It was also the name of an ancient Berber Kingdom.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Mauritius - The island was named in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau by Dutch explorers. The French claimed Mauritius in 1715 and renamed it Ile de France. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the British and renamed back to Mauritius.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Mayotte - Most of the people are Moharais of Malagasy origin. Mayotte(French), Maore or Mahore(Comoran) describes the land of the Moharais.
Google News - MSN Live Search

Morocco - Direct geographical descendent of Ancient Morocco.
Google News - MSN Live Search

Mozambique - Named after Mouzinho de Alburquerque , 19th Century Portuguese colonalist who put down nationalist rebellions in the territory and thus established effective Portuguese control.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Namibia - derived from the Namib, the desert that runs along the namibia coast. Namib in turn means "an area where there is nothing" in the local Nama language.
IRIN News - namibian.com.na
Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Niger - Derived from the River Niger, and meaning Black in Latin.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Nigeria - Meaning the Area of the Niger. As Above
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Reunion - An overseas Department of France, The Islands are named Reunion in 1848 after several name changes and temporary occupation by the British.
Google News, Reunion - MSN Live Search

Rwanda - Named after the Laguage spoken throught out the country, Ruanda (also called Kinyarwanda).
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Sao Tome and Principe - Portuguese names for the Islands. Actual Origin unknown.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News, Sao Tome and Principe - MSN Live Search

Senegal - Derived from the River Senegal.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Seychelles - In 1756, Seychelles became a French colony under the name of Séchelles, named after the Moreau of Séchelles, Minister of Finance under the kingdom of Louis XV. During the 19th Century, under British rule the name was anglicised to Seychelles.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone's name dates back to 1462, when a Portuguese explorer, Pedro da Cintra, sailed down the coast of West Africa and saw the long range of mountains of what is now the Freetown Peninsula. As a result of shape and climatic conditions experienced by the explorer, he called the lands 'Sierra Lyoa' meaning 'Lion Mountains'. Sixteenth century English sailors called it 'Sierra Leoa'; by the seventeenth it was 'Sierra Leona', and by 1787, under British Rule it had became Sierra Leone.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Somalia - The Land of the Somali, the dominant Ethnic group in the country.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

South Africa - See Central African Republic.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Sudan - Sudan (a name derived from the Arabic phrase - bilad as-sudan, "land of the blacks"). Used by Arabs to describe what is today Sub-Sahran Africa, i.e. Africa excluding Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Egypt.
IRIN News - www.sudan.net - Stanford.edu Links
Google News - MSN Live Search
African Studies : www.sas.upenn.edu

Swaziland - The Land of the Swazi's who form 97% of the population.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Tanzania - A name derived from the union of Mainland Tanganyika and the Islands of Zanzibar which together form the United Republic of Tanzania.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Togo - Named after Togoville in Germany, where Germany declared a "protectorate" over the area that came to be Togo.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Tunisia - Named after Tunis the present-day capital, but in ancient times a powerful city-state and successor to ancient Carthage.
Google News - MSN Live Search

Uganda - Derived from the Buganda, the country's largest Ethnic Group.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Western Sahara(SADR) - Named after is location. Also known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic after its people, the Sahrawi Arabs.
IRIN News - Google News - MSN Live Search

Zambia - Derived from the Zambezi River which flows along its southern borders.
IRIN News - Stanford.edu Links - Google News - MSN Live Search

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe was named after Great Zimbabwe an ancient trading empire dating back to the Iron Age. The word zimbabwe is derived from the Shona language, and means houses of stone.
IRIN News / Google News / MSN Live Search / Raceandhistory.com Links
Zimbabwe Government / Introduction To An African Journey

More information at: Image Map of Africa
www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm

If you have further information, please share it on the Reasoning Forum so this page can be updated.