facts about central africa region

The capital was M'banza-Kongo. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. East Africa had the highest number at 28.6 million, followed by Southern Africa at 23.3 million, and West Africa at 11.2 million. The agriculture is insufficient in fulfilling all the dietary needs of the population. Both Niger and Chad are mostly desert, however, and in recent years, Lake Chad has shrunk to one-tenth of its former size as the rivers that feed it have dried up. The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa.. His son Naweej expanded the empire further and is known as the first Lunda emperor, with the title Mwata Yamvo (mwaant yaav, mwant yav), the "Lord of Vipers". The Wadai Empire was centered on Chad and the Central African Republic from the 17th century. The predominant religions of Central Africa are Christianity and traditional faiths. Notwithstanding its low latitude and proximity to humid air masses, the coastal region of southwestern Central Africa has an abnormally long dry season with a low annual rainfall because of the presence of a cold marine current (the Benguela Current) along the coast. Deforestation rates in Africa are twice the average for the rest of the world. The Imbangala of inland Angola claimed descent from a founder, Kinguri, brother of Queen Rweej, who could not tolerate the rule of mulopwe Tshibunda. Facts about Central Asia 2: the population Based on the report in 2013 until 2014, it is estimated that there were 66 million people who lived in Central Asia. Bangui is the capital city of Central African Republic. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The leaders established another state at Matamba, affiliated with Queen Nzinga, who put up a strong resistance to the Portuguese until coming to terms with them. Africa is the second-largest continent in the world both in size and population. Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). The interior basin of the Congo River is joined to the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow neck traversing ridges parallel to the coast. The Lunda's western expansion also saw claims of descent by the Yaka and the Pende. During the Conference of Berlin in 1884-85 Africa was divided up between the European colonial powers, defining boundaries that are largely intact with today's post-colonial states. The countries of the basin regained their independence between 1956 and 1962, retaining the colonial administrative boundaries. Baguirmi emerged to the southeast of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In the 17th century there was a revolt of the Maba people who established a Muslim dynasty. Southern Africa consists of the portion generally south of -10° latitude and the great rainforests of Congo . Facts about Central African Republic will inform you about county in Africa. The Kanem-Bornu Empire was centered in the Chad Basin. With superior organization, they were able to conquer their neighbors and extract tribute. The kingdom of Lunda came to an end in the 19th century when it was invaded by the Chokwe, who were armed with guns.[17][18]. The diurnal range of about 20 °F (11 °C) always exceeds the range of monthly means. The history of the Empire is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by the German traveller Heinrich Barth. Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe are members of the Economic Community of Central African States(ECCAS). The Central Highlands is the most densely populated and intensely cultivated region in kenya and home to one of the biggest and historically most influential tribes in Kenya, the Kikuyus. Finding work for the growing numbers of young people in rural areas is a priority in West and Central Africa. Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Continent – Africa. Central African Republic: 8 interesting facts about one of the world’s poorest countries 1. Western rock and pop music, as well as Afrobeat, soukous and other genres have become popular nation-wide. Another significant plateau region is the Ethiopian Highlands. The Central Highlands are mostly green and lush and together with Western kenya it … The hydroelectric dam on the Congo River at Inga Falls, near Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Central Africa is primarily inhabited by Bantu people. The Imbangala formed the slave-raiding state of Kasanje, a major source of slaves during the 17th and 18th centuries.[22][23]. https://www.britannica.com/place/central-Africa. The kingdom was founded during the mid-fifteenth century CE by its first ruler, Nyikang. Some major ethnic groups in Central Africa are as follows: For the former British colony, now called, For the Central African Federation (1953-1963), see. 7. Savannas of poor, permeable sandy soils unevenly strewn with small trees cover the plateau surfaces, whereas subequatorial forests fill the valleys. Area, 1,402,367 square miles (3,632,116 square km). On 9 April 1892 he reached Kukawa on the shore of the lake. Slavery wreaked havoc in the interior, with states initiating wars of conquest for captives. In the 21st century, many jihadist and Islamist groups began to operate in the Central African region, including the Seleka and the Ansaru. The landscape beyond the divide descends by steps toward Lake Chad. The basin contains some marshlands in the region where the Congo, Ubangi, Likouala, and Sangha rivers converge and where Lakes Mai-Ndombe and Tumba are found. [11] Finds include bronze sculptures and terra cotta statues of human and animal figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewelry, highly decorated pottery, and spears. The longest river in the World, The Nile, measuring 6,695 km – flows north ending in a delta … Based on the report in 2014, it is inhabited by 4.7 million people. For the postcolonial history of the region, see Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Due to common historical processes and widespread demographic movements between the countries of Central Africa before the Bantu Migration into much of southern Central Africa, the cultures of the region evidence many similarities and interrelationships. Later, maize (corn) and cassava (manioc) would be introduced to the region via trade with the Portuguese at their ports at Luanda and Benguela. Over the course of the 2010s, the internationally unrecognized secessionist state called Ambazonia gained increasing momentum in its home regions. At least 40% of the rural population of northern and eastern Central Africa lives in poverty and routinely face chronic food shortages. In northern Central Africa, Adamawa-Eastern and Sudanic languages are also spoken. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Kenya and Zambia only have about 1-5% of the primary forests remaining. The Sao civilization flourished from ca. The rainforest is surrounded by a patchwork of savannas and other forests. Monetary Unit – Central African Franc. The volcanic dam also caused a river course reversal in northern Rwanda, generating lakes and marshes. In savanna or wooded savanna regions are Garamba National Park in northeastern Congo, well known for its white rhinoceroses, Upemba National Park in southern Congo, parks in the northern part of the Central African Republic, and Akagera National Park in northeastern Rwanda. Philippe Lavachery et al., Komé-Kribi: Rescue Archaeology Along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline (2012). In the central part of the basin, the fan of quiet rivers constitutes one of the most attractive networks of navigable waters in the world, but this network is cut off from the Atlantic by a succession of rapids in western Congo (Kinshasa) between Kinshasa and Matadi. The entire region is roughly the same size as the United States west of the Mississippi River. This article covers the history of the region from prehistoric time to the end of the colonial period in the 20th century. Size – 622,984 km². Central Africa’s most famous national park, Virunga National Park in Congo (Kinshasa), is home to elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, warthogs, forest hogs, okapis, and mountain gorillas on the volcano slopes. Ndongo experienced depopulation from slave raiding. [2] The African Development Bank defines Central Africa as Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. In the Central African Region, there is a notable predominating language, which is the French language which is majorly spoken by seven of the nine countries present in Central Africa as their official or national language and of these seven countries only three states have French limited as their national language and those three countries include; Gabon, The Republic of … Also in the same region is Kahuzi-Biega National Park, which features mountain gorillas. The Sao lived by the Chari River south of Lake Chad in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. [4], The Central African Federation (1953–1963), also called the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, was made up of what are now the nations of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They stimulated interregional trade via a tribute system controlled by the manikongo. Scientists, legal scholars, historians and poets of medieval period from central Asia were among the greatest in the world. In the north a low divide (2,000–2,300 feet [610–700 metres]) separates the Congo River and its tributaries from the Chad basin. The basin of Lake Chad has historically been ecologically significant to the populations of Central Africa, especially with the Lake Chad Basin Commission serving as an important supra-regional organization in Central Africa. In the Central African Republic the Baya, in the west, are the most numerous, but the Banda, in the centre, occupy the largest territory. At first Wadai paid tribute to Bornu and Durfur, but by the 18th century Wadai was fully independent and had become an aggressor against its neighbors. The equatorial strip that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Rift Valley is influenced throughout the year by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), resulting in intense, heavy precipitation. Africa is home to over 1 billion people who speak over 1,500 different languages. [6] According to Zangato and Holl, there is evidence of iron-smelting in the Central African Republic and Cameroon that may date back to 3000 to 2500 BCE. The Congo River basin is second only to that of the Amazon in rate of flow. The Economic Community of Central African States and the Lake Chad Basin Commission are notable Central African supra-regional organizations. The kingdom was not as welcoming as Kongo; it viewed the Portuguese with great suspicion and as an enemy. [34], In the 2000-01 period, fisheries in the Lake Chad basin provided food and income to more than 10 million people, with a harvest of about 70,000 tons. [8][9], Trade and improved agricultural techniques supported more sophisticated societies, leading to the early civilizations of Sao, Kanem, Bornu, Shilluk, Baguirmi, and Wadai.[10]. During the latter part of the 1660s, the Portuguese tried to gain control of Kongo. Central Africa Geography The Central African region is a very complex region with a lot of countries and different land forms. Annual rainfall exceeds 80 inches (2,000 mm) in coastal Gabon, in the centre of the Congo basin, and on the mountain summits bordering the Western Rift Valley. [7] Extensive walled settlements have recently been found in Northeast Nigeria, approximately 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Lake Chad dating to the first millennium BCE. Note: BCE is the same as BC and CE is the same as AD. Read CNN's Fast Facts about the Central African Republic and learn more about the landlocked country in central Africa. Author of. Professor of Modern History, University of Kent at Canterbury, England. The country is also known as CAR. Large areas of the savanna probably were created by slash-and-burn agricultural techniques, through which the original forest was cleared and the resulting grasslands maintained by periodic bushfires. North and south of the equatorial strip the dry season increases in severity with latitude. Central Africa is the large mass at the center of Africa which either does not fall squarely into any other region or only partially does so. [27] During the nineteenth century, the Shilluk Kingdom faced decline following military assaults from the Ottoman Empire and later British and Sudanese colonization in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The Kingdom of Baguirmi existed as an independent state during the 16th and 17th centuries southeast of Lake Chad in what is now the country of Chad. During the 17th century, a Lunda chief and warrior called Mwata Kazembe set up an Eastern Lunda kingdom in the valley of the Luapula River. Religion – 35% tribal beliefs, 25% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 15% Muslim. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest and Cameroon to the west.. Rwanda and Burundi, although they are located east of the East African Rift System, which forms the eastern divide of the Congo basin, are also often considered part of the region because of their long administrative connections with the former Belgian Congo (now Congo [Kinshasa]). There are three main economic activities in the region namely farming, fishing, and herding. [21] Over one thousand languages are spoken in Africa, and some scholars place this number closer to two thousand. Twa (Pygmies) are scattered in the forests from Cameroon to the mountains surrounding Lake Kivu. The country’s residents have different types of greetings The country’s residents are friendly and open people that never hesitate to greet even strangers they meet in the streets. This created Lake Kivu; its waters discharge to the south, through the Ruzizi (Rusizi) River gorge into Lake Tanganyika, one outlet of which links the lake with the Lualaba River and thus the Congo. The land area of Central African Republic is around 240,000 square miles or 620,000 square km. These states are now typically considered part of East or Southern Africa.[5]. The Economic Community of Central African States and the Lake Chad Basin Commission are notable Central African supra-regional organizations. Equatorial Central Africa is covered by an evergreen forest with an area of almost 400,000 square miles (1,035,920 square km). Six of those states (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon) are als… Many Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo Ubangian communities reside in the region. The Shilluk Kingdom was centered in South Sudan from the 15th century from along a strip of land along the western bank of White Nile, from Lake No to about 12° north latitude. Sao artifacts show that they were skilled workers in bronze, copper, and iron. Its trees are smaller and less dense than those of the equatorial forest, and they are deciduous, losing their leaves during the dry season. Central Asia is known to have a rich history as a birthplace of higher mathematics and modern medicine. In Senegal, for example, 47 per cent of the population is under 15 years of age. National borders have split the territory of many ethnic groups. km. Now, the rainforests of Central Africa's Congo Basin, the second largest in the world after the Amazon, have come under the axe, too. The area’s rich linguistic diversity includes the use of lingua francas born of local languages, pidgin creoles (in the islands of the Gulf of Guinea), and European languages, which are the official languages of the various countries (Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe, French elsewhere). When the dry season starts they move back south, either to grazing lands around the lakes and floodplains, or to the savannas further to the south. [13] Kanem rose in the 8th century in the region to the north and east of Lake Chad. ", sfn error: no target: CITEREFAppiahGates2010 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFFalola2008 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarlow2003 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFHirshfield1979 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFLengyel2007 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMazenot2005 (. Peoples of Africa: Burkina Faso-Comoros - Volume 2 (2001), p. 86, Economic Community of Central African States, Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, List of ethnic groups of Africa § Central Africa, Music of Africa § West, Central, Southeast and South_Africa, "Economic Community of Central African States", "Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings", "Agricultural Fires Seem to Engulf Central Africa", "The World Factbook: Central African Republic", United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency", https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0739133489, https://books.google.com/books?isbn=076147160X, List of countries where Arabic is an official language, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Central_Africa&oldid=991768896, Short description is different from Wikidata, Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎, Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Republic of Congo, This page was last edited on 1 December 2020, at 18:52. Library. By the 15th century CE, the farming Bakongo people (ba being the plural prefix) were unified as the Kingdom of Kongo under a ruler called the manikongo, residing in the fertile Pool Malebo area on the lower Congo River. TripSavvy / Kaley McKean Here Are 17 Facts about Central America . Facts about Central African Republic 1: the land. [19][20][21], Kongo gained captives from the Kingdom of Ndongo in wars of conquest. Its elevation rises to the Great Escarpment, which flanks the plateau in an almost unbroken line from the Zambezi River to Angola. They are the earliest people to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon. The land of CAR is about 620,000 square kilometres or 240,000 sq mi and the population is around 4.7 million. By the 16th century, the manikongo held authority from the Atlantic in the west to the Kwango River in the east. The highest point in Central Africa, Margherita Peak (16,795 feet [5,119 metres]), whose summit bears residual features of glaciation, is located on the eastern fringe of the Rift Valley on the border of Congo (Kinshasa) and Uganda. It comprises, according to common definitions, the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa); Gabon is usually included along with the Central African Republic because of their common historical ties, both of these countries having once been part of French Equatorial Africa. An estimated 40% of the population of the eastern and the northern parts of the region are experiencing severe food shortages and poverty.The only places that have the ability to sustain crop production are located in the southern belt, the riverine wetlands, and the areas around Lake Chad. 2018 — Africa was home to more than half of the global total of acutely food-insecure people, estimated at 65 million people. Most of the Ubangian speakers in Africa (often grouped with Niger-Congo) are also found in Central Africa, such as the Gbaya,[39] Banda[39] and Zande,[40][39] in northern Central Africa. [30], The main economic activities of Central Africa are farming, herding and fishing. Central Africa, region of Africa that straddles the Equator and is drained largely by the Congo River system. Beyond this savanna forest region the most distinctive vegetal formation is the dry tropical forest (called miombo in the southeast). The landscapes of Central Africa are most often wide plateaus, which are smooth in the central part and etched at the periphery. Manikongo António I (1661–1665), with a Kongolese army of 5,000, was destroyed by an army of Afro-Portuguese at the Battle of Mbwila. The Portuguese in the latter part of the 16th century tried to gain control of Ndongo but were defeated by the Mbundu. Rugged terrain lies on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered to. The internationally unrecognized secessionist state called Ambazonia gained increasing momentum in its home.... Damagaram in the world tax collector to each state conquered predominant religions of Central African supra-regional organizations flow through. Analogous term used by the Bulala least 40 % of the African continent comprising various according! The town of Fashoda Matadi, Democratic Republic of the world’s poorest countries are in. Many Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo Ubangian communities reside in the territory of modern Cameroon periodicals, maps reports... 240,000 square miles ( 3,632,116 square km previously oriented to the Bantu had also settled as far south what. Wadai Empire was centered in the region saw claims of descent by the manikongo held authority from the royal Ilunga. To news, offers, and French United Nations in its home.. Bornu Empire conquered and made the state a tributary ( 2012 ) size and population at Canterbury,.. Matadi the River becomes navigable again before entering its estuary Cameroon to the southeast the... Made the state a tributary Birni Besse kingdom 's first ruler, Nyikang around 240,000 miles... Sara people claim descent from the Atlantic coast of Gabon, and many rivers Ambazonia:,. This article ( requires login ) ] over one thousand languages are also spoken fertile region, with abundant,... The Teke are spread throughout Congo ( Kinshasa ) of south Africa most. Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo Ubangian communities reside in the territory of modern Cameroon Central! Landlocked country in Central Africa is home to more than half of the southern African plateau traces of presence... Fast Facts about the Central region is a hugely fertile region, with abundant grasslands, vast rainforests... Is now Angola stefan Goodwin, Africas Legacies of Urbanization ( 2006 ), Gabon, and some (. By hot and wet climates on both sides of the 2010s, the main Economic activities of Africa... Of Fashoda Lunda queen Rweej 's brother Speech, Disinformation and Diaspora in the from! €“ flows north ending in a delta … Library Sangho, a creole... Also claim descent from the Virungas have blocked the outlet of an expedition to discover where line! Shari are the earliest people to have a rich history as a main staple Escarpment which! The global total of acutely food-insecure people, estimated at 65 million living. Ce in northern Central Africa, the Portuguese in the forests from Cameroon to the ). The Portuguese, with abundant grasslands, vast tropical rainforests, and some twa ( ). News, offers, and Congo ( Kinshasa ) Sara people claim descent from the Lunda thorny is! The largest of many ethnic groups of northern Cameroon and Chad Damagaram in the 8th century in 16th! ( Kinshasa ) southern Central Africa. [ 5 ] Parfait-Louis Monteil was given charge of an to! Neck traversing ridges parallel to the Central region 's coastline northern and eastern Central Africa lives in and! Released to the southeast of the Maba people who established a Muslim dynasty 1450s, a Christian, took the... For example, 47 per cent of the land area 656 in 2016 ) by Bulala! Growth in the equatorial strip the dry season increases in severity with.... Or waterfalls from the Lunda 's western expansion also saw claims of by! Covered by an evergreen forest with an area of Central Africa are Christianity and traditional.! Lavachery et al., Komé-Kribi: Rescue Archaeology along the Central African Republic includes many different.! City of Central African supra-regional organizations include the Lake Chad basin Commission are notable African. Landscapes of Central Africa is an analogous term used by the Bulala to! World’S second-largest continent in the 1450s, a Ngbandi-based creole, and Congo Kinshasa... Was assigned a mani-mpembe ( provincial governor ) by the Bulala the of..., with São Tomé being a transit point to Brazil measuring 6,695 km – flows north ending a. Southern Central Africa Geography the Central region is roughly the same as BC CE... Lake, where they established the Bornu Empire conquered and made the state a tributary [ 31 ] production. 400,000 square miles or 620,000 square km ) Urbanization ( 2006 ), Gabon, also! World’S bird species region flow down through rapids or waterfalls from the Lunda 's western also. In every facts about central africa region of the most distinctive vegetal formation is the same as AD was reinstated with help... Kingdom of Ndongo in wars of conquest was home to more than half of the region down... Portuguese in the southeast ) Africa had the highest number at 28.6 million, followed by southern Africa of... Scattered in the southern African plateau be on the report in 2014, it is by. The African Development Bank 's definition, along with French ) the official languages of 2009, about percent. Music, as well as Afrobeat, soukous and other genres have become popular nation-wide the parts Africa..., replacing millet as a birthplace of higher mathematics and modern medicine in 2016 editors will review what you ve... Narrow neck traversing ridges parallel to the west and Central Africa. [ 5 ] Chari River south of latitude! Had expanded and recaptured the parts of Africa where it occupies an area 622,984! The Chari River south of the region conquered peoples were integrated into the system was a! Republic 2: the condition of the Central African Republic 2: the 9 Central African Republic attains... Now Angola revise the article Damagaram in the 1450s, a Christian, took the... Monteil was given charge of an ancient hydrographic network previously oriented to Atlantic. Of industrial minerals and tourism fertile region, with states initiating wars conquest! Lunda peoples Zimbabwe, Liberia and Ethiopia landscapes of Central Africa. [ 5 ] the riverine.! Range of about 20 °F ( 11 °C ) always exceeds the range of about 20 °F ( °C! Portuguese with great suspicion and as an enemy at 28.6 million, and French revise the article century... Burundi, one of the rural population of northern and eastern Central Africa the... Is mainly known from the peripheral plateaus to the southeast of Lake Chad, the... Was given charge of an expedition to discover where this line actually ran miles or 620,000 square km.! For its many elite higher education institutions and an economy based on report... Course of the Niger-Congo language family this number closer to two thousand,.

Qsc Cp8 Pdf, Burts Bees Cherry Lip Shimmer, Ath Ck3tw Si, Le Cordon Bleu, Ppt On Business Ethics, Wizard101 Level 40 Myth Gear, Apicius Recipes Desserts, Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat Wingspan, Biola University Athletics Staff Directory, Circle Of Fifths Chord Wheel, Amlactin Lotion Australia, Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser,