Africa

How is the land laid out?

Africa consists of over 30 million square kilometers, most of it mainland. Islands include the large Madagascar, numerous ones close to the mainland's coast, and several further away. Among the latter are the Madeiras, the Canaries,¹ the Cape Verde² Islands, Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gough, the Prince Edward Islands, the Seychelles, the Mascarenes, the Comoros, and several smaller groups and islands in the Indian Ocean. Many would group the Madeiras with Europe. Some would not include Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gough or the Prince Edward Islands³ with any continent. I include Socotra with Asia, but some would classify it with Africa. Another controversy about dividing Africa and Asia lies with the Sinai Peninsula. I consider it Asian.

Madagascar and the mainland of Africa are both high: mostly plateaus. In northern Africa the high lands are mostly taken up by the Sahara Desert and its borderland, the Sahel. But not all of the desert is high. The very west includes arid coastal plains in Mauritania⁴ and southern Morocco.⁵ And the north include lowlands that extend from the Gulf of Sirte deep into Libya.⁶ There are also depressions along the Algerian-Tunisian border and in Egypt.⁷

To the desert's northwest are the Atlas Mountains, which reach 4,165 meters in Mount Toubkal.

East and southeast of the desert and the Sahel are the Ethiopian Highlands, a mountainous plateau that reaches 4,620 meters at Mount Dashan, and are bisected by a rift valley. East and southeast of the highlands is more desert.

Southwest of the Sahel, the land rises again before falling off to coastal plains of west Africa. At the Bight of Biafra high country reaches the sea; Mount Cameroon⁸ is a volcano overlooking the ocean from 4,095 meters.

Southern Africa is also plateau, although coastal plains are extensive in Mozambique. In the equatorial west, the inland Congo Basin interrupts the pattern, as does--to a lesser extent the Okavango Swamp in the south center. But far more dramatic is the Rift Valley system, slicing through the east center, and often edged by tall mountains, or filled with great lakes. Margherita Peak in the Ruwenzoris (5,109 meters) and Mount Karisimbi in the Virungas (4,507 meters) are next to the west branch, and lakes Tanganyika,⁹ Nyassa,¹⁰ Albert¹¹ and Turkana¹² occupy parts of the fault. Between two branches of the valley is Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. East of it are four tall volcanoes, the highest being Kilamanjaro at 5,895 meters. South of central Angola and Zambia is another desert band that includes the coastal Namib and the inland Kalahari.

The longest river in the world is the Nile, whose main course starts between the rift valley branches in Burundi, flows through lakes Victoria and Albert, passes marshes in Sudan and cuts through the Sahara to arrive at the Mediterranean Sea. It is dammed to form Lake Nasser, one of Africa's biggest.

The eighth longest river in the world, second longest in Africa, is the Congo. It starts in the southeast corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and describes a big 'c', passing through swamps at the basin's low point before cutting through mountains to the Atlantic. Its tributary, the Kasai, is also one of Africa's longest rivers. One of the Congo's headwaters is Lake Mweru, Africa's sixth largest.

The Senegal, Africa's eight longest, starts not far from the Niger, but eventually heads northwest to the Atlantic on the desert's edge.

Fourth longest is the Zambezi, which curls about in southern Africa. It is dammed to form Lake Kariba, another of Africa's largest bodies of water.

Fifth is the Shabeele, which flows out of the Ethiopian Highlands and parallels the Somali shore for a long while before reaching the Indian Ocean.

Sixth is the Orange, which drains the center of South Africa. Seventh is the Limpopo, which starts in the north of the same country and flows in a curve to the Indian Ocean in southern Mozambique.

The longest African river that fails to deliver its water to an ocean is the Okavango,¹³ which goes from central Angola to its swamp in central Botswana. It occasionally spills some water eastward into the Zambezi system.

One shorter river is of note because it is dammed to form Lake Volta, Africa's largest reservoir.

The only (formerly) top ten lake not mentioned already is Lake Tchad, third ranked before it started to dry up, in the center of the Sahel.

Who lives there?

There were about 700 million people living here in 1995, when the world's population was 5.6 billion. The world's population is now 6.6 billion, and Africa's growth rate is faster than the world average.

There are five super-families of languages spoken by regional majorities: Niger-Congo, an entirely African goup; Afro-Asiatic; Nilo-Saharan, another entirely African group; Indo-European, with one African language; and Austronesian,¹⁴ with one African language.

Niger-Congo languages are a majority in the Segou and Mopti regions¹⁵ of Mali, and in Liberia and Sierra Leone,¹⁵ but no one branch accounts for a majority there.

The two main branches of Niger-Congo are Atlantic-Congo and Mande. Atlantic-Congo languages are a majority in the Ivory Coast, but no one branch accounts for a majority there. A similar situation exists with the Mande Group in the Koulikoro, Bamaka and Sikasso regions¹⁵ of Mali.

The main sub-group of Mande is the Central Southwestern Mande one, accounting of a majority in Guinea, although no one language prevails.

The only individual language in the Central Southwestern Mande group that makes up a regional majority is Mandekan, spoken in the Kayes Region of Mali.

There are two main branches of Atlantic-Congo: Volta-Congo and Senegambian. The latter is spoken by the majority in Sénégal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, considered as a statistical unit, with no language prevailing.

The largest branches of Volta-Congo are the Benue-Congo, Kwa, and North Volta Congo.

The branches of Kwa are important: the Left Bank grouip, spoken by a majority in Benin and Togo,¹⁵ and the Central Tano group, spoken in Ghana. In neither area does a single first language account for half the speakers, but a form of Gbe is learned by most in Benin and Togo^15,16 and Akan predominates as a learned lingua franca in Ghana.

Two branches of North Volta Congo are important: the Oti Volta, spoken by a majority in Burkina Faso, and Ubangi, spoken by a majority in the Central African Republic. In neither place does a single first language account for half the speakers, but Dyala may be learned by most in Burkina Faso, and Sango, a creole, is the lingua franca in the Central African Republic.

Benue-Congo languages are spoken by a majority in Nigeria. No narrower generalization applies, except that many learn Nigerian Pidgin English,¹⁷ which is derived from the Indo-European language.

The most important branch of Benue-Congo is Southern Bantoid. This is spoken by the majority in Cameroon. No narrower generalization applies except that Kamtok might be learned by most.¹⁸

The most important branch of Southern Bantoid is the Narrow Bantu group.¹⁹ This is spoken by a majority in the Congo,²⁰, but no narrower majority exists there.

The Northwest and the Central branches of Narrow Bantu are the most important. The Northwest ones are spoken by a majority in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea,²¹ but no narrower majority exists there.

The Central Narrow Bantu languages are native for most in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.²² Swahili is used as a lingua franca in Kenya and Tanzania.

There are eight important branches of Central Narrow Bantu: C, H, J, L, M, R, S and Chokwe-Luchazi. Nyanja, the majority language of Malawi, is a Central Narrow Bantu language in a ninth branch.

The C group is used by the majority in the Equator Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lingala is the lingua franca there.

The H group is native to most people in the southwest²³ of the Democratic Republic of Congo. No narrower generalization applies there. Mbundu, in the H group, is spoken by the majority in northwestern Angola.²⁴

The J group is used by the majority of first speakers in lacustrine Africa: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the nearby regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo: North Kivu and South Kivu.²⁵ Nothing more precise applies in this part of Africa.

L languages come first to most in the Katanga Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. No narrower generalization applies there. Luba, a member of the group, is spoken by most in the two Kasai regions²⁶ of the same nation.

The M group comes first in Zambia. No single language predominates there.

The R group has one branch of note, the Ndonga group, plus the language of Umbundu in another branch. Umbundu²⁷ is the first language in southwestern Angola.²⁸

Ndonga languages are spoken in Namibia and in Kuango-Kubango Province of Angola. No single language accounts for a majority in either place.

The S group has two notable branches, Sotho-Tswana and Nguni. Additionally Shona is in a spearate branch. Shona is the main first language of Zimbabwe. S languages in general are first for the majority in Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces of South Africa, taken as a statistical group with Swaziland. No one language dominates there.

There are two important languages in the Sotho-Tswana group: Tswana, also called Northern Sotho or Pedi²⁹ and Southern Sotho, also called just Sotho. Tswana/ Northern Sotho is the majority first language in Botswana, and in the North West and Limpopo provinces of South Africa. Southern Sotho is used by the majority in Free State, South Africa.

There are two important languages in the Nguni group: Zulu and Xhosa. Zulu is primary in KwaZulu Natal province³⁰ and Xhosa in Eastern Cape Province, both in South Africa.

Choke-Luchazi languages are spoken in parts of Angola. In Moxico Province no more precise generalization applies to the majority, but in North and South Lunda provinces, Chokwe is spoken by more than half.

Afro-Asiatic languages generally are spoken natively in central Morocco³¹ and in the Gambella and Southern kilils of Ethiopia. Maghrebi spoken Arabic is probably learned by a majority in central Morocco. No further generalization is possible for southwestern Ethiopia.

The Afro-Asiatic languages fall into two branches, Semitic and Cushitic, plus the languages of Hausa and Tamasheq, each in their own branch. Hausa is the majority language in south central Niger,³² Tamaqsheq is the majority language in the Kidal Region of Mali and the Agadez Department of Niger.

The Cushitic languages divide into the East Cushitic branch and the Beja language. Beja is the first language in the Red Sea State of Sudan.

The East Cushitic languages are Oromo, a majority in the Oromo Kilil³³ of Ethiopia, and Somali, spoken by most in the Somali Kilil of Ethiopia and in Somalia.

The Semitic languages divide into Arabic, which has several spoken forms, and the Ethiopian group.

The Ethiopian group divides into the North sub-group and Amharic. Amharic is spoken by the majority in the Amhara and Benishangul kilils of Ethiopia.

The North Ethopian group accounts for the majority in Eritrea and Djibouti,¹⁵ with no language predominant there. Tigrinya, a member of the group, is the first language in Tigray Kilil, Ethiopia.³⁴

The African groupings of Arabic dialects are Egyptian in the Nile's northern valley and delta;³⁵ Maghrebi in western Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, northern Morocco³⁶ and the Western Sahara; Shuwa in Lake and Chari-Baguirimi prefectures¹⁵ of Chad;³⁷ Sudanese in north central, west central, central and southern Sudan;³⁸ and Hassaniya in Mauritania. Many people also learn classical Arabic both in these areas and in other Moslem areas--in Somalia, for example.

The Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken generally in southeastern Chad³⁹ and in the Upper-Congo Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. No further generalization is possible in either place.

The group has two important branches, Western Saharan and Eastern Sudanic, plus two languages in their own branches: Songhai in the Gao and Timbuktu regions of Mali and in the Niamey and Dosso departments of Niger; and Sara in southwestern Chad.⁴⁰

The Western Sahara group has two important members: Kanuri, used in the Diffa Department of Niger, and Dazoga, used in the Kanem and Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti prefectures of Chad.

The Eastern Sudanic languages divide into the Dinka Nuer group, spoken in the Junqali and A'ali-Nile states¹⁵ of Sudan, and the language of Nobiin, spoken in the Northern State of Sudan.

Afrikaans, an Indo-European language derived primarily from Dutch, is spoken by the majority of Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. Other Indo-European languages, particularly French, English and Portuguese, serve as lingua francas in many African nations, at least for an elite.

Malagasy, spoken natively by the majority in Madagascar, is an Austronesian language in the Barito group that is otherwise spoken in southern Kalimantan (Borneo).

As a quick religious generalization, Islam prevails in the north, Christianity in the south, and in the middle is a transition that includes both of these as well as non-world religions.

The majority is Sunni Moslem in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco,⁴¹ Mali, northern Chad, Sudan,⁴² Senegal and Gambia,⁴³ Guinea, Nigeria,⁴⁴ Oromia,⁴⁵ Somali Kilil (Ethiopia) and Somalia, and Djibouti.⁴⁶

The majority is Christian in Ghana; in the Tigray, Afars, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambella and Southern kilils of Ethiopia;⁴⁷ in the Central African Republic,⁴⁴ Gabon and vicinity, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi,⁴⁸ the Democratic Republic of Congo,⁴⁹ Kenya, Western Angola,⁵⁰ Namibia,⁵¹ Zambia, Malawi,⁵² Zimbabwe⁵³ and Southern Africa.⁵⁴

Local religions, generally animist, are the majority in the Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo,¹⁵ the North Lunda, South Lunda and Moxico provinces of Angola⁵⁵ and Mozambique.

There is no majority--rather a mix of Christian, Islam and local--in southern Chad,⁵⁶ Liberia and Sierra Leone,¹⁵ Congo,^20,56 Tanzania, and Madagascar and vicinity.⁵⁷

Cities

There are tens of metropolitan areas or cities with a million or more residents. Only two, القاهرة (al-Qāhirah or Cairo) and Lagos have over ten million metropolitan residents. Many of them are listed in separate tables:
Table of Nigerian Cities

The others are:

Nations

الجزائر (al-Jazā'īr or Algérie or Algeria)
Angola
Benin and Togo
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda
Cameroun (Cameroon)
Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Sénégal
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles
Congo (Brazzaville)
Democratic Republic of Congo
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Djibouti and Eritrea
Ethiopia
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia_and_Sierra_Leone
ليبيا (Libiya or Libya or Libia)
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
امغرب (al-Maghreb or Morocco or Maroc)⁶²
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
الجصهورية العربية (al-'Arabīyah al-Jsahwryah) Republic or Saharan Arab Republic
Somalia
South Africa⁶³
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
التونسية (al-Tūnisiyya or Tunisia or Tunisie)
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Parts of Nations

مصر (Miṣr or Egypt)⁶⁴
Canary Islands
The Madeira Islands and the Presidios
Réunion⁶⁵

Possessions

Mayotte
St. Helena⁶⁶

Footnotes

1. Islas Canarias in Spanish.
2. Cabo Verde in Portuguese. It translates as Cape Green in English.
3. Some might classify the Prince Edward Islands with Antarctica.
4. Mauritanie in French, Muritaniya in strictly transliterated Arabic.
5. Maroc in French, al-Maghreb (the West) in transliterated Arabic. Here I am speaking of the Western Sahara, a Moroccan conquest.
6. Libiya in strictly transliterated Arabic.
7. Misr in transliterated Arabic.
8. Cameroun in French.
9. Africa's second largest.
10. Also called Malawai. Africa's fourth largest.
11. Africa's fifth largest.
12. Also called Rudolf, Africa's seventh largest lake.
13. Also called the Cubango.
14. Some combine Austronesian with Kadai languages as the Austro-Tai group.
15. Taken together for statistical analysis.
16. Fon and Ewe are the two main dialects.
17. Also called, confusingly, West African Pidgin English. It is mutually intelligible with Kamtok.
18. It is the most geographically extensive of Cameroon's five lingua francas.
19. Sometimes just called Bantu.
20. Brazzaville Congo.
21. Taken together as a statistical unit with Sao Tome and Principe.
22. Mocambique in Portuguese.
23. Bandundu, Lower-Congo and Kinshasa regions, taken collectively.
24. Zaire, Ugie and Melanje taken collectively, and Bongo, Kwanza-North, Kwanza-South and Luanda, taken collectively.
25. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also called Kinshasa Congo, formerly Zaire. The two Kivu regions are taken together with Maniema for statistical purposes.
26. Western Kasai and Eastern Kasai.
27. Also called Benguela Mbundu or just Mbundu, not to be confused with the language of northwestern Angola.
28. Namibe, Huila and Cunena, taken collectively with st. Helena; and Bie, Huambo and Benguela, taken collectively.
29. Pedi (Northern Sotho) is often considered a separate language from Tswana, but the dialects are easily mutually comprehensible.
30. Lumped into a statistical group with Lesotho.
31. Guelmim, Sous Massa-Draa and Marrakech-Tensift-al Houz, grouped statistically with the Canary Islands, whose influence dampens the proportionate strengths of the different Afro-Asiatic languages of the mainland.
32. Tahoua, Maradi and Zinder departments, with Tahoua and Maradi making one statistical group.
33. Grouped statistically with Addis Abeba and Harer.
34. Grouped statistically with Afar Kilil.
35. Statistically grouped with the Sinai and the Eastern Desert.
36. Tangier-Tetouan, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Taza-Al Hoceima-Tounate, Rabat-Sale-Zammur-Zer, Fes-Bouleman, Oriental, Casablanca, Chaouia-Ourdigha, Tadla-Azilal, Doukkal-Abda and Meknes-Tafilalet, grouped statistically with the African presidios of Spain, and with the Madeira Islands.
37. Tchad in French spelling.
38. Khartoum, Kassal, Blue Nile, White Nile, Island, Southern Kordufan, Western Kordufan, Southern Dafur, Northern Dafur, Western Dafur, Nile River, al-Qadarif, Sinnar, Western Gazal River, Southern Gazal River, al-Wahdah, Warab, Lake, Western Equatorial, Mountain River and Eastern Equatorial states, sub-grouped statistically.
39. Batha, Biltine, Guera, Oudaddai and Salamat prefectures.
40. Lagone-East, Mayo-Kebbi, Lagone-West, Tandjile and Middle-Chari prefectures, grouped together for statistical analysis.
41. The generalization prevails for a majority even in the two statistical groupings that include parts of Morocco with the Canaries and Presidios or with the Madeiras.
42. There is high uncertainty about the statistical group of Junqali and A'ali-Nile states.
43. The generalization prevails for a majority even when these two are grouped with Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
44. I have moderate uncertainty about this conclusion.
45. The generalization prevails for a majority even when this kilil is grouped with Addis Abeba and Herer.
46. The generalization prevails for a majority even when this nation is grouped with Eritrea.
47. I have moderate uncertainty about this conclusion as applied to the Tigray and Afars kilils of Ethiopia as a statistical group. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are the majority in Amhara and Benishangul kilils (one group) and in Gambella and Southern kilils (the other unit).
48. Roman Catholic Christians are the majority in the statistical group of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
49. Even when the Kivu regions are grouped with Maniema, Christians are a majority in the three regions taken together. The majority is Roman Catholic throughout Kinshasa Congo.
50. Roman Catholic is the majority in the northwest.
51. Lutheran Protestant Christians are the majority in Namibia, and this generalization holds even if Kuando-Kubango is grouped with Namibia.
52. Roman Cahtolic Christians are the majority.
53. Christian practices include much syncretism with local religions.
54. Outside of Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces the Christian practices include much syncretism with local religions. The majority in the two provinces just mentioned follow Dutch Reform Protestant Christianity.
55. I have moderate uncertainty about applying this conclusion to Moxico Province.
56. I have high uncertainty about this conclusion.
57. Without the extra islands, the majority would be a local religion, one aspect of which focuses on taindrazana, where ancestral spirits are thought to go.
58. Cairo metropolis.
59. With suburbs in Cameroon.
60. Khartoum metropolis.
61. Includes Soweto.
62. Including the Western Sahara.
63. Including the Prince Edward Islands.
64. Part of Egypt is in Asia.
65. Includes Bassas da India, Europe Island, the Glorioso (Glorieuses) Islands and Juan de Nova Island.
66. Includes Tristan da Cunha and nearby islands, Gough Island and Ascension.