Sub-Saharan Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara.[1][2] account for over 80% of the population of Africa. The term is most used in discussion of contemporary international politics and economic development, while the term Black Africa is most used in discussion of art, culture, and history.
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[edit] Geography
Sub-Saharan Africa covers an area of 24.3 million square kilometers.[3] Since around 5,400 years ago [3], the Saharan and sub-Saharan regions of Africa have been separated by the extremely harsh climate of the sparsely populated Sahara, forming an effective barrier interrupted by only the Nile River in Sudan, though the Nile was blocked by the river's cataracts. The modern term sub-Saharan corresponds with the south of the Sahara desert. Tropical Africa and Equatorial Africa are sometimes used as alternative labels, due to the distinctive ecology of the region.
[edit] History
Sub-Saharan Africa has been the site of many empires and kingdoms, including Nubia, Axum, the Nok culture, Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Kanem Empire, Bornu Empire, Benin Empire, Great Zimbabwe, and the Zulu Kingdom.
[edit] Demography
The population of sub-Saharan Africa was 770.3 million in 2006. [4] The current growth rate is 2.3%. The UN predict for the region a population of nearly 1.5 billion in 2050.[5]
Sub-Saharan African countries top the list of countries and territories by fertility rate with 40 of the highest 50, all with TFR greater than 4 in 2008. All are above the world average except South Africa.
[edit] Economies
Generally, sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, suffering from the effects of colonialism, economic mismanagement, local corruption. and inter-ethnic conflict. The region contains many of the least developed countries in the world. (See Economy of Africa.)
The sub-Saharan African countries form the bulk of the ACP countries.
[edit] Health care
In 1987, Bamako was the location of a WHO conference known as the Bamako Initiative that helped reshape the health policy of sub-Saharan Africa.[6] The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services. A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.[7][8]
Up to and including October 2006 many governments face difficulties in implementing policies aimed at mitigating the effects of the AIDS-pandemic due to lack of technical support despite a number of mitigating measures.[9]
[edit] List of countries
[edit] Central Africa / ECCAS
- Angola (also in SADC)
- Democratic Republic of Congo (also in SADC)
- Rwanda (also in EAC)
- Burundi (also in EAC)
- São Tomé and Príncipe
[edit] CEMAC
[edit] Sudan
- Southern Sudan (autonomous region of Sudan with independence referendum in 2011)
[edit] East African Community
[edit] Horn of Africa
[edit] Southern Africa / SADC
- Angola (also in ECCAS)
- Botswana
- Comoros
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Mauritius
- Namibia
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Swaziland
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
[edit] West Africa / ECOWAS
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Liberia
- Mauritania (quit 2000)
- Nigeria
- Sierra Leone
[edit] UEMOA
[edit] References
- ^ http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/images/subsaharan.jpg
- ^ http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/subsaharanafrica
- ^ Sahara's Abrupt Desertification Started By Changes In Earth's Orbit, Accelerated By Atmospheric And Vegetation Feedbacks
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ User fees for health: a background. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ Xinhua - English