Is West Africa a Country?

No, West Africa is not a country but it is the westernmost region of Africa. West Africa simply is not a country because it has no military or political system in its own right or similar to that of other countries.

Since Africa is such a large landmass, it helps to name countries a part of a region instead of using the general phrase of Africa.

There are five regions in total in Africa: Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Equatorial Africa, and the African Transition Zone.

West Africa has a total of 16 countries with a total population of about 381 million people.

• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)
• Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Liberia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Togo

Learn About East Africa

Here are some facts about West African Countries:

• The last ship of slaves departed from Benin(then known as Dahomey) for Brazil in 1885.
• The capital city of Burkina Faso is known as Ouagadougou which means “You are welcome here at home with us”.
• More than 85% of the population is Roman Catholic and 95% of the population is Christian.
• “Les Eléphants” (the elephants) is the nickname given to the Ivory                                    Coast National Football team.
• During elections, people cast their votes in The Gambia by dropping stones in holes.
• Sheikh Professor Doctor President is the official title of the Gambian president.
• The discovery of gold in Ghana led to the nickname, the Gold Coast.
• French is the official language in Guinea.
• Soccer is Guinea-Bissau’s most popular sport.
• Guinea has Africa’s cleanest cities.
• Liberia is the first independent country in Africa. Liberia. The freed American slaves discovered it when they arrived in 1820.
• The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali is the largest mud-brick building in the world.
• Niger is considered one of the hottest countries in the world and is often nicknamed the “Frying Pan of the World.”
• Nigeria is one of the oldest locations of Human Existence.
• Senegal has an island made of seashells
• Diamonds put Sierra Leone in this country on the map being the most mined mineral there.
• Kids in Togo are made to remain at home until they get to the age of five. After they cross the age limit, they can go acquire formal education.
• The cultural diversity of West Africa is greater than that of whole Asia in that Nigeria alone has more than 500+ Languages
• The total land area is 6,064,060 Km2 (2,341,346 sq. miles)
• The population of West Africa amounts to 5.16% of the total population of the world.

Here is a map of West Africa that clearly shows the countries in West Africa

Here are some pictures of countries in West Africa:

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  Praia, Cape Verde

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  Dakar, Senegal

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  Lomé, Togo

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  Porto-Novo, Benin

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  Niamey, Niger

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  Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

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  Freetown, Sierra Leone

• 

  Banjul, Gambia

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  Conakry, Guinea

• 

  Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

• 

  Monrovia, Liberia

• 

  Bamako, Mali

  What is West Africa Known for? West Africa is known for its best destinations for tourist attractions, wildlife, sandy beaches, untouched landscapes, slavery stories, West African Music and Unesco World Heritage Sites

   

Hope you liked our article on Is West Africa a Country?!