East Africa 260987 225016901 2008-07-11T13:59:41Z Wafulz 1091232 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Smallarmssurvey|Smallarmssurvey]] ([[User talk:Smallarmssurvey|talk]]) to last version by Lightbot [[Image:East-Africa.svg|right|thumb|350px| {{legend|#006400|East Africa<ref>[http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y1997E/y1997e0l.htm FAO]</ref><ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Africa-Region.aspx?Region=HOA&Service=ENG IRIN Africa]</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108361/eastern-Africa Encyclopaedia Britannica Online]</ref><ref>''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'', Judy Pearsall, ed. 2001. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; p. 582.</ref><ref>Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation (Texts In Regional Geography)'', (The Guilford Press: 2004), p. 24</ref><ref>Ian Michler, ''Kenya And Tanzania: The Insider's Guide (Insiders Guide)'', (Struik Publishers: 2006), p. 13</ref>}} {{legend|#00f000|Countries sometimes included in East Africa}}]] '''East Africa''' is the [[east]]ernmost [[region]] of the [[Africa]]n [[continent]], variably defined by [[geography]] or [[geopolitics]]. It is traditionally comprised of the following countries: * [[Tanzania]], [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]]<ref>Robert M. Maxon, ''East Africa: An Introductory History'', 2 Revised edition, (West Virginia University: 1994), p. 1</ref><ref>[http://www.treasuredeasafaris.com/faq.htm Treasured East Africa Safaris]</ref><ref>Pearsall, ''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'', p. 582.</ref><ref>Mary Fitzpatrick and Tom Parkinson, ''Lonely Planet East Africa'', 7th edition, (Lonely Planet Publications: 2006), p. 13</ref><ref>Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Ed.'', p. 24</ref> – members of the [[East African Community]] (EAC). [[Burundi]] and [[Rwanda]], fellow members of the EAC, are also sometimes included although many also consider them part a of [[Central Africa]] * [[Djibouti]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], and [[Somalia]] – collectively known as the [[Horn of Africa]]<ref>Ibid., p. 26</ref><ref>Michael Hodd, ''East Africa Handbook'', 7th Edition, (Passport Books: 2002), p. 21</ref><ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Africa-Region.aspx?Region=HOA&Service=ENG IRIN Africa]</ref> [[Sudan]] is often included in this region.<ref>[http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y1997E/y1997e0l.htm FAO]</ref> [[Madagascar]] is also sometimes included, but has close cultural ties to [[Southeast Asia]] and the islands of the [[Indian Ocean]]. ==Geography and climate== [[Image:Aqua rwanda 05jun04 250m.jpg|thumb|200px|Image of the region between [[Lake Victoria]] (on the right) and Lakes [[Lake Albert|Albert]], [[Lake Kivu|Kivu]] and [[Lake Tanganyika|Tanganyika]] (from north to south) showing dense vegetation (bright green) and fires (red)]] Some parts of East Africa have been renowned for their concentrations of wild animals, such as the "[[Big Five Game|big five]]" of [[African elephant|elephant]], [[African buffalo|buffalo]], [[lion]], [[leopard]] and [[black rhinoceros]], though populations have been declining under increased stress in recent times, particularly the rhino and elephant. The geography of East Africa is often stunning and scenic. Shaped by global plate tectonic forces that have created the [[Great Rift Valley]], East Africa is the site of [[Kilimanjaro]] and [[Mount Kenya]], the two tallest peaks in Africa. It also includes the world's second largest freshwater lake [[Lake Victoria]], and the world's second deepest lake [[Lake Tanganyika]]. The climate of East Africa is rather atypical of equatorial regions. Because of a combination of the region's generally high [[altitude]] and the [[rain shadow]] of the westerly [[monsoon]] winds created by the [[Rwenzori Mountains]] and [[Ethiopian Highlands]], East Africa is surprisingly cool and dry for its latitude. The lower-lying lands of northern Kenya and [[Greater Somalia]] are indeed extremely dry. In fact, on the coast of [[Somaliland]] and [[Puntland]] many years have no rain whatsoever<ref>Dewar, Robert E. and Wallis, James R; "Geographical patterning in interannual rainfall variability in the tropics and near tropics: An L-moments approach"; in ''Journal of Climate'', 12; pp. 3457-3466</ref>. Elsewhere the annual rainfall generally increases towards the south and with altitude, being around {{convert|400|mm|in|0}} at [[Mogadishu]] and {{convert|1200|mm|in|0}} at [[Mombasa]] on the coast, whilst inland it increases from around {{convert|130|mm|in|0}} at [[Garoowe]] to over {{convert|1100|mm|in|0}} at [[Moshi]] near Kilimanjaro. Unusually, most of the rain falls in ''two'' distinct [[wet season]]s, one centred around April and the other in October or November. This is usually attributed to the passage of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] across the region in those months, but it may also be analogous to the autumn monsoon rains of parts of [[Sri Lanka]], [[Vietnam]] and the Brazilian [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Nordeste]]. West of the Rwenzoris and Ethiopian highlands the rainfall pattern is more typically tropical, with rain throughout the year near the equator and a single wet season in most of the Ethiopian Highlands from June to September - contracting to July and August around [[Asmara]]. Annual rainfall here ranges from over {{convert|1600|mm|in|0}} on the western slopes to around {{convert|1250|mm|in|0}} at [[Addis Ababa]] and {{convert|550|mm|in|0}} at Asmara. In the high mountains rainfall can be over {{convert|2500|mm|in|0}}. Rainfall in East Africa is influenced by [[El Niño]] events, which tend to increase rainfall except in the northern and western parts of the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands, where they produce drought and poor [[Nile River|Nile floods]]<ref>Davis, Mike; '''[[Late Victorian Holocausts]]: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World'''; p. 263-266. ISBN 1859847390</ref>. Temperatures in East Africa, except on the hot and generally humid coastal belt, are moderate, with maxima of around {{convert|25|C|F}} and minima of {{convert|15|C|F}} at an altitude of {{convert|1500|mm|ft|0}}. At altitudes of above {{convert|2500|m|ft|0}}, [[frost]]s are common during the dry season and maxima typically about {{convert|21|C|F}} or less. The unique geography and apparent suitability for [[farming]] made East Africa a target for [[Europe]]an [[exploration]], [[exploitation]] and [[colonialism|colonialization]] in the nineteenth century. Today, [[tourism]] is an important part of the economies of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. == History == ===Arab and Portuguese eras=== The [[Portugal|Portuguese]] were the first Europeans to explore the region of current-day [[Kenya]], [[Tanzania]], and [[Mozambique]], [[Vasco da Gama]] having visited [[Mombasa]] in 1498. Gama's voyage was successful in reaching [[India]] and this permitted the Portuguese to trade with the [[Far East]] directly by sea, thus challenging older trading networks of mixed land and sea routes, such as the [[Spice trade]] routes that utilized the [[Persian Gulf]], [[Red Sea]] and [[camel train|caravans]] to reach the eastern Mediterranean. The [[Republic of Venice]] had gained control over much of the trade routes between Europe and Asia. After traditional land routes to India had been closed by the [[Ottoman Turk]]s, Portugal hoped to use the sea route pioneered by Gama to break the once Venetian trading monopoly. Portuguese rule in East Africa focused mainly on a coastal strip centred in Mombasa. The Portuguese presence in East Africa officially began after 1505, when flagships under the command of [[Francisco de Almeida|Don Francisco de Almeida]] conquered [[Kilwa]], an island located in what is now southern [[Tanzania]]. In March 1505, having received from [[Manuel I of Portugal|Manuel I]] the appointment of viceroy of the newly conquered [[Portuguese India|territory in India]], he set sail from [[Lisbon]] in command of a large and powerful fleet, and arrived in July at Quiloa ([[Kilwa]]), which yielded to him almost without a struggle. A much more vigorous resistance was offered by the [[Moors]] of Mombasa, but the town was taken and destroyed, and its large treasures went to strengthen the resources of Almeida. Attacks followed on Hoja (now known as Ungwana, located at the mouth of the [[Tana River]]), Barawa, Angoche, [[Pate Island|Pate]] and other coastal towns until the western [[Indian Ocean]] was a safe haven for Portuguese commercial interests. At other places on his way, such as the island of Angediva, near [[Goa]], and [[Cannanore]], the Portuguese built forts, and adopted measures to secure the Portuguese supremacy. Portugal's main goal in the east coast of Africa was take control of the [[spice trade]] from the [[Arabs]]. At this stage, the Portuguese presence in East Africa served the purpose of control trade within the Indian Ocean and secure the sea routes linking Europe to Asia. Portuguese naval vessels were very disruptive to the commerce of Portugal's enemies within the western Indian Ocean and were able to demand high tariffs on items transported through the sea due to their strategic control of ports and shipping lanes. The construction of Fort Jesus in Mombasa in 1593 was meant to solidify Portuguese hegemony in the region, but their influence was clipped by the [[United Kingdom|British]], [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] and [[Omani]] [[Arab]] incursions into the region during the 17th century. The Omani Arabs posed the most direct challenge to Portuguese influence in East Africa and besieged Portuguese fortresses, openly attacked naval vessels and expelled the Portuguese from the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts by 1730. By this time the [[Portuguese Empire]] had already lost its interest on the spice trade sea route due to the decreasing profitability of that business. Omani Arab [[colonization]] of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts brought the once independent [[city-states]] under closer foreign scrutiny and domination than was experienced during the Portuguese period. Like their predecessors, the Omani Arabs were primarily able only to control the coastal areas, not the interior. However, the creation of clove [[plantations]], intensification of the [[slave trade]] and relocation of the Omani capital to [[Zanzibar]] in 1839 by [[Seyyid Said]] had the effect of consolidating the Omani power in the region. Arab governance of all the major ports along the East African coast continued until British interests aimed particularly at ending the slave trade and creation of a [[wage-labour]] system began to put pressure on Omani rule. By the late [[19th century|nineteenth century]], the slave trade on the open seas had been completely outlawed by the British and the Omani Arabs had little ability to resist the British navy's ability to enforce the directive. The Omani presence continued in Zanzibar and [[Pemba]] until the 1964 [[revolution]], but the official Omani Arab presence in Kenya was checked by German and British seizure of key ports and creation of crucial trade alliances with influential local leaders in the 1880s. === Period of European Imperialism=== East Africa during the 19th and early 20th century became a theatre of competition between the major imperialistic European nations of the time. During the period of the [[Scramble for Africa]], almost every country comprising present day East Africa to varying degrees became part of a European [[Colony|colonial]] empire. [[Portugal]] had first established a strong presence in southern [[Mozambique]] and the Indian Ocean since the 15th century, while during this period their possessions increasingly grew including parts from the present northern Mozambique country, up to [[Mombasa]] in present day Kenya. At [[Lake Malawi]], they finally met the recently created British [[Protectorate]] of [[Nyasaland]] (nowadays [[Malawi]]), which surrounded the homonymous lake on three sides, leaving the Portuguese the control of lake's eastern coast. The [[British Empire]] set foot in the region's most exploitable and promising lands acquiring what is today [[Uganda]], and [[Kenya]]. The Protectorate of [[Uganda]] and the Colony of [[Kenya]] were located in a rich farmland area mostly appropriate for the cultivation of [[cash crops]] like [[coffee]] and [[tea]], as well as for animal husbandry with products produced from cattle and goats, such as [[Domestic goat|goat meat]], [[beef]] and [[milk]]. Moreover this area had the potential for a significant residential expansion, being suitable for the relocation of a large number of British nationals to the region. Prevailing climatic conditions and the regions' [[geomorphology]] allowed the establishment of flourishing European style settlements like [[Nairobi]] and [[Entebbe]]. The [[France|French]] settled the largest island of the Indian Ocean (and the fourth-largest globally), [[Madagascar]] along with a group of smaller islands nearby, namely [[Réunion]] and the [[Comoros]]. Madagascar – until then under British control – became part of the [[French colonial empires|French colonial empire]] being ceded in exchange for the island of [[Zanzibar]] an important hub of [[spice]]s trade, off the coast of [[Tanganyika]]. The British as well held a number of island colonies in the region. The [[Seychelles]] an extended [[archipelago]] and the rich farmland island of [[Mauritius]], previously under the French [[sovereignty]], were as such. The [[German Empire]] gained control of a large area named [[German East Africa]], comprising present-day [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]] and the mainland part of [[Tanzania]] named Tanganyika. In 1922, the British gained a [[League of Nations mandate]] over Tanganyika which it administered until Independence was granted to Tanganyika in 1961. Following the Zanzibar Revolution of 1965, the independent state of Tanganyika formed the [[United Republic of Tanzania]] by creating a union between the mainland, and the island chain of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is now a semi-autonomous state in a union with the mainland which is collectively and commonly referred to as [[Tanzania]]. German East Africa, though very extensive, was not of such strategic importance as the [[British monarchy|British Crown's]] colonies to the north: the inhabitation of these lands was difficult and thus limited, mainly due to climatic conditions and the local geomorphology. [[Image:Britisheastafrica 1.png|200px|thumb|Map of British East Africa in 1911.]] Italy gained control of various parts of [[Somalia]] in the 1880s. The southern three-fourths of Somalia became an Italian [[protectorate]] ([[Italian Somaliland]]). Meanwhile, in 1884, a narrow coastal strip of northern Somalia came under British control ([[British Somaliland]]). This northern protectorate was just opposite the British colony of [[Aden]] on the [[Arabian Peninsula]]. With these territories secured, Britain was able to serve as gatekeeper of the [[sea lane]] leading to [[British Raj|British India]]. In 1890, beginning with the purchase of the small port town of ([[Asseb]]) from a local sultan in [[Eritrea]], the Italians colonized all of Eritrea. In 1895, from bases in Somalia and Eritrea, the Italians launched the [[First Italo–Ethiopian War]] against the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] Empire of [[Ethiopia]]. By 1896, the war had become a total disaster for the Italians and Ethiopia was able to retain its independence. Ethiopia remained independent until 1936 when, after the [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War]], it became part of [[Italian East Africa]]. The Italian occupation of Ethiopia ended in 1941 during [[World War II]] as part of the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign]]. The French also staked out an East African outpost on the route to [[French Indochina]]. Starting in the 1850s, the small protectorate of [[Djibouti]] became [[French Somaliland]] in 1897. ==Conflicts== Until recently most governments were [[illiberal]] and [[political corruption|corrupt]], and several countries were riven with political coups, ethnic violence and oppressive dictators. Since the end of colonialism, the region has endured: * [[Ethiopian Civil War]] * [[Eritrean War of Independence]] * [[Eritrean-Ethiopian War]] * [[Ogaden War]] * [[Somali Civil War]] * [[Second Sudanese Civil War]] * [[Darfur Conflict]] in Sudan * [[Burundi Civil War]] * [[Lord's Resistance Army]] insurgency in [[Uganda]] * [[Rwandan Genocide]] Kenya and Tanzania have enjoyed relatively stable governments. However politics has been turbulent at times, including the [[1982 Kenyan coup|attempted coup d’état in 1982]] and the [[Clashes in Kenya (2007-present)|2007 election riots]] in Kenya. [[Djibouti]] and the Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia have also seen relative stability. [[Tanzania]] has known stable government since independence although there are significant political and religious tensions resulting from the political union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Zanzibar is now a semi-autonomous state in the [[United Republic of Tanzania]]. Tanzania and Uganda fought the [[Uganda-Tanzania War]] in 1978–1979, which led to the removal of Uganda's despotic leader [[Idi Amin]]. ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Horn of Africa]] * [[Aksumite Empire]] * [[Land of Punt]] * [[Arab slave trade]] * [[German East Africa]] * [[British East Africa]] * [[East African Campaign (World War I)]] * [[Italian East Africa]] * [[East African Campaign (World War II)]] * [[Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa]] * [[East African Community]] {{Regions of the world}} | Tanzania | align="center" | 38 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |-| Rwanda | align="center" | 8 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |-| Burundi | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |-| Uganda | align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |-| Kenya | align="center" | 35 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |-| Zaire | align="center" | 60 | align="center" | 95 | align="center" | 36.1 |- {{sisterlinkswp|Category:Burundi}} {{catmore}} [[Category:East Africa| ]] [[ar:شرق أفريقيا]] [[frp:Africa du Levant]] [[be-x-old:Усходняя Афрыка]] [[bg:Източна Африка]] [[ca:Àfrica Oriental]] [[cs:Východní Afrika]] [[cy:Dwyrain Affrica]] [[da:Østafrika]] [[de:Ostafrika]] [[et:Ida-Aafrika]] [[es:África Oriental]] [[eo:Orientafriko]] [[fr:Afrique de l'Est]] [[ko:동아프리카]] [[hr:Istočna Afrika]] [[id:Afrika Timur]] [[is:Austur-Afríka]] [[it:Africa orientale]] [[he:מזרח אפריקה]] [[jv:Afrika Wétan]] [[ka:აღმოსავლეთი აფრიკა]] [[sw:Afrika ya Mashariki]] [[hu:Kelet-Afrika]] [[ms:Afrika Timur]] [[nl:Oost-Afrika]] [[ja:東アフリカ]] [[no:Østafrika]] [[nn:Aust-Afrika]] [[pl:Afryka Wschodnia]] [[pt:África Oriental]] [[ru:Восточная Африка]] [[se:Nuorta-Afrihkká]] [[sq:Afrika lindore]] [[sk:Východná Afrika]] [[sr:Источна Африка]] [[sh:Istočna Afrika]] [[fi:Itä-Afrikka]] [[sv:Östafrika]] [[tl:Silangang Aprika]] [[ta:கிழக்கு ஆபிரிக்கா]] [[uk:Східна Африка]] [[vec:Africa Orientałe]] [[wo:Penku Afrik]] [[yo:Apa Ilaoorun Afrika]] [[zh:东部非洲]]