Sub-Saharan Africa
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[[Persian]]→[[Iranian peoples]] in the holy name of [[WP:DPL|WikiProject Disambiguation]] using [[WP:POP|Popups]]
[[Image:East&southern africa early iron age.gif|thumb|300px|Simplified climatic map of Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa consists of the arid [[Sahel]] and the [[Horn of Africa]] in the north (yellow), the [[tropical savanna]]s (light green) and the [[tropical rainforest]]s (dark green) of [[Equatorial Africa]], and the arid [[Kalahari Basin]] (yellow) and the "[[mediterranean climate|mediterranean]]" south coast (olive) of [[Southern Africa]]. The numbers shown correspond to the dates of [[Iron Age|iron]] artefacts associated with the [[Bantu expansion]].]]
'''Sub-Saharan Africa''' is a geographical term used to describe the area of the [[Africa]]n continent which lies south of the [[Sahara]], or those [[African countries]] which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara.<ref>http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/images/subsaharan.jpg</ref><ref>http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/subsaharanafrica</ref>
It contrasts with [[North Africa]], which is part of the [[Arab world]].<ref name="Arab League Online">[http://www.arableagueonline.org/las/index.jsp Arab League Online: League of Arab States]</ref>
The [[Sahel]] is the transitional zone between the [[Sahara]] and the [[tropical savanna]] (the [[Sudan (region)|''Sûdân'' region]]) and [[forest-savanna mosaic]] to the south.
The [[Horn of Africa]] and [[Southern Sudan]] are geographically part of sub-Saharan Africa, but nevertheless show strong [[Middle East]]ern influence and are also part of the Arab world.<ref name="Arab League Online"/>
The Sub-Saharan region is also known as '''Black Africa''',<ref>so e.g. ''Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument'' (1999, ISBN 0852558147), p. xxi: "what is usually called Black Africa - that is the former European colonies lying south of the Sahara".</ref> in reference to its "[[Black people|black]]" populations, in contrast to the "[[Caucasoid]]" or "[[Melanochroi]]" inhabitants of North Africa. The term ''[[bilâd as-sûdân]]'' itself literally translates to "land of the blacks".
==Geography==
Sub-Saharan Africa covers an area of 24.3 million square kilometers.[http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?PTYPE=CP&CCODE=SSA]
Since around 5,400 years ago <ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/07/990712080500.htm Sahara's Abrupt Desertification Started By Changes In Earth's Orbit, Accelerated By Atmospheric And Vegetation Feedbacks<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, 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 [[Sahara Pump Theory]] explains how [[Floristic province|flora]] and [[Biomes|fauna]] (including [[Recent African origin of modern humans|Homo sapiens]]) left [[Africa]] to penetrate the [[Middle East]] and beyond to [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. African [[pluvial]] periods are associated with a "wet [[Sahara]]" phase during which larger lakes and more rivers exist.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Van Zinderen Bakker E. M. | title = A Late-Glacial and Post-Glacial Climatic Correlation between East Africa and Europe | journal = Nature | volume = 194 | pages = 201–203 |date= [[1962-04-14]] | doi = 10.1038/194201a0}}</ref>
===Climate zones and ecoregions===
{{see|Afrotropic ecozone}}
[[Image:Africa Koppen Map.png|thumb|249px|[[Climate zone]]s of Africa, showing the ecological break between the [[desert climate]] of the Sahara and the Horn of Africa (red), the [[semi-arid]] Sahel (orange) and the [[tropical climate]] of Central and Western Africa (blue). Southern Africa has a transition to [[semi-tropical]] or [[temperate climate]]s (green), and more desert or semi-arid regions, centered on Namibia and Botswana.]]
{{see|Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions}}
Sub-Saharan Africa has a wide variety of [[climate zone]]s or [[biome]]s. [[South Africa]] and the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] in particular are considered [[Megadiverse countries]].
*the [[Sahel]] cuts across all of Africa at a latitude of about 10° to 15° N. Countries that include parts of the Sahara proper in their northern territories and parts of the Sahel in their southern region include [[Mali]], [[Niger]], [[Chad]] and [[Sudan]].
*south of the Sahel, there is a belt of [[savanna]], ([[Guinean forest-savanna mosaic]], [[Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic]]) widening to include most of [[Southern Sudan]] and [[Ethiopia]] in the east ([[East Sudanian savanna]]).
*the [[Horn of Africa]] includes arid [[semi-desert]] along its coast, contrasting with savanna and [[List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions|moist broadleaf forests]] in the interior of Ethiopia.
*Africa's [[tropical rainforest]] stretches along the southern coast of West Africa and dominates Central Africa (the [[Congo]]) west of the [[African Great Lakes]]
*the [[Eastern Miombo woodlands]] are an ecoregion of [[Tanzania]], [[Malawi]], and [[Mozambique]].
*the [[Serengeti]] ecosystem is located in north-western [[Tanzania]] and extends to south-western [[Kenya]].
*the [[Kalahari Basin]] includes the [[Kalahari Desert]] surrounded by a belt of semi-desert
*The [[Bushveld]] is a [[tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|tropical savanna]] ecoregion of [[Southern Africa]].
*the [[Karoo]] is a semi-desert in western South Africa.
==History==
{{see|History of Africa}}
===East Africa===
{{main|History of East Africa}}
{{see|History of Ethiopia}}
The distribution of the [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] linguistic phylum is evidence of a certain coherence of the central Sahara, the Sahel and East Africa in prehistoric times. Ancient [[Nubia]] appears to have acted as a link connecting [[Ancient Egypt]] to sub-Saharan Africa, based on traces of prehistoric south-to-north gene flow.<ref>Fox, C.L., 'mtDNA analysis in ancient Nubians supports the existence of gene flow between sub-Sahara and North Africa in the Nile Valley', in ''Annals of Human Biology'', 24, 3, 217–227. ([http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9158841&itool=iconabstr abstract]).</ref>Kush, Nubia at her greatest phase is considered sub-saharan Africa's oldest urban civialization. Nubia was a major source of gold for the ancient world. Accordingly, the [[Old Nubian language]] is itself a member of the Nilo-Saharan phylum. Old Nubian (arguably besides [[Meroitic language|Meroitic]]) represents the oldest attested [[African language]] outside the Afro-Asiatic group.
The [[Axumite Empire]] spanned the southern Sahara and the Sahel along the western shore of the Red Sea. Located in northern [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]], Aksum was deeply involved in the trade network between [[India]] and the [[Mediterranean]]. Emerging from ca. the [[4th century BC]], it rose to prominence by the [[1st century]] AD. It was succeeded by the [[Zagwe dynasty]] in the 10th century.
[[Somalia]] was under the control of [[Ethiopian Empire]] until 1527, when a revolt under Imam [[Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi]] led to an invasion of Ethiopia. The [[Ajuran]] dynasty ruled parts of East Africa from the 16th to 20th centuries.
[[Kenya]]'s proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and [[Arab]] and [[Iranian peoples|Persian]] settlements sprouted along the coast by the [[8th century]]. During the first millennium AD, [[Nilotic]] and [[Bantu]]-speaking peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprise three-quarters of Kenya's population. In the centuries preceding colonization, the Swahili coast of Kenya was part of the east African region which traded with the Arab world and India especially for [[ivory]] and [[slavery|slaves]]. [[Swahili]], a Bantu language with many [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Iranian peoples|Persian]] and other Middle Eastern and South Asian loan words, developed as a ''[[lingua franca]]'' for trade between the different peoples.
In 1498 [[Vasco da Gama]] became the first [[Europe]]an to reach the East African coast, and by 1525 the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] had subdued the entire coast. Portuguese control lasted until the early 18th century, when Arabs from [[Oman]] established a foothold in the region. Assisted by [[Oman|Omani Arabs]], the indigenous coastal dwellers succeeded in driving the Portuguese from the area north of the [[Ruvuma River]] by the early [[18th century]].
===West Africa===
{{main|History of West Africa}}
{{see|Sahelian kingdom}}
The [[Nok culture]], known from a type of terracotta figure found in Nigeria, dating to 500 BC - AD 200.
There are a number of medieval kingdoms of the southern Sahara and the Sahel, based on [[trans-Saharan trade]], including the [[Ghana Empire]] and the [[Mali Empire]], [[Songhai Empire]], the [[Kanem Empire]] and the subsequent [[Bornu Empire]]. The [[Benin Empire]] was a pre-colonial state of [[Nigeria]] (1440-1897).
The kingdoms of [[Ife|Ifẹ]] and [[Oyo]] in the western block of Nigeria became prominent about 700-900 and 1400 respectively. Another prominent kingdom in south western Nigeria was the [[Kingdom of Benin]] whose power lasted between the 15th and 19th century. Their dominance reached as far as the well known city of Eko which was named [[Lagos]] by the Portuguese traders and other early European settlers. In the 18th century, the [[Oyo Empire|Oyo]] and the [[Aro confederacy]] were responsible for most of the slaves exported from Nigeria.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm The Slave Trade]</ref>
Following the [[Napoleon]]ic wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. In 1885 British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition and in the following year the [[Royal Niger Company]] was chartered under the leadership of Sir [[George Taubman Goldie]]. In 1900 the company's territory came under the control of the British Government, which moved to consolidate its hold over the area of modern Nigeria. On [[January 1]], [[1901]] [[Nigeria]] became a [[United Kingdom|British]] protectorate, part of the [[British Empire]], the foremost world power at the time.
===Central Africa===
{{main|History of Central Africa}}
{{see|Bantu expansion|Early Congolese history|Congo Free State|History of the Republic of the Congo}}
The [[Bantu expansion]] has its original nucleus in West Africa, dividing into a Western and an Eastern Bantu group by about 1500 BC. The Eastern group has its nucleus at [[Urewe]], in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. There follow a series of southwards advances, establishing a [[Congo]] nucleus by the end of the 1st millennium BC. In a final movement, the Bantu expansion reaches Southern Africa in the 1st millennium AD.
===Southern Africa===
{{main|History of Southern Africa}}
Settlements of [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]-speaking peoples, who were [[iron]]-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the [[Limpopo River]] by the 4th or 5th century (see [[Bantu expansion]]) displacing and absorbing the original [[Khoi-San]] speakers. They slowly moved south and the earliest ironworks in modern-day [[KwaZulu-Natal|KwaZulu-Natal Province]] are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the [[Xhosa]] people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoi-San people, reaching the [[Great Fish River|Fish River]], in today's [[Eastern Cape|Eastern Cape Province]].
[[Monomotapa]] was a medieval kingdom (c. 1250-1629) which used to stretch between the [[Zambezi]] and [[Limpopo River|Limpopo]] rivers of [[Southern Africa]] in the modern states of [[Zimbabwe]] and [[Mozambique]]. It enjoys great fame for the ruins at its old capital of [[Great Zimbabwe]].
In 1487, [[Bartolomeu Dias]] became the first European to reach the southernmost tip of Africa. In 1652, a victualling station was established at the [[Cape of Good Hope]] by [[Jan van Riebeeck]] on behalf of the [[Dutch East India Company]]. For most of the 17th and 18th centuries, the slowly-expanding settlement was a [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] possession.
[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] seized the [[Cape of Good Hope]] area in 1795 ostensibly to stop it falling into the hands of the French, but also seeking to use [[Cape Town]] in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India. It was later returned to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the [[Dutch East India Company]] declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806.
The [[Zulu Kingdom]] (1817-1879) was a Southern African state in what is now [[South Africa]]. The small kingdom gained world fame during and after the [[Anglo-Zulu War]].
==Demographics and economy==
{{main|Demographics of Sub-Saharan Africa}}
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]].
The population of sub-Saharan Africa was 770.3 million in 2006. <ref>[http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?PTYPE=CP&CCODE=SSA]</ref> The current growth rate is 2.3%. The UN predict for the region a population of nearly 1.5 billion in 2050.<ref>[http://esa.un.org/unpp]</ref>
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]].
Figures for [[life expectancy]], [[malnourishment]], [[infant mortality]] and [[HIV/AIDS in Africa|HIV/AIDS]] infections are also dramatic.
More than 40% of the population of are below 15 years in most sub-Saharan countries, as well as the [[Sudan]] but with the exception of [[South Africa]],<ref>According to the [[CIA Factbook]]: [[Angola]], [[Benin]], [[Burundi]], [[Burkina Faso]], the [[Central African Republic]], [[Cameroon]], [[Chad]], the [[Republic of Congo]], the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Djibouti]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Gabon]], [[the Gambia]], [[Ghana]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Kenya]], [[Liberia]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malawi]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Mozambique]], [[Namibia]], [[Nigeria]], [[Rwanda]], [[Senegal]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Somalia]], [[Sudan]], [[Swaziland]], [[Tanzania]], [[Togo]], [[Uganda]], and [[Zambia]]</ref>.
<gallery>
Image:Africa HIV-AIDS.svg|HIV infection is widespread in most of sub-Saharan Africa (ca. 7%, as opposed to 1% worldwide), with incidences above 30% in [[Botswana]], [[Zimbabwe]] and [[Swaziland]].
Image:Life expectancy in some Southern African countries 1958 to 2003.png|Life expectancy has fallen drastically in [[Southern Africa]] since the 1990s as a result of HIV.
Image:HDImap spectrum2006 Africa.png| Map of Africa indicating [[Human Development Index]] (2004). All 22 countries ranking below 0.5 in the [[List of countries by Human Development Index|report on 2005]] were in Sub-Saharan Africa. The highest value is that of [[Gabon]] at 0.677.
</gallery>
===Health care===
In 1987, [[Bamako]] was the location of a [[World Health Organization|WHO]] conference known as the [[Bamako Initiative]] that helped reshape the health policy of sub-Saharan Africa.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.eldis.org/healthsystems/userfees/background.htm
|title=User fees for health: a background
|publisher=
|accessdate=2006-12-28
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10173105&dopt=Abstract
|title=Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea
|publisher=
|accessdate=2006-12-28
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.medicusmundi.ch/mms/services/bulletin/bulletin200201/kap01/07kuechler.html
|title=Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes
|publisher=
|accessdate=2006-12-28
}}</ref>
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.<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/04/content_5167991.htm Xinhua - English<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Languages and ethnic groups===
[[Image:Niger-Congo.png|thumb|249px|Linguistically, sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by the [[Niger-Congo]] phylum (distribution shown in yellow), with pockets of [[Khoi-San]] in [[Southern Africa]], [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] in [[Central Africa|Central]] and [[East Africa]], and [[Afro-Asiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]] in the [[Horn of Africa]]]]
{{see|Languages of Africa|African people|List of African ethnic groups|Ethnic groups of North Africa}}
Speakers of [[Bantu languages]] (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and east Africa proper. But there are also several [[Nilotic]] groups in East Africa, and a few remaining [[Indigenous peoples of Africa|indigenous]] Khoisan ('[[Bushmen|San]]' or '[[Bushmen]]') and [[Pygmy]] peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively. Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon and southern Somalia. In the [[Kalahari Desert]] of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "[[Khoikhoi|Hottentots]]") have long been present. The San are physically distinct from other Africans and are the indigenous people of southern Africa. Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous peoples of central Africa.
[[South Africa]] has the largest populations of whites, Indians and Coloured in Africa. The term "[[Coloured]]" is used to describe persons of mixed race in [[South Africa]] and [[Namibia]]. People of [[Europe]]an descent in South Africa include the [[Afrikaner]] and a sizeable populations of [[Anglo African|Anglo-Africans]] and [[Portuguese Africans]]. [[Madagascar]]'s population is predominantly of mixed [[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] ([[Pacific Islander]]) and [[African people|African]] origin. The area of southern [[Sudan]] is inhabited by [[Nilotic|Nilotic people]], the tallest and blackest people in the world.
List of major languages of Sub-Saharan Africa by region, family and total number of native speakers in millions)
;East Africa
[[Image:Eritrean Women.jpeg|right|thumb|[[Tigray-Tigrinya people|Tigray]] women]]
[[Image:Borana.jpg|thumb|[[Borana]] women]]
[[Image:Masaidance.jpg|thumb|A [[Maasai]] traditional dance.]]
*Afro-Asiatic
**[[Amharic language|Amharic]]: 35-42
**[[Somali language|Somali]]: 15
**[[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]]: 7
**[[Oromo language|Oromo]]: 30-35
*Niger-Congo, [[Narrow Bantu]]:
**[[Swahili language|Swahili]]: 5-10
**[[Chichewa language|Chichewa]]: 9
**[[Gikuyu language|Gikuyu]] (Kenya): 5
**[[Luhya languages|Luhya]]: 4
;West Africa
[[Image:Hausa harpist.jpg|thumb|A [[Hausa people|Hausa]] harpist]]
[[Image:East - Fulbe.jpg|thumb|[[Fulani]] women in the East Province of Cameroon]]
*Niger-Congo
**[[Volta-Congo]]
***[[Benue-Congo]]
****[[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]: 25
****[[Ibibio Language|Ibibio]] (Nigeria): 8-12
****[[Igbo language|Igbo]] (Nigeria): 10-16
***[[Akan language|Akan]] (Ghana): 9
***[[More language|More]]: 5
**Fula-Wolof
***[[Fula language|Fula]] (West Africa): 10-16
***[[Wolof language|Wolof]]: 3
*Afro-Asiatic
**[[Hausa language|Hausa]]: 24
*Nilo-Saharan
**[[Kanuri language|Kanuri]]: 4
;Southern Africa
[[Image:Zulu dance (cropped).PNG|thumb|[[Zulu people|Zulus]] in traditional garment.]]
[[Image:San tribesman.jpg|thumb|A [[Khoisan|San]] tribesman.]]
*Niger-Congo, [[Narrow Bantu]]
**[[Zulu language|Zulu]]: 10
**[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]: 8
**[[Shona language|Shona]]: 7
**[[Sotho language|Sotho]]: 5
**[[Tswana language|Tswana]]: 4
**[[Umbundu language|Umbundu]] (Angola): 4
**[[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]]: 4
*[[Afrikaans]]: 6-7
;Central Africa
*Niger-Congo, [[Narrow Bantu]]
**[[Kinyarwanda language|Kinyarwanda]] (Rwanda) 7
**[[Kongo language|Kongo]]: 7
**[[Tshiluba language|Tshiluba]]: 6
**[[Kirundi]]: 5
===Religion===
{{see|Religion in Africa}}
[[Image:Christ Islam.png|thumb|300px|In terms of religion, [[North Africa]] is strongly dominated by [[Islam]] (shown in green), while Sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the [[Horn of Africa]], is mostly [[Christianity|Christian]] (shown in red; besides [[traditional African religions|traditional or tribal religions]])]]
[[North Africa]] is strongly dominated by [[Islam]], while Sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the [[Horn of Africa]],<ref>Lloyd E. Hudman, Richard H Jackson, ''Geography of Travel & Tourism'', 4 edition, (Delmar Cengage Learning: 2002), p.383</ref> is mostly [[Christianity|Christian]]. Adherence to these [[world religion]]s overlaps with [[traditional African religions|traditional or tribal religions and mythologies]].
;West Africa
*[[Akan mythology]]
*[[Ashanti mythology]] (Ghana)
*[[Dahomey mythology|Dahomey (Fon) mythology]]
*[[Efik mythology]] (Nigeria, Cameroon)
*[[Igbo mythology]] (Nigeria, Cameroon)
*[[Isoko mythology]] (Nigeria)
*[[Yoruba mythology]] (Nigeria, Benin)
;Central Africa
*[[Bushongo mythology]] (Congo)
*[[Bambuti mythology|Bambuti (Pygmy) mythology]] (Congo)
*[[Lugbara mythology]] (Congo)
;East Africa
*[[Akamba mythology]] (East Kenya)
*[[Dinka mythology]] (Sudan)
*[[Lotuko mythology]] (Sudan)
*[[Masai mythology]] (Kenya, Tanzania)
;Southern Africa
*[[Khoikhoi mythology]]
*[[Lozi mythology]] (Zambia)
*[[Tumbuka mythology]] (Malawi)
*[[Zulu mythology]] (South Africa)
== List of countries ==
Only six African countries are not geographically a part of Sub-Saharan Africa: [[Algeria]], [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Morocco]], [[Tunisia]], [[Western Sahara]] (claimed by Morocco). Together with the [[Sudan]], they form the [[UN subregion]] of [[Northern Africa]]. [[Mauritania]] and [[Niger]] only include a band of the Sahel along their southern borders. All other African countries have at least significant portions of their territory within Sub-Saharan Africa.
===[[Central Africa]]===
[[Image:LocationCentralMiddleAfrica.png|right|thumb|300px|
{{legend|#00a000|Central Africa}}
{{legend|#00d000|Middle Africa ([[subregion|UN subregion]])}}
{{legend|#00ff00|[[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Central African Federation]] (defunct)}}]]
; [[ECCAS]]
* [[Angola]] (also in SADC)
* [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] (also in SADC)
* [[Rwanda]] (also in EAC)
* [[Burundi]] (also in EAC)
* [[São Tomé and Príncipe]]
;[[Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa|CEMAC]]
* [[Republic of Congo]]
* [[Central African Republic]]
* [[Cameroon]]
* [[Chad]]
* [[Equatorial Guinea]]
* [[Gabon]]
===[[Sudan]]===
* [[Southern Sudan]] (autonomous region of [[Sudan]] with independence referendum in 2011)
===[[East Africa]]===
[[Image:LocationEasternAfrica.png|right|thumb|300px|
{{legend|#00a000|Eastern Africa ([[subregion|UN subregion]])}}
{{legend|#177245|[[East African Community]]}}
{{legend|#ACE1AF|[[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Central African Federation]] (defunct)}}
{{legend|#00f000|Geographic East Africa, including the UN subregion and East African Community}}]]
====[[East African Community]]====
* [[Kenya]]
* [[Tanzania]] (also in SADC)
* [[Uganda]]
* [[Rwanda]] (also in ECCAS)
* [[Burundi]] (also in ECCAS)
====[[Horn of Africa]]====
* [[Ethiopia]]
* [[Eritrea]]
* [[Djibouti]]
* [[Somalia]]
===[[Southern Africa]] / [[Southern African Development Community|SADC]]===
[[Image:LocationSouthernAfrica.png|right|thumb|300px|
{{legend|#00a000|Southern Africa ([[subregion|UN subregion]])}}
{{legend|#00d000|geographic, including above}}
{{legend|#00ff00|[[Southern African Development Community]] (SADC)}}]]
* [[Angola]] (also in ECCAS)
* [[Botswana]]
* [[Comoros]]
* [[Lesotho]]
* [[Madagascar]] (sometimes included, not part of the African continent)
* [[Malawi]]
* [[Mozambique]]
* [[Mauritius]]
* [[Namibia]]
* [[Seychelles]]
* [[South Africa]]
* [[Swaziland]]
* [[Zambia]]
* [[Zimbabwe]]
===[[West Africa]] ===
[[Image:LocationWesternAfrica.png|right|thumb|300px|
{{legend|#00a000|Western Africa ([[subregion|UN subregion]])}}
{{legend|#00ff00|[[Maghreb]]}}]]
* [[Mauritania]]
;[[ECOWAS]]
* [[The Gambia]]
* [[Ghana]]
* [[Guinea]]
* [[Liberia]]
* [[Nigeria]]
* [[Sierra Leone]]
;[[West African Economic and Monetary Union|UEMOA]]
* [[Benin]]
* [[Burkina Faso]]
* [[Côte d'Ivoire]]
* [[Guinea-Bissau]]
* [[Mali]]
* [[Niger]]
* [[Senegal]]
* [[Togo]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
*''Taking Action to Reduce Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa'', [[World Bank]] Publications (1997), ISBN 0821336983.
==See also==
*[[Geography of Africa]]
*[[Equatorial Africa]]
*[[Black people]]
== External links ==
*[http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/ USAID]
*[http://www.unfpa.org/africa/ UNFPA]
*[http://www.unaids.org:80/en/CountryResponses/Regions/SubSaharanAfrica.asp UNAIDS]
*[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2007/AFR/ENG/sreo0407.htm IMF]
*[http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/0,,menuPK:258649~pagePK:158889~piPK:146815~theSitePK:258644,00.html World Bank]
*[http://travel.state.gov/tips_sub-saharanafica.html USA State department travel tips]
[[Category:Geography of Africa]]
[[Category:Black Africa| ]]
[[ar:إفريقيا السوداء]]
[[frp:Africa sub-saharièna]]
[[bs:Subsaharska Afrika]]
[[cs:Subsaharská Afrika]]
[[da:Subsaharisk Afrika]]
[[de:Subsahara-Afrika]]
[[es:África subsahariana]]
[[eo:Afriko sude de Saharo]]
[[fa:آفریقای سیاه]]
[[fr:Afrique sub-saharienne]]
[[gl:África Subsahariana]]
[[hr:Subsaharska Afrika]]
[[id:Afrika Sub-Sahara]]
[[is:Afríka sunnan Sahara]]
[[it:Africa subsahariana]]
[[he:אפריקה שמדרום לסהרה]]
[[hu:Fekete-Afrika]]
[[nl:Sub-Sahara Afrika]]
[[ja:ブラックアフリカ]]
[[no:Subsaharisk Afrika]]
[[nn:Afrika sør for Sahara]]
[[pl:Czarna Afryka]]
[[pt:África subsariana]]
[[ro:Africa Subsahariană]]
[[ru:Африка южнее Сахары]]
[[sk:Subsaharská Afrika]]
[[sr:Подсахарска Африка]]
[[sh:Subsaharska Afrika]]
[[fi:Saharan eteläpuolinen Afrikka]]
[[sv:Subsahariska Afrika]]
[[vi:Châu Phi hạ Sahara]]
[[vec:Africa subsahariana]]
[[wo:Afrig gu bëj-saalumu-Sahara]]
[[zh:撒哈拉以南非洲]]