|
|
|
|
Algeria -
Named after
the capital city Algiers or Al-Jazair ("The Island") in Arabic. A
reference to the small islands that once dotted the bay of the city.
Angola - When
Portuguese mariner Diego Cao landed at the mouth of the Congo River in
1483, two distinct Kingdoms ruled the region. The Kingdom of the
Bakongo reigned in the north. The Quimbundos Kingdom, also known as
Ndongo, dominated in the western and central areas. The king of the
Quimbundos was called "Ngola". The region, taking its name from the
king, became Angola. News - Links
Benin - (Formerly
Dahomey) named after the ancient Nigerian Kingdom of Benin. The former
name Dahomey, pronounced Dan Ho Me ("on the belly of Dan") was an
ancient Kingdom located in the south of what is modern-day Benin
Republic.
Botswana - A name used
to collectively describe the Tswana, the country's dominant ethnic
group. Formerly known as Bechuanaland, Bechauna being an alternative
spelling for Botswana.
Burkina Fasso - Mossi
for "Land of Incorruptible Men" was changed to this from Upper Volta
in 1984. Upper Volta reffered to its geographical location in relation
to the Volta river.
Burundi - Derives from
Rundi (Kirundi) the language universally spoken throughout Burundi.
Cameroon (also Cameroun
in French) - The name is derived from Rio de Camarões (the River of
Prawns) the name given to River Wouri by Portuguese Explorers in the
15th century.
Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)
- Named after the westernmost point in mainland Africa. The nearest
point on the continent to this Island Nation.
Central African Republic
- It's in Central Africa! Africa is believed to have originated from
either the Latin word "aprica" ("Sunny") or Greek "aphrike" ("without
cold") and originally applied to North Africa. However as Europe
discovered the extent of continental Africa, the term came to match
its modern day usage.
Chad - The name appears
to derive from the Lake which forms it South-Western border with
Nigeria.
Comoros - The name
"Comoros" is derived from the Arabic kamar or kumr, meaning "moon,"
although this name was first applied by Arab geographers to
Madagascar. It was adopted by French Colonialists to describe the
Islands.
Congo - Named after the
15th Kingdom of Kongo which thrived on both banks of the River Congo,
extending into Modern day Congo, Congo DR, Angola and Zambia.
Congo DR - As Above.
Also formerly known as Zaire a traditional local name for River Congo.
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory
Coast) - The Reference by European traders to the availabiilty of
Ivory Tusks.
Djibouti - (Fomerly
Territory of the Afars and Issas) Named after the Port capital.
Egypt - Direct
geographical descendent of Ancient Egypt.
Equatorial Guinea -
Guinea derives from the berber word aguinaw, or gnawa ("black man"),
which Berbers (Nomadic Saharan Peoples) have used to describe most of
West Africa.
Eritrea - The Latin
phrase Mare Erythraeum ("Red Sea") was used by Italy to describe its
colonies in the horn of Africa. This later became Eritrea and was
adopted by the country on independence from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia - Direct
geographical descendent of Ancient Ethiopia.
Gabon - Gabon's first
European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th
century and subsequent Portuguese references refered to it as Gabon
after the Portuguese word gabao, a coat with sleeves and hood
resembling the shape of the Como River estuary, where they first
explored.
Gambia - Named after
the River Gambia which flows through the Country.
Ghana - Named after the
Ancient West African Kingdom of Ghana. See Ancient Ghana.
Guinea - See Equatorial
Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau - See
Equatorial Guinea.
Kenya -
Named after the
mountain of the same name. and this in turn derives it name from The
Kikuyu, who refer to the mountain as Kirinyaga, or Kere-Nyaga
("Mountain of Whiteness").
Lesotho -
Named after
the Sotho People, the dominant Ethnic Group. Formerly known as
Basutoland.
Liberia -
Derived from
the Latin word liber ("Free") - Reference to the return of Freed
American Slaves who founded the modern Republic of Liberia.
Libya - In 1934, Italy
adopted the name "Libya" (used by the ancient Greeks for all of North
Africa, except Egypt) as the official name of their new colony, which
consisted of the Provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, and Fezzan.
Madagascar -
The origin
of the Madagascar is uncertain, some people believe the European Traveller Marco Polo (who never visted the island) confused it with
Mogadishu in present - day Somalia. Hence Early reference to the
Island as Madeigascar or Mogelasio, this eventually became Madagascar
about the 16th centruty. Others believe that the Madagascar may be a
local reference to the "Country of Malagasy". However, the Kings of
Malagasy tended to refer to the whole Island by "Izao will rehetra
izao " or " Izao tontolo izao ("this entire country").
Malawi -
Derived from Marawi - A confederacy of states that existed in the area of present
day Malawi.
Mali -
Named after the
ancient West African Kingdom of Mali. See Ancient Mali.
Mauritania -
The name
is derived from Spanish description of the area as the land of the
Moors, a term used to describe Arab rulers of Southern Spain. It was
also the name of an ancient Berber Kingdom.
Mauritius - The island
was named in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau by Dutch explorers. The
French claimed Mauritius in 1715 and renamed it Ile de France. In
1810, Mauritius was captured by the British and renamed back to
Mauritius.
Mayotte - Most of the people are Moharais of Malagasy origin.
Mayotte (French), Maore or Mahore (Comoran) describes the land of the
Moharais.
Morocco -
Direct
geographical descendent of Ancient Morocco.
Mozambique - Named
after Mouzinho de Alburquerque, 19th Century Portuguese colonalist who
put down nationalist rebellions in the territory and thus established
effective Portuguese control.
Namibia - derived from
the Namib, the desert that runs along the namibia coast. Namib in turn
means "an area where there is nothing" in the local Nama language.
Niger - Derived from
the River Niger, and meaning Black in Latin.
Nigeria - Meaning the
Area of the Niger. As Above
Reunion - An overseas
Department of France, The Islands are named Reunion in 1848 after
several name changes and temporary occupation by the British.
Rwanda - Named after
the Laguage spoken throught out the country, Ruanda (also called
Kinyarwanda).
Sao Tome and Principe -
Portuguese names for the Islands. Actual Origin unknown.
Senegal - Derived from
the River Senegal.
Seychelles - In 1756,
Seychelles became a French colony under the name of Séchelles, named
after the Moreau of Séchelles, Minister of Finance under the kingdom
of Louis XV. During the 19th Century, under British rule the name was
anglicised to Seychelles.
Sierra Leone - Sierra
Leone's name dates back to 1462, when a Portuguese explorer, Pedro da
Cintra, sailed down the coast of West Africa and saw the long range of
mountains of what is now the Freetown Peninsula. As a result of shape
and climatic conditions experienced by the explorer, he called the
lands 'Sierra Lyoa' meaning 'Lion Mountains'. Sixteenth century
English sailors called it 'Sierra Leoa'; by the seventeenth it was
'Sierra Leona', and by 1787, under British Rule it had became Sierra
Leone.
Somalia - The Land of
the Somali, the dominant Ethnic group in the country.
South Africa - See
Central African Republic.
Sudan - Sudan (a name
derived from the Arabic phrase - bilad as-sudan, "land of the
blacks"). Used by Arabs to describe what is today Sub-Sahran Africa,
i.e. Africa excluding Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Egypt.
Swaziland - The Land of
the Swazi's who form 97% of the population.
Tanzania - A name
derived from the union of Mainland Tanganyika and the Islands of
Zanzibar which together form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Togo - Named after
Togoville in Germany, where Germany declared a "protectorate" over the
area that came to be Togo.
Tunisia - Named after
Tunis the present-day capital, but in ancient times a powerful
city-state and successor to ancient Carthage.
Uganda - Derived from
the Buganda, the country's largest Ethnic Group.
Western Sahara
(SADR) -
Named after is location. Also known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic after its people, the Sahrawi Arabs.
Zambia - Derived from
the Zambezi River which flows along its southern borders.
Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe was
named after Great Zimbabwe an ancient trading empire dating back to
the Iron Age. Zimbabwe means Stone Houses in the local Shona Language.
provided courtesy of ClickAfrique.com |
