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'Sub-Saharan Africa' is the term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara desert. Geographically, the demarcation line is the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
Ever since around 2500 BC, the north 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.^[1] Since desertification, the regions have been distinct culturally as well as geographically; the peoples south of the Sahara (excluding the Nile Valley) developed in relative isolation from the rest of the world compared to those living north of the Sahara, who as of late, are more influenced by Arab culture and Islam. The modern term ''sub-Saharan'' corresponds with the standard representation of North as above and South as below. 'Tropical Africa' and 'Equatorial Africa' are alternative modern labels, used for the distinctive ecology of the region. However, if strictly applied, this term would exclude South Africa, most of which lies outside the Tropics.

Contents

History

Critique of the term

Economies

Health care

Nations of sub-Saharan Africa

African island nations

Territories, possessions, départements

Notes

External links

Political maps of Sub-Saharan Africa

History

In 19th Century Europe and the Western world, the area was sometimes referred to as "Black Africa." This was partly due to the skin color of its inhabitants and partly because much of it had not been fully mapped or explored by Westerners. Some object to the usage of the term, such as cultural writer and filmmaker Owen 'Alik Shahadah.

Critique of the term

Some object to the usage of the term and see it is as misleading and a racist colonial way of viewing Africa. Shahadah, Owen 'Alik, Linguistics for a new African reality, first published at the Cheikh Anta Diop conference in 2005, retrieved July 152007Nehusi, Kimani, Mental Enslavement, From Medew Netjer to Ebonics, retrieved July 172007Muhammad, Andrew, Andrew Muhammad, chapter Hidden History, Free Your Mind, retrieved July 152007Okoth, P. Godfrey The Truman Administration and the Decolonization of Sub-Saharan Africa Journal of Third World Studies, retrieved July 152007: The idea of "Sub-Saharan Africa," is, therefore, 'a myth or misleading. It cannot be accepted as it tantamount to the balkanization of Africa, thereby denying Africa its rightful role in contributing to world civilization Academic and cultural writer Owen 'Alik Shahadah states "...This barrier of sand hence confined Africans to the bottom of this make-believe location, which exists neither linguistically, ethnically, politically or physically...Somalia and Djibouti are part of the same political Islamic alignment just like many so-called Arab countries." (See Arab League). Others such as P. Godfrey Okoth, Department of History University of California, states that European travelers and geographers created the concept of "two Africa’s," sets up the removal of African contribution to world civilization.

Economies

Generally, sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, suffering from the effects of economic mismanagement, local corruption, inter-ethnic conflict and the legacy of colonialism and slavery. The region contains many of the least developed countries in the world. (See ''Economy of Africa''.) Sub-Saharan Africa, especially East Africa, is regarded by some geneticists as being the birthplace of the human race (the genus ''Homo''). Mitochondrial Eve, from whom all humans alive are descended, is thought to have lived in present day Ethiopia or Tanzania. Sub-Saharan Africa has been the site of many empires and kingdoms, including the Axum, Wagadu (Ghana Empire), Mali, Nok, Songhai, Kanem, Bornu, Benin and Great Zimbabwe.
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. [1]
The population of sub-Saharan Africa was 743 million in 2005. [2]

Health care

In 1988, Bamako was the location of a WHO conference known as the Bamako Initiative that helped reshape the health policy of sub-Saharan Africa.^[2] 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.^[3][4]

Nations of sub-Saharan Africa

There are 42 countries located on the sub-Saharan African mainland and 6 island nations. According to this classification scheme, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are:
===Central Africa===

★ Democratic Republic of Congo

★ Republic of Congo

★ Central African Republic

★ Rwanda

★ Burundi
===East Africa===

★ Sudan

★ Kenya

★ Tanzania

★ Uganda

★ Djibouti

★ Eritrea

★ Ethiopia

★ Somalia (including Somaliland)
===Southern Africa===

★ Angola

★ Botswana

★ Lesotho

★ Malawi

★ Mozambique

★ Namibia

★ South Africa

★ Swaziland

★ Zambia

★ Zimbabwe
===West Africa===

★ Benin

★ Burkina Faso

★ Cameroon

★ Chad

★ Côte d'Ivoire

★ Equatorial Guinea

★ Gabon

★ The Gambia

★ Ghana

★ Guinea

★ Guinea-Bissau

★ Liberia

★ Mali

★ Mauritania

★ Niger

★ Nigeria

★ Senegal

★ Sierra Leone

★ Togo

African island nations

★ Cape Verde (West Africa)

★ Comoros (Southern Africa)

★ Madagascar (Southern Africa)

★ Mauritius (Southern Africa)

★ São Tomé and Príncipe (West Africa)

★ Seychelles (East Africa)

★ [Niger Delta ]

Territories, possessions, départements

★ Mayotte (France)

★ Réunion (France)

★ Socotra (Yemen)

★ St Helena and Ascension (UK)

Notes

1. http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl9920.html
2. User fees for health: a background
3. Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea
4. Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes

External links

★ USA State department travel tips

Political maps of Sub-Saharan Africa

★ Countries

★ Blind map