Africa¶
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Algeria¶- Coins
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Algeria has been a Muslim city since around 950, and the Phoenecians and Romans were hanging around the area before then. Around 1492 a population of Jews and Moors who had been kicked out of Spain took up residence. In 1518 the Turks took over the show. Then, for about 300 years, the Barbary Pirates had their head office there. The French came to town in 1830 and mixed it up for 18 years before annexing the whole country. By the time World War II was on, a whole lot of things happened.
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Botswana¶- Coins
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The area of Botswana was orginally occupied by the Bushmen, who unfortunately are dying off. Migrations from the north and east in the early 17th century have resulted in most of the present day population. The area was united in the early 19th century to deal with incursion threats from neighbouring areas. By the late 19th century, the area -- known as Bechuanaland -- enlisted the aid of Britain who made it a British protectorate. The northern part of Bechuanaland remained under Britain's wing until it became the independent Republic of Botswana in 1966. Botswana is known as 'the Gem of Africa.'
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Cameroon¶- Coins
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Cameroon is a relatively stable agriculture-based country on the west side of Africa. European contact was first made by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The next three hundred years saw continuous trading from Dutch, English, and Spanish visitors. By the 1870s, the German Empire was moving permanent settlers into the area. German domination was ended after World War II when the League of Nations split Cameroon between the British and the French. The UN took over the show in 1946, and in 1960 French Cameroon became an indepdendent republic. One year later, the southern part of British Cameroon voted for unification with the Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon has one of the best education systems in Africa, and close to a 80% literacy rate.
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Cape Verde¶- Coins
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Cape Verde is comprised of 10 small islands plus 8 tiny islands almost 600 km off the west coast of African. It is Africa's smallest republic. Nine of the main islands are inhabited, and all are volcanic, with one active volcano on Fogo. Up until 1876, the islands were a slave trading port. Independence for Cape Verde came in 1975 after 500 years of Portuguese rule. Today, the economy is largely based on refueling of ships and airplanes. Cape Verde also exports bananas, salt, and fish, but is not self-sufficient for their own food. Cape Verdian culture has developed from its mixed Portuguese and African roots, and includes unique genres of music.
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Central African Republic¶- Coins
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The Central African Republic is a land-locked country in the centre of Africa. At one time a member of French Equatorial Africa (along with Chad, Middle Congo, and Gabon), the Central African Republic achieved independence in 1960. The country then suffered through more than 30 years of misrule mostly at the hands of the military, before a civilian government was finally established in 1993. This lasted for 10 years, before the military forced their way into power again. Luckily, they were a little smarter about it this time and a new constitution was approved by popular vote at the end of 2004, followed by multi-party elections in spring 2005. The CAR has a problem with deforestation and desertification, and a serious problem with AIDS. The economy is dominated by food crops, that is, crops for food for the immediate population. The CAR is reported to have one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world, but figures do not take into account the informal economy. The CAR also exports lots of diamonds.
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Comoros¶- Coins
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Comoros is a union of three volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean just north of Madagascar. The name means "island of small moon" and this is pictured on the flag. The fourth star on the flag probably represents the island of Mayotte, who choose to stay with France rather than join the other three islands in independence in 1975. In 1997, two of the three islands -- Anjounan and Moheli -- declared their independence from Comoros, leaving only the main island of Grande Comore. The government tried and failed to force the two islands back into the fold, resulting in a deal brokered by the African Union to patch things up. Now, each island has its own mini-government, and a main union government to oversee it all. Implementation of the new plan started in early 2005. Hopefully they can work together, because the country needs it: Comoros is one of the poorest countries in the world and has few natural resources, a lousy education system, and not much else except a rapidly expanding population. If the political situation becomes less "fluid" the government can work on their plan to make Comoros a nice place to visit.
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Congo, Belgian¶- Coins
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The former Belgian Congo was once the mighty Kongo empire. Unfortunately, Portugal and other European countries saw the empire as a bountiful source for slaves. So many were taken that the Kongo was severely weakened and eventually collapsed by the late sixteenth century. However, the name carried on for over two centuries before the area was divided between Portugal, Belgium, and France. King Leopold II of Belgium made the area into a privately owned kingdom in the late ninteenth century. Leo's reign was a basic terror state, with millions being killed (estimates from 3 to 21 million people died). International outrage over Leo's atrocious reign lead to the area being annexed by Belgium in 1908 as the "Belgian Congo." Unfortunately, things didn't improve much for the Congolese. Belgium showed no respect for native culture, instead imposing Christian and Western values, with no hint of democractic ways. The Belgian Congo came to an end in 1960, and from there the country went straight to its next horrible crisis.
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Congo, Dem. Rep.¶- Coins
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo, not to be confused with the Republic of the Congo a different and much smaller country to the west, was formerly known as the Republic of Zaire and before that the Belgian Congo. If that's not confusing enough, the country was at one time known as the Republic of the Congo. Yes, that's the same name as the other smaller Congo to the west. The Zoo Keeper recommends reading the "Congo, Belgian" entry for some background up to 1960. Belgium granted the country independence as the Republic of the Congo following extremely violent riots in 1959. The name was changed to Zaire in 1971, and changed yet again to DR Congo after a civil war in 1997.
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Congo, Republic¶- Coins
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- The Republic of the Congo, not to be confused with the Democractic Republic of the Congo a different and much larger country to the east, was formely known as the Peoples Republic of the Congo. Confused yet? You may be more confused when you read the DR Congo entry and learn that the other country to the west was also called Republic of Congo between 1960 and 1971. This Congo came under French influence in 1883 and was known as Middle Congo until 1910, when it joined French Equatorial Africa. The area stayed close with France during World War II, and was largely autonomous following the war. In 1960 the country became the independent Republic of the Congo-Brazzaville. The name was changed again in 1970 to Peoples Republic of the Congo, and a new constitution was adopted in 1973. After a wholesale change of government in 1992, the name was changed to Republique du Congo.
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Djibouti¶- Coins
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Djibouti is a very small country on the eastern 'horn' of Africa, at the southern end of the Red Sea. It was a French protectorate in the 19th century known as French Somaliland. The name was changed to the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967. Independence was achieved in 1977 as Djibouti. The desert land has a chronic shortage of drinking water, but it is a statregically important trade location. It is this location that fuels the country's service-based economy. Unfortunately, nearly half the people don't have jobs. The two main groups -- Issa (Somali) and Afar -- have had trouble getting along especially during the 1990s when they went to war against each other. In April 2005, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh -- the second president of Djibouti -- won his second 6-year term after winning 100% of the ballots. He was the only candidate on the ballot. Surprisingly, nearly 80% of eligible voters went out to vote.
