Sub-Saharan Africa
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.
Since the end of the last ice age, 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. The regions are distinct culturally as well as geographically; the dark-skinned peoples south of the Sahara developed in relative isolation from the rest of the world compared to those living north of the Sahara, who were 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.
History
In nineteen-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.
Economies
Generally, sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, still suffering from the legacies of colonialism, slavery, native corruption, and inter-ethnic conflict. The region contains many of the least developed countries in the world. 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), 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 622 million in 1997. [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.[1] The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through community-based health care 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.[2][3]
Nations of sub-Saharan Africa
There are 42 countries located on the sub-Saharan African mainland. The 6 island nations include Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Mauritius is generally not considered to be a sub-Saharan African island because the ethnic make up of the country is predominantly East Indian, Chinese and French. According to this classification scheme, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are:
Central Africa
East Africa
Southern Africa
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)
Territories, possessions, départements
Notes
- ↑ User fees for health: a background. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
- ↑ Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
- ↑ Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
External links
Political maps of Sub-Saharan Africa
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