One of West Africa´s smaller countries – a bit more wee than Scotland and a smidge bigger than Delaware plus West Virginia – the landscape of Sierra Leone (pop. 8.9 million) is a tropical mix of rainforests and savannahs. It was originally founded by the British in 1808 as a refuge – like next-door Liberia – for freed slaves (although its curious name dates back to 1462, when explorers sailing the coast from Portugal dubbed the mountains they spotted the “Serra Leoa,” which means Lion Mount
west africa (10)
Romazur
With just 600,000 inhabitants, this former Portuguese colony (from 1462 to 1975) is an ten-island archipelago off the coast of Senegal which in recent years has become a rising tourism star – especially among Europeans, above all from Britain, Germany, Portugal (unsurprisingly), the Netherlands, and Belgium – due mostly to some of the world´s most gorgeous beaches, with tawny sands, crystal-clear waters, and excellent swimming and water sports (particularly snorkeling and scuba diving)
Niels Broekzitte
One of Senegal's most remote tribes dwells in the hills of the country's southeast. And after visiting this region and its multicultural landscapes - also including the Peul (aka Fula or Fulani) and Bedik ethnic groups - we highly recommend it to those who prefer cultural and responsible tourism, and those who want to experience Africa at its most rustic and adventurous.
The gateway to Iiyari, aka Bassari country, is Tambacounda, eastern Senegal's largest city (pop. 115,000),
ERCC
A bit smaller than England and a bit larger than New Mexico this chunk of West Africa (formally known in French as Côte d'Ivoire), gets only some 670,000 visitors a year but deserves many more, as a fascinating mix of natural, cultural, and historical attractions. Here are its top draws:
Abidjan
The country's largest city as well as sub-Saharan Africa´s sixth largest (pop. around 5.7 million), the former political and still economic capital is a bustling metropolis with a mix of
After dispatching the USA in their last game of the World Cup, Ghana are due to make history as only the fourth African team to reach the quarter final when they face Uruguay tonight. Ghana has already done better than four years ago when they were knocked out in the last 16. It seems that all of Africa celebrated Ghana's qualification for the quarter finals of the World Cup. And many are hoping the Black Stars will beat Uruguay to become the first African team to qualify for a World Cup semi-fi
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Since the recent news touching on the chaos that the Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused for tens of thousands of air travellers, I decided to look at the possibility of travelling overland to West Africa. It may take much longer, however it also could cost about the same as a flight, be much more rewarding, allow you to explore different elements of African culture along the way and be more environmentally friendly when it comes to your carbon footprint. After all, according to a Chinese
by Cristóbal Ramírez
Wee it may be, but the West Africa country of Senegal definitely punches above its weight when it comes to culture, nature, and historic sights on this continent. All that, plus a wonderful sense of taranga (hospitality in the local-majority Wolof language, spoken together with colonial-holdover French).
Most visitors, of course, experience dynamic capital Dakar, with its exuberant street life, nightlife, and remarkable Gorée Island, site of several interesting mus
by Oscar Scafidi
Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country is divided into two major regions – the island on which capital Malabo (which I covered here recently) is located, and larger Río Muni on the mainland, sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon. Bustling port city Bata (pop. 173,000) is the capital of Litoral Province, which runs along West Africa’s Atlantic coast, and is the country’s economic capital, with a lot of domestic airlift to/from international gateway Malabo (which I wrote about
Photos> Ruta 47
by Oscar Scafidi
When you think about Spanish-speaking nations outside the mother country of Spain – well, it’s all about Latin America, right? The answer is: not quite. Tucked away on West Africa‘s Atlantic coastline, Equatorial Guinea is the only country on the entire continent to have Spanish as its official language (alongside local African languages such as Fang and Bubi).
How in the world did this come about? Well, to cut a very long story short, after being initially di
Not too many people know much about (or have even heard of) the tiny, 10-island West African country of Cape Verde, on Boavista island). But even though relatively few actually understood her song lyrics, plenty in Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world certainly knew and loved its most famous native daughter, a soulful singer whom we lost a year ago today at age 70.
Like one of my favorite U.S. jazz icons, Alberta Hunter, Cesária Évora started her career young and at one po
