West Africa

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West Africa

West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, as well as Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (a United Kingdom Overseas Territory). As of 2021, the population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million, and approximately 382 million in 2017, of which 189.7 million were female and 192.3 million male. The region is one of the fastest growing in Africa, both demographically and economically. Historically, West Africa was home to several powerful states and empires that controlled regional trade routes, including the Mali and Gao Empires. Positioned at a crossroads of trade between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the region supplied goods such as gold, ivory, and advanced iron-working. During European exploration, local economies were incorporated into the Atlantic slave trade, which expanded existing systems of slavery. Even after the end of the slave trade in the early 19th century, colonial powers — especially France and Britain — continued to exploit the region through colonial relationships. For example, they continued exporting extractive goods like cocoa, coffee, tropical timber, and mineral resources. Since gaining independence, several West African nations, such as the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal — have taken active roles in regional and global economies. West Africa has a rich ecology, with significant biodiversity across various regions. Its climate is shaped by the dry Sahara to the north and east — producing the Harmattan winds — and by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west, which brings seasonal monsoons. This climatic mix creates a range of biomes, from tropical forests to drylands, supporting species such as pangolins, rhinoceroses, and elephants. However, West Africa's environment faces major threats due to deforestation, biodiversity loss, overfishing, pollution from mining, plastics, and climate change.

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• West Africa

  West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, as well as Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (a United Kingdom Overseas Territory). As of 2021, the population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million, and approximately 382 [...] West Africa has a rich ecology, with significant biodiversity across various regions. Its climate is shaped by the dry Sahara to the north and east — producing the Harmattan winds — and by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west, which brings seasonal monsoons. This climatic mix creates a range of biomes, from tropical forests to drylands, supporting species such as pangolins, rhinoceroses, and elephants. However, West Africa's environment faces major threats due to deforestation, biodiversity [...] Historically, West Africa was home to several powerful states and empires that controlled regional trade routes, including the Mali and Gao Empires. Positioned at a crossroads of trade between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the region supplied goods such as gold, ivory, and advanced iron-working. During European exploration, local economies were incorporated into the Atlantic slave trade, which expanded existing systems of slavery. Even after the end of the slave trade in the early 19th

• Western Africa | Countries, History, Map, Population, & Facts

  western Africa, region of the western African continent comprising the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Western Africa is a term used in the Encyclopædia Britannica to designate a geographic region within the continent of Africa. The term West Africa is also often used to refer to this part of the continent. As [...] conventionally understood, however, West Africa is primarily a political and economic designation and comprises all the areas considered here except Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and the Saharan parts of Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. [...] What is Western Africa? Which countries are located in Western Africa? What are some major physical features of Western Africa? What kinds of cultures and languages are found in Western Africa? How have trade and commerce influenced Western Africa's history? What are some challenges and opportunities facing Western Africa today? ## News • Togo's Faure Gnassingbé walks a diplomatic tightrope between Russia and France • Dec. 21, 2025, 2:22 AM ET (BBC)

• Western Africa - an overview

  West Africa is bounded on the north by the Sahara, on the east by Lake Chad, on the south by the Gulf of Guinea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Distinctive vegetation zones running in an east–west direction are the result of decreasing precipitation from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahara in the north. Between the tropical rain forest along the southern coastline and the Sahara Desert, the vegetation changes from Guinean to Sudanian to Sahelian savanna. This relatively close proximity of [...] Skip to Main content My account Sign in # Western Africa In subject area:Earth and Planetary Sciences Western Africa is defined as a region that lies between latitudes 4°N and 28°N and longitudes 15°E and 16°W, encompassing 16 countries and covering an area of 6 million km², which constitutes one-fifth of Africa. The climate is characterized by wet and dry seasons influenced by the interaction of tropical air masses, specifically the Harmattan winds and moisture-laden maritime air. [...] West Africa faces the Atlantic Ocean on the west (15°W) and south coasts (∼5°N). The equatorial Atlantic Ocean to the south is often called the Gulf of Guinea. In summer (JJA), a zonal rain band extends from the tropical North Atlantic to the Great Rift Valley of East Africa (see Fig. 5.2A). The Sahel refers to a belt of the seasonal savanna over West Africa in 5° to 15°N between equatorial forest and the Sahara Desert to the north. In the Sahel, winter is dry and summer is the rainy season.

• West Africa | Culture, People & History - Lesson

  Where is West Africa? It is found in the western part of the Africa continent. West African countries include Gambia, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, and Senegal. Among the West African features include rich customs and diversity of traditions due to multiple West African tribes. A West African nation has a history of contact with the European nations that led to slavery and colonization. West African culture has been a major [...] West Africa is one of the oldest and most complex regions on Earth. West African people have dwelled there for approximately 300,000 years. The earliest human remains in West Africa are approximately more than one million years old. Some of the earliest human settlers in this region were the San people. They are the only people known to have used iron ore for toolmaking. Over the ages, many other groups have migrated and moved into the area, including a large Austronesian population and later [...] Other countries that are sometimes considered to be a part of West Africa are Mauritania, Chad, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. West Africa is a region rich in natural resources with diverse cultures. The region's climate varies from tropical to sub-tropical and humid to arid. The people of West Africa are very warm, friendly, and hospitable. Most Western Africans value family bonds and close friendships more than anything else in their lives. The West African features are reflected in this

• Political Map of West Africa

  By convention, West Africa is the western part of Africa, bounded in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south by the Gulf of Guinea, and in the north by the Sahara and the Sahel, a beltlike semiarid transition zone between the Sahara desert and the Sudanian Savanna. The United Nations classification of geographical regions lists the following countries belonging to Western Africa. There are seventeen countries and one British Overseas Territory in West Africa: [...] Area and Population West Africa occupies an area of approximately 8 million km², about one-fifth of Africa. Close to 400 million people live in the region. Geography of West Africa West Africa's landscape is mainly flat with coastal plains in the west and south, especially in Senegal, the southern Ivory Coast, the Niger Delta and the lower valleys of the Volta and Niger rivers. The interior consists of a hilly low plateau with elevations below 500 m. [...] Benin, Burkina Faso, the island nation of Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, (Mauritania), Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo, and the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, several islands scattered in the South Atlantic Ocean. ECOWAS