history by country library

Africa is an incredibly large and diverse continent, so consult the African History by Country Channel to get a closer look at individual African nations. From economics to geography, explore Africa up-close in these articles.

Featured Article: History of Eritrea

Parts of Eritrea were ruled by Ethiopia and parts by local clans until 1890, when Italy made the region a colony. See more »

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Articles 21-40 of 46

History of Madagascar

Madagascar was probably first populated by Malays from southeastern Asia. Africans and Arabs arrived later, settling mainly along the coasts.

History of Mali

Mali was the site of a number of medieval kingdoms—Ghana, Mali, and Songhai—which gained wealth from trans-Saharan trade.

History of Mauritania

About the third century, Berbers began migrating from the North, pushing the native black population to the south.

History of Morocco

Northern Morocco was part of ancient Mauretania, annexed by Rome in 42 A.D. The Vandals invaded in 429 and were overthrown in 533.

History of Mozambique

By about 1000 A.D., the indigenous San (Bushmen) and Khoi (Hottentots) had been largely replaced by Bantus.

History of Namibia

It is believed that the Bushmen were the first of Namibia's aboriginal peoples, followed by Hottentots and Damaras, In the 15th century the Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias landed on the coast.

History of New Guinea

The Portuguese and the Spanish were the first Europeans to know of New Guinea, through sightings and landings early in the 1500's.

History of Niger

Niger for centuries was a center of conflict among the various people of West Africa.

History of Nigeria

The most significant of the ancient Nigerian cultures known to archeologists is that of the Nok people, who flourished from the fourth century B.C.

History of Rwanda

Among Rwanda's earliest known inhabitants were the Hutu, who migrated into the area from the west.

History of Senegal

Little is known of the early history of Senegal. By the Middle Ages, such groups as the Wolof, Serer, and Toucouleur had entered the area from the north.

History of Sierra Leone

The Portuguese first began to trade along the coast about 1500. During the next half-century, neighboring peoples subjugated many of the local peoples and established kingdoms.

History of Somalia

Somalia became and independent countryin 1960. For its earlier history . Faced with serious economic problems, the new nation relied heavily on foreign aid.

History of Somaliland

A self-governing region of eastern Africa. It occupies the Horn of Africa (Somali Peninsula), bounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden and on the southeast by Ethiopia.

History of South Africa

Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 by the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias opened the way for Portugal's trade with the East Indies.

History of Sudan

Information on the eastern Sudanic region is found in ancient Egyptian writings. The Egyptians traded with Nubia, the Sudanic area just to their south, and gained control of it for a while.

History of Swaziland

The Swazis settled in the area that is now Swaziland about 1820 after being expelled from land to the south by the Zulus.

History of Tanzania

Archeological discoveries made in the Laetolil area indicate that humanlike creatures inhabited what is now Tanzania as early as 3,800,000 years ago.

History of Togo

Little is known of the early history of Togo. About the 12th century, the Ewes began to move into the region from the east.

History of Tunisia

The ancient Phoenicians, seafarers who usually put ashore each night, established stopover points along the Tunisian coast perhaps as early as 1200 B.C.