world encyclopaedia of african countries

1458 Pages·2017·23.72 MB·English

WORLD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF
AFRICAN COUNTRIES
15 Volumes

Volume 1

Editors :
Dr. Ravi Jyee
Utkarsh Sharma
Kumar Chandan
Dr. Tanmoy Rudra
Dr. Dushyant P. Kamat

AFRO-ASIAN-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
OCCUPATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (ACCORD)
New Delhi
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Published by
Afro-Asian-American Chamber of Commerce,
Occupational Research and Development (ACCORD)
A 14-15-16, Paryavaran Complex
New Delhi – 110030
Email : [email protected]
Tel : [phone]

2016

Price : Rs. 45,000
(For the Entire Set of 15 Volumes)

Published in India

Published by the Afro-Asian-American Chambter of Commerce, Occupational Research and
Development (ACCORD). The contents of this Encyclopaedia has been compiled by the researchers
of the Instructional Material Preparation and Research Team (IMPART). The Team is thankful to
all the contributors. Layout Design, Logistics and Computing Support have been provided by
Ms. Neelam Joshi and Dr. Avinash Chiranjeev. Printed at Green Graphics, New Delhi.

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CONTENTS

Page Number
UNIT 1 ALGERIA 4
UNIT 2 ANGOLA 45
UNIT 3 BENIN 75

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UNIT 1 ALGERIA

Algeria, officially People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North
Africaon the Merranean coast. Its capital and most populous city is Algiers, located
in the country's far north. With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq
mi), Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Africa and
the Arab world. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by
Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania,
and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Merranean Sea. The
country is a semi-presidential republic consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541
communes. Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been President since 1999.
Ancient Algeria has known many empires and dynasties, including ancient
Numidians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans,Vandals, Byzantines, Umayyads,
Abbasids, Idrisid, Aghlabid, Rustamid, Fatimids, Zirid, Hammadids, Almo avids,
Almohads,Ottomans and the French colonial empire. Berbers are generally
considered to be the indigenous inhabitants of Algeria. Following the Arab conquest
of North Africa, most indigenous inhabitants were Arabised; thus, although most
Algerians are Berber in origin, most identify with Arab culture. En masse,
Algerians are a mix of Berbers, Arabs, Turks and Black Africans.
The North African country supplies large amounts of natural gas to Europe, and
energy exports are the backbone of the economy. According to OPEC Algeria has
the 17th largest oil reserves in the world and the second largest in Africa, while it
has the 9th largest reserves of natural gas. Sonatrach, the national oil company, is
the largest company in Africa. Algeria has one of the largest militaries in Africa
and the largest defence budget on the continent; most of Algeria's weapons are
imported from Russia, with whom they are a close ally. Algeria is a member of
the African Union, the Arab League, OPEC, the United Nations and is the founding
member of the Maghreb Union.
Etymology
The country's name derives from the city of Algiers. The city's name in turn derives
from the Arabic al-Jazā'ir ((cid:1)(cid:2)ا(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)ا, "The Islands"), a truncated form of the
older Jazā'ir Banī Mazghanna ((cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:4)(cid:10) (cid:12)(cid:8)(cid:13) (cid:1)(cid:2)ا(cid:4)(cid:14), "Islands of the Mazghanna Tribe"),
employed by medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi.
History
Ancient History
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In the region of Ain Hanech (Saïda Province), early remnants (200,000 BC) of
hominid occupation in North Africa were found. Neanderthal tool makers produced
hand axes in the Levalloisian and Mousterian styles (43,000 BC) similar to those in
theLevant.
Algeria was the site of the highest state of development of Middle Paleolithic Flake
tool techniques. Tools of this era, starting about 30,000 BC, are
called Aterian (after the archeological site of Bir el Ater, south of Tebessa).
The earliest blade industries in North Africa are called Iberomaurusian (located
mainly in Oran region). This industry appears to have spread throughout the
coastal regions of theMaghreb between 15,000 and 10,000 BC. Neolithic civilization
(animal domestication and agriculture) developed in the Saharan and Merranean
Maghreb perhaps as early as 11,000 BC or as late as between 6000 and 2000 BC.
This life, richly depicted in the Tassili n'Ajjer paintings, predominated in Algeria
until the classical period.
The amalgam of peoples of North Africa coalesced eventually into a distinct native
population that came to be called Berbers, who are the indigenous peoples of
northern Africa.

Ancient Roman Empire ruins ofTimgad.
Street leading to the Arch of Trajan.

Ancient Roman theatre in Djémila
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From their principal center of power at Carthage, the Carthaginians expanded and
established small settlements along the North African coast; by 600 BC, a
Phoenician presence existed atTipasa, east of Cherchell, Hippo Regius (modern
Annaba) and Rusicade (modern Skikda). These settlements served as market towns
as well as anchorages.
As Carthaginian power grew, its impact on the indigenous population increased
dramatically. Berber civilization was already at a stage in which agriculture,
manufacturing, trade, and political organization supported several states. Trade
links between Carthage and the Berbers in the interior grew, but territorial
expansion also resulted in the enslavement or military recruitment of some Berbers
and in the extraction of tribute from others.

Numidia along with Egypt, Rome,
and Carthage 200 BCE
By the early 4th century BC, Berbers formed the single largest element of the
Carthaginian army. In the Revolt of the Mercenaries, Berber soldiers rebelled from
241 to 238 BC after being unpaid following the defeat of Carthage in the First
Punic War. They succeeded in obtaining control of much of Carthage's North
African territory, and they minted coins bearing the name Libyan, used in Greek to
describe natives of North Africa. The Carthaginian state declined because of
successive defeats by the Romans in the Punic Wars.
In 146 BC the city of Carthage was destroyed. As Carthaginian power waned, the
influence of Berber leaders in the hinterland grew. By the 2nd century BC, several
large but loosely administered Berber kingdoms had emerged. Two of them were
established in Numidia, behind the coastal areas controlled by Carthage. West of
Numidia lay Mauretania, which extended across the Moulouya River in modern-
day Morocco to the Atlantic Ocean. The high point of Berber civilization, unequaled
until the coming of the Almohads and Almoravids more than a millennium later,
was reached during the reign of Massinissa in the 2nd century BC.
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After Masinissa's death in 114488 BC, the Berber kingdoms were diviidded and reunited
several times. Massinissa's lliinne survived until 24 AD, when the rreemaining Berber
territory was annexed to the RRoman Empire.

Berber King Masinissa
For several centuries Algeriiaa wwas ruled by the Romans, who founddeedd many colonies
in the region. Like the rest ooff North Africa, Algeria was one of thee breadbaskets of
the empire, exporting cereallss and other agricultural products. Saiinntt Augustine was
the bishop of Hippo Regius ((mmodern-day Algeria), located in thee Roman province
of Africa. The Germanic Vannddals of Geiseric moved into North Afrriiccaa in 429, and by
435 controlled coastal Numiiddia. They did not make any significaannt settlement on
the land, as they were haraassssed by local tribes, in fact by the timee the Byzantines
arrived Lepcis Magna was aabbaandoned and the Msellata region waass occupied by the
indigenous Laguatan who haadd been busy facilitating an Amazigh ppoolitical, military
and cultural revival.

Jugurtha
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Middle Ages
Medieval Muslim Algeria

Mansourah mosque, Tlemcen

Fattiimmid Caliphate at its greatest extent.
After negligible resistance ffrroomm the locals, the Arabs conquered Allggeria in the mid-
7th century and a large nuummber of the indigenous people convveerrted to the new
faith. After the fall of the Ummayyad Caliphate, numerous local dyynnasties emerged,
including the Aghlabids, Allmmohads, Abdalwadid, Zirids, Rustamiidds, Hammadids,
Almoravids and the Fatimiddss..
During the Middle Ages, Noorrth Africa was home to many greatt SScholars, Saints
and Sovereigns including Juuddah Ibn Quraysh the first grammariiaann to suggest the
Afroasiatic language family,, tthhe great Sufi masters Sidi Boumedieennee (Abu Madyan)
and Sidi El Houari, as well aass the Emirs Abd Al Mu'min and Yāgghhmmūrasen. It was
during this time period thhaatt the Fatimids or children of Fattiimma, daughter of
Muhammad, came to the MMaaghreb. These "Fatimids" went on tto found a long
lasting dynasty stretching aaccrross the Maghreb, Hejaz, and the Leevvant, boasting a
secular inner government, aass well as a powerful army and navyy,, primarily made
of Arabs and levantians exteenndding from Algeria to their capittaall state ofCairo.
The Fatimid caliphate begann to collapse when its governors the ZZiirids seceded. In
order to punish them tthhe Fatimids sent the ArabBanu Hilal and Banu
Sulaym against them. The rreessultant war is recounted in the epic TTāghribāt. In Al-
Tāghrībāt the Amazigh Ziriidd HeroKhālīfā Al-Zānatī asks daily, foorr duels, to defeat
the Hilalan hero Ābu Zayd aal-Hilalī and many other Arab knighhttss in a string of
victories. The Zirids howeveerr were ultimately defeated ushering iinn an adoption of
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Arab customs and culture. The indigenous Amazigh tribes however remained
largely independent, and depending on tribe, location, and time controlled varying
parts of the Maghreb, at times unifying it (as under the Fatimids). The Fatimid
Islamic state, also known as Fatimid Caliphate made an Islamic empire that
included North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Red Sea coast
of Africa, Tihamah, Hejaz, and Yemen. Caliphates from Northern Africa traded
with the other empires of their time, as well as forming part of a confederated
support and trade network with other Islamic states during the Islamic Era.
The Amazighs historically consisted of several tribes. The two main branches were
the Botr and Barnès tribes, who were divided into tribes, and again into sub-tribes.
Each region of the Maghreb contained several tribes (for example, Sanhadja,
Houaras, Zenata,Masmouda, Kutama, Awarba, and Berghwata). All these tribes
made independent territorial decisions.
Several Amazigh dynasties emerged during the Middle Ages in the Maghreb and
other nearby lands. Ibn Khaldun provides a table summarizing the Amazigh
dynasties of the Maghreb region, the Zirid, Banu Ifran, Maghrawa, Almoravid,
Hammadid, Almohad, Merinid, Abdalwadid, Wattasid, Meknassa and Hafsid
dynasties.
In the early 16th century, Spain constructed fortified outposts (presidios) on or near
the Algerian coast. Spain took control of few coastal towns like Mers el Kebir in
1505; Oran in 1509; and Tlemcen, Mostaganem, and Ténès, in 1510. In the same
year, few merchants of Algiers ceded one of the rocky islets in their harbor to
Spain, which built a fort on it. The presidios in North Africa turned out to be a
costly and largely ineffective military endeavor that did not guarantee access for
Spain's merchant fleet.
Arabization
Banu Hilal
Reigned in Ifriqiya, current Tunisia, a Berber family, Zirid, somehow recognizing
the suzerainty of the Fatimid caliph of Cairo. Probably in 1048, the Zirid ruler or
viceroy, el-Mu'izz, decided to end this suzerainty. The Fatimid state was too weak
to attempt a punitive expion; The Viceroy, el-Mu'izz, also found another means of
revenge.
Between the Nile and the Red Sea were living Bedouin tribes expelled from Arabia
for their disruption and turbulent influence, both Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym
among others, whose presence disrupted farmers in the Nile Valley since the
nomads would often loot. The then Fatimid vizier devised to relinquish control of
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the Maghreb and obtained the agreement of his sovereign. This not only prompted
the Bedouins to leave, but the Fatimidtreasury even gave them a light expatriation
cash allowance.
Whole tribes set off with women, children, ancestors, animals and camping
equipment. Some stopped on the way, especially in Cyrenaica, where they are still
one of the essential elements of the settlement but most arrived in Ifriqiya by
the Gabes region. The Zirid ruler tried to stop this rising tide, but each meeting,
the last under the walls of Kairouan, his troops were defeated and Arabs remained
masters of the field.
The flood was still rising and in 1057, the Arabs spread on the high plains
of Constantine where they gradually choked Qalaa of Banu Hammad, as they had
done Kairouan few decades ago. From there, they gradually gained the
upper Algiers and Oran plains, some were forcibly taken by the Almohads in the
second half of the 12th century. We can say that in the 13thcentury there were in
all of North Africa, with the exception of the main mountain ranges and certain
coastal regions remained entirely Berber.
Ottoman Algeria
Ottoman Algeria

Hayreddin Barbarossa

Old Algiers in the 16th century, with the
Spanish-built Peñón of Algiers in the forefront
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