Meaning of African countries names:
Algeria comes from Algiers (al-Jazair), means The Islands
Angola comes from the title Ngola held by the kings of Ndongo, a tributary of the king of Kongo
Benin is after the body of water on which the country lies, the Bight of Benin.
Botswana comes from Tswana, an ethnic group making 71.6% of its population? Literally meaning The Place Where Tswanas Live
Burkina Faso means the land of upright people. A name in their own language adopted after Thomas Sankaras revolution.
Burundi comes from the kingdom of Burundi, ruled by mwamis (kings) before colonial times.
Cameroon comes from the name Portuguese explorers gave to the area Rio dos Camarões River of Prawns
Cape Verde comes from Verde Green, the name Portuguese explorers gave to one of the uninhabited islands in 1444.
Central African Republic or Centrafrique, means just that A republic in central Africa
Chad comes from the Lake Chad, a kanuri name meaning big space of water.
Comoros comes from qamar, arabic for moon.
Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) comes from their huge herds of elephants and the ivory trade flourishing at colonial time. Coast Of Elephants?
Congo comes from the kingdom of Kongo (DRC-Congo Bazza-Angola), a democratic & well organized kingdom destroyed by colonization.
Djibouti comes from a Somali expression Jab Buti the fall of the ogre or Gabooti a set of baskets.
Egypt comes from Hikuptah Memphis, a capital during the Middle Kingdom.
Guinea comes from an English gold coin issued from 1663 to 1813 using gold from Western Africa
Eritrea comes from the Italian form of the Greek name Erythraía, meaning red [land].
Ethiopia comes from Greek (Aithiopia), from (Aithiops) charred complexion, from (aitho) I burn + (ops) eye,face, complexion
Gabon comes from Gabão, Portuguese for cloak, which is roughly the shape of the estuary of the Komo River by Libreville.
Gambia comes from Gambura meaning place of the king.
Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Empire.
Kenya comes from the Kikuyu, Embu and Kamba names for Mount Kenya, Kirinyaga, Kirinyaa and Kiinyaa.
Lesotho translates roughly into the land of the people who speak Sesotho. A Bantu language spoken in southern Africa
Liberia comes from Latin Liber-ia, the country of the free.
Libya comes from the historical name for Northwest Africa, from Greek (Libúe).
Madagascar comes from the Malagasy language, the island of Madagascar is called Madagasikara.
Malawi comes from Chichewa malawi, flames, after the appearance of the sunrise over Lake Malawi; or from Maravi, an early Malawi tribe.
Mali comes from the Mandinka who called ther homeland Manden, the Mandinka people became the Malinke.
Mauritania comes from Latin Mauritania, from Maurus Moor (several historic populations from North Africa Berber people).
Mauritius comes the name of some Dutch prince Maurice of Nassau Dutch named it so. Can you believe it? SMH
Morocco comes from medieval Latin Morroch, which referred to the name of the former Almoravid and Almohad capital, Marrakesh.
Mozambique comes from Musa Al Big/Mossa Al Bique/Mussa Ben Mbiki, an Arab trader who 1st visited the land & later lived there SMH.. So Mozambicans take their NATIONAL IDENTITY from some random Arab trader who had a Spaza shop / Ligablo on their land?
Namibia comes from Namib which is of Nama origin and means vast place.
Niger comes from the Tuareg name for Niger River egerew nigerewen, used along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu.
Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. Touaregs named Nigeria too
Rwanda I know it comes from the kingdom of Barwanda?
São Tomé and Príncipe is named in honour of Saint Thomas by Portuguese explorers who arrived at the island on his feast day.
Sénégal comes from the Wolof phrase sunu gaal, which means our canoe.
Seychelles the islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XVs Minister of Finance.
Sierra Leone comes from the hills surrounding Freetown Harbour, Serra de Leão (Portuguese for Lion Mountains).
Somalia comes from Samaale, the oldest common ancestor of several Somali clans.
South Africa comes from ermmm a country in the south of Africa
Sudan comes from the plural of the arabic word Aswad meaning Blackman (sudá:n) So South Sudan takes up from them too
Swaziland as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king Mswati of the Dlamini clan? If I am not mistaken.
Tanzania comes from the names of the two states TANganyika and ZANzibar that united in 1964.
Togo comes from Togodo (The Other Shore), todays Togoville, a German colonial town, first capital of the country east of Lomé.
Tunisia comes from the capital Tunis taken from the Phoenician goddess Tanith (aka Tunit)
Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, also destroyed by colonization.
Zambia comes from the Zambezi River (River of God), God in my language Lingala is Nzambe
Zimbabwe is derived from dzimba-dza-mabwe, the Karanga dialect of Shona meaning large houses of stone.
Map may have some inacurate or outdated borders
adex3g 2 years
