Old and New African Country Names
African country names in history and current
With a mix of Arabic, Danish, German, Indian, African, French, Italian, Chinese and European influences Africa is truly a melting pot of language, culture and ideas and has undergone numerous changes in names throughout her history.
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Africa is the oldest inhabited continent and the most colonized land, people and culture. Africa encountered colonization, occupation, and aggression from Britian, Germany, the Romans, Arabs, Danish, Berbers, Turkish Ottoman Empire, the French, Portuguese, Italians, Dutch and countless internal battles.
Learn more about Africa’s past:
Why do the names of African countries constantly change? The names of African countries constantly change due to wealthy non-African nations and complicit African leaders roughly divide Africa by resources. The colonization of Africa imposed boundaries without regard to culture or heritage of native Africans. The land of Africa was divided according to natural resouces such as gold, ivory, diamonds, slaves, spices, and currently minerials hence the historical and current changing of the names of African countries.Solely according to the business and trade economies, roughly Africa was divided into four coasts; Pepper Coast, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, and the Slave Coast. Nearly 40% of Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon were imprisoned Africans were enslaved on bights and were sold to the present day US State of Virginia. Many of these captives were Igbo, a people living in the area north what is now Nigeria.
Since the early 1800's Cammeroon has been known as the Slave Coast, German Colony Kamerun, French Cameroon and British Cameroon. The Central African Republic has been known as French Protectorate, Portuguese Protectorate, Central African Empire and Ubangi-Shari and Slave Coast.
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| Three Mundri South Sudan African Women in Traditional Ankara or Kitenge fashion |
List of old African country names and current country names of all African countries.
With a mix of Arabic, Danish, German, Indian, African, French, Italian, Chinese and European influences Africa is truly a melting pot of language, culture and ideas and has undergone numerous changes in names throughout her history.
Old and New Names of African Countries |
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
| Ancient Numidia, Ottoman Corsairs, Barbary Coast and French Protectorate | Algeria |
| Kingdom of Kongo and Portuguese Protectorate | Angola |
| Republic of Dahomey and French Dahomey | Benin |
| Bechuanaland, British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and Slave Coast | Botswana |
| Mossi kingdom, French Protectorate and Upper Volta | Burkina Faso |
| German Protectorate, Belgium Protectorate and Urundi | Burundi |
| Portuguese Protectorate and Slave Coast | Cabo Verde |
| French Protectorate, Portuguese Protectorate, Central African Empire and Ubangi-Shari and Slave Coast | Central African Republic |
| Kanem-Bornu Empire, Bagirmi Kingdom, Ouaddai Kingdom, Portuguese Protectorate, Slave Coast and French Equatorial Africa | Chad |
| Kingdom of Kongo, Kingdom of Luba, Kingdom of Lunda, Belgium Protectorate, Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Katanga and Zaire | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ifat and Adal Sultanates, Afars and Issas Territory, and French Somaliland | Djibouti |
| There were more than 30 dynasties in Egyptian history, Kemet, Nubia, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, and Old, Middle and New Kingdoms | Egypt |
| Naqis, Baqlin, Bazin, Jarin and Qata independent nations, Italian Protectorate and French Protectorate | Eritrea |
| Portuguese Protectorate, Spanish Protectorate and Spanish Guinea | Equatorial Guinea |
| Italian East Africa | Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia |
| Abyssinia | Ethiopia |
| Dagomba, Gold Coast, Togoland, British Togoland | Ghana |
| Portuguese Protectorate and French Guinea | Guinea |
| Kenya Colony and East Africa Protectorate | Kenya |
| British East Africa or East Africa Protectorate | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of Somalia |
| Basutoland | Kingdom of Lesotho |
| Grain Coast | Liberia |
| Pirate Island, Merina Kingdom, French Protectorate and Malagasy Republic | Madagascar |
| Kingdom of Maravi, British African Protectorate and Nyasaland | Malawi |
| Songhay, French Sudan and Sudanese Republic | Mali |
| French West Africa | Mauritania, The Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Benin. |
| Spanish West Africa | Morocco, Western Sahara |
| Portuguese East Africa Província Ultramarina de Moçambique | Mozambique |
| Portuguese Protectorate and German Southwest Africa Deutsch-Südwestafrika | Namibia |
| Hausaland | Niger, Nigeria |
| Republic of Biafra, Slave Coast | Nigeria |
| Buganda Kingdom, Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom and British Protectorate | Uganda |
| Bourbon Island and French African Protectorate | Reunion Island (French territory since 1946) |
| German Protectorate, Belgian Protectorate and Ruanda | Rwanda |
| Ajuran Empire, Macrobia Kingdom, British German Protectorate,, Itialian Protectorate, and Benadir | Somalia |
| Union of South Africa, Bophuthatswana, Cape Colony, Republic of Ciskei, Kaffraria Transkei | South Africa |
| Nubia | Sudan, Egypt |
| Slave Coast, French Protectorate | Gabon |
| Ancient Numidia, Ottoman Corsairs, Barbary Coast and French Protectorate | Tunisia |
| Tanganyika Territory and Zanzibar semi-autonomous | Tanzania |
| Senegambia | The Gambia, Senegal |
| Spanish Sahara | Western Sahara |
| Slave Coast, German Colony Kamerun, French Cameroon and British Cameroon | Cameroon |
| Northern Rhodesia | Zambia |
| Southern Rhodesia | Zimbabwe |
| British Protectorate and Swaziland | Kingdom of Eswatini |
| Abron Kingdom, Gyaaman Empire, Kong Empire, Baoulé Empire, Ndenye and Sanwi Kingdoms, Asante Kingdoms, French Protectorate, Ivory Coast, Costa do Marfim | Côte d'Ivoire |
| Slave Coast and British Togoland | Togo |
