Gulf of GuineaThe Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. Null Island, defined as the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude), is in the gulf. Among the many rivers that drain into the Gulf of Guinea are the Niger and the Volta. The coastline on the gulf includes the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Bonny. The origin of the name Guinea is thought to be an area in the region, although the specifics are disputed.
Lake ChadLake Chad (Kanuri: Sádǝ, Lac Tchad) is a freshwater lake located at the junction of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon in central and western Africa. It is also an important wetland ecosystem in West Africa. The catchment area of Lake Chad is 1 million square kilometers. It used to be a large lake with an area of 28,000 square kilometers in the 19th century. However, due to climate change and human water diversion, Lake Chad has been greatly reduced since the mid-1970s, and its area has fluctuated between 2,000 and 5,000 square kilometers.
Sudan (region)Sudan is the geographical region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western Africa to Central and Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān (), or "the lands of the Blacks", referring to West Africa and northern Central Africa. According to some modern historians, of all the regions of Africa, western Sudan "is the one that has seen the longest development of agriculture, of markets and long-distance trade, and of complex political systems.
Congo RiverThe Congo River (Nzâdi Kôngo, Fleuve Congo, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and the Ganges rivers. It is also the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths of around . The Congo-Lualaba-Chambeshi River system has an overall length of , which makes it the world's ninth-longest river.
Songhay languagesThe Songhay, Songhai or Ayneha languages (sõʁaj, soŋaj or soŋoj) are a group of closely related languages/dialects centred on the middle stretches of the Niger River in the West African countries of Mali, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. In particular, they are spoken in the cities of Timbuktu, Djenné, Niamey and Gao. They have been widely used as a lingua franca in that region ever since the era of the Songhai Empire. In Mali, the government has officially adopted the dialect of Gao (east of Timbuktu) as the dialect to be used as a medium of primary education.
GaramantesThe Garamantes (Γαράμαντες; Garamantes) were an ancient civilisation based primarily in the southern region of Libya. They most likely descended from Toubou or Berber tribes and pastoralists from the Sahara. The Garamantes settled in the Fezzan region by at least 1000 BC,and by the late 7th century AD, the Garamantian civilization had ceased. The Garamantes emerged as a major regional power in the mid-2nd century AD and established a kingdom that spanned roughly in the Fezzan region of southern Libya.
Pearl milletPearl millet (Cenchrus americanus, commonly known as the synonym Pennisetum glaucum) is the most widely grown type of millet. It has been grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and suggested area of domestication, for the crop is in the Sahel zone of West Africa. Recent archaeobotanical research has confirmed the presence of domesticated pearl millet on the Sahel zone of northern Mali between 2500 and 2000 BC. 2023 is the , declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021.
Tuareg languagesThe Tuareg (pronˈtwɑrɛɡ) languages constitute a group of closely related Berber languages and dialects. They are spoken by the Tuareg Berbers in large parts of Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso, with a few speakers, the Kinnin, in Chad. Tuareg dialects belong to the South Berber group and are sometimes regarded as a single language (as for instance by Karl-Gottfried Prasse). They are distinguished mainly by a few sound shifts (notably affecting the pronunciation of original z and h).
Gambia RiverThe Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra, French: Fleuve Gambie, Portuguese: Rio Gâmbia) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable for about half that length. The river is strongly associated with The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, which occupies the downstream half of the river and its two banks. The Gambia River runs a total length of .
Bozo peopleThe Bozo (Bɔso) are a Mande ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name Bozo is thought to derive from Bambara ߓߏ ߛߏ bo-so "straw house"; the people accept it as referring to the whole of the ethnic group but use more specific clan names such as Sorogoye, Hain, and Tieye themselves. They are famous for their fishing and are occasionally referred to as the "masters of the river". The Bozo language, which belongs to the Soninke-Bozo subgroup of Northwestern Mande, have traditionally been considered dialects of one language though there are at least four distinct varieties.
