Togo

A former German and French colony that has only had two leaders, both from the same families for its entire existence. It is one of the largest coffee and cocoa exporters in the world and is the prime drivers of its economy.  Togo is currently going through a political transition period and the success of these transitions will determine the future of the country.

Ghana

One of the more successful African countries. Ghana has a stable democracy and is wealthier than its neighbors due to its abundance in natural resources. The country is still trying to get more people out of poverty, but has become a model for countries around it.

Burkina Faso

After a month long break, I am back and continuing to blog.

Burkina Faso is a poor land locked African country. It is one of the poorest countries on earth and a majority of its citizens are sustenance farmers. It is relatively stable politically and it is a Muslim majority country.

Mali

Mali is home to the mythical Timbuktu and was the slave trading capital in Northern Africa. Mali is very poor country that has had a history of military coups. It is now one of the most stable democracies in Africa and a role model for other countries.

Ivory Coast - Cote d'Ivoire

Another African country that has been constantly plagued by civil wars and instability. Ivory Coast had one of the bloodiest civil wars in recent memory. Peace was declared in 2003 and elections were held, this was a short period of stability and no war. Sadly the 2010 elections have caused much disruption and the country is on the verge of another civil war and more bloodshed.

Liberia

Liberia was created by slaves freed in the United States. It was one of only two countries that were not colonized by the European powers. It was created as a free country where slaves could return to Africa in safety. Sadly in the last 30 years it has been plagued by many coups and civil wars.

Sierra Leone

Another African country that is coming out of a decade long civil war and still recovering. Its wealth in minerals especially gold and diamonds has caused it major turmoil with numerous coups and government changes.

Guinea

Another sub-Saharan country that has a history of numerous coups and many poor people. Guinea has one of the highest concentrations of minerals for an African country. This has resulted in the country being pillaged for its riches by foreign countries. At the end of 2010 Guinea was able to have a fair and equal election which means this country is on the road to recovery.

Guinea-Bissau

A very tiny ex-Portuguese colony. Of course with all the recent countries profiled. There have been three coups already in the 21st century. It is one of the poorest countries on earth. The major piece of its economy are cashew nuts.

The Gambia

The Gambia is a small country in Africa completely surrounded by Senegal. It has funny borders since it was draw up by the French and English during colonial times. The borders are defined around The Gambia River. In the last 30 years the country has had a lot of coups.

Senegal

Senegal is another poor sub-Saharan country in Africa. The unique thing about Senegal is it has been able to hold free and transparent elections. It is one of the few post colonial countries to achieve this level of success in democratic processes.

Mauritania

Now we are getting into the stereotypical part of Africa. Very poor countries with a long history of violence. But also these will be countries you have not heard too much about.
Mauritania's history is basically slavery and civil wars. Basically from the beginning of the 20th century into the 21st century there has been a coup at least every 10 years, usually multiple coups within the decade. The pictures will be very boring because there is nothing in this country other than one city and desert.

Morocco

Morocco a country know for its amazing hashish and scenery. For Europeans its a great getaway being only a couple hours by boat from Spain.

Algeria

Algeria may be a country you will be hearing about a lot in the news in the coming weeks. It looks to be the next Arab country with revolutions against the government.

Tunisia

Another Northern African country that just had a successful revolution.

Libya

Libya the country with the blandest flag and the strangest leader.

Egypt

I figured it was fitting to start with Egypt in light of what has happened there the last two days.

My New Blog

Welcome to my new blog. My goal is to give a short profile of one of two countries around the world everyday. So keep up if you want to see the world in pictures.