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.