1. A F R I C A GEO BOWL

2. TEN LARGEST ECONOMIES(by Gross Domestic Product) • 1. Republic of South Africa • 2. Arab Republic of Egypt • 3. Federal Republic of Nigeria • 4. People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria • 5. Kingdom of Morocco • 6. Republic of Angola • 7. Tunisian Republic • 8. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia • 9. Republic of the Sudan (North Sudan) • 10. Republic of Ghana

3. TEN LARGEST COUNTRIES • 1. People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria • 2. Democratic Republic of the Congo • 3. Republic of the Sudan (North Sudan) • 4. Libya • 5. Republic of Chad • 6. Republic of Niger • 7. Republic of Angola • 8. Republic of Mali • 9. Republic of South Africa • 10. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

4. 5 IMPORTANT LEADERS • Mohamed MURSI (President of Egypt) - Democratically elected after the fall of dictator Hosni MUBARAK. • Desmond TUTU (Retired Bishop and Social Rights Leader) – Internationally respected and recognized as a social rights leader. TUTU is from South Africa. • Robert MUGABE (President of Zimbabwe) – Zimbabwean dictator who has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years. • Nelson MANDELA (Ex-President of South Africa) – Popular and beloved civil rights activist who protested apartheid. • Salva KIIR (President of South Sudan) – He serves as president of the newest African country, South Sudan, with his trademark cowboy hat given to him by George W. Bush.

5. MAJOR EXPORTS • 1. Oil and Petroleum • 2. Copper and Minerals • 3. Raw Materials • 4. Agricultural Products • NOTE: Many Africans are subsistence farmers, and have no official employment.

6. MAJOR GROUPS • African Union: dedicated to peace, economic growth, and development on the African continent; all African countries except Morocco are members, while Madagascar is suspended • ECOWAS: economic and political alliance of West African states, dedicated to economic and internal development in West Africa • OPEC: economic organization of countries whose primary export is petroleum; Algeria, Libya, Angola, and Nigeria are members • Community of Sahel-Saharan States: group made up of most North African states • Commonwealth of Nations: started as an organization of ex-British colonies, it now includes some countries that were never tied to the U.K, including Mozambique

7. BASIC FACTS • 57 Sovereign Countries • 2 Unrecognized (Somaliland, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) • 5 Principal Regions: • North Africa: Blue • West Africa: Green • Central Africa: Pink • East Africa: Yellow • South Africa: Red

8. MAJOR RECENT EVENTS • ARAB SPRING: series of revolutions or uprisings in North Africa • LIBYAN REVOLUTION: part of the Arab Spring, it deposed bizarre and authoritarian dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 • WAR IN NORTHERN MALI: following a military coup, Islamist terrorist groups seize control of northern Mali and murder, pillage, and destroy villages • COUP IN GUINEA-BISSAU: with a long history of military coups, this small country experienced another last year • AU INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA: Somalia, largely lawless a few years ago, was recently the scene of a series of actions by the AU and neighboring countries to stamp out Islamist group Al-Shabab, which had terrorized the southern countryside for years. The capitol Mogadishu and the port of Kismayo were liberated recently • SA MINER INCIDENT: miners protesting in South Africa were shot dead by police, who they ran at during a protest rally

9. DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA • Dark Green: very democratic – Dark Red: no democratic process • Yellow: Hybrid Regimes – Grey: no information currently available

10. INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES • The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claims to be the legitimate government of Western Sahara, while Morocco occupies it and claims it as a historic part of its territory. • Somalia and Ethiopia dispute the Ogaden region. • Somaliland has declared independence from Somalia, but has limited international recognition. • The DRC does not exercise strong control over some parts of its eastern territory, which are rebel held or plagued. • South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya dispute a small triangle of territory in between themselves. • Sudan and South Sudan dispute their border, notably to the far west and around the oil-rich Abyei area. • Angola faces an ongoing fight with rebels seeking independence for the enclave of Cabinda.

11. POOREST COUNTIRES (PPC) • From Poorest by Personal Per Capita • 1. Democratic Republic of the Congo • 2. Republic of Liberia • 3. Republic of Zimbabwe • 4. Republic of Burundi • 5. Somalia • 6. State of Eritrea • 7. Republic of Niger • 8. Central African Republic • 9. Republic of Madagascar • 10. Republic of Malawi • 11. Republic of Sierra Leone • 12. Togolese Republic • 13. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia • 14. Republic of Mozambique • 15. Republic of Guinea