Through these next couple of weeks, we will be diving into the cultures and politics of Eastern Africa. More specifically the countries of: South Sudan, Madagascar, Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. This tropical terrain is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro, the river Nile, and some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. It’s also been discovered that the first humans came from this area. To start off our safari, let’s make a few quick stops in this region.
First Stop: South Sudan!
Looking out into the heart of Africa, this country of South Sudan is covered in tropical rainforests with grasslands that look straight out of The Lion King. The weather forecast is hot, humid, and a chance for heavy rainfall. South Sudanese people are one of the youngest populations in the world with about half of these citizens being under the age 18. Formally colonized by the British, South Sudan became an independent state on July 9, 2011. The country contains several indigenous groups including the Dinka, Nuer, Bari, and Azande. Although as of right now English is the official language, at home languages like Luo, Ma’di, and Otuho are spoken. Juba Arabic, a dialect of Arabic, is their language of trade and efforts are being made to include Swahili as another official language. Besides following their traditional religion, Christianity and Islam is widely spread across the region. Even though South Sudan has suffered through War and violence, there’s many interesting aspects of the culture and people.
Next Up: Madagascar!
Located 250 miles off the coast of Eastern Africa lies the 226,658 square mile island nation of Madagascar, spotted with beautiful forests, highlands, coastlines, and over 11,000 species of plants and animals unique to the island you could say that Madagascar is a veritable garden of Eden. However, biodiversity is not the only diversity on the island, as there are nearly 28 million inhabitants of the island broken up into 7 different reigning ethnic groups native to the region. Although there are many different ethnic groups on the island, none is more prominent than the Merina people, the descendants of the first kingdom to reign over the region.
Following That: Rwanda!
Known as ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills,’ Rwanda is a small and scenic country located just 694 miles from the equator. At just 10,169 square miles, Rwanda is Africa’s second smallest country. Exporting mainly precious ores and crops, Rwanda’s coffee is renowned for its silky floral notes. Being such a small country, you may be shocked to find that Rwanda boasts a population of nearly 13 million making it the most densely populated country in mainland Africa. Committed to sustainability, Rwanda has established many car-free zones in its capital city Kigali as well as banning plastic bags nationwide.
Continuing To: Kenya!
Kenya is one of the most largest countries by area, it ranks 45th just behind Madagascar and Botswana with 580,367 square kilometers. Kenya has about 55 million people and the population grows about 2.3% each year. Kenya’s most largest city is Nairobi which is a little over 4 million people. Most of Kenya’s population about 88% practices Christianity and 11% of the population practices Islam. And the rest of the population is mixed with:, Hinduism, Sikhism, and The Bahá’í Faith which is the youngest of the world’s independent religions.
And Last But Not Least: Ethiopia!
A large portion of the world’s paleontological work has been done in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is located in between two of the most dangerous countries in the African continent (South Sudan and Somalia). Ethiopia is also a landlocked country that has no access to bodies of water because of the set borders of surrounding countries. Ethiopian food consists of a lot of different things like Porridge and Oatmeal are eaten often and with most meals as well. Lots of lentils, spices, and meats like goat, lamb, and beef are eaten in Ethiopian culture. One of the most popular foods is actually a form of scrambled eggs called Enkulal Ferfer.