Eastern Africa
Burundi
| AAQS region: | Central | |
| Area in km2: | 27 834 | |
| Capital: | Bujumbura | |
| Approximate population: | 6 000 000 | |
| Languages: | French, Kirundi, Swahili | |
| Currency: | Franc (Fbu) | |
| Brief history: | It is a mountainous country. It is well watered and intensively farmed to feed its dense population. Coffee is grown as a cash crop |
Djibuoti
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 23 200 | |
| Capital: | Djibouti | |
| Approximate population: | 450 000 | |
| Languages: | Arabic, French | |
| Currency: | Franc (DF) | |
| Brief history: | It is primarily a desert country with few oases. The majority of its people live in the access to Ethiopia. Trade has been disrupted by regional conflicts and this has led to considerable poverty |
Eritrea
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 121 144 | |
| Capital: | Asmara | |
| Approximate population: | 4 000 000 | |
| Languages: | Arabic, Tigre, English | |
| Currency: | Nakfa (Nfa) | |
| Brief history: | Eritrea achieved its independence in 1993. In 1997 trade relations with Ethiopia deteriorated and it launched its own currency. There is some mining, light industry and fishing but the economy is largely dependent on foreign aid |
Ethiopia
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 1 133 380 | |
| Capital: | Addis Ababa | |
| Approximate population: | 64 000 000 | |
| Languages: | Amharic, English & many local languages | |
| Currency: | Birr (Br) | |
| Brief history: | Most of Ethiopia is plateau and mountain rising to over 4000m. There is sufficient rain which supports grains, crops and livestock, though devastating droughts occur periodically. The surrounding lowlands are desert and semi-desert. It is a desperately poor country. People live in small patches of land. Roads and electricity and other basic facilities are not available for large sections of the population |
Kenya
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 580 367 | |
| Capital: | Nairobi | |
| Approximate population: | 30 000 000 | |
| Languages: | Kiswahili, English and various local languages | |
| Currency: | Kenya Shillings | |
| Brief history: | It is a political entity. It includes several major African tribes and a number of European settlers who have been attracted by the climate and fertility of the south-west highlands and the potential for cash crops eg tea and coffee. After independence in 1963, it was regarded as a model of economic success, producing tea and developing significant manufacturing. Tourism,, based on numerous game reserves and national parks, provided the chief source of foreign exchange |
Somalia
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 10 217 000 | |
| Capital: | Mogadishu | |
| Approximate population: | 7 000 000 | |
| Languages: | Somali, Arabic, English, Italian | |
| Currency: | Shilling (So.Sh) | |
| Brief history: | There is enough rain in Somalia’s mountains to support agriculture and reasonable grazing. Rivers provide water for crops including bananas for export. The main exports are animals, meat and hides. The country is very poor and suffers severe droughts |
South Sudan
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | N/A | |
| Capital: | N/A | |
| Approximate population: | 8 200 000 | |
| Languages: | Arabic, English & Local languages | |
| Currency: | Dinar | |
| Brief history: | N/A |
Seychelles
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 454 | |
| Capital: | Victoria | |
| Approximate population: | 79 000 | |
| Languages: | Creole, English, French | |
| Currency: | Rupees | |
| Brief history: | A chain of more than 100 coral and granite islands the Seychelles lure tourists to a tropical paradise of white beaches and forested hills. First claimed by France and later by Britain, the Seychelles declared independence in 1976 |
Tanzania
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 945 087 | |
| Capital: | Dodoma | |
| Approximate population: | 35 000 000 | |
| Languages: | Swahil, English, many languages | |
| Currency: | Tanzania Shillings (Tsh) | |
| Brief history: | The interior is cooler than the lowland coastal strip, but rainfall is limited. The dramatic scenery and abundant wildlife provide excellent potential for tourism. It is a poor country with a crippling debt repayment burden, but a gold rush near Lake Victoria in the late 1990s could provide a significant boost to the economy |
Uganda
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 241 139 | |
| Capital: | Kampala | |
| Approximate population: | 23 000 000 | |
| Languages: | English, Luganda, other local | |
| Currency: | Shilling (Ush) | |
| Brief history: | Uganda’s considerable prosperity was based on coffee and cotton exports, the growth of internal commerce and the provision of roads and schools. Around Lake Victoria is fertile and well watered. The country also possesses considerable copper, gold and cobalt reserves. Tourist attractions include spectacular waterfalls and game reserves. The devastating AIDS pandemic casts a serious shadow over the country |
Rwanda
| AAQS region: | Eastern | |
| Area in km2: | 26 338 | |
| Capital: | Kigali | |
| Approximate population: | 7 000 000 | |
| Languages: | French, English, Kinyarwanda | |
| Currency: | Rwandan Franc (RF) | |
| Brief history: | Rwanda gained its independence from Belgium in 1962. Most of Rwanda is a well watered, intensively cultivated highland. Scarcity of land prompts the terracing of many hillsides. Most people are subsistence farmers and cash crops, such as pyrethrum and coffee are of lesser importance |