Africa's oldest republic, Liberia experienced a prolonged civil war from the late 1980s, in which about 250 000 people were killed, and many thousands more were forced to flee. In 2006, Ellen...
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from England in October 1966. The country has few natural resources, and is heavily dependent on South Africa, which surrounds it,...
The Republic of Kenya, which achieved independence from Britain in December 1963, has been known as one of Africa's more politically stable countries, although controversial elections in December...
Until the 2008 parliamentary elections, Zimbabwe was effectively a one-party state, ruled over by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. Mugabe has been accused of political repression, and of...
The Republic of Zambia, formerly Northern Rhodesia, is one of the world's poorest countries, despite having rich mineral deposits in the form of copper. In the late 1960s, the country was one of...
The Republic of Uganda gained independence from Britain in October 1962. In the 1970s and 1980s, under the rule of Idi Amin and Milton Obote, the country experienced extreme instability, but has...
Tunisia is a north African country, with access to vital shipping routes. Politically the country is relatively stable, and its diverse economy has been growing steadily in recent years. President...
The Togolese Republic is among the poorest countries in the world, with this situation being exacerbated by a period of political isolation, owing to a weak human rights record and poor political...