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Fact library / Countries

Countries of West Africa

16 countries in West Africa, each with a picture to fix its place, shape or name in your memory.

The capital that sounds like baby talk

Burkina Faso, whose name means roughly "land of upright people", is a landlocked West African country with its capital at Ouagadougou.

Picture it

In the dry heart of West Africa, a giant baby sits in the middle of the savanna, banging a spoon and babbling "WAH-GAH-DOO-GOO!" All around, the honest people of the land nod politely.

Memory hooks

  • Ouagadougou: "WAH-gah-DOO-goo": baby babble (sound-alike)
  • Burkina Faso: "land of upright people": everyone stands up straight (narrative)

Say it: Ouagadougou (wah·gah·DOO·goo)

The river worm

The Gambia is a thin strip along the Gambia River, surrounded on land by Senegal; it's the smallest country on mainland Africa.

Picture it

Senegal opens its mouth wide and a skinny worm wriggles straight in from the Atlantic, following a winding river. The worm is a GAMBLER, rolling dice as it swims. That worm is The Gambia.

Memory hooks

  • The Gambia: a worm wriggling into Senegal's mouth (shape)
  • Gambia: a gambling worm (sound-alike)

The eye of the Sahara

Mauritania, on Africa's Atlantic coast in the western Sahara, is home to the Eye of the Sahara and has its capital at Nouakchott.

Picture it

From space, a giant bull's-eye stares up from the desert: the Eye of the Sahara. A MORE-ITCHY ("mor-ih-TAY-nee-a") camel rubs against it. "NO! A CHOKE!" it coughs on the sand: NOUAKCHOTT.

Memory hooks

  • Mauritania: an itchy camel (sound-alike)
  • Nouakchott: "No! A choke!" (sound-alike)

Say it: Nouakchott (nwahk·SHOT)

Bam! A bucket in Timbuktu

Mali is a large, landlocked West African country, home to Timbuktu, with its capital at Bamako on the Niger River.

Picture it

A huge landlocked country in West Africa is shaped like a bow tie. A drummer in legendary Timbuktu hits his drum: "BAM! A KO!" (BAMAKO).

Memory hooks

  • Mali: a giant bow tie (shape)
  • Bamako: "Bam! A ko!" on the drum (sound-alike)

Nigeria's bigger, drier neighbour

Niger, a vast landlocked country north of Nigeria, is named after the Niger River and has its capital at Niamey.

Picture it

North of Nigeria lies a vast, dry country named after the same river. A woman named NIA calls to her friend across the riverbank: "NEE-AH-MAY!" (NIAMEY).

Memory hooks

  • Niger: Nigeria's drier neighbour, named after the same river (narrative)
  • Niamey: "Nee-ah-may!" across the river (sound-alike)

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The takeaway strip

Togo is a narrow strip of a country in West Africa between Ghana and Benin, with its capital, Lomé, on the coast.

Picture it

A long, thin strip of land squeezes between Ghana and Benin like a TAKEAWAY box: "TO GO!" At the bottom, by the sea, sits a big LOW MAY-pole: LOMÉ.

Memory hooks

  • Togo: a takeaway box: "to go!" (sound-alike)
  • Lomé: a low maypole on the beach (sound-alike)

The kingdom that changed its name

Benin, a narrow West African country next to Togo, was called Dahomey until 1975.

Picture it

A narrow country next to Togo used to be the mighty kingdom of DAHOMEY, famous for its women warriors. In 1975 it changed its name. "Where have you BEEN-IN?" asks a confused visitor.

Memory hooks

  • Benin: "Where have you been-in?" (sound-alike)
  • Dahomey: the old kingdom of women warriors (narrative)

The westernmost point of Africa

Senegal sits on Africa's westernmost point, almost surrounding Gambia, and its capital Dakar is the westernmost city on the African mainland.

Picture it

On Africa's westernmost tip, a SAILING GAL ("SEN-eh-gal") stands on the beach. She's wrapped around a smaller country like a mouth around a tongue (that's Gambia). She paints her capital DAKAR: a DARKER colour.

Memory hooks

  • Senegal: a sailing gal on Africa's western tip (sound-alike)
  • Dakar: painted a darker colour (sound-alike)

The lion mountains

Sierra Leone, whose name comes from Portuguese for "lion mountains", is on Africa's west coast; its capital Freetown was founded in 1792 as a settlement for freed slaves.

Picture it

Portuguese sailors gliding along the West African coast hear thunder rumbling off the hills and think it's lions roaring: "Serra Leoa", lion mountains! At the foot of the hills, chains fall away as people walk FREE into a new TOWN.

Memory hooks

  • Sierra Leone: thunder in the hills mistaken for lions (narrative)
  • Freetown: people walking FREE into a new TOWN (narrative)

Africa's biggest crowd

Nigeria, named after the Niger River, is Africa's most populous country, and its capital moved from Lagos to Abuja in 1991.

Picture it

Where the Niger River meets the sea, the biggest crowd in all of Africa gathers. In 1991 they all pick up and move inland to a brand-new capital, chanting "A-BOO-JA!" as they go.

Memory hooks

  • Nigeria: the biggest crowd in Africa at the Niger's mouth (visual association)
  • Abuja: the crowd chanting "A-BOO-JA!" as it moves (sound-alike)

Liberty and President Monroe

Liberia was founded by freed American slaves and became Africa's first republic in 1847; its capital Monrovia is named after US President James Monroe.

Picture it

On the West African coast, a ship of freed Americans lands in the 1820s, shouting "LIBERTY!" They name their new capital after the American president who backed them, James MONROE: Monrovia.

Memory hooks

  • Liberia: freed Americans shouting "LIBERTY!" (sound-alike)
  • Monrovia: named after President MONROE (sound-alike)

The Portuguese bison

Guinea-Bissau is a small West African country of mangroves and islands that won independence from Portugal in 1974, with its capital at Bissau.

Picture it

On a West African coast of mangroves and islands, a Portuguese sailor in a tricorn hat rides a shaggy BISON, "bi-SOW!", hence Bissau. When he finally sails home to Portugal in 1974, the bison stays behind.

Memory hooks

  • Bissau: a Portuguese sailor riding a BISON (sound-alike)
  • Portugal: the sailor going home in 1974 (narrative)

West Africa's water tower

Guinea is called West Africa's water tower because the Niger, Senegal and Gambia rivers all rise in its highlands; its capital is Conakry.

Picture it

In the green highlands of West Africa, a tower of water tips over, and three great rivers spill out, the mighty Niger among them. At the coast, a cone of ice cream says "CONE-AKRY" and melts into the sea at Conakry.

Memory hooks

  • Guinea: a water tower spilling three rivers (visual association)
  • Conakry: an ice CONE melting at the coast (sound-alike)

The Gold Coast goes first

Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the first sub-Saharan African colony to win independence in 1957, and its capital is Accra.

Picture it

On the Gold Coast of West Africa, in 1957, a runner bursts through the tape first: the first colony south of the Sahara to win independence. The crowd goes wild with a huge "AC-CRAck" of fireworks over Accra.

Memory hooks

  • Ghana: the Gold Coast's runner breaking the tape first (narrative)
  • Accra: an "AC-CRAck" of fireworks (sound-alike)

The ivory coast of chocolate

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is the world's largest cocoa producer, and its official capital is Yamoussoukro, though Abidjan is its biggest city.

Picture it

On a beach of ivory-white sand in West Africa, a giant mug of hot chocolate steams: this country grows more cocoa than anywhere else. A yam with a moustache sips it and says "YAM-SOO-KRO" in Yamoussoukro.

Memory hooks

  • Côte d'Ivoire: ivory-white sand and a mug of cocoa (visual association)
  • Yamoussoukro: a YAM sipping cocoa (sound-alike)

Say it: Yamoussoukro (yam·oo·SOO·kro)

Green cape in the Atlantic

Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) is an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Atlantic off West Africa, with its capital at Praia on Santiago.

Picture it

Off the west bulge of Africa, a bunch of volcanic islands floats in the Atlantic wearing a big green cape. The cape's owner lies on the beach at PRAIA, which is Portuguese for, well, beach.

Memory hooks

  • Cabo Verde: islands wearing a green cape (visual association)
  • Praia: Portuguese for beach (sound-alike)