Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip

Language: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes

Currency: 1 Egyptian pound (£E) = 100 piasters

Population: 67,273,906

Natural Hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in
spring; dust storms, sandstorms

Import: machinery and equipment, foods, fertilizers, wood
products, durable consumer goods, capital goods

Export: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton yarn, raw
cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals

Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement, metals

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 4,751 km
standard gauge: 4,751 km 1,435-m gauge (42 km electrified; 951 km double
track)

Highways:
total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo
Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta); Suez Canal, 193.5 km long
(including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 m of
water

Ports & Harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon

Language: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) is used

Population: 465,746

Natural Hazards: violent windstorms, flash floods

Import: petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery

Export: petroleum, timber, cocoa

Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 0 km

Highways:
total: 2,880 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 2,880 km (1996 est.)
 

Ports & Harbors: Bata, Luba, Malabo

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Language: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, minor ethnic group languages

Currency: 1 nafka = 100 cents

Population: 3,984,723

Natural Hazards: frequent droughts

Import: processed goods, machinery, petroleum products

Export: livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures

Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 307 km
narrow gauge: 307 km 0.950-m gauge (1995 est.)
note: nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was
reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling
stock is under way; links Ak'ordat and Asmara (formerly Asmera) with the port
of Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa)

Highways:
total: 4,010 km
paved: 874 km
unpaved: 3,136 km (1996 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Language: Amharic, Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English

Currency: 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Population: 59,680,383

Natural Hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

Import: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum
products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles and aircraft (1994)

Export: coffee, leather products, gold, oilseeds (1995)

Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: in April 1998, Djibouti and Ethiopia announced plans to revitalize the
century-old railroad that links their capitals

Highways:
total: 28,500 km
paved: 4,275 km
unpaved: 24,225 km (1996 est.)

Ports & Harbors: none

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Language: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Population: 1,225,853

Natural Hazards: NA

Import: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals,
petroleum products, construction materials

Export: crude oil 81%, timber 12%, manganese 5%, uranium
(1996)

Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 649 km Gabon State Railways (OCTRA)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)

Highways:
total: 7,670 km
paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,041 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable

Ports & Harbors: Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

Language: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars

Currency: 1 dalasi (D) = 100 butut

Population: 1,336,320

Natural Hazards: rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years

Import: foodstuffs, manufactures, raw materials, fuel, machinery and transport equipment

Export: peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm
kernels

Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 400 km

Ports & Harbors: Banjul

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Language: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Currency: 1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas

Population: 18,887,626

Natural Hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

Import: capital equipment, petroleum, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods

Export: gold 39%, cocoa 35%, timber 9.4%, tuna, bauxite,
aluminum, manganese ore, and diamonds (1996 est.)

Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 953 km (undergoing major rehabilitation)
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track) (1997 est.)

Highways:
total: 39,409 km
paved: 11,653 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,756 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial
navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and
feeder waterways

Ports & Harbors: Takoradi, Tema

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Language: French (official), each tribe has its own language

Currency: 1 Guinean franc (FG) = 100 centimes

Population: 7,538,953

Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season

Import: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport
equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs (1997)

Export: bauxite, alumina, diamonds, gold, coffee, fish, agricultural products

Industries: bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 1,086 km
standard gauge: 279 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 807 km 1.000-m gauge (includes 662 km in common carrier
service from Kankan to Conakry)

Highways:
total: 30,500 km
paved: 5,033 km
unpaved: 25,467 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,295 km navigable by shallow-draft native craft

Ports & Harbors: Boke, Conakry, Kamsar

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Language: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Currency: Guinea-Bissau adopted as its currency the CFA franc following its membership into the BCEAO

Population: 1,234,555

Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Import: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products,
machinery and equipment

Export: cashews 95%, fish, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 4,400 km
paved: 453 km
unpaved: 3,947 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping

Ports & Harbors: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim