Animals and Plants What is growing in Benin? A wide variety of landscapes stretch across Benin. Coconut, palmyra and oil palms grow on the coast in the south. There is no dense rainforest in Benin. But trees grow on the banks of the rivers, the gallery forests. The liver sausage tree is also native there.… Read More »
Sal is a barren beautiful beach destination. Cape Verde’s most popular island, Sal, is an always sunny holiday destination whose charm is based on miles of sandy beaches and a peaceful way of life. A paradise for a peace-loving holidaymaker The Cape Verde archipelago is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 500 kilometers… Read More »
White beaches, clear waters, a pleasant climate and friendly locals make Boa Vista one of Cape Verde’s most popular destinations. The island of Boa Vista, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is part of the Cape Verde archipelago. The exotic and always sunny destination attracts holidaymakers with its white sandy beaches and great… Read More »
Music in Senegal Within the folk tradition, professional musicians play a more important role than usual in African countries. Professional griots (singers and storytellers) recite poems and historical quads and perform in ensembles with one-string lute, flutes, drums and rattles. They were formerly most associated with chieftains, but more and more are becoming freelance musicians… Read More »
Both in African languages and in French, Senegal has a rich literary tradition dating back to the 19th century. In addition, literature, especially of a religious nature, was written in Arabic as early as the 18th century. Much of the traditional poetry depicted the life of the mythical ruler Lat Dior, who opposed the French… Read More »
Senegal. From the island of Goree outside Senegal’s capital Dakar. The island was once an important port for the shipment of slaves from West Africa. Archaeological finds show settlement in Senegal at least 15,000 years ago. Wolof – and serer people immigrated from the northeast around 500 AD Islamization was begun by the Almoravids in… Read More »
São Tomé and Príncipe, Republic of West Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea approximately 275 kilometers off the coast of Gabon just north of the equator. Consists of the two major main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe as well as the smaller islands of Caroço, Pedras, Rõlas, Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena. São Tomé… Read More »
The bedrock consists mainly of Precambrian bedrock with gneisses and granites. Towards southwest Cambrian sedimentary rocks. Within the approx. The 340 km long coastline is a swampy terrain with many lagoons and wide estuaries. The only higher landscape is on the Sierra Leone Peninsula. Here are wooded mountains that reach into approx. 890 masl The… Read More »
Both main islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, are of volcanic origin and have low coastal and higher inland. The highest point is on the island of São Tomé; Pico de São Tomé, 2024 masl. Both islands have strong currents that flow down from the mountainous areas. The islands are separated by a ca. 140 km… Read More »
In 1400-1600 century immigrated several ethnic groups, including welcoming and Temne. Portuguese seafarers first visited the coast in 1641. They called the area Serra Lyão. Dutch, French and English trading stations were important centers of slave trade in the 17th century. Sierra Leone was severely affected by the West African Ebola epidemic in 2014 and… Read More »