All of Africa’s 54 countries except Liberia and Ethiopia were colonized by western powers until 1957 when Ghana set the precedence by gaining its independence from Britain.
Most of these countries upon imperialism were named by their colonial masters and this remained so until they gained independence.
Face2Face Africa takes you back to the colonial names of some sub-Saharan African countries before they gained their independence. Take a look at them below:
Nyasaland – Malawi
Urundi – Burundi
Upper Volta – Burkina Faso
Kamerun – Cameroon
Spanish Guinea – Equatorial Guinea
Spanish Sahara – Western Sahara
South West Africa – Namibia
Tanganyika – Tanzania
Basutoland – Lesotho
French Sudan – Mali
Southern Rhodesia – Zimbabwe
Northern Rhodesia – Zambia
British Somaliland/Somaliland
Italian Somaliland – Somalia
French Somaliland – Djibouti
Union of South Africa – South Africa
Gold Coast – Ghana
Bechuanaland – Botswana
Belgian Congo – Democratic Republic of Congo
Dahomey – Benin
Rahman Nii Ayi Aryee, Intern Writer
Aryee Nii Ayi Rahman is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. His best friend is the microphone; not a rapper but an MC (Master of Ceremonies) and a presenter with an amazing versatility in style.
