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Burundi, officially: Republika y'u Burundi; République du Burundi; Republic of Burundi is a small country in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. The country gained independence from Belgium on July 1^st, 1962 and its capital (and largest city) is Bujumbura. As of mid 2006 Burundi has an estimated population of 8,090,068. Roughly 85% of the population are of Hutu ethnic origin; most of the remaining population are Tutsi, with a minority of Twa (Pygmy), and a few thousand Europeans and South Asians. The largest religion is Roman Catholicism (62%), followed by indigenous beliefs (23%) and a minority of Protestants (5%) and Muslims (10%). The country suffers sporadic attempts at genocide, the worst being in in 1972 where an estimated 250,000 Hutu and moderate Tutsi died. The official languages are Kirundi and French, although Swahili is spoken along the eastern border.

Comoros (Arabic: جزر القمر, Ğuzur al-Qamar); officially: Union des Comores; Udzima wa Komori; الإتّحاد القمريّ‎; Al-Ittiḥād Al-Qumriyy; Union of the Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The country consists of the four islands in the volcanic Comoros archipelago: Ngazidja (French: Grande Comore), Mwali (French: Mohéli), Nzwani (French: Anjouan), and Mahoré (French: Mayotte). Independence from France was achieved on July 6, 1975 and the capital (and largest city) is Moroni. With fewer than a million people, the Comoros is one of the least populous countries in the world, but is also one of the most densely populated, with an average of 275 people per km². The islands of the Comoros share mostly African-Arab origins. Sunni Islam is the dominant religion, representing as much as 98% of the population. Although Arab culture is firmly established throughout the archipelago, a minority of the citizens of Mayotte (the Mahorais) are Roman Catholic and have been strongly influenced by French culture. Malagasy and Indian minorities also exist, as well as Creole-speaking minorities mostly descended from Réunionnaise. Chinese peoples are also present on Mayotte and parts of Grande Comore (especially Moroni). The most common language is Comorian, or Shikomor, a descendant of Swahili with Arabic influences. Shingazidja, Shimwali, Shinzwani, and Shimaore are the local dialects spoken on each of the islands, Ngazidja, Mwali, Nzwani, and Mahoré, respectively. French and Arabic are also official languages, along with Comorian.

Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتي Jībūtī, Somali: Jabuuti), officially: جمهورية جيبوتي; Jumhūriyyat Jībūtī; Jamhuuriyadda Jabuuti; République de Djibouti; Republic of Djibouti is a small East African country on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The country gained independence from France on June 27^th, 1977 and is the successor to the former 'French Somaliland'. Its capital and largest city is Djibouti. The population is divided into two main groups, the Issa (or Somali) people and the Afar. The remainder of the populace is formed by Europeans (mostly French and Italians), Arabs and Ethiopians. Tensions between the Afar and Issa led to the civila war of the early 1990s. Djibouti is a Muslim country and French and Arabic are its official languages, though Somali and Afar are also widely spoken.

Eritrea (Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾĒrtrā), officially: Hagere Ertra; ሃገረ ኤርትራ; State of Eritrea is an East African country on the coast of the Red Sea that also includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands. The country's capital is Asmara and it oficially gained independence from Ethiopia on May 24th 1991; though transfer of power did not occur until May 24^th 1993. Eritrea is an heterogeneous society with the Tigrinya and the Tigre people together make up about 80%. The remainder of the population comprises the smaller populations of the Saho, Nara, Hedareb, Beja, Afar, Bilen, Kunama, and the Rashaida. Each nationality speaks a different native tongue and though there is no official languages, the three working languages are Tigrinya, Arabic and English. The two domainan religions are Sunni Islam and Orthodox Christianity.

Ethiopia (Ge'ez: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā), officially: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ; ye-Ītyōṗṗyā Fēdēralāwī Dīmōkrāsīyāwī Rīpeblīk; Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and ranks amongst the world's oldest nations. It is also Afrca's second most populous country and along with neighbouring Kenya it has yielded some of the oldest traces of humanity. The capital and largest city is Addis Abbaba. The country is ethnically diverse, with most of its population speakig a Semitic or Cushitic language (there ar 84 indigenous languages with Amharic being the official language). The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigray and Somali make up more than three-quarters of the population, but there are more than 80 different ethnic groups within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members. According to the Ethiopian national census of 1994, the Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia at 32.1%. The Amhara represent 30.2%, while the Tigray people are 6.2% of the population. Other ethnic groups are as follows: Somali 6.0%, Gurage 4.3%, Sidama 3.4%, Wolayta 2%, Afar 2%, Hadiya 2%, Gamo 1%. Christians make up 61% of the country's population, Muslims 33%, and practitioners of traditional faiths 5%. Indeed, Ethiopia is the second-oldest country to become officially Christian after Armenia (thoug the country has been officially secular since 1974).

Kenya, officially: Jamhuri ya Kenya; Republic of Kenya is an East African country where the oldest hominid (human-like) fossils have been found. Evidence suggests that the direct evolutionary ancestors of modern humans arose in this country. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi and he country gained independence from Britain on December 12^{th 1963 and declared itself a republic on December 12th 1964. The country has considerable ethnic diversity and the main groups are: Gky 18%, Luhya 15%, Luo 14%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 7%, Ameru 6%, Somali 3%, other African (including Swahili people, Pokomo, Giriama, Rabai, Duruma, Chonyi, Digo, Kauma, Taita, Meru, Turkana, Orma (Oromo), Wasanye, Wanyoyaya, Borana, Rendille, El Moran, Malakote, Embu, Teso, Gabra, Ndorobo, Maasai) 13%, non-African (Asian/Desi, Anglo-African/European, and Arab) 1%. Official languages are Swahili and English.}

Madagascar, officially: Repoblikan'i Madagasikara; République de Madagascar; Republic of Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian ocean. Its relative isolation and equatorial position has made it biologically very diverse. Indiied, the island is estimaged to be home to 5% of the world's plant and animal populations (80% of which are unique to Madagascar). It also seems to have been settled by humans relatively late, with its original population deriving from Polynesia between 1500 and 1000 BCE. The capital and largest city is Antananarivo and it gained independence from France on 26^th June, 1960. Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian (Pacific Islander) and African origin, though those who are visibly Pacific Islander in appearance and culture are the minority, found in the highland regions. The Malagasy language shares some 90% of its basic vocabulary with the Maanyan language from the region of the Barito River in southern Borneo. Official languages are Malagasy, French and English (which is gaining in importance). Half the population practice native beliefs (mostly animism) with 45% Christians and the remainder being Muslims. The cuisine of Madagascar is very diverse, showing influences from France, China, India, and to a lesser extent East African and Arabian cultures. The traditional meal consists of a base of rice (vary) with some form of accompaniment (laoka).

Malawi, officially: Dziko la Malaŵi; Republic of Malawi is an East African country bordering the Great Lakes. The capital is Lilongwe and its largest city is Blantyre and the country gained independence from Britain on July 6^th 1964. Malawi derives its name from the Maravi, a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo basin circa 1400. The Chewas constitute 90% of the population of the central region; the Nyanja tribe predominates in the south and the Tumbuka in the north. In addition, significant numbers of the Tongas live in the north; Ngonis (an offshoot of the Zulus who came from South Africa in the early 1800s) live in the lower northern and lower central regions; and the Yao, who are mostly Muslim, live along the southeastern border with Mozambique. Bantus of other tribes came from Mozambique as refugees. The official language is English, though Chichewa is treated as a national languge.

Mali; officially: République du Mali; Republic of Mali is the other land-locked country in West Africa (along with Burkina-Faso, above). Formerly French Sudan, the country was named after the Mali Empire following independence from France on September 22, 1960. The main ethnic groups in this country are: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul (Fula/Fulani) 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%; with French as the official language. By far the majority of the populace are Muslim (>90%) [mostly Sunni] with 9% indigenous animist beliefs and 1% Christian. The name of the country derives from the Bambara word for hippopotamus (with the animal appearing on the 5 franc coin), the name of its capital city, Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning 'place of crocodiles'.

Mauritius, (French: Maurice; Mauritian Creole: Moris): officially: Republic of Mauritius (French: République de Maurice), is an island nation off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 km to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km to the East-northeast. The capital and largest city is Port Louis and the island gained independence from Britain on March 12^th 1968. Most of the island residents are the descendants of people from the Indian subcontinent. Mauritius also has large immigrant populations from continental Africa, Madagascar, France, Great Britain, and China, among other places. The Indo-Mauritians (when the ethnic groups are combined) form approximately 70% of the total population, the remaining 30% being mostly Creoles. There are approximately 30,000 Mauritians of Chinese descent, from the Hakka, Mandarin, and Cantonese language groups. More than 90% of the Sino-Mauritian community are Roman Catholic; the remainder are largely Buddhist. The official language is English, though French is also widely spoken.

Mayotte (French: Mayotte, Shimaore: Maore), officially: Collectivité départementale de Mayotte; the Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte is an overseas collectivity of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The capital and largest city is Mamoudzou and in 1974 the country voted to remain a territory of France. French is the official language but native languages include: Shimaore (a Comorian LAnguage), Kibushi (a Malagasy language), Kiantalaotsi (another Malagasy language) and Arabic.

Mozambique, officially: Repblica de Moambique, Republic of Mozambique is a Portugese-speaking nation in East Africa. They were colonized by Portugal in 1505 and gained independence on June 25th 1975. The capital and largest city is Maputo. The estimated four million Makua are the dominant group in the northern part of the country; the Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau) are prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Shangaan (Tsonga) dominate in southern Mozambique. Other groups include Makonde, Yao, Swahili, Tonga, Chopi, and Nguni (including Zulu). Bantu people comprise 99.66% of the population, the remaining 0.34% include Europeans 0.06% (largely of Portuguese ancestry), Euro-Africans 0.2% (mestio people of mixed Bantu and Portuguese heritage), and Indians 0.08%. Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of the nation, because Bantus speak several of their different languages (most widely used of these are Swahili, Makhuwa, Sena, Ndau, and Shangaan these have many Portuguese-origin words), but 40% of all people speak it 33.5%, mostly Bantus, as their second language and only 6.5%, mostly white Portuguese and mestios, speak it as their first language. Arabs, Chinese, and Indians speak their own languages (Indians from Portuguese India speak any of the Portuguese Creoles of their origin) aside from Portuguese as their second language. Most educated Mozambicans speak English, which is used in schools and business as second or third language. The latest census (1997) revealed the following religious affiliations: 2% identified themselves as Roman Catholic; 24.25% claimed to not be affiliated with a religion; 18.7% adhering to Zionism (an African form of Christianity); 17.8% of the population were cited as Muslims; 11.45% as other non-Catholic Christians; 3.6% as "other".

Réunion (French: Réunion or formally La Réunion; anciently Île Bourbon), is an island, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km south west of Mauritius. Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. The capital is Saint-Denis. R�union contains most of the same ethnic populations as Mauritius: Indian (including Tamil), Vietnamese, African, Malagasy, Chinese and ethnic French - but in different proportions. Creoles, of various origins, make up the vast majority of the population. Whites make up approximately one-quarter of the population, Indians make up 21% and people of Chinese or Vietnamese ancestry most of the remainder. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism (86% of the population in 1995), with Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism also represented.

Rwanda, officially: Repubulika y'u Rwanda; République du Rwanda; Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa. Its capital and largest city is Kigali and it attained independence from Belgium on July 1^st 1962. Most Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda and the nation is roughly 84% Hutu, 15% Tutsi, and 1% Twa, with smaller minorities of South Asians, Arabs, French, British, and Belgians. The nation is some 56.5% Roman Catholic, 26% Protestant, 11.1% Adventist, and 4.6% Muslim, original beliefs 0.1%.

Seychelles, officially: Repiblik Sesel; République des Seychelles; Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago nation of 155 islands (115 islands and 40 islets) in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 km east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. The capital and largest city is Victoria and independence from Britain was gained on June 29^th 1976. Some 90 percent of the population was Roman Catholic as of 1992. The initial white settlers in Seychelles were Roman Catholics, and the country has remained so, despite ineffective British efforts to establish Protestantism in the islands during the nineteenth century. Approximately 7 percent of Seychellois are Anglicans--most coming from families converted by missionaries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some 2 percent of the population are adherents of other faiths, including Hinduism, Baha'i and Islam. Official languages are English, French and Seychellois Creole. Seychelles has the smallest population of any sovereign state of Africa.

Somalia, (Somali: Soomaaliya; Arabic: الصومال transliteration: aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially the Somali Republic (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiga soomaliya, Arabic: جمهورية الصومال transliteration: Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmāl) and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic is the country that represents the 'Horn of Africa'. The capital and largest city is Mogadishu and Somalia gained its independence from Italy on 1 July 1960. On the same day, it united with British Somaliland, which gained independance on 26 June 1960 to form the Somali republic. Somalia has a population of around 10,700,000 according to UN estimates of 2003 but, due to civil wars the country also has Africa's largest diaspora communities. Somali is the main language and is used virtually everywhere and nearly every Somali citizen speaks it. Minority languages do exist, such as Af-Maay, which is spoken in areas in South-Central Somalia by the Rahanweyn tribes, as well as variants of Swahili (Barawe), which are spoken along the coast by Arabs. The Somalis are almost entirely Sunni Muslims. Christianity's influence was significantly reduced in the 1970s when church-run schools were closed and missionaries sent home. Somalia has a very diverse cuisine that varies significantly from regoin to region though there are number of similarities with Ethiopian cuisine.

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is an East African country named for the union of Tanganyika, its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. Tanganyika united with Zanzibar in 1964, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. THe capital and largest city is Dar es Salam (though the legislature sits in Dodoma) and Tanganyika achieved independence from Britain on December 9, 1961 — whilst Zanzibar achieved independence on January 12, 1964. The African population consists of more than 120 ethnic groups, of which the Sukuma, Haya, Nyakyusa, Nyamwezi, and Chagga have more than 1 million members. Other groups include the Pare, Sambaa or Shambala and Ngoni. The majority of Tanzanians, including such large ethnic groups as the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi, have Bantu origins. Tanzania is a religiously divided country, with, on the mainland, Muslims account for 35% of the population, an estimated 30% of the population is Christian, and 35% adheres to traditional faiths. On Zanzibar, by contrast, the population is 99% Muslim. Though there is no official language as such, Swahili is the de facto official language, with English gaining ascendancy once more after the opening of the economy.

Uganda, officially: Republic of Uganda; Jamhuri ya Uganda is a landlocked East Afrian country on the shores of the Great Lakes. The apital and largest city is Kampala and independence was gained from Britain on October 9^th 1962. Uganda is ethnically diverse and no grouping forms a majority of the populaton. Some 40 different languages are spoken and English and Swahili are currently the official languages. Though the most widely spoken local language in Uganda is Luganda, spoken predominantly in the urban concentrations of Kampala, the capital city, and in towns and localities in the Buganda region of Uganda which encompasses Kampala. The Lusoga and Runyankore languages follow, spoken predominantly in the south-eastern & south-western parts of Uganda respectively. Christians of all denominations made up 85.1% of Uganda's population. The Catholic Church has the largest number of adherents (41.9%), followed by the Anglican Church of Uganda (35.9%). The second most preferred religion of Uganda is Islam, with Muslims representing 12.1% of the population.

Zambia, officially: Republic of Zambia Formerly Northern Rhodesia, the country's name reflects the Zambezi river. The capital and largest city is Lusaka and Zambia gained independence from Britain on October 24^th 1964. Zambia's population comprises about 72, mostly Bantu-speaking ethnic groups, but almost 90% of Zambians belong to the nine main ethnolinguistic groups: the Bemba, Nyanja-Chewa, Tonga, Tumbuka, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Nkoya and Lozi. he official language is English, used to conduct official business and is the medium of instruction in schools. Commonly-spoken indigenous languages include the 7 major languages: Chibemba, Chinyanja, Lunda, Chitonga, Kaonde, Silozi and Luvale. These 7 languages are taught in schools and broadcast on national radio and television. All-in-all there are 42 languages spoken in Zambia. Zambia's constitution identifies the country as a Christian nation, but a variety of religious traditions exist. Traditional religious thought blends easily with Christian beliefs in many of the country's syncretic churches. Islam also has a visible presence especially in urban settings.

Zimbabwe, officially: the Republic of Zimbabwe and formerly the Republic of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. The capital and largest city is Harare and Zimbabwe (as rhodesia) gained independence from Britain on November 11 1965. The country was officially re-named Zimbabwe on April 18^th 1980. Zimbabwe posessed one of the strongest economies of any Afrian country, but under the regine of Robert Mugabe its economy has collapsed. The main ethnic groups in Zimbabwe are: Shona (82%). Ndebele (9%) and Bantus of other ethnicity (9%). There are small minorities of White Zimbabweans (1.5%), Mixed race (0.5%) and Asian (0.5%). English is the official language of Zimbabwe, though less than 2.5%, mainly the white and Coloured (mixed race) minorities, consider it their native language. The rest of the population speak Shona (76%) and Ndebele (18%). Forty to fifty percent of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. Around ten percent are Roman Catholics, who have an Archbishop of Harare. However like most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, ancestral worship is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor worship and spiritual intercession.