African Lands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Egypt

Modern Egypt emerged as a fully independent country in the 1950s after centuries of domination by the Greeks, Romans, Turks, and British. The great pyramids of Giza, built over 4,500 years ago, stand as unmistakable reminders of its astounding history.

Answer: South Africa

Europeans began colonizing what is now South Africa in 1652, when the Dutch East India Company founded Cape Colony on the Cape of Good Hope. The British seized the Cape in 1795, leading to a conflict between the British and Dutch that would last over a century and would see a great deal of immigration from Europe and South Asia. South Africa became an autonomous dominion of the British Empire in 1910 and became fully independent in 1961, but its democracy was held back by the policy of Apartheid, which legally discriminated against the country's Black majority.

This policy eased dramatically after 1990, and South Africa elected its first black president, Nelson Mandela, in 1994.

Answer: Ethiopia

Ethiopia officially converted to Christianity over 1,600 years ago, and remains the seat of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church today. Though it has managed to stay independent for almost all of its history, Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest nations, and many regions of the country are especially prone to famine.

Answer: Kenya

The first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, began his career as an activist in the Kikuyu Central Association. This would eventually evolve into the Kenya African National Union, and Kenyatta became dedicated to the goal of "pan-Africanism" (disregarding tribe membership for the good of all the people).

As a symbol of this idea, Kenyatta was rarely photographed without his multi-colored hat, a sign of the multiple African peoples he tried to bring together.

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Known as the Belgian Congo from 1908 until its independence in 1960, this country was known as Zaire from 1971 until 1997 when its longtime dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, was overthrown after years of abuses and theft. It is difficult not to confuse the Democratic Republic of the Congo with its neighbor to the west of the Congo River, the Republic of the Congo, which was once a French colony.

Answer: Nigeria

Much of the great literature in English from Africa comes from Nigeria. Among its best-known authors are Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka and novelist Chinua Achebe, whose books are written in very direct English that appeals to a large audience.

Answer: Liberia

Even though it officially stayed independent when all the countries around it were colonized by European powers, Liberia was historically influenced and protected by the United States. A major US tire manufacturer, Firestone, opened a large rubber plantation there in 1926.

This operation has been criticized through the years for alleged excessive workloads, child labor, and other poor conditions.

Answer: Madagascar

Madagascar's twenty million inhabitants speak Malagasy, a Malayo-Polynesian language. Many of the islands' more educated people also speak French, since Madagascar was a French colony from the 1890s to 1960. Historically, Madagascar was also a popular base for pirates!

Answer: Algeria

Through the 1950s, Algeria was the site of a widespread insurgency that saw civilian targets bombed and French officials assassinated by Algerians seeking independence from France. In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle called an election on the subject, and the vast majority of Algerians voted for self-rule. Since that time, Arabic and Tamazight have been the dominant spoken languages, with French being studied in schools but rarely spoken.

Answer: Angola

Though emerging from a turbulent history, Angola is blessed with abundant mineral resources, including oil and diamonds. Today it is the second fastest growing economy in Africa and the largest supplier of oil to China.