African penguin, (Spheniscus demersus), species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by a single band of black feathers cutting across the breast and a circle of featherless skin that completely surrounds each eye. The species is so named because it inhabits several locations along the

Southern Africa: Political organizations and trade unions: …nationwide Black political organization, the African Political Organization (APO; later African People’s Organization), founded in 1902, which sought to unite Africans in opposition to the South Africa Act of 1909. The formation of a separate Coloured Affairs Department to some extent diverted Coloured political energies from joint Black action. Coloureds…

ostariophysan: Annotated classification: Family Hepsetidae (African pikes) Pikelike; large canine teeth; carnivorous. Food fishes. Size to 100 cm (40 inches), 55 kg (120 pounds). Africa. 1 species (Hepsetus odoe). Family Lebiasinidae (pencil fishes) Lateral line and adipose fin usually absent. Small to moderate-sized predators. South and Central America. 7 genera,…

lizard: Annotated classification: Family Gerrhosauridae (African plated lizards) Lizards with 2 parietal scales on the head and each nostril enclosed in 3–4 scales. Diurnal lizards that live in a variety of habitats. Some are semiaquatic, some swim through sand, and many live on the ground. They occur in Africa south…

zorille, (Ictonyx [sometimes Zorilla] striatus), African carnivore of the weasel family (Mustelidae), frequenting diverse habitats. It has a slender body, 29–39 centimetres (12–16 inches) long, and a bushy white tail, 21–31 cm long. Its fur is long and black, white striped on the back and white

Southern Africa: Political organizations and trade unions: …nationwide Black political organization, the African Political Organization (APO; later African People’s Organization), founded in 1902, which sought to unite Africans in opposition to the South Africa Act of 1909. The formation of a separate Coloured Affairs Department to some extent diverted Coloured political energies from joint Black action. Coloureds…

pompano: The African pompano, or threadfish, also of the family Carangidae, is Alectis crinitis of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans. It is about 90 cm long and, especially when young, has very long, threadlike rays extending from the dorsal and anal fins.

African popular music, body of music that emerged in Africa in the 1960s, mixing indigenous influences with those of Western popular music. By the 1980s the audience for African popular music had expanded to include Western listeners. In common with the rest of the world, Africa was strongly

Stuart Cloete: …and a collection of biographies, African Portraits (1946). His autobiography, A Victorian Son, appeared in 1972.

African pouched rat, (subfamily Cricetomyinae), any of five species of African rodents characterized by cheek pouches that are used for carrying food back to their burrows, where it is eaten or stored. All are terrestrial and have gray to brown coats with white or gray underparts, but the three

Alain Mabanckou: African Psycho), a work whose plot, as well as title, makes reference to American writer Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho (1991). In 2002 Mabanckou accepted a writing fellowship from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he wrote and taught for a few years. With…

anseriform: General features: …pound) in weight in the African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus) to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length and weighing more than 17 kg (37 pounds) with a 2-metre (6.6-foot) wingspan in the trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator). The neck is medium to long. The bill is of medium length, typically broad…

squirrel: General features: …equally long tail; but the African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio) of the West African tropical forests is even smaller, at 13 to 20 grams, with a body length of 6 to 8 cm and a somewhat shorter tail.

python: Old world pythons: …metre, but some pythons of Africa (P. sebae), India (P. molurus), Southeast Asia and Java (P. bivittatus), New Guinea (L. papuanus), and Australia (L. amethistinus) regularly exceed 3 metres (10 feet). Despite their large size, some of these species survive in urban and suburban areas, where their secretive habits and…

C.S. Forester: …most notable among them is The African Queen (1935), which was made into an extraordinarily successful film in 1951 by writer James Agee and director John Huston. Forester also wrote biographies and history books, including The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck (1959; also titled Sink the Bismarck!). Forester described…

The African Queen, American adventure film, released in 1951, that was based on C.S. Forester’s 1935 novel of the same name. The film is especially noted for Humphrey Bogart’s performance, which earned him the only Academy Award of his career. Set in German East Africa at the outbreak of World War

Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe: …a successful multifaceted mining company, African Rainbow Minerals (ARM).

Cunoniaceae: …species with crimson flowers, and Cunonia capensis, a small southern African tree with clusters of small white flowers.

African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the peoples of Africa. It should be noted that any attempt to generalize about the nature of “African religions” risks wrongly implying that there is homogeneity among all African cultures. In fact, Africa is a vast continent encompassing both

martin: The African river martin (Pseudochelidon eurystomina) of the Congo River is black, with red eyes and bill; it is sometimes placed in a separate family, Pseudochelidonidae. The so-called bee-martin, or bee bird, is not a martin but a kingbird.

gladiator bug, (order Mantophasmatodea), any of approximately 15 species of insects found only in certain regions of Africa, the common name of which is derived from their stout appearance and predatory behaviour. These insects have modified raptorial legs that give them the ability to grasp their

Ira Frederick Aldridge was an American-born English tragedian, considered one of the greatest interpreters of his day. Aldridge performed in his teens at the African Grove Theatre in New York City, the first theatre in the United States that catered to and was managed by African Americans. He

fox: Classification: pallida (pale fox) 1.5–3.5-kg fox inhabiting the Sahel savannas and southern desert margin of northern Africa; coat yellow to brown; similar in form to the red fox but with longer legs and ears. V. rueppelli (sand fox) Big-eared fox of the deserts of northern Africa southward…

arartree, (Tetraclinis articulata), only species of the genus Tetraclinis of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), found in hot, dry areas of southeastern Spain, Malta, and northern Africa. A pyramidal tree 12 to 15 metres (about 40 to 50 feet) tall, the arartree has fragrant, brown or reddish-brown

African bush elephant, (Loxodonta africana), one of two living species of African elephants (genus Loxodonta) and the largest of all living elephant species. The African bush elephant is also Earth’s largest living land animal, and it is one of the world’s most famous, being renowned globally for

planation surface: A younger surface, called the African or Moorland, developed during the Late Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic by the stripping of weathered materials from the ancient Gondwana surfaces. Younger surfaces developed during the Neogene and Pleistocene (about 23 million to 11,700 years ago) as incomplete planation at levels below the remnants…

continental shield: The African Shield, sometimes called the Ethiopian Shield, extends eastward to include western Saudi Arabia and the eastern half of Madagascar.

Thomas Paine: Life in England and America: One such article was “African Slavery in America,” a scathing denunciation of the African slave trade, which he signed “Justice and Humanity.”

sleeping sickness, disease caused by infection with the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or the closely related subspecies T. brucei rhodesiense, transmitted by the tsetse fly (genus Glossina). Sleeping sickness is characterized by two stages of illness. In the first stage,

African socialism, socialist doctrines adopted by several African leaders at the close of French and British colonial rule during the 1950s and ’60s. (Read George Bernard Shaw’s 1926 Britannica essay on socialism.) As African countries gained independence, anticolonial nationalism could no longer

Republic of the Congo: Congo since independence: …parties existed at independence: the African Socialist Movement (Mouvement Socialiste Africain; MSA) and the Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests (Union Démocratique pour la Défense des Intérêts Africains; UDDIA). The two parties pitted the north against the south, an opposition that stemmed from the privileged place occupied by…

African spiny mouse, (genus Acomys), any of more than a dozen species of small to medium-sized rodents characterized by the harsh, inflexible spiny hairs of their upperparts. African spiny mice have large eyes and ears and scaly, nearly bald tails that are shorter than or about as long as the body.

Samuel Fosso: In his photographic series African Spirits, Fosso transformed himself into various Black leaders, politicians, and cultural icons, including former South African president Nelson Mandela, American boxer Muhammad Ali, and American activist and academic Angela Davis.

spoonbill: Others are the African spoonbill (P. alba); the lesser spoonbill (P. minor) of eastern Asia; and two Australian species, the royal, or black-billed, spoonbill (P. regia), and the yellow-billed, or yellow-legged, spoonbill (P. flavipes).

The Standard, English-language daily newspaper published in Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in Mombasa in 1902 as a weekly, the African Standard, by A.M. Jeevanjee, an Indian merchant. Jeevanjee hired an English editor-reporter, W.H. Tiller, to oversee the newspaper’s operations. In 1910 the

African Union: Establishment of the AU: …create a peacekeeping force, the African Standby Force, of about 15,000 soldiers.

weasel: The African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha) is found in Africa south of the Congo Basin. Similar in habit to weasels of the genus Mustela, it is striped in light yellow and black, with black underparts and a long white tail.

Kwame Nkrumah: Early years: …and becoming president of the African Students’ Organization of the United States and Canada. He left the United States in May 1945 and went to England, where he organized the 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester.

Ethiopian region: …to this region is the African division of the Indoafrican subkingdom (which excludes the southern tip of Africa).

African swine fever (ASF), highly contagious and usually fatal viral disease of swine that is characterized by high fever, lesions, leukopenia (abnormally low count of white blood cells), elevated pulse and respiration rate, and death within four to seven days after the onset of fever. The virus

Organization of African Trade Union Unity: …founded in 1961) and the African Trade Union Confederation (ATUC; founded in 1962). The ATUC from its founding had encouraged member affiliation with other international union organizations, while the more-militant AATUF had rejected such affiliation as incompatible with the development of a Pan-African federation.

Organization of African Trade Union Unity, labour organization founded in 1973 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the initiative of the Organization of African Unity and replacing the former All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF; founded in 1961) and the African Trade Union Confederation (ATUC;

R. R. R. Dhlomo: His An African Tragedy (1928) was the first novel in English by a Zulu writer.

sleeping sickness, disease caused by infection with the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or the closely related subspecies T. brucei rhodesiense, transmitted by the tsetse fly (genus Glossina). Sleeping sickness is characterized by two stages of illness. In the first stage,

Bignoniaceae: …and useful members are the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata), calabash tree (Crescentia cujete), sausage tree (Kigelia africana), trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), cross vine (Bignonia capreolata), cat’s claw (Dolichandra unguis-cati), trumpet tree (Tabebuia), jacaranda (Jacaranda), flowering willow (Chilopsis linearis), and Cape

African Union (AU), intergovernmental organization, established in 2002, to promote unity and solidarity of African states, to spur economic development, and to promote international cooperation. The African Union (AU) replaced the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which had been founded in

al-Shabaab: …African Union peacekeeping force (AMISOM) authorized by the UN Security Council in February 2007. The death of Ayro in a U.S. air strike in 2008 did little to slow al-Shabaab’s insurgency. In October 2008 the TFG signed a power-sharing agreement with members of the former SSICC, providing for the…

United Nations Security Council: History: …force known as the hybrid United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), authorized by the Security Council in July 2007. Large-scale UNAMID troop deployment did not begin until 2008, some five years after the violence began, and obstruction by the government of Sudanese Pres. Omar al-Bashir limited the mission’s effectiveness.

Africa Cup of Nations: …next trophy, known as the African Unity Cup, was awarded permanently to Cameroon in 2000 when that team claimed its third championship since 1978. In 2002 a new trophy called the Cup of Nations was introduced.

African Union (AU), intergovernmental organization, established in 2002, to promote unity and solidarity of African states, to spur economic development, and to promote international cooperation. The African Union (AU) replaced the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which had been founded in

vine snake: …vine snakes), and Thelotornis (African vine snakes); however, some authorities also place the genera Imantodes and Langaha in this group. African vine snakes, which inhabit sub-Saharan regions, are most diverse in East Africa. The five species of New World vine snakes range from Texas in the United States to…

African violet, (genus Saintpaulia), genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae native to higher elevations in tropical eastern Africa. African violets are common houseplants, especially Saintpaulia ionantha, and can thrive in low light conditions and bloom throughout the

Gesneriaceae, one of 23 families in the flowering plant order Lamiales, consisting of 147 genera and about 3,200 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbaceous or slightly woody plants. Many are of economic importance as horticultural ornamentals. Among these are the African violets

water rat: Natural history: …aggressive underwater predators, but the African water rat (Colomys goslingi) wades through shallow water or sits at the water’s edge with its muzzle submerged; it is reported to eat some terrestrial insects and snails. Although most water rats are nocturnal, some species are active during the day.

Magnoliales: Timber: Enantia chlorantha (African whitewood), a yellowwood from Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon, produces a sulfurous yellow dye; the wood also is used locally to make unpainted furniture and veneers. Cleistopholis patens (otu) yields a soft, light wood from western Africa that finds some of the same uses…

ass: …horse family, Equidae, especially the African wild ass (Equus africanus) sometimes referred to as the true ass. The related Asiatic wild ass, sometimes called the Asian wild ass or the half-ass (E. hemionus), is usually known by the local names of its various races: e.g., kulan (E. hemionus kulan, Mongolia)…

African wild dog, (Lycaon pictus), wild African carnivore that differs from the rest of the members of the dog family (Canidae) in having only four toes on each foot. Its coat is short, sparse, and irregularly blotched with yellow, black, and white. The African wild dog is about 76–102 cm (30–41

African wildcat, (Felis silvestris libyca), small, tabbylike cat (family Felidae) found in open and forested regions of Africa and Asia. Likely the first cat to be domesticated, the African wildcat is somewhat larger and stockier than the modern house cat, with which it interbreeds readily. Its

African Wildlife Foundation, international organization dedicated to conserving wildlife and habitats in Africa. It was founded in 1961 as the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, Inc. Its programs include establishing reserves, conducting scientific research, training local conservationists,

African Wildlife Foundation, international organization dedicated to conserving wildlife and habitats in Africa. It was founded in 1961 as the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, Inc. Its programs include establishing reserves, conducting scientific research, training local conservationists,

stork: The African wood stork (Ibis ibis), or yellow-billed stork, is about 100 cm (3 feet) tall, with a yellowish bill and red facial skin.

Tom Mboya: …1959 he helped found the African-American Students Foundation to raise money to send East African (originally only Kenyan) university students to the United States on charter flights, thus making it possible for many more students to study abroad.

Mali: 2012 coup and warfare in the north: …UN-backed force, known as the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), was not expected to occur until well into 2013.

Africanized honeybee, (Apis mellifera scutellata ×A. mellifera), hybrid honeybee resulting from the accidental release of African honeybees into the Western Hemisphere in 1957 and their subsequent crossbreeding with local European honeybees. The Africanized honeybees, known for their rigorous

Africanized honeybee, (Apis mellifera scutellata ×A. mellifera), hybrid honeybee resulting from the accidental release of African honeybees into the Western Hemisphere in 1957 and their subsequent crossbreeding with local European honeybees. The Africanized honeybees, known for their rigorous

bee: … is a hybrid between an African subspecies and a subspecies of European honeybee. The Africanized honeybee resulted from the accidental release of African honeybees in Brazil in 1957and their subsequent crossbreeding with local European honeybees. Although it is not more venomous than the European form, it reacts much more quickly…

Scipio Africanus was a Roman general noted for his victory over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal in the great Battle of Zama (202 bce), ending the Second Punic War. For his victory he won the surname Africanus (201 bce). Publius Cornelius Scipio was born into one of the great patrician families in

Scipio Africanus the Younger was a Roman general famed both for his exploits during the Third Punic War (149–146 bc) and for his subjugation of Spain (134–133 bc). He received the name Africanus and celebrated a triumph in Rome after his destruction of Carthage (146 bc). He acquired the

Sextus Julius Africanus was the first Christian historian known to produce a universal chronology. His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine, where he served as prefect. He

Africatown, community in Mobile, Alabama, that was established by survivors of the last forced voyage of enslaved Africans to the United States. It is the only American community ever created by West Africans who had personally survived the Middle Passage. Over time, the surrounding area became

Afrocentrism, cultural and political movement whose mainly African American adherents regard themselves and all other Blacks as syncretic Africans and believe that their worldview should positively reflect traditional African values. The terms Afrocentrism, Afrocology, and Afrocentricity were

Africville, African-Canadian village formerly located just north of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in the mid-18th century, Africville became a prosperous seaside community, but the City of Halifax demolished it in the 1960s in what many said was an act of racism after decades of neglect and

Afrīdī, Pashtun tribe inhabiting the hill country from the eastern spurs of the Spīn Ghar Range to northern Pakistan. The Afrīdīs, whose territory straddles the Khyber Pass, are of uncertain origin. Fighting between the Afrīdīs and the troops of the Mughal dynasty of India occurred frequently in

logistics: Staged resupply: In 1941–42 the German Afrika Korps in Libya was supplied across the Mediterranean through the small port of Tripoli and eastward over a single coastal road that had no bases or magazines and was exposed to enemy air attack—a distance of up to 1,300 miles, depending on the location…

Afrikaans language, West Germanic language of South Africa, developed from 17th-century Dutch, sometimes called Netherlandic, by the descendants of European (Dutch, German, and French) colonists, indigenous Khoisan peoples, and African and Asian slaves in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.

South African literature: In Afrikaans: Although Afrikaans had diverged sufficiently from its parent Dutch by about 1750 to be considered a language on its own, the first Afrikaans texts were not published until more than a century later. In 1875 a group of nationally conscious men established the Association…

National Party (NP), South African political party, founded in 1914, which ruled the country from 1948 to 1994. Its following included most of the Dutch-descended Afrikaners and many English-speaking whites. The National Party was long dedicated to policies of apartheid and white supremacy, but by

Afrikaner, a South African of European descent whose native language is Afrikaans. They are descendants of the Boers. See

Afrikaner Bond, one of the first organized political parties of Cape Colony, Southern Africa, founded by the Rev. Stephanus Jacobus du Toit in 1879–80. In 1883 it amalgamated with Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Boeren Beschermings Vereeniging (“Farmer’s Protection Association”). Du Toit attempted to create

Afrikaner-Broederbond, South African secret society composed of Afrikaans-speaking Protestant, white men over the age of 25. Although its political power was extensive and evident throughout South African society for many decades, its rituals and membership—by invitation only—remained secret. The

Afrikaner Bond, one of the first organized political parties of Cape Colony, Southern Africa, founded by the Rev. Stephanus Jacobus du Toit in 1879–80. In 1883 it amalgamated with Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Boeren Beschermings Vereeniging (“Farmer’s Protection Association”). Du Toit attempted to create

National Party: …walked out and formed the Afrikaner Party (1941).

South Africa: Afrikaner rebellion and nationalism: When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, South Africa’s dominion status meant that it was automatically at war, and its troops mobilized to invade German South West Africa. This sparked a rebellion led by former Boer generals, who held high-ranking…

Southern Africa: Germans in South West Africa: …1830s of the Oorlam chief Jonker Afrikaner and his well-armed followers significantly altered the regional balance of power. Responding to an appeal from the Nama, who were being driven from their grazing lands by Herero expansion, Afrikaner settled at Windhoek. By gaining control over the all-important trade routes from Walvis…

Afrikaner-Broederbond, South African secret society composed of Afrikaans-speaking Protestant, white men over the age of 25. Although its political power was extensive and evident throughout South African society for many decades, its rituals and membership—by invitation only—remained secret. The

Afrikaner-Broederbond, South African secret society composed of Afrikaans-speaking Protestant, white men over the age of 25. Although its political power was extensive and evident throughout South African society for many decades, its rituals and membership—by invitation only—remained secret. The

Out of Africa, memoir by Danish writer Isak Dinesen, published in English in 1937 and translated the same year by the author into Danish as Den afrikanske farm. It is an autobiographical account of the author’s life from 1914 to 1931 after her marriage to Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke, when she managed

Gahanbar: …rites are first celebrated: the Āfringān, being prayers of love or praise; the Bāj, prayers honoring yazatas (angels) or fravashis (guardian spirits); the Yasna, the central Zoroastrian rite, which includes the sacrifice of the sacred liquor, haoma; and the Pavi, prayers honoring God and his spirits, performed jointly by the…

French Equatorial Africa, collectively, four French territories in central Africa from 1910 to 1959. In 1960 the former territory of Ubangi-Shari (Oubangui-Chari), to which Chad (Tchad) had been attached in 1920, became the Central African Republic and the Republic of Chad; the Middle Congo

French West Africa, administrative grouping under French rule from 1895 until 1958 of the former French territories of West Africa: Senegal, French Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and the French Sudan, to which Dahomey (Benin) was added in 1899. Certain territories of the Sudan were grouped together under

ifrit, in Islamic mythology and folklore, a class of powerful malevolent supernatural beings. The exact meaning of the term ifrit in the earliest sources is difficult to determine. It does not occur in pre-Islamic poetry and is only used once in the Qurʾān, in the phrase “the ifrit of the jinn”

ifrit, in Islamic mythology and folklore, a class of powerful malevolent supernatural beings. The exact meaning of the term ifrit in the earliest sources is difficult to determine. It does not occur in pre-Islamic poetry and is only used once in the Qurʾān, in the phrase “the ifrit of the jinn”

East African mountains: Soils: …dark peaty loams of the Afro-Alpine zone and the strong brown loams of high organic content in the forest belt, to the ferruginous (iron-bearing) soils of the lower slopes. Volcanic material presents a range from the unaltered rock of the most recent eruptions to the well-developed fertile soils on surfaces…

African Americans, one of the largest of the many ethnic groups in the United States. African Americans are mainly of African ancestry, but many have non-Black ancestors as well. African Americans are largely the descendants of enslaved people who were brought from their African homelands by force

William Grant Still: …was best known for his Afro-American Symphony (1931).

Malcolm X: Final years and legacy: In 1965 he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity as a secular vehicle to internationalize the plight of Black Americans and to make common cause with the people of the developing world—to move from civil rights to human rights.

East African Rift System, one of the most extensive rifts on Earth’s surface, extending from Jordan in southwestern Asia southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. The system is some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long and averages 30–40 miles (48–64 km) wide. The system consists of two branches. The

continental shield: The African Shield, sometimes called the Ethiopian Shield, extends eastward to include western Saudi Arabia and the eastern half of Madagascar.

Afro-Asiatic languages, languages of common origin found in the northern part of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and some islands and adjacent areas in Western Asia. About 250 Afro-Asiatic languages are spoken today by a total of approximately 250 million people. Numbers of speakers per language

witchcraft: Witchcraft in Africa and the world: Members of certain Afro-Brazilian cults, for example, believe that job loss is due not to economic conditions or poor performance but to witchcraft, and they participate in a ritual, the “consultation,” to counter the evil.