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How much do you know about the region of West Africa? Test your knowledge with these tidbits from CultureGrams:
- What nation was settled by freed U.S. slaves in the early 19th century?
- What city is Mali's capital and a major regional trading center on the Niger River?
- In what country do Moors, many of whom still live in the desert as herders, make up the majority of the population?
- In Niger, sharing three rounds of what drink is considered an essential part of a social visit?
- What country is surrounded on all sides (except its coast) by Senegal?
- Nigeria is one of the largest producers of what resource, most of which comes from the nation's Delta Region?
- What country is famous for textiles such as kente-cloth, which have colorful geometric patterns and are considered to be among the most beautiful in Africa?
- What country is an archipelago of 10 main islands located some 278 miles (445 kilometers) off the West African coast?
- What island near Dakar, Senegal, was a major auction site for the colonial-era slave trade and is protected today as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)?
- The name of which landlocked West African country means "the land of upright and courageous people"?
Answers:
1) Liberia. 2) Bamako. 3) Mauritania. 4) Tea. 5) The Gambia. 6) Oil. 7) Ghana. 8) Cape Verde. 9) Goree Island. 10) Burkina Faso.
Did you know...
- In Burkina Faso, when a person dies, burial almost always occurs on that day or the next. In some communities, a funeral is scheduled for several months later. The delay gives all relatives and friends time to prepare for the trip and earn enough money to put on a celebration that will sufficiently honor the deceased person. In funeral ceremonies, attendees consume large amounts of food and dolo (millet beer) while joyously remembering the life of the deceased.
- In Niger, traditional weddings include feasting, dancing, and drumming. Various customs are employed to bring the bride and groom together. In some areas, the bride must identify (in the spirit of fun) one of two hooded men as her husband. In other places, a veiled bride is taken by camel to the groom's house. Elsewhere, a bride runs away the night before the wedding and must be retrieved from a friend's house by her future husband and his escorts.
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