WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

ON MY LONG JOURNEY, I TRAVELED ACROSS SEVERAL COUNTRIES...

• Sudan
• Chad
• Nigeria
• Liberia
• Zaire
• Sierra Leone
• Some countries I just passed through such as: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, DRC, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, and Togo.

CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE

• West and Central Africa have a tropical climate.
• It was very hot on my vacation.
• It rains quite often there, as well.
• The landscape was beautiful: including swamplands, tropical rain forests, river deltas, and dry plateaus.
• I also went on safaris and experienced some tropical savannas.

NATURAL RESOURCES

• When visiting Nigeria, it was easy to see the importance oil exports had to their economy.
• When I was in Zaire the main economic activity I participated in was farming.
• The regions wealth of natural resources could make Zaire a world economic power in the future.
• The other countries that I visited across West and Central Africa had agricultural economies, timber and mineral resources.

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Niger River was the first river I came across; it was very large and beautiful.
• I had the chance to ride in a helicopter over the Congo River, this river looked like a snake stretched across the region of central Africa.
• I got to see some of the longest river in the world, the Nile River, on my vacation.
• When in West Africa, I hiked up the Atlas Mountains. On the hike I got to experience many types of exotic wildlife.

ACTIVITIES

• On my adventure across West Africa, I went to the Lake Retba, Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park, and the House of Slaves museum.
• I also went on tours through Zaire's tropical rain forest!
• There was never a dull moment on my journey across West and Central Africa.
• Above all, my favorite activity was playing soccer and hanging out with the children in Nigeria.

DIFFICULTIES

• The most difficult part for me was seeing the poverty levels in some regions, and not being able to fully help the people.
• The heat was also something I had to get used to on my adventure. During my tour through the Zaire rainforest I was pretty uncomfortable due to how sweaty I got from the humidity.
• The animals were super fascinating, but the bugs I could do without. Over my trip I had a total of 127 mosquito bites.

YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS!

• Mud architecture was one of the coolest sights along my journey. Niger contains amazing sculptures, buildings, and homes made out of mud!
• The Loango National Park in Gabon is a must see! This park is the only place in Africa where you can see whales, chimps, gorillas, and elephants at the same location.
• Ghana's Atlantic Coast is lined with beautiful castles; some of these forts (castles) have been turned into guesthouses!
• I also got to hike up Mount Cameroon, which at its highest peak is 13,255 feet. This natural landform offered fascinating sights and adventures.

WORKS CITED

• “Climate - Central African Republic.” Climate in Central African Republic: Temperature, Precipitation, When to Go, What to Pack, www.climatestotravel.com/climate/central-african-republic.
• “Where to Go in West and Central Africa.” TripSavvy, www.tripsavvy.com/visiting-west-and-central-africa-1454168.