French West Africa

French West Africa
a former French federation in W Africa, including Dahomey (now Benin), French Guinea, French Sudan (now Mali), Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Fasso).

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Former federation of French dependencies, western Africa.

It consisted of what are now the independent republics of Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. The capital was at Dakar. The federation was established in 1895 and dissolved 1958–59. By 1960 the former colonial territories had become independent republics.

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▪ historical territory, West Africa
French  Afrique Occidentale Française (AOF) 

      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 was added in 1899. Certain territories of the Sudan were grouped together under the name Senegambia and Niger (Sénégambie-Niger; 1903), which was transformed into Upper Senegal and Niger (Haut-Sénégal-Niger; 1904). At the same time, Mauritania (Maurétanie) was added to French West Africa. The colony of Upper Volta (Haute-Volta), founded in 1909 and attached in 1932 to the Ivory Coast, was reestablished as a territory of the federation in 1947. Upper Senegal and Niger was renamed the French Sudan in 1920. By 1960 the formerly colonial territories had become independent republics, with French Sudan changing its name to Mali. Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • French West Africa — Afrique occidentale française Federation of French colonies ↓ …   Wikipedia

  • French West Africa —    French West Africa ( Afrique occidentale française ) was by 1913 a federation of eight French colonial possessions in Africa that extended, on an East West axis, from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to the border of Chad and, on a North South… …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • French West Africa — former French overseas territory in W Africa, including the present countries of Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin, & Niger …   English World dictionary

  • French West Africa —    Most of the countries that make up the former French West Africa are predominantly Muslim, with a large presence of Roman Catholicism and indigenous religions. The small Protestant communities that were planted by missionaries have maintained… …   Encyclopedia of Protestantism

  • French West Africa — noun French West Africa is the (literal) English rendering of Afrique Occidentale française (abbreviated AOC), a geographical group of French colonies in West Africa under the supervisory authority of a single governor general, comprising the… …   Wiktionary

  • French West Africa — French′ West Af′rica n. geg a former French federation in W Africa, including Dahomey (now Benin), French Guinea, French Sudan (now Mali), Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) …   From formal English to slang

  • French West Africa — geographical name former federation of French dependencies W Africa consisting of Dahomey, French Guinea, French Sudan, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, & Upper Volta …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • French West Africa — noun a former federation of eight French overseas territories in western Africa: Dahomey (now Benin), French Guinea (now Guinea), French Sudan (now Mali), Côte d Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Dakar, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) …  

  • French West Africa — a former French federation in W Africa, including Dahomey (now Benin), French Guinea, French Sudan (now Mali), Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Fasso) …   Useful english dictionary

  • French West Africa — former colonies of France: Algeria, Chad, French Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Upper Volta …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

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