WEST AFRICA

western region of Africa between the Sahara (north) and the Gulf of Guinea (south). On the east, the western boundary of Cameroon, extending northeast to Lake Chad, is a commonly used delimitation of the region. The countries of West Africa with coastlines on the Atlantic are, from north to south, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Inland nations are Burkina Faso and those parts of Mali and Niger south of the Sahara. With the formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975, the above countries became members. Cape Verde joined in 1977. For historical analysis, this encyclopaedia treats all of Mali and Niger, as well as Chad, as a part of West Africa. See Western Africa.