Africa Day: Tour the Continent

May 25 is special in Africa — it's African Liberation Day. On this day, many African countries celebrate the hard-fought achievement of their freedom from European colonial powers. You can explore the history of African countries — and much more about this vast continent — through the Web.

Want to know what kind of wildlife is found in Kenya, or which languages are spoken in Mali? For excellent in-depth information on African countries from A (Algeria) to Z (Zimbabwe), check out the African studies Web site, especially the specific pages on every country in Africa.

In 1957, Ghana became the first African country south of the Sahara to secure independence from colonial rule. The newly independent nation took its name from an empire that flourished near that region between the fourth and tenth centuries. Ghana's past and present come together in a colorful, clickable slide show, of rainforests, traditional Ghanaian ceremonies, a fort left over from the days of the slave trade, a wildlife park, and African items such as kente cloth.

What is now the nation of Mali was once part of another large African empire. Mali Interactive takes you to an archaeological dig site, where you will learn about both the treasures of the past and the different people in Mali today.

To discover more about Africa's rich cultural heritage, visit Africa: The Art of a Continent. It provides a clickable map through which you can view the art of Africa, region by region.

African studies Web site
http://www.sas.upenn.edu
/African_Studies/AS.html

Ghana
http://www.ghana.gov.gh/

Mali Interactive
http://www.ruf.rice.edu
/~anth/arch
/mali-interactive/

Africa: The Art of a Continent
http://artnetweb.com
/guggenheim/africa/