Nigeria (English Speaking) - The most populated African country at 160+ million. The country has an extraordinary amount of oil wealth, but it is also one of the most corrupt countries on earth so most of it has been squandered. It is a giant on the continent. Nigerians are found in large numbers throughout the continent, and are sometimes seen as a bit of a menace/drain in the countries they inhabit.
South Africa (English Speaking) - The economic giant of the continent, it has a much higher standard of living than most of the rest of the continent, however there are still huge swathes of population living in abject poverty. Johannesburg alone accounts for 10% of the entire economy of the entire continent. Gold and mineral wealth abounds, diamonds and a healthy manufacturing sector contribute to it's wealth. It is also notable for the fairly large (~12%) white population. Unfortunately it is run by a horribly inept and entrenched government, also corrupt.
Ethiopia (Amharic Speaking)- Is another giant in terms of population, but is incredibly poor, with a very undeveloped agricultural economy. However, it seems to exert a lot of influence across the continent, (heading up the African Union for example). Ethiopia has one of the most distinct cultures on the continent, with the only written dialect originating on the African continent. It was also the only Sub-Saharan African country to not be fully colonized by a European power.
Democratic Republic of Congo (French Speaking) -This is hardly a functioning state, but should be noted for it's sheer size and potentially massive wealth of resources. The country is huge and virtually ungovernable, but even though it has huge areas of untouched natural areas it also has a sizable population. It is one of the last "Wild West's" in the world.
Egypt (Arabic Speaking) - A massive population and definitely an African power, but their face is firmly pointed towards the Middle-East. The country does have alot of influence and power, but it does not concern itself in African affairs as much as it does towards the ME. It does have some money, but huge portions of the population are very poor.
Ghana (English Speaking) - Not the most populated or richest, but probably the most successful country in terms of fostering a healthy, stable democracy, good governance, and an extremely fast growing economy. It has alot of potential and has been very well managed. It has the corruption associated with any under-developed country, but it has a well educated middle class growing healthily.
I could go on, but those are some of the most essential countries on the continent.
Uganda / Tanzania / Kenya- These three countries could all be grouped together as East Africa. They are all three very interconnected economically and are all generally peaceful and partially developing in key areas of economic activity. All were British colonies, they share Swahili culture for the most part and they are visited by alot more tourists than most other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Kenya (English Speaking) - Kenya is the typical safari tourist destination that is often seen on nature shows. Nomadic tribes and hordes of animals dot the landscape. Culturally it is typically Africa, this is where they speak Swahili "hakuna matata" and all that, Tanzania also speaks Swahili. It is very diverse with desolate lawlessness outbacks towards the Ethiopian and Somali borders, but it also has a very sophisticated and cosmopolitan urban life in Nairobi, with a decent population of Indian descendants of labourers brought by the British. More often than not these Indians are very wealthy indeed. Kenya has always been relatively stable and semi-prosperous (relatively), but it's no stranger to spats of violence.
Tanzania (English Speaking) - A huge country that is home to widely spread-out towns and agricultural communties. Some of these outposts can be pretty isolated and poor, but like Kenya, the primary city Dar Es Salaam is pretty happening and is home to all kinds of wealthy people, as well as slums like Nairobi. Off the coast of Tanzania is the tourist destination of Zanzibar, an idyllic and beautiful place, formerly the seat of the Sultan of Oman. For this reason this island and the coasts of Tanzania and Kenya are much more Islamic than the interior.
Uganda (English Speaking) - Uganda is a beautiful little gem of a country, very densely populated in the lush green hills dotted by lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Like Tanzania and Kenya it is encircling part of the massive Lake Victoria. The country is known for having problems in the past with Idi Amin (Last King of Scotland) and some unrest in the north. But it has the unenviable position of bordering on some of the most unstable regions on earth; the Eastern DRC and Southern Sudan. Other than that, the country itself is now doing better and prospering along under a benevolent dictator. However, they just discovered oil under one of the lakes.
Angola (Speaks Portuguese) - Angola was a very war-torn nation, many Cold War proxy conflicts took place here amongst South African soldiers, Soviet backed movements as well as Cuban guerrilla's sent by Castro. It is now a very fast up and coming country, it has offshore oil, and alot of money is being pumped into the country by Brazil and particularly China. However, the economic elite is very small, very rich and very isolated. Much of the country is still completely undeveloped and dangerous, dotted with land-mines etc; but it is changing very fast and is one to watch.
Namibia/Botswana (English Speaking) - These two countries are very exceptional for a variety of reasons. They are firmly under the influence of South Africa, and are in a similar level of prosperity. Namibia and Botswana are two of the lest densely populated countries on earth, being mostly (very beautiful) desert. Botswana and Namibia have very healthy middle classes and consumer economies in their cities. Namibia also has a large white population like South Africa. They both have a very regulated and very lucrative diamond industry that has worked to benefit most of their tiny populations. For example, Botswana has less than 2 million people in an area the size of Texas or France. Namibia is similarly sparse. Well managed countries with relatively low levels of corruption. They do however, have some of the highest HIV infection rates on earth.
Mali (*French Officially) - Mali is a country smack dab in the heart of the Sahara desert where all population centres are formed along rivers and trade routes. It is a vast country of considerable wealth in the form of gold and minerals. Before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, it used to provide most of Europe and the Middle-East with gold for trade, during this time it had a large population of some of the worlds leading scholars and intellectuals (Timbuktu). However with the influx of New World gold the Malian Empire collapsed. These days it is a cultural tour de force, with a healthy music scene and unique culture. Unfortunately, nomadic tribesmen from the north have gotten hold of Libyan arms that have been circulating since the fall of Gaddafi, and they are causing trouble in the northern half of the country.
Libya (Arabic) - Libya has a very small population of ~6 or 7 million (compared to Egypt with 90 million+), and it has an extraordinary amount of oil wealth. Under Gaddafi people actually lived pretty well, with a government social structure that provided education and healthcare as well as other benefits. However, much of Libya's story is the story of Moamar Gaddafi, during his rule from 1969-2011 he ammassed a huge military stock-pile and was constantly meddling in the affairs of other countries. He used to fund insurgencies in the Philippines, Thailand and even gave support to the Irish Republican Army (terrorists), just to destabilize his enemies and possibly gain favour with some new regime. He saw himself as the Godfather of Africa. Bequeathing much wealth on his Sub-Saharan African allies. Throughout Africa there are clinics and schools and other facilities personally opened and inaugurated by Gaddafi using his (Libyan) funds. He wanted to start a Pan-African currency based on gold that would allow Africa to work together as a trading bloc (i.e. the EU or the US) and shelter all of those small African economies from the perpetual inflation that their currencies are subject to. This would allow prices for their goods to stabilize and allow them to import industrial goods at non-inflated prices and would help the Africans greatly, but Western countries would have to pay much much more for goods if they had to trade actual gold with Africans. It's an interesting notion and maybe someone else can offer more insight than I can in this (supposed to be!) brief summary.
Sudan/South Sudan - Before the creation of South Sudan, Sudan itself was the largest country in Africa and it can be summed up mainly by understanding the way it split. The northern half (what is now called Sudan) is mainly ethnic Arabic/North African as opposed to Black African. This Islamic North has ruled the country and done their best to subdue and dominate the southern black Africans who are of a totally different culture etc. The north and Khartoum are actually pretty civilized along the lines of say Egypt, it is also very peaceful and quiet up there. Almost all oil wealth was concentrated in the North so it is not poor by any means.
However the South physically had/has the oil so therein lies the conflicts.
Now that they have split the South still has to pipe it's oil (and some wealth) through the north, but in the meantime, South Sudan remains a desolate, chaotic region of earth that can hardly be called a country. There is not a paved road leading to any of it's borders.In fact there is only about two miles of pavement in it's capital Juba. 1 in 6 women who become pregnant will die. 1.9% of children complete primary school. 80% of the population does not have access to any kind of toilet facility. The average household is one hour from a water source. The stats are depressing. It is truly one of the least developed places on earth; in stark contrast to the north. Furthermore, South Sudan is still full of weapons and militia-men, the outlook is bleak.
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