As everyone probably knows by now, some African countries no longer exist, not in a structure form though but rather in a name form. There’s plenty of reasons why countries may change names but the main one is after a country wins over colonization.
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Now without any further ado, let’s check out some of the countries that changed their names over the years. See the images below:
01. Katanga
In 1960 after Congo became independent, the Katanga region decided to secede from the newly independent state. Referring itself as the Republic of Katanga, the country was ruled by the leader of the Confédération des associations tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT) political party, Moise Tshombe.
However, Katanga only existed until 1963 after United Nations suppressed the regime and forced Tshombe into exile in Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia) and later Italy.
02. Biafra
Between 1967 and 1970, there was a country in West Africa called Biafra. The unrecognised state seceded from Nigeria due to a variety of issues, among them politics and economic issues. Within six months of the existence of the newly independent state, the tide was already in favour of Nigeria, which had started blocking access to and from the region. It is reported that at least one million civilians died in the Biafra- Nigeria war due to hunger and starvation.
Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria and cover the states of Anambra, Imo, Cross River and Rivers.
03. Tripolitania
The place we know today as the capital city of Libya was once an independent republic called Tripolitania. It seceded from Libya in 1918, when Libya was an Italian colony. The region, formerly in Ottoman Empire’s control, declared its independence once the Italian troops were removed from the area after the World War I.
In 1919, Tripolitania signed a declaration of independence at the Paris Peace Conference.
04. Republic of Transvaal
Also known as the South African Republic, the Transvaal Republic was an independent state between 1852 to 1902. It won against the British during the Boer War I but eventually lost in Boer War II and became the Transvaal colony.
