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FRENCH WEST AFRICA (L'Afrique occiden...

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 205 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FRENCH See also:WEST See also:AFRICA (L'Afrique occidentale francaise) , the See also:common designation of the following colonies of See also:France:—(I) See also:Senegal, (2) Upper Senegal and See also:Niger, (3) See also:Guinea, (4) the See also:Ivory See also:Coast, (5) See also:Dahomey; of the territory of See also:Mauretania, and of a large portion of the See also:Sahara. The See also:area is estimated at nearly 2,000,000 sq. m., of which more than See also:half is Saharan territory. The countries thus grouped under the common designation French West Africa comprise the greater See also:part of the See also:continent west of the Niger See also:delta (which is See also:British territory) and See also:south of the tropic of See also:Cancer. It embraces the upper and See also:middle course of the Niger, the whole of the See also:basin of the Senegal and the south-western part of the Sahara. Its most See also:northern point on the coast is Cape Blanco, and it includes Cape Verde, the most See also:westerly point of Africa. Along the Guinea coast the French possessions are separated from one another by colonies of See also:Great See also:Britain and other See also:powers, but in the interior they unite not only with one another but with the hinterlands of See also:Algeria and the French See also:Congo. In See also:physical characteristics French West Africa presents three types: (I) a dense See also:forest region succeeding a narrow coast See also:belt greatly broken by lagoons; (2) moderately elevated and fertile plateaus, generally below 2000 ft., such as the region enclosed in the great See also:bend of the Niger; (3) See also:north of the Senegal and Niger, the See also:desert lands forming part of the Sahara (q.v.). The most elevated districts are Futa Jallon, whence rise the Senegal, See also:Gambia and Niger, and Gon—both massifs along the south-western edge of the See also:plateau lands, containing heights of 5000 to 6000 ft. or more. Among the See also:chief towns are See also:Timbuktu and See also:Jenne on the Niger, See also:Porto Novo in Dahomey, and St See also:Louis and See also:Dakar in Senegal, Dakar being an important See also:naval and commercial See also:port. The inhabitants are for the most part typical Negroes, with in Senegal and in the Sahara an admixture of See also:Berber and Arab tribes. In the upper Senegal and Futa Jallon large See also:numbers of the inhabitants are See also:Fula. The See also:total See also:population of French West Africa is estimated at about 13,000,000.

The See also:

European inhabitants number about 12,000. The French possessions in West Africa have grown by the See also:extension inland of coast colonies, each having an See also:independent origin. They were first brought under one See also:general See also:government in 1895, when they were placed under the supervision of the See also:governor of Senegal, whose See also:title was altered to meet the new situation. Between that date and 1905 various changes in the areas and administrations of the different colonies were made, involving the disappearance of the protectorates and military territories known as French See also:Sudan and dependent on Senegal. These were partly absorbed in the coast colonies, whilst the central portion became the See also:colony of Upper Senegal and Niger. At the same See also:time the central government was freed from the See also:direct See also:administration of the Senegal and Niger countries (Decrees of Oct. 1902 and Oct. 1904). Over the whole of French West Africa is a governor-general, whose headquarters are at Dakar.' He is assisted by a government See also:council, composed of high functionaries, including the See also:lieutenant-See also:governors of all colonies under his See also:control. The central government, like all other French colonial administrations, is responsible, not to the colonists, but to the See also:home government, and its constitution is alterable at will by presidential See also:decree See also:save in matters on which the See also:chambers ' The organization of the new government was largely the See also:work of E. N. Roume (b.

1858), governor-general 1902-1907, an able and energetic See also:

official, formerly director of Asian affairs at the colonial See also:ministry.have expressly legislated. To it is confided See also:financial control over the colonies, responsibility for the public See also:debt, the direction of the departments of See also:education and See also:agriculture, and the carrying out of See also:works of general utility. It alone communicates with the home authorities. Its expenses are met by the duties levied on goods and vessels entering and leaving any port of French West Africa. It may make advances to the colonies under its care, and may, in See also:case of need, demand from them contributions to the central See also:exchequer. The administration of See also:justice is centralized and See also:uniform for all French West Africa. The See also:court of See also:appeal sits at Dakar. There is also a uniform See also:system of See also:land See also:registration adopted in 1906 and based on that in force in See also:Australia. Subject to the limitations indicated the five colonies enjoy See also:autonomy. The territory of Mauretania is administered by a See also:civil See also:commissioner under the direct control of the governor-general. The colony of Senegal is represented in the French See also:parliament by one See also:deputy. Since the changes in administration effected in 1895 the See also:commerce of French West Africa has shown a steady growth, the See also:volume of See also:external See also:trade increasing in the ten years 1895-1904 from £3,151,094 to £6,238,091.

In 1907 the value of the trade was £7,097,000; of this 53% was with France. Apart from military See also:

expenditure, about £600,000 a See also:year, which is See also:borne by France, French West Africa is self-supporting. The general See also:budget for 1906 balanced at £1,356,000. There is a public debt of some £I1,000,000, mainly incurred for works of general utility. See SENEGAL, FRENCH GUINEA, IVORY COAST and DAHOMEY. For Anglo-French boundaries See also:east of the Niger see SAHARA and See also:NIGERIA. For the constitutional connexion between the colonies and France see FRANCE: Colonies. An See also:account of the economic situation of the colonies is given by G. See also:Francois in Le Gouvernement general de l'Afrique occidentale francaise (See also:Paris, 1908). Consult also the See also:annual See also:Report on the Trade, Agriculture, &c. of French West Africa issued by the British See also:foreign See also:office. A See also:map of French West Africa by A. See also:Meunier and E.

Barralier (6 sheets on the See also:

scale 1:2,000,000) was published in Paris, 1903.

End of Article: FRENCH WEST AFRICA (L'Afrique occidentale francaise)

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