BUSH IN AFRICA
When and where President Bush is going in Africa:
Today: Senegal
ECONOMY: Senegal's economy is dominated by agriculture, particularly peanut production.
PEOPLE: Population is 10.5 million. French is the official language.
POLITICS: President Abdoulaye Wade, a longtime opposition leader, came to power in 2000 presidential elections, vowing to improve living standards and spark development.
Wednesday: South Africa
ECONOMY: South Africa is the largest economy in Africa, with one-third of the continent's GDP. It is the world's largest producer of platinum, gold and chromium.
PEOPLE: Population is 44 million. There are 11 official languages, including English and Afrikaans, and nine local languages, including Zulu.
POLITICS: Thabo Mbeki won presidential elections in 1999. Unemployment is high.
Thursday: Botswana
ECONOMY: The economy is dominated by diamond mining.
PEOPLE: Population is 1.5 million. English is the official language.
POLITICS: President Festus Mogae won democratic elections in 1998.
Friday: Uganda
ECONOMY: Coffee is Uganda's biggest money-earner.
PEOPLE: Population is 24 million. English is the official language, but KiSwahili is widely spoken.
POLITICS: Yoweri Museveni won presidential elections in 1996 and 2001, although political parties were banned and all candidates had to run as individuals without the backing of a party.
Saturday: Nigeria
ECONOMY: Nigeria is Africa's top exporter of oil and the fifth-biggest source of U.S. oil imports.
PEOPLE: With a population of 126 million, Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation. English is the official language.
POLITICS: Olusegun Obasanjo won presidential elections in 1999 and April 2003. He has pledged to fight corruption and mismanagement, and faces an uphill fight to rebuild the petroleum-based economy. AP |
