Cities of Africa questions

In 16th-18th centuries, Rabat was a reputed corsair haven. The city served as one of the many ports in North Africa for the Barbary pirates. Photo: Tour Hassan (1195), a classic example of Almohad art.

The name Tripoli means literally "Three Cities" in Greek. The city is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (especially in Arabic world), to distinguish it from Tripoli in Lebanon.

Abuja is the capital of Nigeria, but not its largest city (it is Lagos). According to the United Nations, Abuja grew at the rate of 139.7% between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the world. Photo: Zuma Rock, just outside the city.

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. It is famous for having the Nairobi National Park, the world's only game reserve found within a major city.

Antananarivo served as capital of Madagascar well before the French colonization of the island. It was the seat of Radama I, who was considered the King of Madagascar by European diplomats in the early XIXth century.

Mogadishu is the capital and largest city of Somalia. The population of Mogadishu is 1.1 million - about 10% of the total country population.

Addis Ababa lies at an elevation of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) – making it the fourth highest capital in the world, after Andean and Himalayan capitals.

Accra was built around three different European trading posts on the African Goald Coast - Dutch Fort Crêvecœur (built 1649), Danish Fort Christiansborg (1652) and British Fort James (1673).

Bamako is located on the crossing of trade routes, on the Niger River near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys.

The city flourished in the early 20th century under the Portuguese administration. In 1974, Portugal granted independence to all Portuguese overseas territories. Over 250,000 ethnic Portuguese pulled out virtually overnight, leaving Mozambique's economy and administration unmanageable. The city's economy collapsed and never fully recovered.