French West Africa
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Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work!French West Africa, French Afrique Occidentale Française (AOF), administrative grouping under French rule from 1895 until 1958 of the former French territories of West Africa: Senegal, French Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and the French Sudan, to which Dahomey was added in 1899. Certain territories of the Sudan were grouped together under the name Senegambia and Niger (Sénégambie-Niger; 1903), which was transformed into Upper Senegal and Niger (Haut-Sénégal-Niger; 1904). At the same time, Mauritania (Maurétanie) was added to French West Africa. The colony of Upper Volta (Haute-Volta), founded in 1909 and attached in 1932 to the Ivory Coast, was reestablished as a territory of the federation in 1947. Upper Senegal and Niger was renamed the French Sudan in 1920. By 1960 the formerly colonial territories had become independent republics, with French Sudan changing its name to Mali. Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984.
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Mali: French West AfricaWhat is present-day Mali became a part of French West Africa, although its borders were modified repeatedly and its name was changed as well. For most of its existence, the territory was known as the French Sudan and headed by either a… -
20th-century international relations: France’s independent course…the partition and independence of French West Africa. De Gaulle, however, refused to exhibit any guilt or doubt about France’smission civilisatrice and offered the populations a choice between going it alone or joining a linguistic, monetary, and development community with the former metropole. Only Guinea elected to follow a… -
education: Education in French colonies and former colonies…of the federated colonies of French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa, was there a French colonial policy on education. By decree in 1903, education in French West Africa was organized into a system of primary schools, upper primary schools, professional schools, and a normal school. Two further reorganizations followed…
