Top 10 Eastern Africa facts

Ethiopia. Abyssinia is the name used for the Ethiopian Empire, which existed from the 12th century until 1974.

Zimbabwe. Initially, the territory was referred to as "South Zambezia", a reference to the River Zambezi, until the name "Rhodesia" came into use in 1895 (after Cecil Rhodes, whose British South Africa Company acquired the land in the late 19th century). In 1980, the country name was changed to Zimbabwe.

Lusaka. Until 1964, Lusaka's residents were European or Asian, as Indigenous Africans were allowed to live in the city. In 1964 Zambia gained independence amd Lusaka grew rapidly due to influx of Africans. By 1969, it became the center of anti-colonial resistance for Southern Africa. The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s major anti-apartheid organization, was headquartered in Lusaka.

Kampala. The city is highly multilingual, as many Kampala residents still define themselves by their tribal roots and speak their ancestral languages. Several tribal languages are spoken widely alongside English, Swahili, and Luganda.

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.

Maputo. 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.

Harare. The city was founded in 1890 by the British as Salisbury. It was the seat of the Rhodesian government and, between 1953 and 1963, the capital of the Central African Federation. It retained the name Salisbury until 1982, when it was renamed Harare.

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

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.

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.