French West Africa

Full Name 61 Federation of French West Africa
Alliance Neutral or Non-Belligerent
Possessing Power France
Entry into WW2 3 Sep 1939
Population in 1939 15,000,000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Afrique occidentale française, or AOF, known in English as French West Africa, was a federation of French colonial possessions in western Africa that was established in 1895. The federation covered an area of about 4,689,000 square kilometers or about 1,810,000 square miles, and had a population of between 10,000,000 and 20,000,000 when the European War began in 1939. During the war, French West Africa sided with Vichy France between 1940 and 1943; after 1943, Free France, based in Britain, assumed control of the federation.

ww2dbaseSenegal

ww2dbaseHome of Dakar, the colonial center of French West Africa, Senegal had representation to the French Parliament between 1934 and 1940 (Galandou Diouf) prior to the French surrender to Germany. In the civilian sector, many trading companies set up offices in Dakar. For the military, it was of key strategic importance, especially for the French Navy, which built the harbor into a main naval base and coal station. After the restoration of the French republic in 1945, Senegal again sent a representative to Paris.

ww2dbaseCĂ´te d'Ivoire

ww2dbaseOfficially established as a French colony in 1893, CĂ´te d'Ivoire joined the federation in 1904. In 1932, when Upper Volta was dissolved, it received some of Upper Volta's provinces.

ww2dbaseDahomey

ww2dbaseEstablished in 1904 with the capital of Porto-Novo, Dahomey (in present day Benin) received port facilities and railroads from France. In 1946, Dahomey became an overseas territory, and thus had representation in Paris, France.

ww2dbaseFrench Guinea

ww2dbaseThe French arrived at this region in 1891, and in 1904 French Guinea was established.

ww2dbaseFrench Sudan

ww2dbaseOn 9 Sep 1880, the French established the colony of Upper Senegal; on 18 Aug 1890, it was renamed the French Sudan Territory. In 1899, French Sudan was broken up, with its provinces transferred to neighboring French colonies. In 1920, French Sudan was reformed. In 1932, when Upper Volta was dissolved, it received some of Upper Volta's provinces.

ww2dbaseFrench Togoland

ww2dbaseOn 26 Aug 1914, during WW1, British and French troops jointly invaded Togoland, partitioning the German possession. On 20 Jul 1922, the League of Nations declared Togoland a French Mandate.

ww2dbaseMauritania

ww2dbaseThe French arrived at this region in the early 1880s. Upon the creation of the colony, the administrators relied extensively on local religious and tribal leaders to maintain order in Mauritania. France devoted little effort in the development of this region.

ww2dbaseNiger

ww2dbaseAlthough French presence in the region later known as Niger began as early as the late 1800s, the pacification of the various peoples in the region did not complete for about 30 years, after which the colony of Niger was finally declared in 1922. In 1932, when Upper Volta was dissolved, it received some of Upper Volta's provinces.

ww2dbaseUpper Volta

ww2dbaseThe French colony of Upper Volta was established on 1 Mar 1919. It was dissolved on 5 Sep 1932, with its territory given to CĂ´te d'Ivoire, French Sudan, and Niger. After the war, Upper Volta was reformed on 4 Sep 1947, which formed the foundation of the future nation of Burkina Faso.

ww2dbaseThe Dissolution of French West Africa

ww2dbaseStarting in 1946, France began implementing policies that gave its subjects in West Africa more rights, starting with the establishment of local councils in the late 1940s to universal suffrage in the 1950s. In 1958, the French colonies (excluding Togo) elected heads of government to act as advisors to French High Commissioners, thus dissolving French West Africa; in 1960, the former French colonies, now grown to the size of over 25,000,000 collectively, were given the rights to form their own constitutions. The people of French Togoland, a post-WW2 United Nations Trust Territory, voted to become an independent nation in 1959 and would join the French Union (as an aside, British Togoland, another United Nations Trust Territory, voted to merge into Ghana).

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Sep 2012

Events Taken Place in French West Africa
British Attacks on the French Fleet3 Jul 1940 - 25 Sep 1940


Weather

WW2-Era Weather Data for French West Africa






Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds


Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"All that silly talk about the advance of science and such leaves me cold. Give me peace and a retarded science."

Thomas Dodd, late 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!