Year of Africa

As an African or African - year year 1960 is referred to as then 18 colonies in Africa (14 French, two British, one each Belgian and Italian ) have gained independence from their colonial powers:

Already on Independence Italian Somaliland, it united with the independent for five days British Somaliland for Somalia today, so that is now often spoken by only 17 independent states.

Just three years later, many of the newly independent states united to form the Organization of African Unity, which passed into the African Union in 2002.