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legend: East African Community

legend: Geographic East Africa, including the UN subregion and East African Community]] East Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Eastern (not East) Africa for the collection of statistical information (and not its geographical definition) includes the following 19 territories:

• Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia – collectively known as the Horn of AfricaRobert Stock, Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation, (The Guilford Press: 2004), p. 26
• Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi – members of the East African Community (EAC). Burundi and Rwanda are sometimes considered part of Central Africa
• Mozambique and Madagascar – often considered part of Southern Africa. Madagascar has close cultural ties to Southeast Asia and the islands of the Indian Ocean.
• Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – usually included in Southern Africa, and formerly of the Central African Federation
• Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles – small island nations in the Indian Ocean
• Réunion and Mayotte – French overseas territories also in the Indian Ocean

East Africa is often used to specifically refer to the area comprising the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, and the nations in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and EritreaMichael Hodd, East Africa Handbook, 7th Edition, (Passport Books: 2002), p. 21: "To the north are the countries of the Horn of Africa comprising Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia."IRIN AfricaEncyclopaedia Britannica, inc, Jacob E. Safra, The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, (Encyclopaedia Britannica: 2002), p.61: "The northern mountainous area, known as the Horn of Africa, comprises Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia."Sandra Fullerton Joireman, Institutional Change in the Horn of Africa, (Universal-Publishers: 1997), p.1: "The Horn of Africa encompasses the countries of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. These countries share similar peoples, languages, and geographical endowments.").

Egypt is also in the northeastern portion of the continent, but it is usually included in Northern Africa.