   azania' (ancient greek: ÎÎ¶Î±Î½Î¯Î±) is the name that has been applied to various parts of southeastern tropical africa. in roman timesâand perhaps earlierâthe name referred to a portion of the southeast african coast extending from kenya,richard pankhurst, an introduction to the economic history of ethiopia, (lalibela house: 1961), p.21 to perhaps as far south as tanzania. ==etymology== the earliest attestations for the name azania do not explain it. a number of etymologies proposed in the nineteenth century claimed the name was derived from zanj, an arabic or persian word referring to the dark-skinned inhabitants of africa and their land. more recent suggestions for the origin of the word are from the arabic ajam ("foreigner, non-arab") or the greek azainein ("to dry, parch"). ==ancient azania== pliny the elder mentions an "azanian sea" (n.h. 6.34) that began around the emporium of adulis and stretched around the south coast of africa. the slightly later periplus of the erythraean sea offers more details about azania (chapters 15,16,18). from chapter 15 of the periplus, it could be that azania is the area south of modern day somalia (the "lesser and greater bluffs", the "lesser and greater strands", and the "seven courses").george wynn brereton huntingford, the periplus of the erythraean sea, (hakluyt society: 1980), p.29 however, chapter 16 clearly describes rhapta, as located south of the puralean islands at the end of the seven courses of azania, as the "southernmost market of azania". modern identifications of rhapta place it on the coasts of modern-day tanzaniaâindicating that azania referred to an area perhaps identical to the later arab zanj. there is some archaeological evidence indicating that rhapta was near the mouth of the rufiji river. azania was known to the chinese as zÃ©sÃ n (æ¾¤æ£) by the 3rd century ce. the weilÃ¼e. draft translation by john hill later writers who mention azania include claudius ptolemy and cosmas indicopleustes. ==south africa== the first mention of the name azania with a south african connection appeared in the 1930s archaeological reports of excavations at mapungubwe in the northern transvaal. the skeletal remains were referred to as ancient azanians. the term is currently used by some political movements in south africa influenced by black nationalism, including the pan africanist congress  (pac) of azania, the azanian people's organisation, the [[socialist party of azani
African_and_Black_nationalism History_of_Kenya History_of_South_Africa Names_of_places_in_Africa Political_terminology_in_South_Africa Pre-colonial_Tanzania South_African_culture