Wakanda

Wakanda, officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in comic book Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). 
Birnin Zana is the capital and largest city. Wakanda is located in sub-Saharan Africa and has been shown as being in East Africa. It is home to the superhero Black Panther.

Location

Some sources place Wakanda just north of Tanzania and at Rwanda, as mentioned in Fantastic Four vol. 3 #21. However, others, like Marvel Atlas #2, show it at the north end of Lake Turkana, between South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, surrounded by fictional countries like Azania, Canaan, and Narobia.

Director Ryan Coogler said that his version of Wakanda in the 2018 film Black Panther was inspired by the Kingdom of Lesotho.

In recent stories by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, Wakanda is located on Lake Victoria, near the fictional nations of Mohannda, Canaan, Azania, and Niganda. These locations are mostly in the eastern half of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Birnin Zana is a city in Wakanda, considered a smart city. People walk along busy, car-free streets with shops, except for shuttle buses. This is similar to the woonerf concept, which started in the Netherlands in the 1970s. Maglev trains zip above and around the city. Wakandan buildings have traditional African elements like thatched roofs and hanging gardens on tall structures.

 In other media 
Wakanda has appeared in comics and various media adaptations, such as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise.

References

Category:Marvel Comics