West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, has approved an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping.

Starting in the medieval period, a series of powerful kingdoms developed in West Africa. These West African kingdoms and empires developed their own diverse and rich cultures, art, histories and ...

Follow this timeline to chart significant events portrayed in Ken Burns' film, as well as many contemporaneous events, from pre-Columbian times to the early decades of the twentieth century.