Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the . 2014. In 1951, Libya, a former Italian colony, gained independence. In 2007, Chinese companies invested a total of US$1billion in Africa. Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and southeast African countries. Tunisia has the continents northernmost point at Ras ben Sakka while South Africas Cape Agulhas has the continents southernmost point. These are certainly once-in-a-lifetime experiences and are worth considering when planning a trip to southern Africa! Failed Wagner revolt leaves a question in Africa: Will the ruthless mercenaries remain? There is a vast variety of styles, often varying within the same context of origin and depending on the use of the object, but wide regional trends are apparent; sculpture is most common among "groups of settled cultivators in the areas drained by the Niger and Congo rivers" in West Africa. Some data sources show that Christianity narrowly beats Islam to the top position as the most popular religion in Africa. [86], In West Africa, Dhar Tichitt and Oualata in present-day Mauritania figure prominently among the early urban centers, dated to 2,000 BCE. The African Union, not to be confused with the AU Commission, is formed by the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which aims to transform the African Economic Community, a federated commonwealth, into a state under established international conventions. Their migration resulted in the fusion of the Arabs and Berbers, where the locals were Arabized,[95] and Arab culture absorbed elements of the local culture, under the unifying framework of Islam.[96]. Yet the continent is the second driest in the world, with millions of Africans still suffering from water shortages throughout the year. TAPIWA MAKORE MURDER: COURT HANDS DOWN SENTENCE | 12 JULY 2023 | sentence [71] and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 CE, having lasted approximately 2,000 years. Whether you want to add Africa to your bucket list to see some of the incredible wildlife, to try some of South Africas delicious food and wine, to experience some epic outdoor activities or just to learn more about the continents history and culture, the choice is yours. South Africa gained its independence but remained under foreign rule until 1994 during the oppressive periods of apartheid. [152][153] This vulnerability is driven by a range of factors that include weak adaptive capacity, high dependence on ecosystem goods for livelihoods, and less developed agricultural production systems. Chadic-speaking groups, including the Hausa, are found in more northerly parts of the region nearest to the Sahara, and Nilo-Saharan communities, such as the Songhai, Kanuri and Zarma, are found in the eastern parts of West Africa bordering Central Africa. About 1.75 million years ago, early man spread throughout parts of Africa. Even today the desert is surprisingly home to around 1200 species of plant. Etymology The totality of Africa seen by the Apollo 17 crew. It is bounded by the North American Plate and South American Plate to the west (separated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge); the Arabian Plate and Somali Plate to the east; the Eurasian Plate, Aegean Sea Plate and Anatolian Plate to the north; and the Antarctic Plate to the south. [189] All countries in sub-Saharan Africa had TFRs (average number of children) above replacement level in 2019 and accounted for 27.1% of global livebirths. Even after retirement, Nelson Mandela continued to have a strong international presence in conversations around peace, social justice and conflict resolution. The desert sprawls into 11 countries (Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Chad, Morocco, Eritrea, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Sudan) yet only around 2 million people actually call the desert home. 1. Starting in the 16th century, this was driven by trade, including the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, which created large African diaspora populations in the Americas. 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[212] Most are of African origin, though some are of European or Asian origin. [104], Action was also taken against African leaders who refused to agree to British treaties to outlaw the trade, for example against "the usurping King of Lagos", deposed in 1851. The hike to the top takes around five to seven days, with walkers battling against cold, exhaustion and altitude en route to the summit. [183], In recent years, the People's Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations and is Africa's largest trading partner. [56] However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BCE, the Sahara region was becoming increasingly dry and hostile. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. [94] The Banu Hilal and Banu Ma'qil were a collection of Arab Bedouin tribes from the Arabian Peninsula who migrated westwards via Egypt between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. For example, the, Toggle Geology, geography, ecology, and environment subsection, Geology, geography, ecology, and environment, Alternative Estimates of African Population, 02018 AD (in thousands), Shares of Africa and World Population, 02020 AD (% of world total). Ruppel, M.A. The range of animals include the likes of lions, cheetahs, hyenas, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, elephants, and many more. Cricket is popular in some African nations. In some African states, more than half the population is under 25 years of age. Do not lick the screen. By 500 BCE, and possibly earlier, they were smelting iron. What is New York Famous For? The three countries jointly hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Overall though, violence across Africa has greatly declined in the 21st century, with the end of civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Algeria in 2002, Liberia in 2003, and Sudan and Burundi in 2005. A definite line was drawn between the two continents by the geographer Ptolemy (85165 CE), indicating Alexandria along the Prime Meridian and making the isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea the boundary between Asia and Africa. Thus, although Africa is the second largest continent, it contains only about 10 percent of the worlds population and can be said to be underpopulated. During the Scramble for Africa in the later stages of the 19th century, European powers divided up the continent except for Liberia and Ethiopia, which was then referred to as Abyssinia" by Europeans. In 1956, Tunisia and Morocco won their independence from France. Hunhu/ubuntu is also a key theme in African philosophy as it places an imperative on the importance of group or communal existence as opposed to the West's emphasis on individualism and individual human rights. The northwestern part, which includes the Sahara (desert) and that part of North Africa known as the Maghrib, has two mountainous regionsthe Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, which are believed to be part of a system that extends into southern Europe, and the Ahaggar (Hoggar) Mountains in the Sahara. This richness is matched by a great diversity of biological resources that includes the intensely lush equatorial rainforests of Central Africa and the world-famous populations of wildlife of the eastern and southern portions of the continent. President, International Geographical Union, 198084. As of 2016, the continent had a population of about 1.2 billion people, which was equal to about 16% of the total human population in the world. [115][116][117][118] In 1994 a genocide in Rwanda resulted in up to 800,000 deaths, added to a severe refugee crisis and fueled the rise of militia groups in neighboring countries. [205], Source: Maddison and others (University of Groningen).[205]. Fifty-four African countries have football teams in the Confederation of African Football. 2. [125][126], Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the largest landmass of the Earth. [further explanation needed] There are four major language families indigenous to Africa: Following the end of colonialism, nearly all African countries adopted official languages that originated outside the continent, although several countries also granted legal recognition to indigenous languages (such as Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa). Cairo is the largest city in Africa with an area of about 234 square miles. Many African countries became highly dependent on foreign aid. Due to its uniqueness, the pyramid is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World alongside the other wonders such as the Colossus of Rhodes. Anti-slavery treaties were signed with over 50 African rulers. List of ethnic groups of Africa. In between, there is a convergence, where vegetation patterns such as sahel and steppe dominate. Bigwaves (@bigwavestravelandtours) on Instagram: "Zanzibar Island: A tropical paradise with beautiful beaches, turquoise waters, and rich cultural ." A region in North Ethiopia known as Dallol has the globe's highest average temperatures of about 93 degrees Fahrenheit. There are hundreds of communities and cultures even within one country. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jj, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. MOBILE, Ala. (AP) A museum that tells the history of the Clotilda the last ship known to transport Africans to the American South for enslavement opened Saturday, exactly 163 years after the vessel arrived in Alabama's Mobile Bay.. Ceremonies dedicating the $1.3 million Africatown Heritage House and "Clotilda: The Exhibition" took place Friday and Saturday in Mobile. The last debt crisis in 2005 was resolved with help from the heavily indebted poor countries scheme (HIPC). In Sudan, although Arabic and Arab culture predominate, it is mostly inhabited by groups that originally spoke Nilo-Saharan, such as the Nubians, Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa, who, over the centuries, have variously intermixed with migrants from the Arabian peninsula. Africa straddles the equator and the prime meridian. Of course, it would be amiss to mention things that Africa is known for and not mention the River Nile, the longest river in the world stretching 6,695km! In August 2008, the World Bank[171] announced revised global poverty estimates based on a new international poverty line of $1.25 per day (versus the previous measure of $1.00). Although agriculture (primarily subsistence) still dominates the economies of many African countries, the exploitation of these resources became the most significant economic activity in Africa in the 20th century. Only a handful of African countries succeeded in obtaining rapid economic growth prior to 1990. Africa overtook Europe in terms of the population in the 1990s while it surpassed the Americas in the early 2000s. [74][75] Egyptian influence reached deep into modern-day Libya and Nubia, and, according to Martin Bernal, as far north as Crete. Many African sculptures were historically made of wood and other natural materials that have not survived from earlier than a few centuries ago, although rare older pottery and metal figures can be found in some areas. [121], A Harvard University study led by professor Calestous Juma showed that Africa could feed itself by making the transition from importer to self-sufficiency. And it claims to pinpoint our center of origin", "Africa is most genetically diverse continent, DNA study shows", "From Crime to Coercion: Policing Dissent in Abeokuta, Nigeria, 19001940", "Nile Genesis: the opus of Gerald Massey", "15. It is the second largest continent of the world It is one of the 7 continents of the world and is only smaller than Asia. Optimism and engagement 11. The music and dance of the African diaspora, formed to varying degrees on African musical traditions, include American music like Dixieland jazz, blues, jazz, and many Caribbean genres, such as calypso (see kaiso) and soca. The vast majority of African states are republics that operate under some form of the presidential system of rule. [199] Between 1975 and 1977, over a million colonials returned to Portugal alone. Today, the city of Timbuktu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring three grand mosques and 16 significant mausoleums and cemeteries. [145], Climate change in Africa is an increasingly serious threat as Africa is among the most vulnerable continents to the effects of climate change. In July 2004, the African Union's Pan-African Parliament (PAP) was relocated to Midrand, in South Africa, but the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights remained in Addis Ababa. However, Africa also is heavily affected by a wide range of environmental issues, including desertification, deforestation, water scarcity and pollution. The countries differ immensely geographically, politically, socially, economically, and culturally. Please select which sections you would like to print: Former Reader in Geography, University of Edinburgh. This feat of engineering, as well as Ancient Egyptian rituals of mummification, their knowledge of astronomy and their hieroglyphic language still continue to fascinate both historians and travellers. Africa is crossed from north to south by the prime meridian (0 longitude), which passes a short distance to the east of Accra, Ghana. No redistributive religious fundamentalism 7. Jan 08, 2020 African Masks Examined: History, Type, Role, Meaning & Examples One of the most enduring and fascinating aspects of African culture is masks. As an example, during the Angolan Civil War, the Soviet and Cuban aligned MPLA and the American aligned UNITA received the vast majority of their military and political support from these countries. Africa contains an enormous wealth of mineral resources, including some of the world's largest reserves of fossil fuels, metallic ores, and gems and precious metals. How much do you know about Africa, one of thecontinents of the world? [73] One of the world's earliest and longest-lasting civilizations, the Egyptian state continued, with varying levels of influence over other areas, until 343 BCE. [68][69], By the first millennium BCE, ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa. The Nok people produced lifelike representations in terracotta, including human heads and human figures, elephants, and other animals. Strait of Gibraltar, Atlantic Ocean/Mediterranean Sea", "Ancient genomes from North Africa evidence prehistoric migrations to the Maghreb from both the Levant and Europe", "Getting "Out of Africa": Sea Crossings, Land Crossings and Culture in the Hominin Migrations", "Sahara's Abrupt Desertification Started by Changes in Earth's Orbit, Accelerated by Atmospheric and Vegetation Feedbacks", "Evidence of Sorghum Cultivation and Possible Pearl Millet in the Second Millennium BC at Kassala, Eastern Sudan", "Evidence for Sorghum Domestication in Fourth Millennium BC Eastern Sudan: Spikelet Morphology from Ceramic Impressions of the Butana Group", "Earliest Evidence of Domesticated Sorghum Discovered | Sci.News", "The Rise and Fall of African Rice Cultivation Revealed by Analysis of 246 New Genomes", "Searching for the Origins of African Rice Domestication", "The Berlin Conference | Western Civilization II (HIS 104) Biel", "Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt: 332 BC 395 AD", "New exhibition about Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at the Yorkshire Museum", "The Fate of Africa A Survey of Fifty Years of Independence", "Igbo-Ukwu (c. 9th century) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art", "Genetic Evidence for the Expansion of Arabian Tribes into the Southern Levant and North Africa", Welcome to Encyclopdia Britannica's Guide to Black History, "The West African Squadron and slave trade", "The Consequences of Resettlement in Ethiopia", "Is your mobile phone helping fund war in Congo? Across the 54 countries, there's a lot of scope for variety! Mozambique's cuisine is a heady blend of African, Portuguese, oriental and Arab flavors - think . Fishing, using bone-tipped harpoons, became a major activity in the numerous streams and lakes formed from the increased rains. The first Roman emperor native to North Africa was Septimius Severus, born in Leptis Magna in present-day Libya his mother was Italian Roman and his father was Punic. Climatic and other factors have exerted considerable influence on the patterns of human settlement in Africa. South Africa, for example, is famous for a food called "biltong" which is cured and dried meat that is sliced. Black-eyed peas and voandzeia (African groundnuts), were domesticated, followed by okra and kola nuts. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use. Significant habitat destruction, increases in human population and poaching are reducing Africa's biological diversity and arable land. Under Roman rule, Carthage became the capital of the province it then named Africa Proconsularis, following its defeat of the Carthaginians in the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, which also included the coastal part of modern Libya. Faced with increasingly frequent and severe violence, military rule was widely accepted by the population of many countries as means to maintain order, and during the 1970s and 1980s a majority of African countries were controlled by military dictatorships. Its cultivation would gradually spread across Africa, before spreading to India around 2000 BCE. [230] African art includes prehistoric and ancient art, the Islamic art of West Africa, the Christian art of East Africa, and the traditional artifacts of these and other regions. [63], Sorghum was first domesticated in the Sudan region of the African continent. Religious beliefs and statistics on religious affiliation are difficult to come by since they are often a sensitive topic for governments with mixed religious populations. 12 Things That Make Vietnam the Country it is, Why is Route 66 Famous? It is led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the Pan-African Parliament. Unfortunately, alongside many of the positive things that Africa is known for, there is also the fact that Africa is the poorest continent in the world. Happiness, good health 6. On a global scale, these estimates show that the languages spoken in Africa represent about a quarter of the total languages spoken in the world. Africa's total population surpassing other continents is fairly recent; African population surpassed Europe in the 1990s, while the Americas was overtaken sometime around the year 2000; Africa's rapid population growth is expected to overtake the only two nations currently larger than its population, at roughly the same time India and China's 1.4billion people each will swap ranking around the year 2022. In fact, the food security crisis of 2008 which took place on the heels of the global financial crisis pushed 100 million people into food insecurity. In addition, Africa has the largest number of megafauna species, as it was least affected by the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna. [155] With high confidence, it was projected by the IPCC in 2007 that in many African countries and regions, agricultural production and food security would probably be severely compromised by climate change and climate variability. [203], European colonization also brought sizable groups of Asians, particularly from the Indian subcontinent, to British colonies. Around that time it also became established in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, either through independent invention there or diffusion from the north[70][71] and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 CE, having lasted approximately 2,000 years,[72] and by 500 BCE, metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa. The word Timbuktu is often used in the English language to refer to somewhere extraordinarily remote or far-flung, but what you might not know is that it is actually a place in the Republic of Mali in West Africa. Most African countries have experienced several coups or periods of military dictatorship. The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south by the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The whole of Africa can be considered as a vast plateau rising steeply from narrow coastal strips and consisting of ancient crystalline rocks. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa. Ghana was next in March 1957 making it the first Sub-Saharan state to gain independence. Ife was noted as a major religious and cultural centre in West Africa, and for its unique naturalistic tradition of bronze sculpture. Africa - Africa - Trade, Resources, Agriculture: With the exception of South Africa and the countries of North Africa, all of which have diversified production systems, the economy of most of Africa can be characterized as underdeveloped. [44] During the mid-20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago (Before present, BP). This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and encouraged migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa. The peoples of West Africa primarily speak NigerCongo languages, belonging mostly to its non-Bantu branches, though some Nilo-Saharan and Afro-Asiatic speaking groups are also found. Roman settlement occurred in modern Tunisia and elsewhere along the coast. This word is from the language of the Berber tribe and it means cave, which is a possible reference to the former cave dwellers of earlier times. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, tribalism,[11] colonialism, the Cold War,[12][13] neocolonialism, lack of democracy, and corruption. The Ife model of government was adapted at the Oyo Empire, where its obas or kings, called the Alaafins of Oyo, once controlled a large number of other Yoruba and non-Yoruba city-states and kingdoms; the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey was one of the non-Yoruba domains under Oyo control. Since the late 19th century there has been an increasing amount of African art in Western collections, the finest pieces of which are displayed as part of the history of colonization. 7 Influential African Empires From ancient Sudan to medieval Zimbabwe, get the facts on seven African kingdoms that made their mark on history. Corrections? Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both aspects. The continent is home to the largest elephant species in the world, that is, the African bush elephant or the African savannah elephant. Climate of personal non-violence 4. [88][89], Farther south, in central Nigeria, around 1,500 BCE, the Nok culture developed on the Jos Plateau. [29][30] This name seems to have originally referred to a native Libyan tribe, an ancestor of modern Berbers; see Terence for discussion. [222] According to authors Douglas Fraser and Herbert M. Cole, "The precipitous alterations in the power structure wrought by colonialism were quickly followed by drastic iconographic changes in the art. Although she studied French and European Film at university, Hannah moved straight into the world of travel when it came to getting a job. [220], Some aspects of traditional African cultures have become less practised in recent years as a result of neglect and suppression by colonial and post-colonial regimes. The union was formed, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as its headquarters, on 26 June 2001. Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1965, under the white minority government of Ian Smith, but was not internationally recognized as an independent state (as Zimbabwe) until 1980, when black nationalists gained power after a bitter guerrilla war. Of all foreign settlements in Africa, that of the Arabs has made the greatest impact. Stop. Africa is known for Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, Nile river, and game reserves such as the Maasai Mara and Serengeti. Its northern extremity is Al-Ghrn Point, near Al-Abya Point (Cape Blanc), Tunisia; its southern extremity is Cape Agulhas, South Africa; its farthest point east is Xaafuun (Hafun) Point, near Cape Gwardafuy (Guardafui), Somalia; and its western extremity is Almadi Point (Pointe des Almadies), on Cape Verde (Cap Vert), Senegal. [134], Deforestation is affecting Africa at twice the world rate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2. Start planning your trip Best Time to Visit Best Places to Visit 01 / Attractions Must-see attractions for your itinerary Cold War conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union also contributed to instability. Most African conflicts have been reduced to low-intensity conflicts as of 2022. [105] The largest powers of West Africa (the Asante Confederacy, the Kingdom of Dahomey, and the Oyo Empire) adopted different ways of adapting to the shift. [4] "[224] Editors F. Abiola Irele and Simon Gikandi comment that the current identity of African literature had its genesis in the "traumatic encounter between Africa and Europe. The easternmost point is located around Cape Guardafui in the Horn of Africa while Cape Verde has the westernmost point of Africa. [217] Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for an estimated 69 percent of all people living with HIV[218] and 70 percent of all AIDS deaths in 2011. [194] The Berber-speaking Tuareg and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. Ghana, country of western Africa, situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.
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