We explain what Africa is, its history, its physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, we explain its economy, religion and the history of this continent.
The African continent is inhabited by a great diversity of ethnic groups.
What is Africa?
Africa It is one of the six continents of the Earth and the third largest after Asia and America. It borders Europe to the north, Antarctica to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. It has a total area of 30.3 million square kilometers, which represents 20.3% of the total land surface of planet Earth.
A distinctive feature of Africa is the high level of poverty that most countries on the continent have. According to him world Bank, 9 of the 10 poorest countries in the world are in Africa. They are Central African Republic, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Guinea Bissau. In these countries, indicators such as the malnutrition rate or infant mortality are well above the world average.
Why is it called that? The origin of the name “Africa” is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have its origin in the Latin term Africus, which means “south wind.” This term was used by the Romans to refer to the lands south of the Mediterranean Sea where the hot, dry winds coming from Africa originated.
Features of Africa
- It is the third largest continent, after Asia and America.
- The tropical climate predominates, although it is desert-like and very hot in the north of the continent.
- It is home to some of the world’s most endangered species, including the king zebra, mountain gorilla and Ethiopian wolf.
- It is considered the cradle of culture and civilization, because the first hominid species developed in the territories of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
- It presents a great diversity of cultures, such as Arab, Egyptian and European.
- It has one of the widest linguistic diversity in the world, although the main official languages are English and French. Many Africans speak Igbo, Swahili, Kanuri and Yoruba, among other languages.
Extension, population and countries of Africa
The African continent has an area of 30,300,000 square kilometers, and extends from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to Cape Aguljas in the south. In addition, it is surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and separated from Asia by the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez.
Africa is made up of 54 sovereign states. Most of them were European colonies during the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly of Great Britain, France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Italy.
The largest countries on the African continent are: Algeria, with 2.38 million square kilometers, the Democratic Republic of Congo with 2.34 million and Sudan with 1.8 million.
In 2023 it was estimated that The total population of the continent is 1,447 million inhabitants., which represents 16.5% of the total world population. The most populated countries are Nigeria with 218 million inhabitants, Ethiopia with 123 million and Egypt with 110 million.
Physical and natural characteristics of Africa
In desert climate zones, rainfall does not exceed 150 mm per year.
Africa has a relatively low average altitude, about 650 meters above sea level. This continent is crossed by some mountain rangessuch as the Atlas Mountains in the North, the Ahaggar and Tibesti Mountains in the Sahara Desert and the mountains of East Africa where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, which at 5,890 metres high is the highest point on the continent.
Due to its location around the equator and the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the African continent has a predominantly warm climate. Depending on their latitude and level of precipitation, the following climatic zones can be differentiated:
- Warm equatorial climateIt extends across the centre of the continent, in areas close to the equator. It is characterised by high temperatures and abundant rainfall throughout the year.
- Humid tropical climateIt extends to the north and south of the equatorial climate. It has high temperatures and abundant rainfall but with a marked dry season.
- Dry tropical climateIt extends over mid-latitudes. It has very warm summers and colder winters. Precipitation throughout the year is very scarce.
- Desert climate. It extends in the Sahara and Kalahari regions. It has very high temperatures and is characterized by the practically total absence of precipitation throughout the year.
- Mediterranean climate. It extends in the extreme north of the continent, in the region near the Mediterranean Sea. It is characterized by having warm, dry summers, and rainy, colder winters.
Due to its rainy climate and predominantly flat relief, the African continent is characterized by the presence of long and mighty rivers. The most extensive and extensive are:
- The Nile River, at 6,650 kilometers, is the second longest in the world.
- The Congo River, with 4700 kilometers.
- The Niger River, 4,100 kilometers long.
The jungle regions of Africa have a great diversity of animal and plant species. The African savannah, for its part, also has a great diversity of fauna. but it is also characterized by being the only ecoregion in the world that is home to large animals such as giraffes, elephants and rhinos.
African culture and religion
Africa is a culturally very diverse continent. European colonial history, the expansion of the Arab world and the culture of the indigenous African peoples left the population with a multiplicity of languages that are spoken in different regions of the continent. The most widely spoken languages are:
- Arab. It is spoken by more than 260 million people.
- English. It is spoken by more than 200 million people.
- French. It is spoken by more than 170 million people.
- Swahili. It is spoken by more than 120 million people.
- Oromo. It is spoken by more than 70 million people.
In addition to these languages, It is estimated that more than 1,500 languages and dialects are spoken in Africa from indigenous peoples. who lived on the continent before the arrival of the Arabs and Europeans.
The two predominant religions on the continent are Christianity, with 43% of the population, especially in the south and west, and Islam, with 40%, especially in the north and east. The rest of the population professes traditional African religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.
Economic activities in Africa
Africa is a continent rich in natural resources and for that reason most of the economies of African countries They are based on primary activities such as agriculture, fishing and mining. In some regions these activities are the main source of employment and generate a large part of the countries’ GDP.
- The Agriculture. Fishing is an important activity throughout Africa and is the main source of employment for most people living in rural areas. The most common crops grown are maize, rice, wheat, cassava, coffee, tea and cocoa. Fishing is also an important activity in many coastal regions and represents a major source of employment in countries such as Senegal or Equatorial Guinea.
- Mining. It is another important economic activity in Africa, and the continent has a large amount of mineral resources such as gold, diamonds, copper, coltan, iron and oil. Some of the main mineral producers are South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Ghana. Meanwhile, Nigeria and Angola are two of the main oil producers in Africa and the world.
- The industrial sectorl. In some countries, such as South Africa, Morocco and Egypt, it is relatively developed, for example, in food and beverage production, textiles and petrochemicals. However, these industries are usually small and limited compared to other regions of the world.
- The tourism. It is a growing economic activity. Many African countries have important tourist attractions such as national parks, beaches, historic cities and wildlife reserves. Some of the most popular countries for tourists are South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.
Political characteristics of Africa
Africa is made up of 54 countries. All of them have full representation in the United Nations Organizations. In addition, there are other economic and political blocs made up of some of the countries on the continent. The most important are:
- The African Union (UA). It is a political and economic organization created with the purpose of promoting cooperation between African countries. It was created in 2002 to succeed the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and 54 African countries are members.
- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)It is an economic bloc that aims at the economic and political integration of West African countries. It was founded in 1975 and has 15 member countries.
- The Sahelo-Saharan Community of States (CEN-SAD). It is an economic organization that seeks to promote cooperation between the countries of the Sahel and Sahara region. It was founded in 1998 and has 29 member countries.
History of Africa
It is estimated that more than 10 million Africans were taken as slaves to America.
The African continent is considered the cradle of human civilization. Archaeological evidence shows the presence and development of hominids, the first primates that walked upright and demonstrated an advanced development of intelligence.
These hominids are estimated to have lived four million years ago. Modern humans inhabited eastern sub-Saharan Africa 200,000 years ago. They then spread north and east, and eventually spread to the rest of the world.
According to archaeological evidence, The oldest African population that lived before the arrival of Europeans was located in the current region of GhanaThe Arabs were the first to arrive in North and West Africa through several waves of migration. They managed to establish part of their culture in African customs, such as their religion, Islam, and their Arabic language.
From the 15th and 16th centuries, millions of Africans, mainly young men, were taken as slave labor to America to work in mining operations and on European plantations on that continent.
In the 19th century the European presence on the continent intensified. From the Berlin conference In the years 1885 and 1886, the main European powers decided to politically divide the continent for the exploitation of its resources…