Africa, whose history is full of mysteries in the distant past and bloody political events in the present, is the continent called the cradle of mankind. The huge mainland occupies one fifth of all land on the planet, its lands are rich in diamonds and minerals. In the north, lifeless, harsh and hot deserts stretched, in the south - virgin tropical forests with many endemic species of plants and animals. It is impossible not to note the diversity of peoples and ethnic groups on the continent, their number fluctuates around several thousand. Small tribes numbering two villages and large peoples are the creators of the unique and inimitable culture of the "black" mainland.
How many countries on the continent, where Africa is located, the geographical location and history of research, countries - you will learn all this from the article.
From the history of the continent
The history of Africa's development is one of the most pressing issues in archeology. Moreover, if Ancient Egypt attractsscientists since the ancient period, the rest of the mainland remained in the "shadow" until the 19th century. The prehistoric era of the continent is the longest in human history. It was on it that the earliest traces of the presence of hominids that lived on the territory of modern Ethiopia were discovered. The history of Asia and Africa followed a special path, due to their geographical position, they were connected by trade and political relations even before the onset of the Bronze Age.
It is documented that the first trip around the continent was made by the Egyptian pharaoh Necho in 600 BC. In the Middle Ages, Europeans began to show interest in Africa, who actively developed trade with the eastern peoples. The first expeditions to the distant continent were organized by the Portuguese prince, it was then that Cape Boyador was discovered and the erroneous conclusion was made that it was the southernmost point of Africa. Years later, another Portuguese, Bartolomeo Diaz, discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. After the success of his expedition, other major European powers also reached out to Africa. As a result, by the beginning of the 16th century, all the territories of the western sea coast were discovered by the Portuguese, British and Spaniards. At the same time, the colonial history of African countries and the active slave trade began.
Geographic location
Africa is the second largest continent, with an area of 30.3 million square kilometers. km. It stretches from south to north for a distance of 8000 km, and from east to west - 7500 km. The mainland is characterized by the predominance of flat terrain. ATin the northwestern part there are the Atlas Mountains, and in the Sahara desert - the Tibesti and Ahaggar highlands, in the east - the Ethiopian, in the south - the Drakon and Cape mountains.
The geographical history of Africa is closely connected with the British. Appearing on the mainland in the 19th century, they actively explored it, discovering natural objects of stunning beauty and grandeur: Victoria Falls, Lakes Chad, Kivu, Edward, Albert, etc. Africa is home to one of the largest rivers in the world, the Nile, which the beginning of time was the cradle of Egyptian civilization.
The mainland is the hottest on the planet, the reason for this is its geographical position. The entire territory of Africa is located in hot climatic zones and is crossed by the equator.
The mainland is exceptionally rich in minerals. The world knows the largest deposits of diamonds in Zimbabwe and South Africa, gold in Ghana, Congo and Mali, oil in Algeria and Nigeria, iron and lead-zinc ores on the northern coast.
Beginning of colonization
The colonial history of the countries of Asia and Africa has very deep roots dating back to ancient times. The first attempts to subjugate these lands were made by Europeans as early as the 7th-5th centuries. BC, when numerous settlements of the Greeks appeared along the shores of the continent. This was followed by a long period of Hellenization of Egypt as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Then, under the pressure of numerous Roman troops, almost the entire northern coast of Africa was consolidated. However, it has been romanized.very weakly, the indigenous tribes of the Berbers simply went deeper into the desert.
Africa in the Middle Ages
During the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the history of Asia and Africa made a sharp turn absolutely in the opposite direction from European civilization. The activated Berbers finally destroyed the centers of Christian culture in North Africa, "clearing" the territory for new conquerors - the Arabs, who brought Islam with them and pushed back the Byzantine Empire. By the seventh century, the presence of early European states in Africa had practically vanished.
The cardinal turning point came only in the final stages of the Reconquista, when mainly the Portuguese and Spaniards recaptured the Iberian Peninsula and turned their gaze to the opposite shore of the Strait of Gibr altar. In the 15th and 16th centuries, they pursued an active policy of conquest in Africa, capturing a number of strongholds. At the end of the 15th century they were joined by the French, the British and the Dutch.
The new history of Asia and Africa, due to many factors, turned out to be closely interconnected. Trade south of the Sahara Desert, actively developed by the Arab states, led to the gradual colonization of the entire eastern part of the continent. West Africa held out. Arab quarters appeared, but Morocco's attempts to subjugate this territory were unsuccessful.
Race for Africa
The colonial division of the continent in the period from the second half of the 19th century until the outbreak of the First World War was called the "race for Africa". This time is characterizedfierce and sharp competition between the leading imperialist powers of Europe for military operations and research in the region, which were ultimately aimed at capturing new lands. The process developed especially strongly after the adoption at the Berlin Conference of 1885 of the General Act, which proclaimed the principle of effective occupation. The division of Africa culminated in the military conflict between France and Great Britain in 1898, which took place in the Upper Nile.
By 1902, 90% of Africa was under European control. Only Liberia and Ethiopia managed to defend their independence and freedom. With the outbreak of the First World War, the colonial race ended, as a result of which almost all of Africa was divided. The history of the development of the colonies went in different ways, depending on whose protectorate it was under. The largest possessions were in France and Great Britain, slightly less in Portugal and Germany. For Europeans, Africa was an important source of raw materials, minerals and cheap labor.
Year of Independence
The turning point is considered to be 1960, when one by one the young African states began to emerge from the power of the metropolises. Of course, the process did not start and end in such a short period. However, it was 1960 that was proclaimed "African".
Africa, whose history did not develop in isolation from the whole world, was one way or another, but also drawn into the Second World War. The northern part of the continent was affected by hostilities, the colonies were knocked out of their last strength to provide the mother countriesraw materials and food, as well as people. Millions of Africans took part in hostilities, many of them "settled" later in Europe. Despite the global political situation for the "black" continent, the war years were marked by economic growth, this is the time when roads, ports, airfields and runways, enterprises and factories, etc. were built.
The history of African countries received a new turn after the adoption by England of the Atlantic Charter, which confirmed the right of peoples to self-determination. And although politicians tried to explain that it was about the peoples occupied by Japan and Germany, the colonies interpreted the document in their favor as well. In terms of gaining independence, Africa was far ahead of the more developed Asia.
Despite the unquestioned right to self-determination, the Europeans were in no hurry to “let go” of their colonies for free swimming, and in the first decade after the war, any protests for independence were brutally suppressed. The case when the British in 1957 granted freedom to Ghana, the most economically developed state, became a precedent. By the end of 1960, half of Africa gained independence. However, as it turned out, this still did not guarantee anything.
If you pay attention to the map, you will notice that Africa, whose history is very tragic, is divided into countries with clear and even lines. The Europeans did not delve into the ethnic and cultural realities of the continent, simply dividing the territory at their discretion. As a result, many peoples weredivided into several states, others united in one together with sworn enemies. After gaining independence, all this gave rise to numerous ethnic conflicts, civil wars, military coups and genocide.
Freedom was obtained, but no one knew what to do with it. The Europeans left, taking with them everything they could take. Almost all systems, including education and he althcare, had to be created from scratch. There were no personnel, no resources, no foreign policy ties.
Countries and dependencies of Africa
As mentioned above, the history of the discovery of Africa began a long time ago. However, the invasion of Europeans and centuries of colonial rule led to the fact that modern independent states on the mainland were formed literally in the middle or second half of the twentieth century. It is difficult to say whether the right to self-determination has brought prosperity to these places. Africa is still considered the most backward in development of the mainland, which, meanwhile, has all the necessary resources for a normal life.
At the moment, the continent is inhabited by 1,037,694,509 people - about 14% of the total population of the globe. The territory of the mainland is divided into 62 countries, but only 54 of them are recognized as independent by the world community. Of these, 10 are island states, 37 have wide access to the seas and oceans, and 16 are inland.
In theory, Africa is a continent, but in practice, nearby islands are often attached to it. Some of them are still owned by Europeans. Including French Reunion, Mayotte,Portuguese Madeira, Spanish Melilla, Ceuta, Canary Islands, English Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension.
The countries of Africa are conventionally divided into 4 groups depending on the geographical location: northern, western, southern and eastern. Sometimes the central region is also singled out separately.
North Africa
North Africa is called a very vast region with an area of about 10 million m2, with most of it occupied by the Sahara desert. It is here that the largest mainland countries are located: Sudan, Libya, Egypt and Algeria. There are eight states in the northern part, so South Sudan, SADR, Morocco, Tunisia should be added to the list.
The recent history of the countries of Asia and Africa (northern region) is closely interconnected. By the beginning of the 20th century, the territory was completely under the protectorate of European countries, they gained independence in the 50-60s. the last century. Geographical proximity to another continent (Asia and Europe) and traditional long-standing trade and economic ties with it played a role. In terms of development, North Africa is in a much better position than South Africa. The only exception, perhaps, is Sudan. Tunisia has the most competitive economy on the entire continent, Libya and Algeria produce gas and oil, which they export, Morocco is engaged in the extraction of phosphorites. The predominant share of the population is still employed in the agricultural sector. An important sector of the economy of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco is developing tourism.
Largest city with over 9millions of inhabitants - Egyptian Cairo, the population of others does not exceed 2 million - Casablanca, Alexandria. Most Africans in the north live in cities, are Muslims and speak Arabic. In some countries, French is considered one of the official languages. The territory of North Africa is rich in monuments of ancient history and architecture, natural objects.
Here it is also planned to develop the ambitious European project Desertec - the construction of the largest system of solar power plants in the Sahara Desert.
West Africa
The territory of West Africa extends south of the central Sahara, is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and is bounded in the east by the Cameroon Mountains. There are savannahs and rainforests, as well as a complete lack of vegetation in the Sahel. Until the moment when the Europeans set foot on the shores in this part of Africa, such states as Mali, Ghana and Songhai already existed. The Guinean region has long been called the "grave for the whites" because of dangerous unusual diseases for Europeans: fevers, malaria, sleeping sickness, etc. At the moment, the group of Western African countries includes: Cameroon, Ghana, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Liberia, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Senegal.
The recent history of African countries in the region is marred by military clashes. The territory is torn apart by numerous conflicts between the English-speaking and French-speaking former European colonies. The contradictions lie not only inlanguage barrier, but also in worldviews, mentalities. There are hotspots in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Road communication is very poorly developed and, in fact, is a legacy of the colonial period. West African states are among the poorest in the world. While Nigeria, for example, has huge oil reserves.
East Africa
The geographical region that includes the countries east of the Nile River (with the exception of Egypt), anthropologists call the cradle of mankind. It was here, in their opinion, that our ancestors lived.
The region is extremely unstable, conflicts turn into wars, including very often civil ones. Almost all of them are formed on ethnic grounds. East Africa is inhabited by more than two hundred nationalities belonging to four language groups. At the time of the colonies, the territory was divided without taking into account this fact, as already mentioned, cultural and natural ethnic boundaries were not respected. The potential for conflict greatly hinders the development of the region.
East Africa includes the following countries: Mauritius, Kenya, Burundi, Zambia, Djibouti, Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritrea.
South Africa
The South African region occupies an impressive part of the mainland. It contains five countries. Namely: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa. All of them united in the South African Customs Union, which extracts and trades mainly in oil anddiamonds.
The latest history of Africa in the south is associated with the name of the famous politician Nelson Mandela (pictured), who devoted his life to the struggle for the freedom of the region from the mother countries.
South Africa, of which he was president for 5 years, is now the most developed country on the mainland and the only one that is not classified as a "third world". A developed economy allows it to take 30th place among all states according to the IMF. It has very rich reserves of natural resources. Also one of the most successful development in Africa is the economy of Botswana. In the first place is animal husbandry and agriculture, diamonds and minerals are being mined on a large scale.
