Africa: Wikis

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the Black African Students Federation in France (F.E.A.N.F.) opposed the French 1965 Loi Cadre, which it considered as a move to Balkanize Africa?
the African and Malagasy Union was a former intergovernmental organization created to promote cooperation among African states, but went defunct in 1985?
the Egyptian Geological Museum, established in Cairo in 1904, was the first of its kind in Africa?
the Egyptian National Railways can trace its origin to the first railway in Africa and the Middle East, which began operating in 1854?
the Grotto at Goldney House (pictured), Bristol, which dates from 1739, is encrusted with the shells of over 200 African and Caribbean species?
the 1951 Gold Coast legislative election was the first to be held in Africa under universal suffrage?
the West African trade union centre CGTA, a splinter-group of the French CGT, rejected the notion of class struggle, stating that there were no antagonistic classes in Africa?
the rhinoceros botfly Gyrostigma rhinocerontis is the largest fly known in Africa?
the Cretaceous terrestrial crocodilian Araripesuchus is known from five distinct species, two from Africa and the other three from South America?
the African city of Careysburg, Liberia, hosted a large transmitter for Voice of America, the official external broadcasting service of the United States federal government?
the dum dum bullet invented by Neville Bertie-Clay was used by the British Army against African and Asian opponents but was considered "too cruel" for use against Europeans?
the larvae (pictured) and pupae of African beetles in the genus Diamphidia are used by Bushmen to prepare arrow poisons?
the Polish interbellum organization Maritime and Colonial League‎ promoted Polish colonies and settlements in Africa and South America?
the nematode Elaeophora sagitta is a parasite that infests the heart and blood vessels of animals such as buffaloes and kudus in Africa?
the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, for achievements in medical research and services to combat diseases in Africa, is named after a Japanese scientist whose portrait can be found on recent ¥1000 banknotes?
the Métro léger de Tunis (pictured), a public transport system using light rail, is the only one of its kind in Africa?
the largest African crocodile, the Nile crocodile, is both hated and revered, especially in Ancient Egypt where crocodiles were mummified, and worshipped as gods?
the first Chinese migrant to Madagascar arrived in 1862, starting a community that would become Africa's third-largest Chinese population?
the plant genus Tricarpelema contains seven Asian species from moist tropical forests and one African species found on dry inselbergs?
the resort town Arniston, Western Cape near Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa, was named after Arniston, an East Indiaman that shipwrecked in the vicinity in 1815?
while in charge of the MESAN political party, President for Life Jean-Bédel Bokassa appointed Elisabeth Domitien to serve as the prime minister of the Central African Republic, making her Africa's first female head of government?
the third, fourth, and fifth highest mountain peaks in Africa are located in Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda?
the definitive image of the African and Caribbean goddess Mami Wata was based on a poster of a Samoan snake charmer?
the ancient marketplace of Rhapta on the east African coast is believed to have been an important link in bringing the spices cinnamon and cassia west by merchants?
the Niger stingray and the pincushion ray are the only two freshwater stingrays found in Africa?
the Minkébé National Park in Gabon is believed by the WWF to have one of the largest forest elephant populations in Africa?
the Nigeria women's national basketball team became the first African team ever to win an Olympic game in women's basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics?
the Rift Valley lakes of Africa are a freshwater ecoregion?
the Hypothenemus hampei, a small coleopter insect native to Africa, is recognized for being the most harmful pest to coffee crops worldwide?
the United States Africa Command, the newest U.S. military Unified Combatant Command, will cover all of Africa, except for Egypt?
the African mustard Subularia monticola can be found forming a dense mat on sometimes flooded muds in a lake on Mount Elgon at 4,150 meters (13,620 ft) high?
the 1402 Korean Kangnido map fully depicts the Old World, from Europe and Africa to Japan, long before European explorations?
Kalulu (pictured), an African boy who died in 1877, was modelled in Madame Tussauds and attended Dr. Livingstone's funeral in London?
Halle Jørn Hanssen was Norway's first television correspondent stationed in an African country?
Lott Cary was an African American slave who became educated, bought his freedom, became a minister and physician, and helped found the Colony of Liberia in Africa in 1822?
Mittelafrika was a prospective colony of the German Empire, articulating their aim to annex the land area stretching across Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean?
Safi Faye is a Senegalese film director whose work is better known in Europe than in her native Africa?
Pointe des Almadies (pictured) is the westernmost point on the continent of Africa?
Gershom Sizomu of Uganda is the first native-born black rabbi in Africa?
freak waves are common near Cape Algulhas off the southern tip of Africa?
advertisements featuring the character Michael Power doubled Guinness sales in Africa between 1999 and 2003?
800 metres runner Andrew Hart was the fastest non-African in his event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games?
German philosopher Leo Frobenius thought that all non-European culture in Africa had to be the result of a white civilization which he called the African Atlantis?
Safi Faye's 1975 film Kaddu Beykat was the first commercially distributed feature film made by a Sub-Saharan African woman?
Dowlish Wake was the home of John Hanning Speke who explored Africa in the mid–19th century in search of the source of the Nile?
Anne-Marie Javouhey, the founder and abbess of a new religious order, was one of the first women to establish missions in Africa?
Samuel Jackman Prescod became the first person of African descent elected to the Parliament of Barbados?
Semuliki National Park in Uganda is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal diversity in Africa?
despite being a widely-used garden plant on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Salvia interrupta can only be found in nature in the Atlas Mountains in the African country of Morocco?
Anglo-Sudanese entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim is offering a US$ 5 million prize, plus $200,000 a year for life, to an African leader whose term as head of state meets certain criteria?
excavations at the village of Timerevo near Yaroslavl-on-the-Volga revealed a huge number of African dirhams and a chess piece, all inscribed with Runic graffiti?
in the 1890s, Moloundou, Cameroon was considered "one of the richest rubber areas of Africa"?
on Africa’s coast, Guachanche barracuda are normally found from Senegal to Angola (including Cape Verde), but can also be found much further north off the Canary islands?
in the next five years, 40,000 African soldiers will be trained to conduct peace support operations and humanitarian relief under the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program?
Varanus albigularis (pictured), a species of monitor lizard found in southern Africa, may be able to count as high as six?
Genlisea margaretae, a carnivorous plant native to Southeast Africa, has the smallest recorded flowering plant genome?
Tofiri Kibuuka, one of the first blind men to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, was the first African to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games?
The Paperboys are an award-winning Canadian folk music band that blends Celtic folk with Bluegrass, Mexican, Eastern European, African, zydeco, soul and country influences?
WildlifeDirect was established in 2006 to support wildlife protection in Africa via the use of weblogs?
Yunfa, a 19th-century ruler of the Africa kingdom of Gobir, made a personal attempt on the life of Fulani reformer Usman dan Fodio, triggering the Fulani War?
Ancistrochilus rothschildianus is a species of semi-terrestrial orchid endemic to the African tropics?
"Bitaqat Khub" is the first and only Eurovision Song Contest to have been performed in Arabic, and also the first and only entry to have represented an African country?

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Categories: African-language surnames > African given names > Continents > Africa

Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: May 29, 2012 12:57 UTC (35 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Africa (disambiguation).

Africa

Area	30,221,532 km² (11,668,598.7 sq mi)
Population	1,000,010,000^[1] (2005, 2nd)
Pop. density	30.51/km² (about 80/sq mi)
Demonym	African
Countries	53 (List of countries)
Dependencies	{{{1}}} Mayotte Réunion Canary Islands Ceuta Madeira Islands Melilla Saint Helena
Languages	List of languages
Time Zones	UTC-1 to UTC+4
Largest cities	List of cities

.Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia.^ "Africa has an indispensable contribution to make in ensuring that 2005 becomes a turning point for the continent, the United Nations and the world."

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area.^[2] With a billion people (as of 2009, see table) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.72% of the World's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. .Not counting the disputed territory of Western Sahara, there are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.^ There was some evidence, including several infrastructure projects, which the Government started to use the country's oil wealth for the public good.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago – including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia being dated to ca.^ The Embassy ran its own programs to explore how freedom of expression manifested itself in the United States, including an event during one of the U.S. presidential debates, and the Embassy supported other programs during the year that promoted democracy and human rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ It also includes widespread communication about human rights and democracy with various levels of Guinean society, including the Government, political parties, civil society, local government and the military.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States continues to communicate to the ruling party the importance of improving the political situation, including cessation of human rights abuses.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.200,000 years ago.^ In addition more than 1.5million civilians were internally displaced, and over 200,000 refugees fled to neighboring Chad by year's end.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[3]

.Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.^ Southern Africa Encompassed .

Africa Tours, African Tours, Africa Travel, Africa Vacations, African Safaris 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.tourvacationstogo.com [Source type: General]

^[4]

Etymology

Afri was the name of several peoples who dwelt in North Africa near Carthage. Their name is usually connected with Phoenician afar, "dust", but a 1981 theory^[5] has asserted that it stems from a Berber word ifri or Ifran meaning "cave", in reference to cave dwellers^[6]. Africa or Ifri or Afer^[6] is name of Banu Ifran from Algeria and Tripolitania (Berber Tribe of Yafran) ^[7].

Under Roman rule, Carthage became the capital of Africa Province, which also included the coastal part of modern Libya. The Roman suffix "-ca" denotes "country or land".^[8] The later Muslim kingdom of Ifriqiya, modern-day Tunisia, also preserved a form of the name.

Other etymologies that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":

the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Ant. 1.15) asserted that it was named for Epher, grandson of Abraham according to Gen. 25:4, whose descendants, he claimed, had invaded Libya.
Latin word aprica ("sunny") mentioned by Isidore of Seville in Etymologiae XIV.5.2.
the Greek word aphrike (Αφρική), meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian Leo Africanus (1488–1554), who suggested the Greek word phrike (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the privative prefix "a-", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror.
Massey, in 1881, derived an etymology from the Egyptian af-rui-ka, "to turn toward the opening of the Ka." The Ka is the energetic double of every person and "opening of the Ka" refers to a womb or birthplace. Africa would be, for the Egyptians, "the birthplace."^[9]
yet another hypothesis was proposed by Michèle Fruyt in Revue de Philologie 50, 1976: 221-238, linking the Latin word with africus 'south wind', which would be of Umbrian origin and mean originally 'rainy wind'.

The Irish female name Aifric is sometimes anglicised as Africa, but the given name is unrelated to the geonym.

History

Main article: History of Africa

Further information: History of North Africa, History of West Africa, History of Central Africa, History of East Africa, and History of Southern Africa

Paleohistory

The African prosauropod Massospondylus

At the beginning of the Mesozoic Era, Africa was joined with Earth's other continents in Pangaea.^[10] Africa shared the supercontinent's relatively uniform fauna which was dominated by theropods, prosauropods and primitive ornithischians by the close of the Triassic period.^[10] Late Triassic fossils are found through-out Africa, but are more common in the south than north.^[10] The boundary separating the Triassic and Jurassic marks the advent of an extinction event with global impact, although African strata from this time period have not been thoroughly studied.^[10]

Early Jurassic strata are distributed in a similar fashion to Late Triassic beds, with more common outcrops in the south and less common fossil beds which are predominated by tracks to the north.^[10] As the Jurassic proceeded, larger and more iconic groups of dinosaurs like sauropods and ornithopods proliferated in Africa.^[10] Middle Jurassic strata are neither well represented nor well studied in Africa.^[10] Late Jurassic strata are also poorly represented apart from the spectacular Tendaguru fauna in Tanzania.^[10] The Late Jurassic life of Tendaguru is very similar to that found in western North America's Morrison Formation.^[10]

Midway through the Mesozoic, about 150–160 million years ago, Madagascar separated from Africa, although it remained connected to India and the rest of the Gondwanan landmasses.^[10] Fossils from Madagascar include abelisaurs and titanosaurs.^[10]

The African theropod Spinosaurus was the largest known carnivorous dinosaur.

Later into the Early Cretaceous epoch, the India-Madagascar landmass separated from the rest of Gondwana.^[10] By the Late Cretaceous, Madagascar and India had permanently split ways and continued until later reaching their modern configurations.^[10]

By contrast to Madagascar, mainland Africa was relatively stable in position through-out the Mesozoic.^[10] Despite the stable position, major changes occurred to its relation to other landmasses as the remains of Pangea continued to break apart.^[10] By the beginning of the Late Cretaceous epoch South America had split off from Africa, completing the southern half of the Atlantic Ocean.^[10] This event had a profound effect on global climate by altering ocean currents.^[10]

During the Cretaceous, Africa was populated by allosauroids and spinosaurids, including the largest known carnivorous dinosaurs.^[10] Titanosaurs were significant herbivores in its ancient ecosystems.^[10] Cretaceous sites are more common than Jurassic ones, but are often unable to be dated radiometrically making it difficult to know their exact ages.^[10] Paleontologist Louis Jacobs, who spent time doing field work in Malawi,^{[citation needed]} says that African beds are "in need of more field work" and will prove to be a "fertile ground ... for discovery."^[10]

Pre-history

Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis skeleton discovered on November 24, 1974, in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression

Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on Earth, with the human species originating from the continent.^[11]^[12] During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. .Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have evolved into modern man, such as Australopithecus afarensis (radiometrically dated to approximately 3.9–3.0 million years BC),^[13] Paranthropus boisei (c.^ The United States remains the largest financial contributor to the Special Court of Sierra Leone, providing Economic Support Funds (ESF) for the past three years.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

2.3–1.4 million years BC)^[14] and Homo ergaster (c. 1.9 million–600,000 years BC) have been discovered.^[2]

.Throughout humanity's prehistory, Africa (like all other continents) had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers such as the Khoi and San.^ The United States will continue to encourage the Government to implement policies that lead to a decrease in human rights violations throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States strategy to support human rights and democracy encompasses supporting the national reconciliation process, strengthening civil society and reducing the impunity that prevails throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States maintains ties with representatives of all these groups.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[15]^[16]^[17]

.At the end of the Ice Ages, estimated to have been around 10,500 BC, the Sahara had again become a green fertile valley, and its African populations returned from the interior and coastal highlands in Sub-Saharan Africa^{[citation needed]}.^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BC the Sahara region was becoming increasingly dry and hostile. The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the Second Cataract where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa. Since this time dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, and increasingly during the last 200 years, in Ethiopia.

The domestication of cattle in Africa preceded agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures. It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa.^[18] In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the donkey, and a small screw-horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia. In the year 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace.^[19] This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink significantly and caused increasing desertification. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa.^[19]

.By the first millennium BC ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly spread across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa^[20] and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa.^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Across sub-Saharan Africa, the United States promotes initiatives that increase participation in the democratic process, nurture good governance and encourage democratic institutions such as an independent press.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in many areas of East and West Africa, although other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia dating from around 500 BC have been excavated in West Africa, suggesting that trans-saharan trade networks had been established by this date.^ Growing poverty and poor governance in many areas around the country have added tension to the political climate.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Close A-B C-E F-K L-O P-S T-Z Regions Please choose a country or other area, or a Region.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[19]

Early civilizations

Main article: Ancient African history

Colossal statues of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt, date from around 1400 BC.

At about 3300 BC, the historical record opens in Northern Africa with the rise of literacy in the Pharaonic civilisation of Ancient Egypt.^[21] .One of the world's earliest and longest-lasting civilizations, the Egyptian state continued, with varying levels of influence over other areas, until 343 BC.^[22]^[23] Egyptian influence reached deep into modern-day Libya, north to Crete^[24] and Canaan^{[citation needed]}, and south to the kingdoms of Aksum^{[citation needed]} and Nubia^{[citation needed]}.^ It also includes widespread communication about human rights and democracy with various levels of Guinean society, including the Government, political parties, civil society, local government and the military.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Following the successful conclusion of a one-year pilot project, the United States continued its commitment, with the Governments of four other nations, to provide funding to support this three-year project.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States spent additional funds to support programming in other areas of Sudan, including programs to promote the peace process in the South that included peaceful return of displaced populations to their places of origin.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

An independent centre of civilisation with trading links to Phoenicia was established on the north-west African coast at Carthage.^[25]^[26]

European exploration of Africa began with Ancient Greeks and Romans. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great was welcomed as a liberator in Persian-occupied Egypt. He founded Alexandria in Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty after his death.^[27] Following the conquest of North Africa's Mediterranean coastline by the Roman Empire, the area was integrated economically and culturally into the Roman system. Roman settlement occurred in modern Tunisia and elsewhere along the coast. .Christianity spread across these areas from Palestine via Egypt, also passing south, beyond the borders of the Roman world into Nubia and by at least the 6th century into Ethiopia.^ Instability in border areas, as well as occasional incursions into the country by Liberian combatants who sometimes raided villages for food continued during 2004.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

In the early 7th century, the newly formed Arabian Islamic Caliphate expanded into Egypt, and then into North Africa. In a short while the local Berber elite had been integrated into Muslim Arab tribes. When the Ummayad capital Damascus fell in the eight century, the Islamic center of the Mediterranean shifted from Syria to Qayrawan in North Africa. Islamic North Africa had become diverse, and a hub for mystics, scholars, jurists and philosophers. .During the above mentioned period, Islam spread to sub-Saharan Africa, mainly through trade routes and migration.^ The United States, through USAID, continues to work with IFES, which received a grant during the reporting period to improve the capacity of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK).

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Through a U.S. Government grant awarded in 2003, the Federation of Women Lawyers continued their work during the reporting period to improve the legislative and policy framework for women's rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[28]

9th–18th century

9th century bronzes from the Igbo town of Igbo Ukwu, now at the British Museum^[29]

.Pre-colonial Africa possessed perhaps as many as 10,000 different states and polities^[30] characterised by many different sorts of political organisation and rule.^ The United States is also directing funds toward assisting up to 10,000 former child soldiers and women ex-combatants.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States continues to communicate to the ruling party the importance of improving the political situation, including cessation of human rights abuses.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.These included small family groups of hunter-gatherers such as the San people of southern Africa; larger, more structured groups such as the family clan groupings of the Bantu-speaking people of central and southern Africa, heavily structured clan groups in the Horn of Africa, the large Sahelian kingdoms, and autonomous city-states and kingdoms such as those of the Yoruba and Igbo people (also misspelled as Ibo) in West Africa, and the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa.^ This new Labor Code included clear definitions of forced labor and related crimes, as well as applicable criminal penalties for those found guilty of such violations.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States used the Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) to support programs on the rights of key minority groups, such as the Pygmies, and on prevention of trafficking in children.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Another trained representatives from women's groups in family law issues from which women had been traditionally excluded, such as property rights or visitation and custody rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.By the 9th century AD a string of dynastic states, including the earliest Hausa states, stretched across the sub-saharan savannah from the western regions to central Sudan.^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The most powerful of these states were Ghana, Gao, and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. Ghana declined in the 11th century but was succeeded by the Mali Empire which consolidated much of western Sudan in the 13th century. Kanem accepted Islam in the 11th century.

In the forested regions of the West African coast, independent kingdoms grew up with little influence from the Muslim north. The Kingdom of Nri of the Igbo was established around the 9th century and was one of the first. It is also one of the oldest Kingdom in modern day Nigeria and was ruled by the Eze Nri. The Nri kingdom is famous for its elaborate bronzes, found at the town of Igbo Ukwu. The bronzes have been dated from as far back as the 9th century.^[31]

Ashanti yam ceremony, 19th century by Thomas E. Bowdich

.The Ife, historically the first of these Yoruba city-states or kingdoms, established government under a priestly oba, (oba means 'king' or 'ruler' in the Yoruba language), called the Ooni of Ife.^ Affaires met with President Mkapa to gain government support for working with the United States on these anti-trafficking programs.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States can begin implementing these programs as soon as the Government formally indicates its political will to cooperate in these areas.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States supported these efforts by sharing information with international partners and preparing public statements in support of Guinea-Bissau's democratic Government.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Ife was noted as a major religious and cultural centre in Africa, and for its unique naturalistic tradition of bronze sculpture. .The Ife model of government was adapted at Oyo, 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.^ The Government successfully prosecuted, and then released, one mid-level official for corruption, but to date, there have been no arrests or prosecutions of senior officials involved in any number of large-scale corruption cases.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ United States Embassy officials consulted with host government officials, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), opposition political party members and other embassies, to identify constructive means of intervention.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The U.S. Embassy, with considerable support from U.S. Government agencies, supports press freedom and other democracy and human rights objectives through a number of its annual programs.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The Almoravids, was a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that spread over a wide area of northwestern Africa and the Iberian peninsula during the 11th century.^[32] 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 11th and 13th centuries. Their migration resulted in the fusion of the Arabs and Berbers, where the locals were Arabized, and Arab culture absorbed elements of the local culture, under the unifying framework of Islam.^[33]

Ruins of Great Zimbabwe (11th-15th c.)

Following the breakup of Mali a local leader named Sonni Ali (1464–1492) founded the Songhai Empire in the region of middle Niger and the western Sudan and took control of the trans-Saharan trade. Sonni Ali seized Timbuktu in 1468 and Jenne in 1473, building his regime on trade revenues and the cooperation of Muslim merchants. His successor Askia Mohammad I (1493–1528) made Islam the official religion, built mosques, and brought Muslim scholars, including al-Maghili (d.1504), the founder of an important tradition of Sudanic African Muslim scholarship, to Gao.^[34] .By the 11th century some Hausa states – such as Kano, jigawa, Katsina, and Gobir – had developed into walled towns engaging in trade, servicing caravans, and the manufacture of goods.^ The United States remains committed to assisting in Rwanda's recovery while at the same time supporting its development into a full-fledged democracy.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ United States intervention has resulted in positive developments, such as the release of a half dozen persons detained without charge.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States is also addressing human rights issues by concentrating programs in areas such as political party development and the education of the public on civic responsibility and human rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Until the 15th century these small states were on the periphery of the major Sudanic empires of the era, paying tribute to Songhai to the west and Kanem-Borno to the east.

Height of slave trade

A Point of No Return in Ouidah, Benin, a former gateway for slaves to slave ships

See also: Arab slave trade and Atlantic slave trade

Slavery has been practiced in Africa, as well as other places, throughout recorded history.^[35]^[36] Between the seventh and twentieth centuries, Arab slave trade (also known as slavery in the East) took 18 million slaves from Africa via trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean routes. Between the fifteenth and the nineteenth centuries, the Atlantic slave trade took 7–12 million slaves to the New World.^[37]^[38]^[39]

In West Africa, the decline of the Atlantic slave trade in the 1820s caused dramatic economic shifts in local polities. .The gradual decline of slave-trading, prompted by a lack of demand for slaves in the New World, increasing anti-slavery legislation in Europe and America, and the British Royal Navy's increasing presence off the West African coast, obliged African states to adopt new economies.^ The United States funded a program to strengthen good governance, which has resulted in an increased debate in parliament and stronger participation by the committees in amending legislation drafted by the Executive.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Between 1808 and 1860, the British West Africa Squadron seized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were aboard.^[40] 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. Anti-slavery treaties were signed with over 50 African rulers.^[41] 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. Asante and Dahomey concentrated on the development of "legitimate commerce" in the form of palm oil, cocoa, timber and gold, forming the bedrock of West Africa's modern export trade. The Oyo Empire, unable to adapt, collapsed into civil wars.^[42]

Colonialism and the "Scramble for Africa"

Main article: Colonization of Africa

Further information: Scramble for Africa

European territorial claims on the African continent in 1914

.In the late nineteenth century, the European imperial powers engaged in a major territorial scramble and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial nation states, and leaving only two independent nations: Liberia, an independent state partly settled by African Americans; and Orthodox Christian Ethiopia (known to Europeans as "Abyssinia").^ Government officials, most of whom participated in the successful 30-year fight for independence from Ethiopia, state that they have always envisioned a democratic Eritrea that fully respects its citizens' human rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ In support of national elections for Liberia?s transition to democracy, the United States has awarded grants to various programs run through implementing partners.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Government also proceeded to shut down the nascent free press, arrested most of the country's independent journalists, and postponed national elections indefinitely.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Colonial rule by Europeans would continue until after the conclusion of World War II, when almost all colonial states gradually obtained formal independence.^ The United States continues to communicate to the ruling party the importance of improving the political situation, including cessation of human rights abuses.

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Independence movements in Africa gained momentum following World War II, which left the major European powers weakened. In 1951, Libya, a former Italian colony, gained independence. In 1956, Tunisia and Morocco won their independence from France. Ghana followed suit the next year, becoming the first of the sub-Saharan colonies to be freed. .Most of the rest of the continent became independent over the next decade, most often through relatively peaceful means, though in some countries, notably Algeria, it came only after a violent struggle.^ The Gomes Junior Government is widely recognized as the most competent and well-meaning Government Guinea-Bissau has had in 30 years since independence from Portugal.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Government also proceeded to shut down the nascent free press, arrested most of the country's independent journalists, and postponed national elections indefinitely.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Portugal's overseas presence in Sub-Saharan Africa (most notably in Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe) lasted from the 16th century to 1975, after the Estado Novo regime was overthrown in a military coup in Lisbon.^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Sao Tome and Principe .

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Though South Africa was one of the first African countries to gain independence, it remained under the rule of its white settler population, in a policy known as Apartheid, until 1994.

Post-colonial Africa

.Today, Africa contains 53 independent and sovereign countries, most of which still have the borders drawn during the era of European colonialism.^ Pan Africanism has to do with daring to stand up - Economical enslavement [slavery, exploitation, and child labour] - Nationalism and border line [Colonialism] - Africans from the Diaspora and their influence in the country.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ A week in the former European colony reveals a dynamic and diverse country with eye-popping scenery.

Africa & Middle East Travel Guides, Vacation Packages & Deals - Travel - LATimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC travel.latimes.com [Source type: General]

^ The Exploration of Africa by Europeans and Colonial Development - up to ca 1907.

The Ants of Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC antbase.org [Source type: General]

.Since colonialism, African states have frequently been hampered by instability, corruption, violence, and authoritarianism.^ The United States has been actively working to combat sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2001.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.The vast majority of African nations are republics that operate under some form of the presidential system of rule.^ However, democratization could suffer a setback if members of the ruling National Resistance Movement are successful in removing presidential term limits from the Constitution.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Since its disputed victories in the 2000 parliamentary and 2002 presidential elections, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has pursued repressive policies designed to maintain its dominant position in the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.However, few of them have been able to sustain democratic governments, and many have instead cycled through a series of coups, producing military dictatorships.^ The Government?s human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Zambia has made strides toward democratic governance that protects human rights, but many challenges remain.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Exceptionally poor civil-military relations have been a chronic impediment to democratic governance in Sierra Leonean society.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.A number of Africa's post-colonial political leaders were military generals who were poorly educated and ignorant on matters of governance.^ Governance and politics in Africa.

Project MUSE - Subject Browse 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC muse.jhu.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ African leaders have sought to develop a pan-African approach to the continent’s political and military affairs through the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The island nation's leader of a self-styled transitional government, Andry Rajoelina, ousted his political rival, President Marc Ravalomanana, and suspended parliament.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

.Great instability, however, was mainly the result of marginalization of other ethnic groups and graft under these leaders.^ However, it simply does not follow that from a demonstration that there were nominal differences in wage rates between two groups of miners that the one benefited from the exploitation of the other.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Neither would you call them 'ethnic groups', as these terms refer to the residents of those countries ie: one might also term kikuyus as kenyans.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

^ We might expect the "tribal" model of isolated ethnic groups to be nowhere more appropriate than in the great equatorial forest of modern-day Zaire.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.For political gain, many leaders fanned ethnic conflicts that had been exacerbated, or even created, by colonial rule.^ Politically motivated violence, corruption, ethnic and religious violence, flaws in the electoral process and concerns over judicial independence were among many themes pursued by U.S. officials in Nigeria.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States also urges political, military, and ethnic leaders not to interfere with the presidential election.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

In many countries, the military was perceived as being the only group that could effectively maintain order, and it ruled many nations in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s. During the period from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Africa had more than 70 coups and 13 presidential assassinations. .Border and territorial disputes were also common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.^ Border and territorial disputes have also been common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The U.N. Security Council slapped Eritrea with an arms embargo and further sanctions Wednesday for its role in aiding rebels in Somalia and refusing to withdraw from a border dispute with Djibouti.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ Today, Africa is home to over 30 independent countries, many of which still have borders drawn during the era of European colonialism .

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Cold War conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the policies of the International Monetary Fund, also played a role in instability.^ The Solidarity Center-Kenya, in conjunction with Kenya?s Coalition of Trade Unions, received a grant from the United States to focus on raising awareness within trade unions of the human trafficking problem in Kenya.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ To complement training in better revenue collection, the United States also funded the training of local officials on planning, budgeting, and funds accounting.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ United States support for democracy and human rights is also expressed by sending Guineans on International Visitors Programs related to human rights and democracy.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.When a country became independent for the first time, it was often expected to align with one of the two superpowers.^ Reconciliation activities included creation of the country's first Christian-Muslim platform for dialogue in the province of Mahajanga, one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse areas.

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^ In August and September 2003, the country held its first multi-candidate national elections since independence in elections that were peaceful but seriously marred.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Many countries in Northern Africa received Soviet military aid, while many in Central and Southern Africa were supported by the United States, France or both.^ The United States will continue to encourage the Government to implement policies that lead to a decrease in human rights violations throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States, through USAID, continues to work with IFES, which received a grant during the reporting period to improve the capacity of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK).

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States also funds de-mining activities in northern Chad.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The 1970s saw an escalation, as newly independent Angola and Mozambique aligned themselves with the Soviet Union, and the West and South Africa sought to contain Soviet influence by funding insurgency movements. There was a major famine in Ethiopia, when hundreds of thousands of people starved. Some claimed that Marxist/Soviet polices made the situation worse.^[43]^[44]^[45]

The most devastating military conflict in modern independent Africa has been the Second Congo War. By 2008, this conflict and its aftermath had killed 5.4 million people. .Since 2003 there has been an ongoing conflict in Darfur which has become a humanitarian disaster.^ The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan deeply affects Chad.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ In FY 2004, the United States supported humanitarian assistance and protection activities in Darfur and programmed Disaster Assistance Response Team protection officers as part of its humanitarian relief efforts.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

AIDS has also been a prevalent issue in post-colonial Africa.

Geography

A composite satellite image of Africa (centre) with North America (left) and Eurasia (right) to scale

Main article: Geography of Africa

Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the largest landmass of the Earth. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez (transected by the Suez Canal), 163 km (101 miles) wide.^[46] (Geopolitically, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa, as well.)^[47] .From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles);^[48] from Cape Verde, 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles).^ The U.S. Government has consistently engaged the Tanzanian Government on the issue of refugee protection for the approximately 400,000 Great Lakes refugees in Tanzania.

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^[49] The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only 10,400,000 km² (4,010,000 square miles) – about a third of the surface of Africa – has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).^[49]

Africa's largest country is Sudan, and its smallest country is the Seychelles, an archipelago off the east coast.^[50] The smallest nation on the continental mainland is The Gambia.

Biomes of Africa (see world vegetation map for key)

According to the ancient Romans, Africa lay to the west of Egypt, while "Asia" was used to refer to Anatolia and lands to the east. A definite line was drawn between the two continents by the geographer Ptolemy (85–165 AD), indicating Alexandria along the Prime Meridian and making the isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea the boundary between Asia and Africa. As Europeans came to understand the real extent of the continent, the idea of Africa expanded with their knowledge.

Geologically, Africa includes the Arabian Peninsula; the Zagros Mountains of Iran and the Anatolian Plateau of Turkey mark where the African Plate collided with Eurasia. The Afrotropic ecozone and the Saharo-Arabian desert to its north unite the region biogeographically, and the Afro-Asiatic language family unites the north linguistically.

Climate

The climate of Africa ranges from tropical to subarctic on its highest peaks. Its northern half is primarily desert or arid, while its central and southern areas contain both savanna plains and very dense jungle (rainforest) regions. In between, there is a convergence where vegetation patterns such as sahel, and steppe dominate.

Fauna

Main article: Fauna of Africa

Savanna at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.

Africa boasts perhaps the world's largest combination of density and "range of freedom" of wild animal populations and diversity, with wild populations of large carnivores (such as lions, hyenas, and cheetahs) and herbivores (such as buffalo, deer, elephants, camels, and giraffes) ranging freely on primarily open non-private plains. It is also home to a variety of jungle creatures (including snakes and primates) and aquatic life (including crocodiles and amphibians). Africa also has the largest number of megafauna species, as it was least affected by the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna.

Ecology

.Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world rate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).^ "Africa has an indispensable contribution to make in ensuring that 2005 becomes a turning point for the continent, the United Nations and the world."

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^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

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^[51] Some sources claim that deforestation has already wiped out roughly 90% of West Africa's original forests.^[52] .Since the arrival of humans 2000 years ago, Madagascar has lost more than 90% of its original forest.^ In addition more than 1.5million civilians were internally displaced, and over 200,000 refugees fled to neighboring Chad by year's end.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ At year?s end, more than 8,000 ex-combatants were participating in the program.

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^ The Transitional Government is preparing for democratic elections in 2005, the first elections in more than 40 years.

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^[53] About 65% of Africa's agricultural land suffers from soil degradation.^[54]

Politics

Political map of Africa. .(Hover mouse to see name, click area to go to article.^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ See an example of his map at: http://www.petersmap.com (Click through to Page 2 for a comparison between the traditional world map and the equal-area map) .

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ To go to an article on a select australopith fossil site, click on a hyperlinked label.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

)

.
The African Union (AU) is a federation consisting of all of Africa's states except Morocco.^ The Head of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions attended a workshop in the United States highlighting the role of civil society in a political system.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States led international efforts to improve the situation in Darfur, working within the UN, with the African Union and bilaterally.

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^ The United States also provided funding to support the African Union's (AU) monitoring efforts in Darfur.

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.The union was formed, with Addis Ababa as its headquarters, on 26 June 2001. 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.^ The Central African Republic?s human rights record remains poor.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Government?s human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.

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^ At the beginning of 2004 the human rights and democracy situation in Guinea-Bissau was gradually improving.

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.There is a policy in effect to decentralise the African Federation's institutions so that they are shared by all the states.^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ National African Language Resource Center, NALRC [Language Map] "federally funded, nonprofit national foreign language center dedicated to the advancement of African language teaching and learning in the United States."

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ On Friday, the African Union suspended Madagascar's membership in protest, and the United States cut all non-humanitarian aid.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

.The African Union, not to be confused with the AU Commission, is formed by an Act of Union, which aims to transform the African Economic Community, a federated commonwealth, into a state under established international conventions.^ One tangible result of the Embassy's collaboration with the Ministry of Communication was the establishment of a "Media House" that works as a liaison to Cameroon's many ministries for the local and international media.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States allocated funds to two international NGOs to reintegrate former combatants into their communities and provided a staff member and extensive technical support to the national DDR program.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ For example, Global Rights supported local groups that advocated for a bill, signed into law in December 2004 that establishes a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.The African Union has a parliamentary government, known as the African Union Government, consisting of legislative, judicial and executive organs.^ Swaziland is a modified traditional monarchy with executive, legislative, and limited judicial powers ultimately vested in the King.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States funded a program to strengthen good governance, which has resulted in an increased debate in parliament and stronger participation by the committees in amending legislation drafted by the Executive.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ A key objective is the adoption of a new Constitution (to replace the 1963 authoritarian constitution) that includes a better balance of authority among the executive, legislative and judicial branches and provides for devolution of authority to sub-national units of government.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.It is led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the Pan African Parliament.^ In 2005, Gertrude Mongella, president of the Pan-African Parliament, received the award for her pioneering work supporting woman rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ President Bongo is the longest serving head of state in Africa.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Head of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions attended a workshop in the United States highlighting the role of civil society in a political system.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

A person becomes AU President by being elected to the PAP, and subsequently gaining majority support in the PAP.

.The powers and authority of the President of the African Parliament derive from the Union Act, and the Protocol of the Pan African Parliament, as well as the inheritance of presidential authority stipulated by African treaties and by international treaties, including those subordinating the Secretary General of the OAU Secretariat (AU Commission) to the PAP. The government of the AU consists of all-union (federal), regional, state, and municipal authorities, as well as hundreds of institutions, that together manage the day-to-day affairs of the institution.^ The situation in Darfur received significant international attention, including visits by the Secretary of State and the Secretary-General of the UN. Numerous other official visitors and Members of Congress traveled to Sudan during the year and met with top government officials to press for improvements in Darfur.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Following the October 6 mutiny, the international community, represented by the UN Secretary General's Representative in Guinea-Bissau, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, and the Economic Community of West African States, was best placed to help the Government of Guinea-Bissau ease tensions in the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Seminar moderators challenged participants, including senior military leaders and the Secretary-General of the Defense Ministry, to understand each other's perspectives and roles in a developing democracy.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.There are clear signs of increased networking among African organisations and states.^ Doctors Without Borders The Issue: Chinese Investment in Africa There has been much controversy and debate lately over China's increased investment in African countries.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ The Treaty of Utrecht, signed by Spain in 1713, stated that no Jews or Muslims could live there.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ United States officials have made clear that demonstrated improvement with respect to democracy and human rights could lead to increased cooperation with the United States.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.In the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), rather than rich, non-African countries intervening, neighbouring African countries became involved (see also Second Congo War).^ The Republic of Angola is a country in transition following its 27-year civil war that ended in 2002.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States also provided a grant to the International Labor Organization in four countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to help former child soldiers return to civilian life.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States has been actively working to combat sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2001.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Since the conflict began in 1998, the estimated death toll has reached 5 million. .Political associations such as the African Union offer hope for greater co-operation and peace between the continent's many countries.^ Growing poverty and poor governance in many areas around the country have added tension to the political climate.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Extensive human rights abuses still occur in several parts of Africa, often under the oversight of the state.^ Application deadline is February 20, 2005 The Africa Advocacy Director is the chief advocacy strategist for Human Rights Watch's work in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The United States will continue to encourage the Government to implement policies that lead to a decrease in human rights violations throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Some of these poorest countries of the world are in Africa and many remain perpetually paralyzed with problems of starvation and poverty, HIV and widespread illnesses and political corruption or human rights abuse.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Most of such violations occur for political reasons, often as a side effect of civil war.^ Ultimately, such policies can lead to economic and political disaster, or even war.

AfriMAP 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.afrimap.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa's modern history has also earned an as-yet-unrecognized place in the world events that have effected everyone in the western world, such as world wars and the cold war.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although there are no political prisoners in the country and serious violations have been few, human rights violations continue to occur.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Countries where major human rights violations have been reported in recent times include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Côte d'Ivoire.^ The Embassy widely circulated its human rights-related reports among civil society, Government, and party officials.

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^ The U.S. human rights strategy in Zimbabwe focuses on supporting civil society and the democratic opposition that are dedicated to expanding democratic space.

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Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Africa

African Economic Community map

.Although it has abundant natural resources, Africa remains the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continent, due to a variety of causes that may include the spread of deadly diseases and viruses (notably HIV/AIDS and malaria), corrupt governments that have often committed serious human rights violations, failed central planning, high levels of illiteracy, lack of access to foreign capital, and frequent tribal and military conflict (ranging from guerrilla warfare to genocide).^ The Government's human rights record remained poor, and the Government continued to commit serious abuses.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Central African Republic?s human rights record remains poor.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Government of Zimbabwe?s human rights record remained poor and it continued to commit abuses.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[55] .According to the United Nations' Human Development Report in 2003, the bottom 25 ranked nations (151st to 175th) were all African.^ The United States is funding an American NGO in northern Nigeria in a program to promote good human rights reporting.

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^ The United States uses all the opportunities at its disposal to promote the democratization process and respect for human rights in The Gambia.

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^ Effective January 1, 2003, the United States also granted The Gambia eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) based on the criteria set forth in the law, including a commitment to democracy and human rights.

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^[56]

Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and inadequate water supply and sanitation, as well as poor health, affect a large proportion of the people who reside in the African continent. .In August 2008, the World Bank^[57] announced revised global poverty estimates based on a new international poverty line of $1.25 per day (versus the previous measure of $1.00).^ Based on a study conducted between June and August, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that up to 70,000 civilians were killed or died as a result of the conflict.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.80.5% of the Sub-Saharan Africa population was living on less than $2.50 (PPP) a day in 2005, compared with 85.7% for India.^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The constitutional review process is mired in political in-fighting, unemployment is close to 50 percent and more than one-half of all Kenyans continue to live on less than one dollar a day.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[58] .The new figures confirm that sub-Saharan Africa has been the least successful region of the world in reducing poverty ($1.25 per day); some 50% of the population living in poverty in 1981 (200 million people), a figure that rose to 58% in 1996 before dropping to 50% in 2005 (380 million people).^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Budget Africa Tours = Tours typically range from $45 to $130 per person, per day, plus airfare.

Africa Tours, African Tours, Africa Travel, Africa Vacations, African Safaris 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.tourvacationstogo.com [Source type: General]

^ Combine a Contiki Europe vacation of at least 25 days with a Contiki Great Britain tour booked at the same time and get a special $100 discount off the land price in addition to the $50 second tour discount.

Africa Tours, African Tours, Africa Travel, Africa Vacations, African Safaris 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.tourvacationstogo.com [Source type: General]

.The average poor person in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to live on only 70 cents per day, and was poorer in 2003 than he or she was in 1973 ^[59] indicating increasing poverty in some areas.^ The Government?s human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Growing poverty and poor governance in many areas around the country have added tension to the political climate.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Some of it is attributed to unsuccessful economic liberalization programs spearheaded by foreign companies and governments, but other studies and reports have cited bad domestic government policies more than external factors.^ External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Through a U.S. Government grant awarded in 2003, the Federation of Women Lawyers continued their work during the reporting period to improve the legislative and policy framework for women's rights.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ LCIP is designed to promote the social reintegration of more than 20,000 ex-combatants and others.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[60]^[61]^[62]

.From 1995 to 2005, Africa's rate of economic growth increased, averaging 5% in 2005. Some countries experienced still higher growth rates, notably Angola, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea, all three of which had recently begun extracting their petroleum reserves or had expanded their oil extraction capacity.^ There was some evidence, including several infrastructure projects, which the Government started to use the country's oil wealth for the public good.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The companies all strongly reject allegations emanating from the Riggs Bank investigation that they have engaged in illegal or unethical practices in Equatorial Guinea.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Through U.S. engagement, especially from the direct engagement of the U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, the country is more aware of trafficking issues and is taking measures to address them.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The continent has 90% of the world’s cobalt, 90% of its platinum, 50% of its gold, 98% of its chromium, 70% of its tantalite,^[63] 64% of its manganese and one-third of its uranium.^[64] The DRC has 70% of the world’s coltan, and most mobile phones in the world have coltan in them. .The Democratic Republic of the Congo also has more than 30% of the world’s diamond reserves.^ The United States has been actively working to combat sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2001.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Transitional Government is preparing for democratic elections in 2005, the first elections in more than 40 years.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ A prominent U.S. non-governmental organization (NGO) estimates that more than 31,000 people die each month in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it the deadliest humanitarian crisis in the world.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[65] Guinea is the world’s largest exporter of bauxite.^[66] .In recent years, the People's Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations.^ Supporting the electoral process is arguably the most strategic support any partner can offer the people of the Central African Republic at this critical time in their history.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

In 2007, Chinese companies invested a total of US$1 billion in Africa.^[67]

Demographics

Main articles: African people and Demographics of Africa

Tuareg man from Algeria

Africa's population has rapidly increased over the last 40 years, and consequently it is relatively young. .In some African states half or more of the population is under 25 years of age.^ In Fiscal Year 2004, more than one-half of the Embassy's annual allotment of 20 international exchange visitors participated in programs that fit broadly under this rubric, including two East African regional small group projects.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ In 2004, although many of the former practices of the police have been curtailed, some serious abuses continued under the NTGL. The NTGL did not have much presence beyond the capital and its immediate environs until the second half of the year.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^[68] African population grew from 221 million in 1950 to 1 billion in 2009.^[69]^[70]

.Speakers of Bantu languages (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and East Africa proper.^ East Africa Family Safari (Northbound) .

Africa Tours, African Tours, Africa Travel, Africa Vacations, African Safaris 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.tourvacationstogo.com [Source type: General]

^ East Africa Family Safari (Southbound) .

Africa Tours, African Tours, Africa Travel, Africa Vacations, African Safaris 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.tourvacationstogo.com [Source type: General]

.But there are also several Nilotic groups in East Africa, and a few remaining indigenous Khoisan ('San' or 'Bushmen') and Pygmy peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively.^ The Government?s human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Although there were improvements in some areas, several problems remained.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ The Government generally respected the rights of its citizens; however, there were serious problems in several areas.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon.^ The U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon concurrently remains U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "Hottentots") have long been present. .The San are physically distinct from other Africans and are the indigenous people of southern Africa.^ Africa: Religions ) indigenous religions ( in African religions ) influence of .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ December 2008, San Francisco - South Africa Shares its success stories - Says we are working with other African countries to enable the same!

. Africa - Africa’s map in the digital inclusion! 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC dotafrica.blogspot.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous peoples of central Africa.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Bantu, a linguistically related group of about 60 million people living in equatorial and southern Africa.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5) I&S Survey of the many cultures of pre- and post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

^[71]

San man from Botswana

The peoples of North Africa comprise two main groups; Berber and Arabic-speaking peoples in the west, and Egyptians in the east. The Arabs who arrived in the seventh century introduced the Arabic language and Islam to North Africa. The Semitic Phoenicians, the Iranian Alans, the European Greeks, Romans and Vandals settled in North Africa as well. Berbers still make up the majority in Morocco, while they are a significant minority within Algeria. They are also present in Tunisia and Libya.^[72] The Tuareg and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. Nubians are a Nilo-Saharan-speaking group (though many also speak Arabic), who developed an ancient civilisation in northeast Africa.

Some Ethiopian and Eritrean groups (like the Amhara and Tigrayans, collectively known as "Habesha") speak Semitic languages. The Oromo and Somali peoples speak Cushitic languages, but some Somali clans trace their founding to legendary Arab founders. Sudan and Mauritania are divided between a mostly Arabized north and a native African south (although the "Arabs" of Sudan clearly have a predominantly native African ancestry themselves). Some areas of East Africa, particularly the island of Zanzibar and the Kenyan island of Lamu, received Arab Muslim and Southwest Asian settlers and merchants throughout the Middle Ages and in antiquity.^[73]

Prior to the decolonisation movements of the post-World War II era, Whites were represented in every part of Africa.^[74] Decolonisation during the 1960s and 1970s often resulted in the mass emigration of European-descended settlers out of Africa – especially from Algeria (pieds-noirs),^[75] Kenya, Congo,^[76] Angola,^[77] Mozambique and Rhodesia. Nevertheless, White Africans remain an important minority in many African states. The African country with the largest White African population is South Africa.^[78] The Afrikaners, the Anglo-Africans and the Coloureds are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today.

Woman from Benin

European colonisation also brought sizeable groups of Asians, particularly people from the Indian subcontinent, to British colonies. Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and East African countries. The large Indian community in Uganda was expelled by the dictator Idi Amin in 1972, though many have since returned. The islands in the Indian Ocean are also populated primarily by people of Asian origin, often mixed with Africans and Europeans. The Malagasy people of Madagascar are an Austronesian people, but those along the coast are generally mixed with Bantu, Arab, Indian and European origins. Malay and Indian ancestries are also important components in the group of people known in South Africa as Cape Coloureds (people with origins in two or more races and continents). During the 20th century, small but economically important communities of Lebanese and Chinese^[67] have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively.^[79]

Languages

Main article: African languages

Map showing the distribution of the various language families of Africa.

By most estimates, well over a thousand languages (UNESCO has estimated around two thousand) are spoken in Africa.^[80] Most are of African origin, though some are of European or Asian origin. Africa is the most multilingual continent in the world, and it is not rare for individuals to fluently speak not only multiple African languages, but one or more European ones as well. There are four major language families indigenous to Africa.

The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout the Horn of Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia.
The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by Nilotic tribes in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
The Niger-Congo language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages.
The Khoisan languages number about fifty and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120,000 people. Many of the Khoisan languages are endangered. The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of 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). In numerous countries, English and French (see African French) are used for communication in the public sphere such as government, commerce, education and the media. Arabic, Portuguese, Afrikaans and Malagasy are examples of languages that trace their origin to outside of Africa, and that are used by millions of Africans today, both in the public and private spheres.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Africa

Kikuyu woman in Kenya

Modern African culture is characterised by conflicted responses to Arab nationalism and European imperialism.^{[citation needed]} Increasingly, beginning in the late 1990s, Africans have been reasserting their identity.^{[citation needed]} In North Africa, especially because of the rejection of the label Arab or European, there is now an upsurge of demands for special protection of indigenous Berber languages and culture in Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.^{[citation needed]} The re-emergence of Pan-Africanism since the fall of apartheid has heightened calls for a renewed sense of African identity.^{[citation needed]} In South Africa, intellectuals from settler communities of European descent increasingly identify as African for cultural, rather than geographical or racial, reasons. Famously, some have undergone ritual ceremonies to become members of the Zulu or other communities.^{[citation needed]}

Many aspects of traditional African cultures have become less practiced in recent years as a result of years of neglect and suppression by colonial and post-colonial regimes.^{[citation needed]} There is now a resurgence in the attempts to rediscover and revalourise African traditional cultures, under such movements as the African Renaissance, led by Thabo Mbeki, Afrocentrism, led by a group of scholars, including Molefi Asante, as well as the increasing recognition of traditional spiritualism through decriminalization of Vodou and other forms of spirituality. In recent years, traditional African culture has become synonymous with rural poverty and subsistence farming.^{[citation needed]}

Mali's Great Mosque of Djenné is built in an architectural style prevalent in the interior regions of West Africa.

.The vast majority of the scholarship on Africa was extraneous and catered to the demand for exotic and outlandish representations of Africa.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ At the larger scale there are major disparities between South Africa and the rest of the continent, with the vast majority of Internet connectivity at the extreme south or north.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

The enforcement of government decrees and policies tended to produce effects that confirmed the prejudices of the European colonialists.

Visual art and architecture

African art and architecture reflect the diversity of African cultures. The oldest existing examples of art from Africa are 82,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells that were found in the Aterian levels at Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt, Morocco.^{[citation needed]} The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was the world's tallest structure for 4,000 years, until the completion of Lincoln Cathedral around the year 1300. The stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe are also noteworthy for their architecture, and the complexity of monolithic churches at Lalibela, Ethiopia, of which the Church of Saint George is representative.^{[citation needed]}

Music and dance

Main article: Music of Africa

A young man playing the k'ra, a traditional instrument of Ethiopia

Egypt has long been a cultural focus of the Arab world, while remembrance of the rhythms of sub-Saharan Africa, in particular West Africa, was transmitted through the Atlantic slave trade to modern samba, blues, jazz, reggae, hip hop, and rock. The 1950s through the 1970s saw a conglomeration of these various styles with the popularization of Afrobeat and Highlife music. Modern music of the continent includes the highly complex choral singing of southern Africa and the dance rhythms of the musical genre of soukous, dominated by the music of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Indigenous musical and dance traditions of Africa are maintained by oral traditions, and they are distinct from the music and dance styles of North Africa and Southern Africa. Arab influences are visible in North African music and dance and, in Southern Africa, Western influences are apparent due to colonisation.

Sports

Fifty-three African countries have football (soccer) teams in the Confederation of African Football, while Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana have advanced to the knockout stage of recent FIFA World Cups. South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup tournament, and will be the first African country to do so.

Cricket is popular in some African nations. South Africa and Zimbabwe have Test status, while Kenya is the leading non-test team in One-Day International cricket and has attained permanent One-Day International status. The three countries jointly hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Namibia is the other African country to have played in a World Cup. Morocco in northern Africa has also hosted the 2002 Morocco Cup, but the national team has never qualified for a major tournament.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Africa

Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs^[81] and statistics on religious affiliation are difficult to come by since they are too sensitive a topic for governments with mixed populations.^[82] According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Islam is the largest religion in Africa, followed by Christianity. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, 45% of the population are Muslims, 40% are Christians and less than 15% are non-religious or follow African religions. A small number of Africans are Hindu, Baha'i, or have beliefs from the Judaic tradition. Examples of African Jews are the Beta Israel, Lemba peoples and the Abayudaya of Eastern Uganda.

Territories and regions

Main articles: Regions of Africa and List of African countries and territories

The countries in this table are categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated.

Regions of Africa: Northern Africa Western Africa Middle Africa Eastern Africa Southern Africa

Physical map of Africa

Satellite photo of Africa

Political map of Africa

Name of region^[83] and territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (2009 est) except where noted	Density (per km²)	Capital
Eastern Africa:	6,384,904	316,053,651	49.5
Burundi	27,830	8,988,091^[84]	322.9	Bujumbura
Comoros	2,170	752,438^[84]	346.7	Moroni
Djibouti	23,000	516,055^[84]	22.4	Djibouti
Eritrea	121,320	5,647,168^[84]	46.5	Asmara
Ethiopia	1,127,127	85,237,338^[84]	75.6	Addis Ababa
Kenya	582,650	39,002,772^[84]	66.0	Nairobi
Madagascar	587,040	20,653,556^[84]	35.1	Antananarivo
Malawi	118,480	14,268,711^[84]	120.4	Lilongwe
Mauritius	2,040	1,284,264^[84]	629.5	Port Louis
Mayotte (France)	374	223,765^[84]	489.7	Mamoudzou
Mozambique	801,590	21,669,278^[84]	27.0	Maputo
Réunion (France)	2,512	743,981(2002)	296.2	Saint-Denis
Rwanda	26,338	10,473,282^[84]	397.6	Kigali
Seychelles	455	87,476^[84]	192.2	Victoria
Somalia	637,657	9,832,017^[84]	15.4	Mogadishu
Tanzania	945,087	41,048,532^[84]	43.3	Dodoma
Uganda	236,040	32,369,558^[84]	137.1	Kampala
Zambia	752,614	11,862,740^[84]	15.7	Lusaka
Middle Africa:	6,613,253	121,585,754	18.4
Angola	1,246,700	12,799,293^[84]	10.3	Luanda
Cameroon	475,440	18,879,301^[84]	39.7	Yaoundé
Central African Republic	622,984	4,511,488^[84]	7.2	Bangui
Chad	1,284,000	10,329,208^[84]	8.0	N'Djamena
Congo	342,000	4,012,809^[84]	11.7	Brazzaville
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2,345,410	68,692,542^[84]	29.2	Kinshasa
Equatorial Guinea	28,051	633,441^[84]	22.6	Malabo
Gabon	267,667	1,514,993^[84]	5.6	Libreville
São Tomé and Príncipe	1,001	212,679^[84]	212.4	São Tomé
Northern Africa:	8,533,021	211,087,622	24.7
Algeria	2,381,740	34,178,188^[84]	14.3	Algiers
Egypt^[85]	1,001,450	83,082,869^[84] total, Asia 1.4m	82.9	Cairo
Libya	1,759,540	6,310,434^[84]	3.6	Tripoli
Morocco	446,550	34,859,364^[84]	78.0	Rabat
Sudan	2,505,810	41,087,825^[84]	16.4	Khartoum
Tunisia	163,610	10,486,339^[84]	64.1	Tunis
Western Sahara^[86]	266,000	405,210^[84]	1.5	El Aaiún
Spanish and Portuguese territories in Northern Africa:
Canary Islands (Spain)^[87]	7,492	1,694,477(2001)	226.2	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Ceuta (Spain)^[88]	20	71,505(2001)	3,575.2	—
Madeira Islands (Portugal)^[89]	797	245,000(2001)	307.4	Funchal
Melilla (Spain)^[90]	12	66,411(2001)	5,534.2	—
Southern Africa:	2,693,418	56,406,762	20.9
Botswana	600,370	1,990,876^[84]	3.3	Gaborone
Lesotho	30,355	2,130,819^[84]	70.2	Maseru
Zimbabwe	390,580	11,392,629^[84]	29.1	Harare
Namibia	825,418	2,108,665^[84]	2.6	Windhoek
South Africa	1,219,912	49,052,489^[84]	40.2	Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria^[91]
Swaziland	17,363	1,123,913^[84]	64.7	Mbabane
Western Africa:	6,144,013	296,186,492	48.2
Benin	112,620	8,791,832^[84]	78.0	Porto-Novo
Burkina Faso	274,200	15,746,232^[84]	57.4	Ouagadougou
Cape Verde	4,033	429,474^[84]	107.3	Praia
Côte d'Ivoire	322,460	20,617,068^[84]	63.9	Abidjan,^[92] Yamoussoukro
Gambia	11,300	1,782,893^[84]	157.7	Banjul
Ghana	239,460	23,832,495^[84]	99.5	Accra
Guinea	245,857	10,057,975^[84]	40.9	Conakry
Guinea-Bissau	36,120	1,533,964^[84]	42.5	Bissau
Liberia	111,370	3,441,790^[84]	30.9	Monrovia
Mali	1,240,000	12,666,987^[84]	10.2	Bamako
Mauritania	1,030,700	3,129,486^[84]	3.0	Nouakchott
Niger	1,267,000	15,306,252^[84]	12.1	Niamey
Nigeria	923,768	149,229,090^[84]	161.5	Abuja
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (UK)	410	7,637^[84]	14.4	Jamestown
Senegal	196,190	13,711,597^[84]	69.9	Dakar
Sierra Leone	71,740	6,440,053^[84]	89.9	Freetown
Togo	56,785	6,019,877^[84]	106.0	Lomé
Africa Total	30,368,609	1,001,320,281	33.0

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^ Apley, Apley. "Igbo-Ukwu (ca. 9th century)". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/igbo/hd_igbo.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
^ "The Fate of Africa - A Survey of Fifty Years of Independence". washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/01/11/DI2006011101372.html. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
^ http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/igbo/hd_igbo.htm
^ Glick, Thomas F. Islamic And Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages. (2005) Brill Academic Publishers page 37
^ Genetic Evidence for the Expansion of Arabian Tribes into the Southern Levant and North Africa
^ Ira M. Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies, Cambridge 1988
^ Historical survey > Slave societies, Encyclopædia Britannica
^ Swahili Coast, National Geographic
^ Welcome to Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History, Encyclopædia Britannica
^ Focus on the slave trade, BBC
^ Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa p 25 by Paul E. Lovejoy
^ Sailing against slavery. By Jo Loosemore BBC
^ The West African Squadron and slave trade
^ Simon, Julian L. (1995) State of Humanity, Blackwell Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 1-55786-585-X.
^ "BBC: 1984 famine in Ethiopia". 2000-04-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/703958.stm. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
^ Robert G. Patman, The Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa 1990, ISBN 0521360226, pp. 295–296
^ Steven Varnis, Reluctant aid or aiding the reluctant?: U.S. food aid policy and the Ethiopian Famine Relief 1990, ISBN 0887383483, p.38
^ Drysdale, Alasdair and Gerald H. Blake. (1985) The Middle East and North Africa, Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-503538-0.
^ "Atlas - Xpeditions @ nationalgeographic.com". National Geographic Society. 2003. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=africa&Rootmap=&Mode=d. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ Lewin, Evans. (1924) Africa, Clarendon press.
^ ^a ^b (1998) Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Index), Merriam-Webster. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
^ Hoare, Ben. (2002) The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-7534-5569-2.
^ Deforestation reaches worrying level - UN. AfricaNews. June 11, 2008.
^ Forests and deforestation in Africa - the wasting of an immense resource. afrol News.
^ Terrestrial Ecoregions -- Madagascar subhumid forests (AT0118), National Geographic.
^ Nature laid waste: The destruction of Africa. The Independent. June 11, 2008.
^ Richard Sandbrook, The Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1985 passim
^ [2], United Nations
^ World Bank Updates Poverty Estimates for the Developing World
^ "The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty". World Bank. http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239.
^ Economic report on Africa 2004: unlocking Africa’s potential in the global economy, (Substantive session 28 June-23 July 2004) United Nations
^ Neo-Liberalism and the Economic and Political Future of Africa
^ Capitalism - Africa - Neoliberalism, Structural Adjustment, And The African Reaction
^ http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=58925
^ "Africa: Developed Countries' Leverage On the Continent". AllAfrica.com. February 7, 2008.
^ "Africa, China's new frontier". Times Online. February 10, 2008.
^ "DR Congo poll crucial for Africa". BBC News. November 16, 2006.
^ "China tightens grip on Africa with $4.4bn lifeline for Guinea junta". The Times. October 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration". By Malia Politzer, Migration Information Source. August 2008.
^ "Africa Population Dynamics". http://www.overpopulation.org/Africa.html.
^ Population. Western Kentucky University.
^ Africa's population now 1 billion. AfricaNews. August 25, 2009.
^ Pygmies struggle to survive in war zone where abuse is routine. Times Online. December 16, 2004.
^ Q&A: The Berbers. BBC News. March 12, 2004.
^ The Story of Africa. BBC World Service.
^ "We Want Our Country" (3 of 10). Time. November 5, 1965
^ North Africa after 1830. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.
^ Jungle Shipwreck. Time. July 25, 1960
^ Flight from Angola, The Economist , August 16, 1975
^ South Africa: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
^ Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African Commerce, By Naomi Schwarz, voanews.com, July 10
^ "Africa". UNESCO. 2005. http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8048&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ "African Religion on the Internet", Stanford University
^ Onishi, Normitsu (November 1, 2001). "Rising Muslim Power in Africa Causing Unrest in Nigeria and Elsewhere". The New York Times Company. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EEDC1030F932A35752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd USCensusBureau:Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2009
^ Egypt is generally considered a transcontinental country in Northern Africa (UN region) and Western Asia; population and area figures are for African portion only, west of the Suez Canal.
^ Western Sahara is disputed between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, who administer a minority of the territory, and Morocco, who occupy the remainder.
^ The Spanish Canary Islands, of which Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are Santa Cruz de Tenerife are co-capitals, are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco and Western Sahara; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Spanish exclave of Ceuta is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Portuguese Madeira Islands are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Spanish exclave of Melilla is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa, while Cape Town is its legislative seat, and Pretoria is the country's administrative seat.
^ Yamoussoukro is the official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while Abidjan is the de facto seat.

External links

General information

Africa at the Open Directory Project
African & Middle Eastern Reading Room from the United States Library of Congress
Africa South of the Sahara from Stanford University
The Index on Africa from The Norwegian Council for Africa
Africa from The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online
Aluka Digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa
Atlas of Our Changing Environment: Africa from United Nations Environment Programme
Africa Interactive Map from the United States Army Africa
Wikimedia Atlas of Africa

History

News media

allAfrica.com current news, events and statistics
Focus on Africa magazine from BBC World Service

Travel

Africa travel guide from Wikitravel

Articles Related to Africa

Africa topics

Culture	Architecture (World Heritage Sites) · Art · Cinema (Films · Film festivals) · Cuisine · Etiquette · Languages · Literature (Writers by country) · Music (Musicians) · Religion

Demographics	People · Countries by population density · HIV/AIDS · Urbanization (Cities · Largest metropolitan areas)

Economy	Countries by GDP (nominal) · Countries by HDI · Central banks and currencies · Education · Internet · Natural resources · Poverty · Renewable energy · Stock exchanges

Geography	Countries and territories · Impact craters · Islands · Natural history · Regions · Rivers

History	Colonisation (European exploration · African slave trade · Atlantic slave trade · Scramble for Africa) · Decolonization · Economic history · Empires · Military history (List of conflicts)

Politics	African Union · Elections · Human rights · Pan-Africanism · United States of Africa

Society	Caste system · Media (Radio stations · Television stations) · Philosophy

Sport	African Cricket Association · Afro-Asian Games · All-Africa Games · Australian rules football · Confederation of African Football (Africa Cup of Nations) · Confederation of African Rugby (Africa Cup) · FIBA Africa · Stadiums by capacity · Tour d'Afrique

Years	2004 in Africa · 2005 in Africa · 2006 in Africa · 2007 in Africa · 2008 in Africa · 2009 in Africa

Countries and territories of Africa

West Africa	Benin · Burkina Faso · Cape Verde · Côte d'Ivoire · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Liberia · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Nigeria · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Togo

North Africa	Algeria · Egypt · Libya · Mauritania · Morocco · Sudan · Tunisia

Central Africa	Angola · Burundi · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe

East Africa	Burundi · Comoros · Djibouti · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Kenya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mauritius · Mozambique · Seychelles · Somalia · Tanzania · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe

Southern Africa	Botswana · Lesotho · Namibia · South Africa · Swaziland

States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic · Somaliland

Partially in Africa	France (Réunion) · Italy (Pantelleria) · Portugal (Madeira) · Spain (Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla / Plazas de soberanía) · Yemen (Socotra)

Dependencies	Iles Eparses (France) · Mayotte (France) · Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)

Disputed areas	Western Sahara

Continents of the world

Africa

Asia

Europe

Eurasia

Oceania

Geological supercontinents

Gondwana · Laurasia · Pangaea · Pannotia · Rodinia · Columbia · Kenorland · Nena · Ur · Vaalbara

Historical continents

Arctica · Asiamerica · Atlantica · Avalonia · Baltica · Cimmeria · Congo craton · Euramerica · Kalaharia · Kazakhstania · Laurentia · North China · Siberia · South China · Ur · East Antarctica

Submerged continents
Kerguelen Plateau · Zealandia

Possible future supercontinents
Pangaea Ultima · Amasia

Mythical and theorized continents
Atlantis · Lemuria · Meropis · Mu · Terra Australis

See also Regions of the world

Regions of the world

Africa	Northern (Maghreb) · Sub-Sahara (Central · Southern · Western · Eastern (Horn))	Oceania	Australasia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Polynesia

Americas	North (Northern • Middle • Central • Caribbean) · South (Southern Cone) · Anglo · Latin	Polar	Arctic · Antarctic
Asia	Central · Eastern (Northeastern) · Northern · Southeastern · Southern · Western	Oceans	World · Arctic · Atlantic · Indian · Pacific · Southern
Europe	Central · Eastern · Northern · Southeastern · Southern · Western

Africa
File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg
Area	30,221,532 km² (11,668,598.7 sq mi)
Population	1,000,010,000^[1] (2005, 2nd)
Pop. density	30.51/km² (about 80/sq mi)
Demonym	African
Countries	54 (List of countries)
Dependencies	List Mayotte Réunion Canary Islands Ceuta Madeira Islands Melilla Saint Helena
Languages	List of languages
Time Zones	UTC-1 to UTC+4
Largest cities	List of cities

Etymology

Afri was the name of several peoples who dwelt in North Africa near Carthage. Their name is usually connected with Phoenician afar, "dust", but a 1981 hypothesis^[6] has asserted that it stems from a Berber word ifri or Ifran meaning "cave", in reference to cave dwellers.^[7] Africa or Ifri or Afer^[7] is name of Banu Ifran from Algeria and Tripolitania (Berber Tribe of Yafran).^[8]

Under Roman rule, Carthage became the capital of Africa Province, which also included the coastal part of modern Libya. The Roman suffix "-ca" denotes "country or land".^[9] The later Muslim kingdom of Ifriqiya, modern-day Tunisia, also preserved a form of the name.

Other etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":

the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Ant. 1.15) asserted that it was named for Epher, grandson of Abraham according to Gen. 25:4, whose descendants, he claimed, had invaded Libya.
Latin word aprica ("sunny") mentioned by Isidore of Seville in Etymologiae XIV.5.2.
the Greek word aphrike (Αφρική), meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian Leo Africanus (1488–1554), who suggested the Greek word phrike (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the privative prefix "a-", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror.
Massey, in 1881, derived an etymology from the Egyptian af-rui-ka, "to turn toward the opening of the Ka." The Ka is the energetic double of every person and "opening of the Ka" refers to a womb or birthplace. Africa would be, for the Egyptians, "the birthplace."^[10]
yet another hypothesis was proposed by Michèle Fruyt in Revue de Philologie 50, 1976: 221–238, linking the Latin word with africus 'south wind', which would be of Umbrian origin and mean originally 'rainy wind'.

The Irish female name Aifric is sometimes anglicised as Africa, but the given name is unrelated to the geonym.

History

Main page: History of Africa

Further information: History of North Africa, History of West Africa, History of Central Africa, History of East Africa, and History of Southern Africa

Paleohistory

File:Massospondylus

The African prosauropod Massospondylus.

At the beginning of the Mesozoic Era, Africa was joined with Earth's other continents in Pangaea.^[11] Africa shared the supercontinent's relatively uniform fauna which was dominated by theropods, prosauropods and primitive ornithischians by the close of the Triassic period.^[11] Late Triassic fossils are found through-out Africa, but are more common in the south than north.^[11] The boundary separating the Triassic and Jurassic marks the advent of an extinction event with global impact, although African strata from this time period have not been thoroughly studied.^[11]

Early Jurassic strata are distributed in a similar fashion to Late Triassic beds, with more common outcrops in the south and less common fossil beds which are predominated by tracks to the north.^[11] As the Jurassic proceeded, larger and more iconic groups of dinosaurs like sauropods and ornithopods proliferated in Africa.^[11] Middle Jurassic strata are neither well represented nor well studied in Africa.^[11] Late Jurassic strata are also poorly represented apart from the spectacular Tendaguru fauna in Tanzania.^[11] The Late Jurassic life of Tendaguru is very similar to that found in western North America's Morrison Formation.^[11]

Midway through the Mesozoic, about 150–160 million years ago, Madagascar separated from Africa, although it remained connected to India and the rest of the Gondwanan landmasses.^[11] Fossils from Madagascar include abelisaurs and titanosaurs.^[11]

File:Spinosaurus

The African theropod Spinosaurus was the largest known carnivorous dinosaur.

Later into the Early Cretaceous epoch, the India-Madagascar landmass separated from the rest of Gondwana.^[11] By the Late Cretaceous, Madagascar and India had permanently split ways and continued until later reaching their modern configurations.^[11]

By contrast to Madagascar, mainland Africa was relatively stable in position through-out the Mesozoic.^[11] Despite the stable position, major changes occurred to its relation to other landmasses as the remains of Pangea continued to break apart.^[11] By the beginning of the Late Cretaceous epoch South America had split off from Africa, completing the southern half of the Atlantic Ocean.^[11] This event had a profound effect on global climate by altering ocean currents.^[11]

During the Cretaceous, Africa was populated by allosauroids and spinosaurids, including the largest known carnivorous dinosaurs.^[11] Titanosaurs were significant herbivores in its ancient ecosystems.^[11] Cretaceous sites are more common than Jurassic ones, but are often unable to be dated radiometrically making it difficult to know their exact ages.^[11] Paleontologist Louis Jacobs, who spent time doing field work in Malawi,^{[citation needed]} says that African beds are "in need of more field work" and will prove to be a "fertile ground ... for discovery."^[11]

Pre-history

File:Lucy

Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis skeleton discovered on November 24, 1974, in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression

Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on Earth, with the human species originating from the continent.^[12]^[13] During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have evolved into modern man, such as Australopithecus afarensis (radiometrically dated to approximately 3.9–3.0 million years BC),^[14] Paranthropus boisei (c. 2.3–1.4 million years BC)^[15] and Homo ergaster (c. 1.9 million–600,000 years BC) have been discovered.^[2]

Throughout humanity's prehistory, Africa (like all other continents) had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers such as the Khoi and San.^[16]^[17]^[18]

At the end of the Ice Ages, estimated to have been around 10,500 BC, the Sahara had again become a green fertile valley, and its African populations returned from the interior and coastal highlands in Sub-Saharan Africa^{[citation needed]}. However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BC the Sahara region was becoming increasingly dry and hostile. The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the Second Cataract where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa. Since this time dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, and increasingly during the last 200 years, in Ethiopia.

The domestication of cattle in Africa preceded agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures. It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa.^[19] In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the donkey, and a small screw-horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia. In the year 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace.^[20] This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink significantly and caused increasing desertification. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa.^[20]

By the first millennium BC ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly spread across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa^[21] and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa. Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in many areas of East and West Africa, although other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia dating from around 500 BC have been excavated in West Africa, suggesting that trans-saharan trade networks had been established by this date.^[20]

Early civilizations

Main page: Ancient African history

File:SFEC EGYPT ABUSIMBEL

Colossal statues of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt, date from around 1400 BC.

At about 3300 BC, the historical record opens in Northern Africa with the rise of literacy in the Pharaonic civilisation of Ancient Egypt.^[22] One of the world's earliest and longest-lasting civilizations, the Egyptian state continued, with varying levels of influence over other areas, until 343 BC.^[23]^[24] Egyptian influence reached deep into modern-day Libya, north to Crete^[25] and Canaan^{[citation needed]}, and south to the kingdoms of Aksum^{[citation needed]} and Nubia^{[citation needed]}.

An independent centre of civilisation with trading links to Phoenicia was established by Phoenicians from Tyre on the north-west African coast at Carthage.^[26]^[27]^[28]

European exploration of Africa began with Ancient Greeks and Romans. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great was welcomed as a liberator in Persian-occupied Egypt. He founded Alexandria in Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty after his death.^[29] Following the conquest of North Africa's Mediterranean coastline by the Roman Empire, the area was integrated economically and culturally into the Roman system. Roman settlement occurred in modern Tunisia and elsewhere along the coast. Christianity spread across these areas from Palestine via Egypt, also passing south, beyond the borders of the Roman world into Nubia and by at least the 6th century into Ethiopia.

In the early 7th century, the newly formed Arabian Islamic Caliphate expanded into Egypt, and then into North Africa. In a short while the local Berber elite had been integrated into Muslim Arab tribes. When the Ummayad capital Damascus fell in the eight century, the Islamic center of the Mediterranean shifted from Syria to Qayrawan in North Africa. Islamic North Africa had become diverse, and a hub for mystics, scholars, jurists and philosophers. During the above mentioned period, Islam spread to sub-Saharan Africa, mainly through trade routes and migration.^[30]

9th–18th century

File:Igbo ukwu

9th century bronzes from the Igbo town of Igbo Ukwu, now at the British Museum^[31]

Pre-colonial Africa possessed perhaps as many as 10,000 different states and polities^[32] characterised by many different sorts of political organisation and rule. These included small family groups of hunter-gatherers such as the San people of southern Africa; larger, more structured groups such as the family clan groupings of the Bantu-speaking people of central and southern Africa, heavily structured clan groups in the Horn of Africa, the large Sahelian kingdoms, and autonomous city-states and kingdoms such as those of the Yoruba and Igbo people (also misspelled as Ibo) in West Africa, and the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa.

By the 9th century AD a string of dynastic states, including the earliest Hausa states, stretched across the sub-saharan savannah from the western regions to central Sudan. The most powerful of these states were Ghana, Gao, and the Kanem-Bornu Empire. Ghana declined in the 11th century but was succeeded by the Mali Empire which consolidated much of western Sudan in the 13th century. Kanem accepted Islam in the 11th century.

The Ife, historically the first of these Yoruba city-states or kingdoms, established government under a priestly oba (ruler), (oba means 'king' or 'ruler' in the Yoruba language), called the Ooni of Ife. Ife was noted as a major religious and cultural centre in Africa, and for its unique naturalistic tradition of bronze sculpture. The Ife model of government was adapted at Oyo, 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.

The Almoravids was a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that spread over a wide area of northwestern Africa and the Iberian peninsula during the 11th century.^[34] 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 11th and 13th centuries. Their migration resulted in the fusion of the Arabs and Berbers, where the locals were Arabized,^[35] and Arab culture absorbed elements of the local culture, under the unifying framework of Islam.^[36]

File:Great Zimbabwe

Ruins of Great Zimbabwe (11th–15th c.)

Following the breakup of Mali a local leader named Sonni Ali (1464–1492) founded the Songhai Empire in the region of middle Niger and the western Sudan and took control of the trans-Saharan trade. Sonni Ali seized Timbuktu in 1468 and Jenne in 1473, building his regime on trade revenues and the cooperation of Muslim merchants. His successor Askia Mohammad I (1493–1528) made Islam the official religion, built mosques, and brought Muslim scholars, including al-Maghili (d.1504), the founder of an important tradition of Sudanic African Muslim scholarship, to Gao.^[37] By the 11th century some Hausa states – such as Kano, jigawa, Katsina, and Gobir – had developed into walled towns engaging in trade, servicing caravans, and the manufacture of goods. Until the 15th century these small states were on the periphery of the major Sudanic empires of the era, paying tribute to Songhai to the west and Kanem-Borno to the east.

Height of slave trade

File:Point du Non

A Point of No Return in Ouidah, Benin, a former gateway for slaves to slave ships

See also: Arab slave trade and Atlantic slave trade

Slavery had long been practiced in Africa.^[38]^[39] Between the seventh and twentieth centuries, Arab slave trade (also known as slavery in the East) took 18 million slaves from Africa via trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean routes. Between the fifteenth and the nineteenth centuries, the Atlantic slave trade took 7–12 million slaves to the New World.^[40]^[41]^[42]

In West Africa, the decline of the Atlantic slave trade in the 1820s caused dramatic economic shifts in local polities. The gradual decline of slave-trading, prompted by a lack of demand for slaves in the New World, increasing anti-slavery legislation in Europe and America, and the British Royal Navy's increasing presence off the West African coast, obliged African states to adopt new economies. Between 1808 and 1860, the British West Africa Squadron seized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were aboard.^[43]

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. Anti-slavery treaties were signed with over 50 African rulers.^[44] 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. Asante and Dahomey concentrated on the development of "legitimate commerce" in the form of palm oil, cocoa, timber and gold, forming the bedrock of West Africa's modern export trade. The Oyo Empire, unable to adapt, collapsed into civil wars.^[45]

Colonialism and the "Scramble for Africa"

Main page: Colonization of Africa

Further information: Scramble for Africa

[[File:|thumb|250px|right|Areas of Africa under the control, influence, or claimed control, of the colonial powers in 1914 (at outbreak of World War One).]] In the late nineteenth century, the European imperial powers engaged in a major territorial scramble and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial territories, and leaving only two fully independent states: Ethiopia (known to Europeans as "Abyssinia"), and Liberia. Egypt and Sudan were never formally incorporated into any European colonial empire; however, after the British occupation of 1882, Egypt was effectively under British administration until 1922. Imperial rule by Europeans would continue until after the conclusion of World War II, when almost all remaining colonial territories gradually obtained formal independence.

Independence movements in Africa gained momentum following World War II, which left the major European powers weakened. In 1951, Libya, a former Italian colony, gained independence. In 1956, Tunisia and Morocco won their independence from France. Ghana followed suit the next year, becoming the first of the sub-Saharan colonies to be freed. Most of the rest of the continent became independent over the next decade, most often through relatively peaceful means, though in some countries, notably Algeria, it came only after a violent struggle.

Portugal's overseas presence in Sub-Saharan Africa (most notably in Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe) lasted from the 16th century to 1975, after the Estado Novo regime was overthrown in a military coup in Lisbon. Zimbabwe won its independence from the United Kingdom in 1980 after a bitter guerrilla war between black nationalists and the white minority Rhodesian government of Ian Smith. Although South Africa was one of the first African countries to gain independence, the state remained under the control of the country's white minority through a system of racial segregation known as apartheid until 1994.

Post-colonial Africa

Today, Africa contains 54 sovereign countries, most of which still have the borders drawn during the era of European colonialism. Since colonialism, African states have frequently been hampered by instability, corruption, violence, and authoritarianism. The vast majority of African states are republics that operate under some form of the presidential system of rule. However, few of them have been able to sustain democratic governments on a permanent basis, and many have instead cycled through a series of coups, producing military dictatorships.

Great instability was mainly the result of marginalization of ethnic groups, and graft under these leaders. For political gain, many leaders fanned ethnic conflicts that had been exacerbated, or even created, by colonial rule. In many countries, the military was perceived as being the only group that could effectively maintain order, and it ruled many nations in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s. During the period from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Africa had more than 70 coups and 13 presidential assassinations. Border and territorial disputes were also common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.

Cold War conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the policies of the International Monetary Fund, also played a role in instability. When a country became independent for the first time, it was often expected to align with one of the two superpowers. Many countries in Northern Africa received Soviet military aid, while many in Central and Southern Africa were supported by the United States, France or both. The 1970s saw an escalation, as newly independent Angola and Mozambique aligned themselves with the Soviet Union, and the West and South Africa sought to contain Soviet influence by funding insurgency movements. There was a major famine in Ethiopia, when hundreds of thousands of people starved. Some claimed that Marxist/Soviet policies made the situation worse.^[46]^[47]^[48]

The most devastating military conflict in modern independent Africa has been the Second Congo War. By 2008, this conflict and its aftermath had killed 5.4 million people. Since 2003 there has been an ongoing conflict in Darfur which has become a humanitarian disaster. AIDS has also been a prevalent issue in post-colonial Africa.

Geography

[[File:|thumb|300px|A composite satellite image of Africa (centre) with North America (left) and Eurasia (right) to scale]]

Main page: Geography of Africa

From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles);^[51] from Cape Verde, 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles).^[52] The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only 10,400,000 km² (4,010,000 square miles) – about a third of the surface of Africa – has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).^[52]

Africa's largest country is Sudan, and its smallest country is the Seychelles, an archipelago off the east coast.^[53] The smallest nation on the continental mainland is The Gambia.

File:Vegetation

world vegetation map]] for key)

Climate

Fauna

Main page: Fauna of Africa

, Tanzania.]] Africa boasts perhaps the world's largest combination of density and "range of freedom" of wild animal populations and diversity, with wild populations of large carnivores (such as lions, hyenas, and cheetahs) and herbivores (such as buffalo, deer, elephants, camels, and giraffes) ranging freely on primarily open non-private plains. It is also home to a variety of "jungle" animals including snakes and primates and aquatic life such as crocodiles and amphibians. Africa also has the largest number of megafauna species, as it was least affected by the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna.

Ecology

Deforestation is affecting Africa at twice the world rate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).^[54] Some sources claim that deforestation has already wiped out roughly 90% of West Africa's original forests.^[55] Since the arrival of humans 2000 years ago, Madagascar has lost more than 90% of its original forest.^[56] About 65% of Africa's agricultural land suffers from soil degradation.^[57]

Politics

The African Union (AU) is a 53 member federation consisting of all of Africa's states except Morocco. The union was formed, with Addis Ababa as its headquarters, on 26 June 2001. 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. There is a policy in effect to decentralize the African Federation's institutions so that they are shared by all the states.

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. The African Union has a parliamentary government, known as the African Union Government, consisting of legislative, judicial and executive organs. It is led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the Pan African Parliament. A person becomes AU President by being elected to the PAP, and subsequently gaining majority support in the PAP. 1 The powers and authority of the President of the African Parliament derive from the Constitutive Act and the Protocol of the Pan African Parliament, as well as the inheritance of presidential authority stipulated by African treaties and by international treaties, including those subordinating the Secretary General of the OAU Secretariat (AU Commission) to the PAP. The government of the AU consists of all-union (federal), regional, state, and municipal authorities, as well as hundreds of institutions, that together manage the day-to-day affairs of the institution.

There are clear signs of increased networking among African organisations and states. In the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), rather than rich, non-African countries intervening, neighbouring African countries became involved (see also Second Congo War). Since the conflict began in 1998, the estimated death toll has reached 5 million.

Political associations such as the African Union offer hope for greater co-operation and peace between the continent's many countries. Extensive human rights abuses still occur in several parts of Africa, often under the oversight of the state. Most of such violations occur for political reasons, often as a side effect of civil war. Countries where major human rights violations have been reported in recent times include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Economy

Main page: Economy of Africa

File:RECs of the

Map of the African Economic Community.

Although it has abundant natural resources, Africa remains the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continent, due to a variety of causes that may include the spread of deadly diseases and viruses (notably HIV/AIDS and malaria), corrupt governments that have often committed serious human rights violations, failed central planning, high levels of illiteracy, lack of access to foreign capital, and frequent tribal and military conflict (ranging from guerrilla warfare to genocide).^[1] According to the United Nations' Human Development Report in 2003, the bottom 25 ranked nations (151st to 175th) were all African.^[2]

Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and inadequate water supply and sanitation, as well as poor health, affect a large proportion of the people who reside in the African continent. In August 2008, the World Bank^[3] announced revised global poverty estimates based on a new international poverty line of $1.25 per day (versus the previous measure of $1.00). 80.5% of the Sub-Saharan Africa population was living on less than $2.50 (PPP) a day in 2005, compared with 85.7% for India.^[4]

The new figures confirm that sub-Saharan Africa has been the least successful region of the world in reducing poverty ($1.25 per day); some 50% of the population living in poverty in 1981 (200 million people), a figure that rose to 58% in 1996 before dropping to 50% in 2005 (380 million people). The average poor person in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to live on only 70 cents per day, and was poorer in 2003 than he or she was in 1973 ^[5] indicating increasing poverty in some areas. Some of it is attributed to unsuccessful economic liberalization programs spearheaded by foreign companies and governments, but other studies and reports have cited bad domestic government policies more than external factors.^[6]^[7]^[8]

From 1995 to 2005, Africa's rate of economic growth increased, averaging 5% in 2005. Some countries experienced still higher growth rates, notably Angola, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea, all three of which had recently begun extracting their petroleum reserves or had expanded their oil extraction capacity. The continent has 90% of the world’s cobalt, 90% of its platinum, 50% of its gold, 98% of its chromium, 70% of its tantalite,^[9] 64% of its manganese and one-third of its uranium.^[10] The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has 70% of the world’s coltan, and most mobile phones in the world have coltan in them. The DRC also has more than 30% of the world’s diamond reserves.^[11] Guinea is the world’s largest exporter of bauxite.^[12] As the growth in Africa has been driven mainly by services and not manufacturing or agriculture, it has been growth without jobs and without reduction in poverty levels. In fact, the food security crisis of 2008 which took place on the heels of the global financial crisis has pushed back 100 million people into food insecurity.^[13]

In recent years, the People's Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations. In 2007, Chinese companies invested a total of US$1 billion in Africa.^[14]

Demographics

Main pages: African people and Demographics of Africa

[[File:|thumb|left|upright|Tuareg man from Algeria ]] Africa's population has rapidly increased over the last 40 years, and consequently it is relatively young. In some African states half or more of the population is under 25 years of age.^[15] African population grew from 221 million in 1950 to 1 billion in 2009.^[16]^[17]

Speakers of Bantu languages (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and East Africa proper. But there are also several Nilotic groups in East Africa, and a few remaining indigenous Khoisan ('San' or 'Bushmen') and Pygmy peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively. Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon. In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "Hottentots") have long been present. The San are physically distinct from other Africans and are the indigenous people of southern Africa. Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous peoples of central Africa.^[18]

The peoples of North Africa comprise two main groups; Berber and Arabic-speaking peoples in the west, and Egyptians in the east. The Arabs who arrived in the seventh century introduced the Arabic language and Islam to North Africa. The Semitic Phoenicians, the Iranian Alans, the European Greeks, Romans and Vandals settled in North Africa as well. Berbers still make up the majority in Morocco, while they are a significant minority within Algeria. They are also present in Tunisia and Libya.^[19] The Tuareg and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. Nubians are a Nilo-Saharan-speaking group (though many also speak Arabic), who developed an ancient civilisation in northeast Africa.

File:San

San man from Botswana

Some Ethiopian and Eritrean groups (like the Amhara and Tigrayans, collectively known as "Habesha") speak languages from the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic linguistic family, while the Oromo and Somali speak languages from the Cushitic branch of Afro-Asiatic. Sudan is divided between a mostly Muslim Nubian and Beja north and a Christian and animist Nilotic south, with Mauritania somewhat similarly structured. Some areas of East Africa, particularly the island of Zanzibar and the Kenyan island of Lamu, have also received Arab Muslim and Southwest Asian settlers and merchants throughout the Middle Ages and in antiquity.^[20]

Prior to the decolonization movements of the post-World War II era, Europeans were represented in every part of Africa.^[21] Decolonisation during the 1960s and 1970s often resulted in the mass emigration of European-descended settlers out of Africa – especially from Algeria (pieds-noirs), Morocco,^[22] Kenya, Congo,^[23] Angola,^[24] Mozambique and Rhodesia. Nevertheless, White Africans remain an important minority in many African states. The African country with the largest White African population is South Africa.^[25] The Afrikaners, the Anglo-Africans and the Coloureds are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today.

[[File:|thumb|left|Woman from Benin]] European colonization also brought sizable groups of Asians, particularly people from the Indian subcontinent, to British colonies. Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and East African countries. The large Indian community in Uganda was expelled by the dictator Idi Amin in 1972, though many have since returned. The islands in the Indian Ocean are also populated primarily by people of Asian origin, often mixed with Africans and Europeans. The Malagasy people of Madagascar are an Austronesian people, but those along the coast are generally mixed with Bantu, Arab, Indian and European origins. Malay and Indian ancestries are also important components in the group of people known in South Africa as Cape Coloureds (people with origins in two or more races and continents). During the 20th century, small but economically important communities of Lebanese and Chinese^[14] have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively.^[26]

Languages

Main page: African languages

File:Languages of Africa

Map showing the distribution of the various language families of Africa.

By most estimates, well over a thousand languages (UNESCO has estimated around two thousand) are spoken in Africa.^[27] Most are of African origin, though some are of European or Asian origin. Africa is the most multilingual continent in the world, and it is not rare for individuals to fluently speak not only multiple African languages, but one or more European ones as well. There are four major language families indigenous to Africa.

The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout the Horn of Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia.
The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by Nilotic tribes in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
The Niger-Congo language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages.
The Khoisan languages number about fifty and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120,000 people. Many of the Khoisan languages are endangered. The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa.

Culture

Main page: Culture of Africa

Some^[which?] aspects of traditional African cultures have become less practiced in recent years as a result of years of neglect and suppression by colonial and post-colonial regimes. There is now a resurgence in the attempts to rediscover and revalourise African traditional cultures, under such movements as the African Renaissance, led by Thabo Mbeki, Afrocentrism, led by a group of scholars, including Molefi Asante, as well as the increasing recognition of traditional spiritualism through decriminalization of Vodou and other forms of spirituality. In recent years, traditional African culture has become synonymous with rural poverty and subsistence farming. [[File:|thumb|right|Fasil Ghebbi in Ethiopia]]

Visual art and architecture

Music and dance

Main page: Music of Africa

File:Man playing a

A young man playing the k'ra, a traditional instrument of Ethiopia

Sports

Fifty-three African countries have football (soccer) teams in the Confederation of African Football, while Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana have advanced to the knockout stage of recent FIFA World Cups. South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup tournament, becoming the first African country to do so.

Religion

Main page: Religion in Africa

Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs^[28] and statistics on religious affiliation are difficult to come by since they are too sensitive a topic for governments with mixed populations.^[29] According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Islam is the largest religion in Africa, followed by Christianity. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, 45% of the population are Muslims, 40% are Christians and less than 15% continue to follow traditional African religions. A small number of Africans are Hindu, Baha'i, or have beliefs from the Judaic tradition. Examples of African Jews are the Beta Israel, Lemba peoples and the Abayudaya of Eastern Uganda. There is also a small minority of Africans who are non-religious.

Territories and regions

Main pages: Regions of Africa and List of African countries and territories

[[File:|thumb|150px|Regions of Africa:

Northern Africa Western Africa Middle Africa Eastern Africa Southern Africa]]

File:Topography of

Physical map of Africa

[[File:|thumb|150px|Satellite photo of Africa]]

File:African

Political map of Africa

Name of region^[30] and territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (2009 est) except where noted	Density (per km²)	Capital
Eastern Africa:	6,384,904	316,053,651	49.5
Burundi	27,830	8,988,091^[31]	322.9	Bujumbura
Comoros	2,170	752,438^[31]	346.7	Moroni
Djibouti	23,000	516,055^[31]	22.4	Djibouti
Eritrea	121,320	5,647,168^[31]	46.5	Asmara
Ethiopia	1,127,127	85,237,338^[31]	75.6	Addis Ababa
Template:Country data Kenya Kenya	582,650	39,002,772^[31]	66.0	Nairobi
Madagascar	587,040	20,653,556^[31]	35.1	Antananarivo
Malawi	118,480	14,268,711^[31]	120.4	Lilongwe
Mauritius	2,040	1,284,264^[31]	629.5	Port Louis
Mayotte (France)	374	223,765^[31]	489.7	Mamoudzou
Mozambique	801,590	21,669,278^[31]	27.0	Maputo
Template:Country data Réunion Réunion (France)	2,512	743,981(2002)	296.2	Saint-Denis
Rwanda	26,338	10,473,282^[31]	397.6	Kigali
Seychelles	455	87,476^[31]	192.2	Victoria
Somalia	637,657	9,832,017^[31]	15.4	Mogadishu
Tanzania	945,087	41,048,532^[31]	43.3	Dodoma
Uganda	236,040	32,369,558^[31]	137.1	Kampala
Zambia	752,614	11,862,740^[31]	15.7	Lusaka
Middle Africa:	6,613,253	121,585,754	18.4
Angola	1,246,700	12,799,293^[31]	10.3	Luanda
Cameroon	475,440	18,879,301^[31]	39.7	Yaoundé
Central African Republic	622,984	4,511,488^[31]	7.2	Bangui
Chad	1,284,000	10,329,208^[31]	8.0	N'Djamena
Congo	342,000	4,012,809^[31]	11.7	Brazzaville
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2,345,410	68,692,542^[31]	29.2	Kinshasa
Equatorial Guinea	28,051	633,441^[31]	22.6	Malabo
Gabon	267,667	1,514,993^[31]	5.6	Libreville
Template:Country data São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe	1,001	212,679^[31]	212.4	São Tomé
Northern Africa:	8,533,021	211,087,622	24.7
Algeria	2,381,740	34,178,188^[31]	14.3	Algiers
Egypt^[32]	1,001,450	83,082,869^[31] total, Asia 1.4m	82.9	Cairo
Libya	1,759,540	6,310,434^[31]	3.6	Tripoli
Morocco	446,550	34,859,364^[31]	78.0	Rabat
Sudan	2,505,810	41,087,825^[31]	16.4	Khartoum
Tunisia	163,610	10,486,339^[31]	64.1	Tunis
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic^[33]	266,000	405,210^[31]	1.5	El Aaiún
Spanish and Portuguese territories in Northern Africa:
Canary Islands (Spain)^[34]	7,492	1,694,477(2001)	226.2	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Ceuta (Spain)^[35]	20	71,505(2001)	3,575.2	—
Madeira Islands (Portugal)^[36]	797	245,000(2001)	307.4	Funchal
Melilla (Spain)^[37]	12	66,411(2001)	5,534.2	—
Southern Africa:	2,693,418	56,406,762	20.9
Botswana	600,370	1,990,876^[31]	3.3	Gaborone
Lesotho	30,355	2,130,819^[31]	70.2	Maseru
Zimbabwe	390,580	11,392,629^[31]	29.1	Harare
Namibia	825,418	2,108,665^[31]	2.6	Windhoek
South Africa	1,219,912	49,052,489^[31]	40.2	Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria^[38]
Swaziland	17,363	1,123,913^[31]	64.7	Mbabane
Western Africa:	6,144,013	296,186,492	48.2
Benin	112,620	8,791,832^[31]	78.0	Porto-Novo
Burkina Faso	274,200	15,746,232^[31]	57.4	Ouagadougou
Cape Verde	4,033	429,474^[31]	107.3	Praia
Template:Country data Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire	322,460	20,617,068^[31]	63.9	Abidjan,^[39] Yamoussoukro
Gambia	11,300	1,782,893^[31]	157.7	Banjul
Ghana	239,460	23,832,495^[31]	99.5	Accra
Guinea	245,857	10,057,975^[31]	40.9	Conakry
Guinea-Bissau	36,120	1,533,964^[31]	42.5	Bissau
Liberia	111,370	3,441,790^[31]	30.9	Monrovia
Mali	1,240,000	12,666,987^[31]	10.2	Bamako
Mauritania	1,030,700	3,129,486^[31]	3.0	Nouakchott
Niger	1,267,000	15,306,252^[31]	12.1	Niamey
Nigeria	923,768	158,259,000^[31]	161.5	Abuja
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (UK)	410	7,637^[31]	14.4	Jamestown
Senegal	196,190	13,711,597^[31]	69.9	Dakar
Sierra Leone	71,740	6,440,053^[31]	89.9	Freetown
Togo	56,785	6,019,877^[31]	106.0	Lomé
Africa Total	30,368,609	1,001,320,281	33.0

References

^ Richard Sandbrook, The Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1985 passim
^ [1], United Nations
^ "World Bank Updates Poverty Estimates for the Developing World". Econ.worldbank.org. http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0,,contentMDK:21882162~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:469382,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18. ^{[dead link]}
^ "The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty". World Bank. http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239.
^ Economic report on Africa 2004: unlocking Africa’s potential in the global economy, (Substantive session 28 June-23 July 2004) United Nations
^ "Neo-Liberalism and the Economic and Political Future of Africa". Globalpolitician.com. 2005-12-19. http://www.globalpolitician.com/21498-africa-malawi-poverty. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
^ "Capitalism – Africa – Neoliberalism, Structural Adjustment, And The African Reaction". Science.jrank.org. http://science.jrank.org/pages/8526/Capitalism-Africa-Neoliberalism-Structural-Adjustment-African-Reaction.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
^ http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=58925
^ "Africa: Developed Countries' Leverage On the Continent". AllAfrica.com. February 7, 2008.
^ "Africa, China's new frontier". Times Online. February 10, 2008.
^ "DR Congo poll crucial for Africa". BBC News. November 16, 2006.
^ "China tightens grip on Africa with $4.4bn lifeline for Guinea junta". The Times. October 13, 2009.
^ "The African Decade?". Ilmas Futehally. Strategic Foresight Group
^ ^a ^b "China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration". By Malia Politzer, Migration Information Source. August 2008.
^ "Africa Population Dynamics". http://www.overpopulation.org/Africa.html.
^ Population. Western Kentucky University.
^ Africa's population now 1 billion. AfricaNews. August 25, 2009.
^ Pygmies struggle to survive in war zone where abuse is routine. Times Online. December 16, 2004.
^ Q&A: The Berbers. BBC News. March 12, 2004.
^ The Story of Africa. BBC World Service.
^ "We Want Our Country" (3 of 10). Time. November 5, 1965
^ "Migration and development co-operation.". Raimondo Cagiano De Azevedo (1994). p.25. ISBN 92-871-2611-9
^ Jungle Shipwreck. Time. July 25, 1960
^ Flight from Angola, The Economist , August 16, 1975
^ South Africa: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
^ Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African Commerce, By Naomi Schwarz, voanews.com, July 10
^ "Africa". UNESCO. 2005. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080602050234/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8048&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ "African Religion on the Internet", Stanford University
^ Onishi, Normitsu (November 1, 2001). "Rising Muslim Power in Africa Causing Unrest in Nigeria and Elsewhere". The New York Times Company. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EEDC1030F932A35752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd USCensusBureau:Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2009^{[dead link]}
^ Egypt is generally considered a transcontinental country in Northern Africa (UN region) and Western Asia; population and area figures are for African portion only, west of the Suez Canal.
^ The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is recognized as a sovereign state by the African Union, however, Morocco claims the entirety of the country as Morocco's own Southern Provinces, and has occupied most of its territory since it declared its independence from Spain in 1976. Morocco's occupation and annexation of this territory has not been recognized internationally.
^ The Spanish Canary Islands, of which Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are Santa Cruz de Tenerife are co-capitals, are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco and Western Sahara; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Spanish exclave of Ceuta is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Portuguese Madeira Islands are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The Spanish exclave of Melilla is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa, while Cape Town is its legislative seat, and Pretoria is the country's administrative seat.
^ Yamoussoukro is the official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while Abidjan is the de facto seat.

External links

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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Africa.

General information

Africa at the Open Directory Project
African & Middle Eastern Reading Room from the United States Library of Congress
Africa South of the Sahara from Stanford University
The Index on Africa from The Norwegian Council for Africa
Africa from The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online
Aluka Digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa
Atlas of Our Changing Environment: Africa from United Nations Environment Programme
Africa Interactive Map from the United States Army Africa
Wikimedia Atlas of Africa

History

News media

allAfrica.com current news, events and statistics
Focus on Africa magazine from BBC World Service

Travel

Africa travel guide from Wikitravel

Articles Related to Africa

[[Template:FULLPAGENAME: Africa topics\|v]] • [[{{TALKPAGENAME:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Africa topics}}\|d]] • [{{fullurl:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Africa topics\|action=edit}}e] Africa topics

Culture	ArchitectureTemplate:·w ArtTemplate:·w Cinema (FilmsTemplate:·w Film festivals)Template:·w CuisineTemplate:·w EtiquetteTemplate:·w LanguagesTemplate:·w Literature (Writers by country)Template:·w Music (Musicians)Template:·w ReligionTemplate:·w World Heritage Sites

Demographics	PeopleTemplate:·w Countries by population densityTemplate:·w HIV/AIDSTemplate:·w Urbanization (CitiesTemplate:·w Largest metropolitan areas)

Economy	Countries by GDP (nominal)Template:·w Countries by HDITemplate:·w Central banks and currenciesTemplate:·w EducationTemplate:·w InternetTemplate:·w Natural resourcesTemplate:·w PovertyTemplate:·w Renewable energyTemplate:·w Stock exchanges

Geography	Countries and territoriesTemplate:·w Impact cratersTemplate:·w IslandsTemplate:·w Natural historyTemplate:·w RegionsTemplate:·w Rivers

History	Colonisation (European explorationTemplate:·w African slave tradeTemplate:·w Atlantic slave tradeTemplate:·w Scramble for Africa)Template:·w DecolonizationTemplate:·w Economic historyTemplate:·w EmpiresTemplate:·w Military history (List of conflicts)

Politics	African UnionTemplate:·w ElectionsTemplate:·w Human rightsTemplate:·w Pan-AfricanismTemplate:·w United States of Africa

Society	Caste systemTemplate:·w Media (Radio stationsTemplate:·w Television stations)Template:·w Philosophy

Sport	African Cricket AssociationTemplate:·w Afro-Asian GamesTemplate:·w All-Africa GamesTemplate:·w Australian rules footballTemplate:·w Confederation of African Football (Africa Cup of Nations)Template:·w Confederation of African Rugby (Africa Cup)Template:·w FIBA AfricaTemplate:·w Stadiums by capacityTemplate:·w Tour d'Afrique

Years	2004 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2005 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2006 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2007 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2008 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2009 in Africa Template:·w 2010 in AfricaTemplate:·w 2011 in Africa Template:·w 2012 in Africa

[[Template:FULLPAGENAME: Countries of Africa\|v]] • [[{{TALKPAGENAME:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Countries of Africa}}\|d]] • [{{fullurl:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Countries of Africa\|action=edit}}e] Countries and territories of Africa

West Africa	BeninTemplate:·w Burkina FasoTemplate:·w Cape VerdeTemplate:·w Côte d'IvoireTemplate:·w The GambiaTemplate:·w GhanaTemplate:·w GuineaTemplate:·w Guinea-BissauTemplate:·w LiberiaTemplate:·w MaliTemplate:·w MauritaniaTemplate:·w NigerTemplate:·w NigeriaTemplate:·w SenegalTemplate:·w Sierra LeoneTemplate:·w Togo

North Africa	AlgeriaTemplate:·w EgyptTemplate:·w LibyaTemplate:·w MauritaniaTemplate:·w MoroccoTemplate:·w SudanTemplate:·w Tunisia

Central Africa	AngolaTemplate:·w BurundiTemplate:·w CameroonTemplate:·w Central African RepublicTemplate:·w ChadTemplate:·w Democratic Republic of the CongoTemplate:·w Republic of the CongoTemplate:·w Equatorial GuineaTemplate:·w GabonTemplate:·w RwandaTemplate:·w São Tomé and Príncipe

East Africa	BurundiTemplate:·w ComorosTemplate:·w DjiboutiTemplate:·w EritreaTemplate:·w EthiopiaTemplate:·w KenyaTemplate:·w MadagascarTemplate:·w MalawiTemplate:·w MauritiusTemplate:·w MozambiqueTemplate:·w SeychellesTemplate:·w SomaliaTemplate:·w TanzaniaTemplate:·w UgandaTemplate:·w ZambiaTemplate:·w Zimbabwe

Southern Africa	BotswanaTemplate:·w LesothoTemplate:·w NamibiaTemplate:·w South AfricaTemplate:·w Swaziland

States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicTemplate:·w Somaliland

Partially in Africa	France (Réunion)Template:·w Italy (Pantelleria)Template:·w Portugal (Madeira)Template:·w Spain (Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla / Plazas de soberanía)Template:·w Yemen (Socotra)

Dependencies	Iles Eparses (France)Template:·w Mayotte (France)Template:·w Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)

Unclear sovereignty	Western Sahara

Continents

File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg
Africa

File:Antarctica (orthographic projection).svg
Antarctica

File:Asia (orthographic projection).svg
Asia

File:Australia-New Guinea (orthographic projection).svg
Australia

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Europe

North America

File:South America (orthographic projection).svg
South America

File:Afro-Eurasia (orthographic projection).svg
Afro-Eurasia

File:Americas (orthographic projection).svg
Americas

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Eurasia

File:Oceania (orthographic projection).svg
Oceania

Geological supercontinents

GondwanaTemplate:· LaurasiaTemplate:· PangaeaTemplate:· PannotiaTemplate:· RodiniaTemplate:· ColumbiaTemplate:· KenorlandTemplate:· NenaTemplate:· UrTemplate:· Vaalbara

Historical continents

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Submerged continents
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Possible future supercontinents
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Mythical and theorized continents
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See also Regions of the world

Regions of the world

Africa	NorthernTemplate:·w Sub-Sahara (CentralTemplate:·w SouthernTemplate:·w WesternTemplate:·w Eastern)	Oceania	Australasia (Australia)Template:·w MelanesiaTemplate:·w MicronesiaTemplate:·w Polynesia
Americas	North (NorthernTemplate:•w MiddleTemplate:•w CentralTemplate:•w Caribbean)Template:·w South (SouthernTemplate:•w NorthernTemplate:•w Western)Template:·w AngloTemplate:·w Latin	Polar	ArcticTemplate:· Antarctic
Asia	CentralTemplate:·w Eastern (Northeastern)Template:·w NorthernTemplate:·w SoutheasternTemplate:·w SouthernTemplate:·w Western (Middle East)	Oceans	WorldTemplate:·w ArcticTemplate:·w AtlanticTemplate:·w IndianTemplate:·w PacificTemplate:·w Southern
Europe	CentralTemplate:·w EasternTemplate:·w NorthernTemplate:·w SoutheasternTemplate:·w SouthernTemplate:·w Western	Seas	List of seas

Related Continents of the worldTemplate:·w List of seasTemplate:·w Physical Earth

krc:Африкаfrr:Afrikoopcd:Afrike

Retrieved from "http://yak.rapint.com/wiki/Africa"

Travel guide

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikitravel

Giraffes in Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya

Africa has 53 countries (not including disputed Western Sahara)—the most on any continent—and is the second largest continent in terms of both land area and population. Africa is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by the Red Sea to the northeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Understand that while many refer to "Africa" as if it's a country, Africa is the second largest continent spanning over 5,000 miles north-south and 4,800 miles east-west (not including islands) and contains a wide aura of peoples, skin colors, religions, and cultures. Tragically misunderstood by most people in the West as a land of poverty and corruption, war and famine, and simply as a land of suffering—a misconception only bolstered by the media and the numerous NGOs on the continent—Africa today is a vast continent with bustling metropolises, friendly people, and amazingly diverse and beautiful landscapes. While there are plenty of places resembling the stereotypical Africa of war, famine, and poverty, the overwhelming majority of the continent is peaceful, well-fed, and of working class. Why don't you come explore this wonderfully diverse continent?

Understand

Geography

Africa's highest point is Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing mountain, which rises to 5,895 m (19,340ft) above sea level. Its lowest point is Djibouti's Lake Assal, whose surface is 157 m (515 feet) below sea level. Its longest river, the Nile, is also the World's longest, and runs 6,650 km (4,132 miles) from Burundi to Egypt. Other noteworthy rivers include the Congo, Niger, & Zambezi Rivers. North Africa is dominated by the Sahara Desert which, at roughly 9 million square kilometers (3.5 million sq. mi.), is the world's largest hot desert. Its largest lake is the 69,485 sq km (26,828 square mile) Lake Victoria, which is surrounded by Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Africa has extensive mineral resources, including gold, diamonds, uranium, and copper.

The pyramids at Giza: the most famous Pharonic relic and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Modern humans, homo sapiens, are believed to have originated in East Africa somewhere between Ethiopia and Kenya. Despite this long history of habitation, there is very little (or little known about) African history prior to the second millennium AD outside of North Africa, Sudan & Ethiopia, as most were simple hunter-gatherers similar to most cultures still found today on the continent, with no writing systems nor lasting structures, arts, or crafts (aside from some cave paintings). North Africa, on the other hand, has a recorded history dating back several millennia with bountiful structures, writings, arts, and crafts which have survived to this day. The ancient Pharonic civilization centered in modern-day Egypt is recognized as the longest-lasting and one of the, if not the, greatest ancient civilizations lasting from around 3300BC until the invasion of Persians in 343BC. Today, their legacy lives with many of their cities well-preserved and now popular tourist attractions along with a few museums hosting their artifacts. Modern Jews believe themselves to be descendants of slaves in ancient Egypt and much of the Hebrew Bible, religious texts for both Jews & Christians, was based and written in the region. The other great early civilizations on the continent were the Nubians in northern Sudan and southern Egypt who were very similar to the ancient Egyptians, leaving behind the city of Meroe in Sudan, and the Aksumite Empire from the 4th century BC until the 7st century AD in modern-day Ethiopia and eastern Sudan which was important to trade between India and the Roman Empire and an important center of early Christianity.

Roman theater at Leptis Magna, Libya.

Meanwhile the 300s BC brought about the first (and less famous) invasions of Europeans in the continent. In 322 BC, Alexander the Great invaded Persian-occupied Egypt, establishing the famous city of Alexandria which would serve as an important center of scholarship and Greek culture for many centuries. Meanwhile, the Romans conquered much of the Mediterranean coastline to the west, leaving behind such ruins as Carthage and Leptis Magna. In the first centuries AD, Christianity spread to much of the region, first to Egypt, then Nubia, Ethiopia, & and Roman Empire.

The Muslim invasion and the beginning of the Arab Slave Trade in the 7th century AD changed the cultural landscape of North and large parts of East and West Africa. The newly-formed Arab caliphate invaded North Africa and the Horn of Africa within a few decades. In the west, Berbers would intermarry with the Arab invaders and become the Moorish population that would invade the Iberian peninsula. When the Damascus was invaded in the early eighth century, the Islamic religious and political center of the Mediterranean shifted to Kairouan in Tunisia. Their progress was limited only by the dense forests of West and Central Africa and to coastal areas in the East. The last region to come under Muslim influence was that of Nubia (moden-day norther Sudan) in the 14th century.

Old Mogadishu which reached its height as a commercial center in the 13th century.

The 7th-9th century would see the beginning of significant history in much of sub-Saharan Africa. In the west, large and powerful kingdoms rose inland, among which the Ghana (in Mali & Mauritania, no relation to modern Ghana), Dahomey (which lasted until French capture in 1894, now Benin), Za/Gao (in Mali & Niger), Kanem (in Chad), & Bornu (in Nigeria). As many of these empires converted to Islam, trans-Saharan trade grew with salt & gold transported to Libya & Egypt in large caravans of camels—a trade made possible by the introduction of camels from Arabia in the 10th century and which would support much of the area from northern Nigeria west to Mali & Mauritania until the 19th century. During the 13th-16th centuries, many of these early kingdoms were replaced with new empires, chief among them the Mali (in Mali, Guinea, & Senegal) and later Soghay (in Mali, Burkina Faso, & Niger) and a plethora of small, single-tribe kingdoms and city states sprouted. Many of Mali's popular tourist destinations, including Timbuktu, Djenne, & Gao, rose to prominence during this period as they became centers of trade and Islamic scholarship during this period. The Hausa tribes in northern Nigeria began organizing in walled city states, of which remnants remain in Kano. Coastal, forsted West Africa remained largely unorganized, with the exceptions of a few Yorba city-states of Benin, Ife, & Oyo along with small Dahomey & Igbo empires all in modern-day Benin & Nigeria.

Meanwhile East Africa also saw a rise of Islamic influence and prosperity from Indian Ocean trade as ships from Arabia, Persia, India, and as far as Southeast Asia dropped anchor in major ports from Somalia down to Mozambique bringing spices and taking away slaves and ivory. Between the 7th and 19th century, over 18 million people were taken from this region by the Arab slave trade—roughly twice as many as the Atlantic slave trade would take to the Americas. Today, that influence remains in the culture and gastronomy of many places, most notably on Indian Ocean islands such as Zanzibar, Comoros, the Seychelles, & Mauritius.

Ruins at Great Zimbabwe.

Southern Africa remained undeveloped, with primarily nomadic hunter-gatherers such as the San people and some small kingdoms. The Kingdom of Zimbabwe (namesake of today's state) was one of the most notable, constructing the greatest stone structures in pre-colonial sub-Saharan Africa at their capital Great Zimbabwe. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe in modern eastern South Africa also left smaller stone ruins. Both profited from trade in gold and ivory with Arab and Asian merchants.

While a few Genoese, Castillian, & French explorers managed to reach parts of West Africa in the Middle Ages, European exploration of the continent truly began when Prince "Henry the Navigator" set out to acquire African territory for Portugal in the mid-15th century. The Portuguese reached Cape Verde in 1445 and by 1480 they had charted and began trade with the entire Guinea coast (modern Guinea-Bissau to Nigeria). In 1482, Diogo Cão reached the mouth of the Congo River, the Cape of Good Hope (the southern tip of Africa) was reached by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, and in 1498 Vasco da Gama sailed up the eastern coast where in Kenya his expedition set up a trading post at Malindi before finding a guide to take them to India. The Portuguese set up numerous forts along the African coast and established a highly profitable trade, (initially) held good relations with locals, and remained the dominant European power in the region until the 17th century while Spain, France, & Britain began exploring the Americas.

Slaving castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.

The lucrative trade and large amounts of gold obtained by the Portuguese lured other nations to the continent. As the demands for labor in the America's grew, Portuguese sailors began taking shiploads of slaves to the Americas, beginning the Atlantic slave trade.In the early 17th century, the Dutch fought the Portuguese to win control of most of their West and Central African ports, some (like Luanda) would be retaken later, and established a couple dozen forts of their own, notably at Goree Island in Dakar and at the Cape of Good Hope—a port they hoped to use for trade routes to East Asia and which has become modern-day Cape Town. In 1642, the French built their first fort on Madagascar (which they claimed in 1667) and in 1663 the British built their first fort on the continent in the Gambia. Swedish merchants established a fort on Cape Coast which later was overpowered by the Danish nearby at modern Accra.

In the 19th century, European attention shifted from establishing coastal ports for trade to fighting one another to colonize the continent and explore its uncharted interior. With slavery abolished by Britain and their strong efforts to thwart slavery around the world, Europe began to look for other sources of wealth on the continent. The most successful European colony, the Dutch Cape Colony, was seized by the British in 1795. Napoleonic France conquered Egypt in 1798, notably discovering the Rosetta Stone, only to be forced out by the British and then the Turks. France invaded a significant amount of coastal West Africa and the Barbary states in Algeria, cutting rampant piracy in the region. Accounts of brave adventurers travelling inland to find places such as Mount Kilimanjaro and rumored "inland sea"(the Great Lakes) and city of gold on the Nile sparked a wave of exploration in the mid-century primarily by Catholic and Jesuit missionaries in the Southern, Eastern, & Great Lakes regions of Africa. Chief among explorers was the British national hero David Livingstone, who as a poor missionary with few porters explored much of Southern and Eastern Africa, flowed down the Congo River from its sources, and sought the source of the Nile. In West & Central Africa French, Belgian, & Spanish explorers ventured into the Sahara to find the legendary Timbuktu and Malian gold mines and the Congo in search of the Pygmies and hairy, large peoples (gorillas) of Greek legend.

Colonial division of Africa, 1914.

As accounts of Africa's interior reached Europe, nations and merchants began to view the continent as a major source of commerce and wealth, simmilar to their Asian exploits, while the philanthropic and missionary class saw a great opportunity to "Christianize" and "civilize" the savage people of Africa. With social Darwinism introduced, many countries saw Africa as a great opportunity to establish colonial empires and establish their preeminence among other European nations, chiefly Germany to catch up with other European nations and France, to regain glories lost in North America and under Napoleon. Britain and Portugal joined this Scramble for Africa when they saw their interests threatened. In 1885, the Berlin Conference brought together European colonial powers to carve up the continent into defined colonial territories with many straight lines and no input from any African kingdom or settlement.

At the turn of the 20th century, Britain began a series of deadly South African Wars from their Cape Colony into surrounding African and Boer (white descendants of the Dutch) lands in modern South Africa, which brought Cecil Rhodes to fame for his vision to conquer and bring unite Africa from Cairo to Cape Town. The dense jungles of Central Africa lured Joseph Conrad, who wrote the novel Heart of Darkness from his experience. World War I saw one battle in German East Africa (Tanzania) which the British lost, although post-war, German possessions were divided amongst France, Belgium, & the UK. The Union of South Africa was granted independence from the UK in 1930. World War Two saw Ethiopia invaded by Italy along with major fighting in North Africa in which the Nazis were eventually evicted by the Allies. It was the social changes stemming from the war, in which tens of thousands of Africans fought for their colonial power, along with the Atlantic Charter which led to the spread of nationalistic movements post-war.

Dates of independence across Africa.

The decolonization of Africa began with Libyan independence from Italy in 1951. Colonial powers employed varying means of control over their colonies, some granting natives representation in the government and cultivating a select few civil servants while others maintained a firm grip with an all-European government. In some countries, nationalist movements were quashed and their leaders killed or jailed while others were able to peacefully achieve independence. In the 1950s, Guinea, Ghana, & North African nations gained independence non-violently with the exception of Algeria, where France violently fought independence movements until 1963. With the establishment and new constitution of France's Fifth Republic in 1958, French West Africa & French Equatorial Africa ceased to exist and, after a brief "community" with France, the countries of these regions gained independence in 1960. By 1970, all but a handful of African nations were independent. The Portuguese bitterly fought to maintain their African possessions until 1975, all but one of whom gained independence through war. Zimbabwe was the last major colony to gain independence, in 1980. In 1990, semi-autonomous Namibia gained independence from South Africa and in 1993, Eritrea separated from Ethiopia following a protracted war. South Africa remained under firm control by its white minority, suppressing its black population under a system called apartheid until 1994. Morocco maintains control over Western Sahara, despite an established independence movement and remains a point of contention between Morocco and Algeria. Southern Sudan will vote on an independence referendum in 2011.

Europe divided Africa with complete disregard for the cultures and ethnic groups in Africa, often dividing a peoples between 2 or more countries and forcing peoples with a history of fighting or differing religions into one country. Additionally, a lack of training in civil service before and even after independence left most countries with dysfunctional governments and leaders tended to reward their own ethnic groups with jobs and money and in many cases suppressed ethnic minorities. This has been a cause of much strife post-independence across most of sub-Saharan Africa and has led to dozens of prolonged civil wars (notably in Sudan, Angola, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Nigeria), countless coups, and a countless number of inept, corrupt leaders. The discovery of valuable natural resources such as oil, uranium, diamonds, and coltan, has produced numerous independence movements post-independence citing the taking value of resources from their land to benefit the entire coutry (notably tiny, oil-rich Cabinda in Angola). Fortunately, there are numerous examples in Africa where past conflict has made way for functional governments, offering some hope for the future of African self-government.

Climate

As the second largest continent, there is a wide range of climates to be found. However, since the continent is nearly centered on the equator, much of the continent is quite warm/temperate with very few, small areas on the continent experiencing any temperatures that can be considered "cold". In the temperate regions (parts of northern Morocco & the Mediterranean coast as well as South Africa), temperatures generally range from the 10s C to the mid-30s C (40s-90s F)year round. Closer to the equator and on islands like Cape Verde or Mauritius, temperatures may only vary less than 20 degrees C (15-35C/65-95F) throughout the year! In the deserts and arid regions like the Sahel and Horn of Africa, temperatures routinely hit 40C+ (and even 50C+ in the heart of the Sahara) but because sand does not retain heat like most soil does, those same places can easily fall down to 15 at night. There are a few bastions of cooler weather, however. Higher elevations, such as the Atlas Mountains in Morocco & Algeria or in Lesotho, are quite cold and snowy during winter and Mount Kilimanjaro, almost on the equator, is cold year-round (cold enough to support glaciers!). Peaks on islands such as Reunion, the Canary Islands, Mount Cameroon and more are cool enough to necessitate a jacket much of the year.

A far more important factor to consider when travelling to Africa is when the rain/monsoon season occurs. Timing varies a bit even in neighboring countries, so check the page of the country you are visiting for more info. In West Africa the season starts in March around Cameroon, but not until June in Senegal or the Sahel and ends around September. While rain may not be a huge factor when travelling to southern or East Africa, it is very problematic in West Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean. In West Africa, rains will often flood and make many roads and railroads impassable and, due to poor drainage, can literally result in rivers of water flowing down streets and sewage lines to overflow. In the Sahel, it can result in flash floods in low-lying areas.

The largest weather-related dangers for travellers to Africa are lightning and tropical cyclones. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has more lighting strikes each year than any other country on earth, especially in the eastern part of the country near Goma. Lightning risk is highest from western Kenya/Tanzania and Ethiopia west to Senegal and south to Angola and Zambia. Tropical cyclones affect the islands of the Indian Oceean, with the season running from November 15-April 30 (May 15 in the Seychelles & Mauritius). Tropical cyclones also infrequently affect the horn of Africa near Djibouti & Somalia, but when they do, the arid land results in major flooding. Tropical cyclones often form off the coast of western West Africa (Guinea/Senegal) during the early part of the Atlantic Hurricane Season (June-August) and will rarely impact Cape Verde, for which these particular storms are called "Cape Verde-type hurricanes".

Regions of Africa

North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara)
The countries that rim the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Saharan Africa (Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan)
The mostly desert and often landlocked nations that span the Sahara Desert.

West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo)
The tropical Atlantic coastal nations.

Central Africa (Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia)
The heart of Africa.

East Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda)
The nations that border the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe)
Nations at Africa's southern tip.

Other territories

Atlantic Ocean Islands: Canary Islands (Spain), Madeira Islands (Portugal), Saint Helena (UK)

Spanish Exclaves: Ceuta, Melilla

Indian Ocean Islands: Mayotte(France), Reunion (France), Socotra (Yemen)

Johannesburg

Victoria Falls

See also: African National Parks

Get in

By plane

Air fares to Africa can be very expensive, but there are ways to save. The best way to get great airfare to the continent is fly directly to an African country from its former colonial rulers. For example, it can easily cost hundreds of euros/dollars more to fly from London to a former French colony, or conversely from Paris to a former British colony. About the only exceptions are Egypt, which has plentiful, cheap connections with the Middle East & Europe and a handful of West African destinations (the Gambia, Cape Verde, Morocco) popular with British tourists and accessible with cheap holiday flights.

Airline consolidators can also be used for discounted air fares. If you have additional travel time, check to see how your total fare quote to Africa compares with a round-the-world fare. Don't forget to add in the extra costs of additional visas, departure taxes, ground transportation, etc. for all those places outside of Africa.

See your destination's article for more specific information on flights. Bear in mind that many African countries only offer a few international flights each day, or in some cases, each week. While it isn't hard to reach South Africa or Egypt, getting to Malawi or Togo can be quite a challenge.

From Europe

There are more flights to Africa from Europe than from any other continent. Popular holiday destinations such as Egypt, Morocco, Cape Verde, & South Africa are well-served from Europe's major cities, even with discount and charter airlines. Royal Air Maroc, Afriqyah Airlines, Jet4you & EgyptAir have a good selection of European destinations and Ethiopian, Kenyan, South African, & Arik Air serve a couple of major cities (London, Paris, etc.). The cheapest flights to African cities are often through the African country's former colonial power. Cities with large immigrant populations such as London, Marseilles, & Paris have a good number of flights to Africa.

Chief among European airlines flying to Africa are:

Air France is the best (although not cheapest) carrier serving French-speaking Africa, with service to most major cities of West, Central, & North Africa along with service to Johannesburg, Cairo, Tripoli, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, & Djibouti.

British Airways is the best (although not particularly cheap) way to fly to former British colonies, they have service to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, & Egypt along with Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritius, & Angola.

Brussels Airlines flies from Brussels to most francophone countries in West and Central Africa along with Entebbe (Uganda), Nairobi, & Luanda.

Lufthansa flies to major cities in North Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ethiopia, & Eritrea.

TAP Portugal flies to former Portuguese colonies (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Mozambique, Angola) and South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, & Senegal.

Many European discount airlines serve major tourist destination in Africa (especially Morocco, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, & the Gambia), including Jetairfly, EasyJet, & Corsairfly.

From the Americas

The only countries with direct flights to Africa are the United States, Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, & Argentina.

From the United States, these are routes operated as of December 2009:

New York-JFK: Delta Air Lines to Johannesburg, Cairo, Abuja (via Dakar), Accra; EgyptAir to Cairo; Royal Air Moroc to Casablanca; & Arik Air to Lagos.
Washington-Dulles: South African Airlines to Johannesburg (via Dakar); Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa (via Rome)
Atlanta: Delta Air Lines to Johannesburg, Accra (begins 2 June 2010), & Lagos
Houston: charter flights for oil workers to Nigeria and Angola

Delta Air Lines had planned to begin service to several new African destinations in June 2009, but canceled several of them just weeks before they were to begin (including Sal, Malabo, Luanda, Nairobi, & Cape Town). The most anticipated new route, the thrice-weekly Atlanta-Nairobi route, was canceled the day before it was to commence by the FAA citing security shortcomings at the Nairobi airport, leaving Kenyans so outraged that the US ambassador was even summoned to answer questions. Look for new Delta routes in the coming years (especially Atlanta-Nairobi). Arik Air, which began New York-Lagos flights in November 2009, plans to expand service to Miami, Atlanta, & Houston in the near future, but no dates have been announced for these services.

Outside the peak travel times to Europe (e.g. summer) you might be able to get a good deal to London or Paris and book a fare from there to Africa separately on a European travel website. But don't book the United States to Europe portion until you get confirmed on the Europe to Africa portion first. Through fares to Africa from the United States can be quite expensive, so avoiding peak travel times to Europe can sometimes save a lot. However, since new non-stop flights to Africa have recently been added, and Europe is much more expensive than it used to be, try getting a direct quote first, then see if you can do better. Another growing option is flying through the Middle East on Emirates or Qatar, which both serve a reasonable selection of African & American cities.

TAAG Angolan Airlines offers flights from Luanda to the Brazilian cities Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador de Bahia (seasonal), & Recife (seasonal) as well as a weekly flight to Havana via Sal.

South African Airways offers flights from Johannesburg to Sao Paulo & Buenos Aires. There are seasonal flights from Caracas to Tenerife-North in the Canary Islands. Malaysian Airlines flies Buenos Aires to Johannesburg. Turkish Airlines and Emirates both have flights from Sao Paulo to the Middle East which make stops in West Africa (Dakar or Lagos).

From Asia & the Middle East

If you're flying to a small African country, Africa's major airlines all have extensive coverage in Africa and fly to a handful of Asian destinations:

Ethiopian Airlines: Bahrain, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Aden, Sana'a
Kenyan Airways: Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Dubai
South African Airways: Mumbai, Hong Kong

Nearly all North African countries along with Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, & Somaliland have extensive connections with the Middle East. And similarly, countries with large Muslim populations are likely to have a connection to Jedda/Mecca either year-round or seasonal (e.g. during hajj). North African destinations aside, connections with the Middle East include:

Emirates flies from Dubai to: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dar Es Salaam, Durban, Entebbe, Johannsburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Luanda, Mauritius, Nairobi, & Mahe.
Qatar Airways flies from Doha to: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Mahe, & Lagos.
Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to: Dakar, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Cape Town, & Johannesburg.

Other flights from East and South Asia include the following: Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong. Furthermore, due to increased Chinese investment many cities have service from Beijing, cities with direct flights to Beijing-Capital include Luanda, Algiers, Lagos, Khartoum, Addis Ababa, & Harare. Malaysian Airlines serves Johannesburg from Kuala Lumpor. Korean Air serves Cairo from Seoul. Air Austral flies to Bangkok seasonally from Reunion. Air Seychelles flies to Singapore and Male from Mahe. Air Madagascar flies from Antananarivo to Bangkok & Guangzhou.Air Mauritius flies from Mauritius to Bangalore, Chennai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, & Singapore.

The best option to fly from East or South Asia is likely on Emirates or Qatar, both of which have a decent selection of destinations in Asia & Africa, or via Europe on airlines such as British Airways, Air France, or Lufthansa which all offer an extensive number of destinations across Africa.

From Australia

There are only a handful of connections to Australia, primarily to Johannesburg. Flights from Johannesburg include: Perth (South African Airways), Melbourne (V Australia, begins March 2010), & Sydney (Qantas).

There are also flights to the Indian Ocean islands of Reunion & Mauritius, including: Air Austral (Saint Denis-Sydney), Air Mauritius (Mauritius-Perth, Mauritius-Melbourne, and Mauritius-Sydney [beginning 5 July 2010]).

By road/ferry

The only land connection to another continent is the 163km-wide Isthmus of Suez, which is found in Egypt (although the Sinai peninsula is sometimes considered a part of Africa for geopolitical reasons). Thus the only way to drive into Africa is to drive through Egypt. Most people driving from the Middle East to Africa travel through Jordan and take a short car ferry to Egypt to avoid transiting Israel, since Egypt's two African neighbors (Sudan & Libya) deny entry for persons with Israeli stamps or Egyptian/Jordanian stamps indicating travel to Israel.

Despite there being just one, narrow land crossing into the continent, there are other ways to bring vehicles into Africa by short car ferries. The short crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco is crossed by several ferries daily and relatively inexpensive. Other car ferries include:

Italy-Tunisia ferries are operated by a couple of different companies: [1]. However, you must pass through Algeria to Mauritania/Niger -or- Libya to Egypt, both very expensive and difficult to enter with a car.

Spain/France to Algeria car ferries are run by Algerie Ferries, in French.

Yemen-Djibouti ferries may be running weekly or more frequently (information about this crossing is little and conflicting) to avoid Egypt (because of the extremely high import taxes) or Sudan (as the Ethiopian-Sudan border is prone to banditry). It is also possible to cross by dhow in motorcycles or small/light vehicles.

Port Said, Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia car ferries are run daily and are a great way to avoid the very high tariffs to enter Egypt, although visas for SA are difficult to obtain.

Several overland trucks make journeys which cross between Europe or the Middle East and Africa, these companies are listed below under "Get around/Overland trucks".

By ship

Many Mediterranean cruises stop in North African countries such Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, the Canary Islands, & Cape Verde. Some ocean liners will stop in the Canary or Cape Verde Islands on trans-Atlantic crossings or in South Africa, Madagascar, Zanzibar, the Seychelles, or Mauritius on round-the-world trips.

Elsewhere is Africa, cruises are limited to luxury or 'boutique' cruise lines often aboard small vessels and quite expensive or "freighter cruises" which do not offer much to "passengers" but may spend a few days in a handful of ports. Grimaldi Freighter Cruises, [2], has weekly departures to West Africa making the round-trip from Amsterdam in 38 days.

The Seychelles, Reunion, & Mauritius are popular destinations for yachts and private vessels, but piracy around the Horn of Africa has kept a lot of the European vessels away.

For a truly unique experience, take the RMS St Helena [3] from the UK to Cape Town via St Helena-one of the world's most remote islands!

Get around

By plane

There are a number of reliable airlines that ply the African Continent. Chief among them are certainly:

South African Airways (SAA) (Johannesburg, South Africa), [4], has daily flights to most major Southern, Eastern, & Central African political and economic hubs. If you're flying from the Northern Hemisphere to somewhere north of South Africa, don't forget to check how much backtracking you'll have to do, and if it's worth it. The flight from Washington does stop in Senegal, but if you get off there, SAA has no connections to anywhere else.
Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), [5] carries more passengers than any other African airline and offers a direct service from many European cities & Washington to its hub Addis Ababa. From there it has a very good coverage to many cities in Africa. The flight from/to Washington refuels in Rome. Its mileage can be used on Lufthansa services & Lufthansa miles can also be used on Ethiopian.
Kenya Airways (Nairobi, Kenya), [6], partly owned by Royal Dutch KLM, offers good service and frequent flights to all East African countries and many other major African destinations.

There are also many airlines which are noteworthy in particular regions, such as TAAG Angola Airlines (South/Central Africa), Arik Air(Nigeria), Afriqiyah Airways (Central/West Africa, but their hub is in Tripoli), Royal Air Maroc (West/Central/North Africa, but hub is in Morocco), Air Mali (West Africa), Air Burkina (West Africa), Air Austral (Indian Ocean), Air Mauritius (Indian Ocean), Tunis Air (North Africa), and more. Many other African carriers offer flights to more remote locations.

WARNING: Choose wisely when flying in Africa. Although SAA, Ethiopian Airlines, & Kenya Airways all meet EU & FAA safety standards, the same isn't true for all airlines, especially smaller domestic carriers in countries where political stability may be lacking, tenuous or only recently reintroduced. Check with the EU Commision on Air Safety [7] for a list of airlines that do not meet their safety standards.

Bloukrans Bridge along South Africa's Garden Route.

If you want to drive your own car around Africa see also Carnet de Passage

For sightseeing trips, it may be less expensive to hire a taxi than to rent a car, but be sure to negotiate taxi fares beforehand. Travel on rural roads can be slow and difficult in the dry season and disrupted by floods in the rainy season. If you plan on traveling in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, avoid the rainy months of May through October above the equator and the rainy months of November through April below the equator. Some roads may be flooded or washed out during these months.

Travel by car outside large towns can be dangerous. Major roads are generally well maintained but there are few divided highways in Africa. In addition, rural auto accidents are fairly common because of high speed limits and the presence of wildlife in these areas. Night driving, especially in rural areas, is not recommended, and visitors are encouraged to hire reputable tour operators for safaris or other game viewing expeditions.

The definitive guidebook for overland travel in Africa is Bradt's Africa Overland, 5th: 4x4, Motorbike, Bicycle, Truck. Africa Overland covers every corner of the continent with practical info on formalities, general road conditions, and plenty of helpful tips. If you are planning a trip in North Africa or Saharan Africa, the guidebook Sahara Overland, 2nd: A Route and Planning Guide by Trailblazer Publications. As for maps, Michelin has published three large regional road maps covering the continent: North & West Africa, Northeast Africa & Arabia, South & Central Africa w/Madagascar. [8] has a far more extensive offering of maps, including numerous single-country maps for African countries and are likely better if your African road trip only covers a couple countries.

By bus

Bus service is extensive in Africa and in almost all countries it is the main means of transportation for locals and tourists alike. Styles of busses and minibusses vary across the continent, refer to country pages for more info.

By thumb

Many locals hitchhike in countries throughout Africa, often paying a small fee to the driver. It is best to check the political and social climate of each region before traveling.

In the whole of Africa it is possible to flag down cars and pay them a required fee and get a lift in return. That is just the way public transport works in this part of the world - he who has a means of transportation, that is a car or minibus, is automatically expected to give lifts to others and of course charge them a small amount of money for the favor. The idea of it has nothing to do with the Western idea of hitchhiking.

Overland trucks

Some people with limited amounts of time or who would prefer not to make their own arrangements opt for the "overlander" experience. Many operators run tours in large trucks that are comfortable and equipped with facilities for around 8-30 persons. They're generally run on a pretty tight schedule and cover a lot of distance, such as "Nairobi to Johannesburg in six weeks". These tours are run throughout the whole continent but East and Southern Africa are by far the most popular destinations. Accommodation is mostly camping with tents provided. Most meals are arranged and many are prepared by those on the trip (cooking duties rotated throughout the trip), and free time (like everything else) is scheduled. However, there is plenty of time to participate in the adventure activities that certain areas of Africa are famous for such as Victoria Falls, Swakopmund, Zanzibar, and Serengeti National Park. Some people really enjoy these tours, especially when they do not have enough time to organize all travel arrangements themselves. Others loathe the very thought of traveling in a group and think that they keep you way out of touch with the "real" Africa. Whatever the case, they're a very different way to travel through Africa. The people that go on these tours tend to be young at heart and slightly adventurous; these tours are not luxury trips.

There are a few dozen companies that run overland tours, here are a handful of the more popular and/or highly rated ones:

Dragoman, [9], offers overland journeys down the Atlantic coast from Morocco to Cameroon and on the eastern side of Africa from Egypt down to South Africa.
Oasis Overland, [10], offers tours throughout the continent.
African Trails, [11], offers tours in Southern and East Africa, Sudan, & Egypt.
Oz Bus Africa, [www.oz-busafrica.com/], offers trips from Nairobi-Cape Town, which can be broken into segments, as well as to Uganda & Rwanda round-trip from Nairobi and Mount Kilimanjaro.

By train

There are only a few passenger railroads in Africa, and the majority are short and/or within one country. A few that cross borders are services between (incomplete): Bamako-Dakar, Ouagadougou-Abidjan, Rwanda-Tanzania (opening sometime between 2010-2012), Zimbabwe-South Africa.

By boat

There are minor boat services in many countries, but a few notable boat connections are along the:L

Niger River: ferries during the wet season, small and quaint pirogues make for a scenic and memorable African experience.
Congo River: large, old and often overcrowded ferries connect cities along the river in the Congo, DRC, & Central African Republic. Small boats from villages come out and moor themselves to these ferries to sell food and merchandise and the boat becomes a bustling marketplace.

A giraffe in Niger.

Many visitors are attracted by the African flora and fauna and several countries benefit from Safari tourism to African National Parks.

Historical Civilizations

While the continent's diverse and unique wildlife is often all that is mentioned in regards to African travel, as home to the oldest civilizations on the planet, Africa has equally impressive cultures and history. The most famous civilization on the continent, and arguably in the world, is that of ancient Egypt. From the southern city of Abu Simbel to Luxor and all the way north to Alexandria and Cairo, including the Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving of the original Seven Wonders of the World and the most iconic symbols of this ancient kingdom. Sites from the Nubian-Kushite Kingdom that broke away from Egypt can be found in Sudan, such as Gebel Barkal and many other pyramids in Meroe.

Ethiopia offers many ruins from the ancient Axumite Kingdom where the Queen of Sheba ruled. The obelisks and Dungur ruins in Axum were built prior to the kingdom's conversion to Christianity, while many other great monuments, such as the Ezana Stone and the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, where the Arc of the Covenant is said to be stored, were built after the conversion as religious sites. Other famous Christian structures built later by the kingdom's successor, the Abyssinian Empire, especially during the 12th and 13th centuries, can also be found in Lalibela.

In West Africa, structures from the ancient Mali Empire can be found in Timbuktu and Djenne. Although there are Islamic influences, the architectural style of the Malian Kingdom's mosques are still quite unique and recognizably African. The cliff dwellings in Mali's Dogon Country, built by the Dogon people, are also impressive ancient structures in Mali. Often overshadowed by Africa's other monuments, Sungbo's Eredo in Ijebu Ode, Nigeria, built by the Yoruba people, is the largest pre-colonial structure remaining on the continent. Today it is towers over the city, covered in vegetation.

Ruins from the ancient Swahili culture can be found in the coastal areas of East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania. The Swahili structures combines elements of African architecture with Islamic architecture, which was quite prominent around the 14th century. Some of the most famous Swahili structures include the Gedi Ruins and Pillar Tombs around Malindi and Kilwa Kisiwani. Zanzibar's Stone Town features Swahili structures spanning hundreds of years from its early days to th 18th century.

In Southern Africa, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe have fascinated visitors ever since Europeans discovered them. No one had believed that the inhabitants of black Africa were capable of creating any great monuments on their own until the ruins of this ancient culture were discovered.

Roman structures are scattered throughout North Africa, with the ancient city of Carthage being the most well-known abroad. Many cities, such as Leptis Magna, Timgad, and Dougga feature Roman ruins as impressive as those in Europe itself. Many other European structures can be found throughout the continent, dating back to the earliest days of imperialism.

Do

Outdoor Activities

Hiking

Climbing

Diving

Stay safe

Africa has a bad reputation for genocidal dictators and while most of Africa is safe for travel and nearly all tourist attractions on the continent are far from conflict, there are a few regions which should be considered no-go areas for even the most seasoned of travellers. While there are corrupt police in a large number, most just want a little change or a drink; references to "corrupt police" below, however, are the type that will steal, threaten imprisonment (or actually put you in jail), or even cause physical harm. As of December 2009 (and these won't change much in the foreseeable future), they are:

Somalia — by far the most dangerous region on the continent: without a central government since 1993 there are warring warlords in the south and central regions, many of whom follow strict Islamist principals (similar if not worse than the Taliban); kidnapping is a great threat to fund these warlords' operations or for the purpose of al Qaeda-style beheadings; piracy off the coast, their headquarters in many coastal cities; the exception is the fairly safe, de facto-independent Somaliland.
Central African Republic — is simmering with rebels (especially in the north and east) and plagued with some of the most corrupt police and militia on the continent; exceptions are Bangui proper and Dzangha Sangha National Park
Democratic Republic of the Congo — the eastern region has been home to the bloodiest war since World War 2 in the past decade and is absolutely unfit for travel, primarily regions around (but not including) Goma; the northeast near Sudan/CAR/Uganda is filled with rebels who fled neighboring countries over the past decade, most notoriously the LRA; the interior is nearly impassable except by boat (it is nearly identical to the Amazon rainforest); police are extremely corrupt and information from the central government is slow to be disseminated (you will have ten different officials claim ten different ways that your visa is not correct/valid); exceptions are the west (although Kinshasa has very high crime rates) and a few spots on the border, such as Goma, Bukavu, Virunga National Park (although it has been closed at times due to rebel activity), and places on the Ugandan border popular for gorilla watching.
Chad — while it is possible to visit much of the country: rebels from the CAR operate in the southeast; militants from Sudan have crossed the border multiple times and in 2008 attacked crossed the country to attack the capital; there is a high risk of banditry on the Niger and Libyan borders; there in many regions away from the capital there are extremely corrupt police; exceptions are N'Djamena and areas within a couple hundred kilometers to the east and southeast of the capital.
Sudan — western and southwestern Sudan are home to rebels (the janjiweed in Darfur, LRA near the DRC, and more); tensions with the south remain high even with the official end to the civil war; smugglers armed and dangerous near the Libyan border; and a low-moderate level banditry near the Egyptian & Ethiopian borders; most tourist destinations near Khartoum and Port Said are safe and bandits almost always target lone vehicles and not busses and convoys of vehicles (which most tourists find themselves in) on the Egyptian and Ethiopian borders.
Central Sahara — a growing presence (or at least impact) of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in much of Saharan Algeria (where military escorts are required for tourists), northern Mali (north of Timbuktu, Kidal region, and near the Nigerien border), and far eastern Mauritania has resulted in several kidnappings (including one Briton beheaded, kidnapped near the Mali-Niger border) and a couple of suicide bombings in Nouakchott, Mauritania; a Tuareg uprising has left much of the area around Agadez (sadly a beautiful and popular tourist destination) off-limits and unsafe ; there is also low-moderate banditry in central Niger (between Tahouna & Agadez), on the Mali-Niger border, the Niger-Chad border, and eastern Mali; see also problems mentioned for Chad & Sudan above.
Cote d'Ivoire — rebel activity in the north for many years, although they don't target Westerners, you may find yourself dealing with rebel roadblock extorting you for fines and don't bring up politics at all; Abidjan has one of Africa's highest crime rates
Niger Delta — probably more notorious than the threat currently posed (although it was very dangerous in the past), the biggest threat is kidnapping (but if you aren't connected to the oil industry, you'll likely be let off, they are only after the money and making a dogged effort to force out oil exploration in the region).
Liberia & Sierra Leone — sporadic rebel activity in these neighbors along with high crime rates mean travelers should be very cautious

A couple areas that should not be visited as of writing (Dec 2009) largely for political and stability reasons (hopefully temporary) are:

Eritrea — a totalitarian government has gradually tighened control over this small country and become increasingly anti-Western after being scorned for refusing food aid during a drought (letting thousands starve to death) and helping Iran funnel weapons to Somali Islamists. The US & EU have imposed
Guinea — following the death of its last president, Conte, in early 2009, a military junta has taken command and consolidated control over the country which has been accused of violating human rights, including a murder of over 140 people when the military opened fire at a demonstration. The EU & US have imposed severe sanctions and have warned their citizens to leave and avoid travel here due to the current political situation.

Crime

Africa can certainly be a dangerous continent. Check the "stay safe" areas of the individual countries you are going to.

Wildlife

In most parts of Africa dangerous wildlife should be of only very minor, if any, concern at all. In some parts of East Africa and South Africa large abundances of potentially dangerous animals can be found, but the majority of the time any traveler would most likely be perfectly safe in a vehicle with their tour guide. Nonetheless, attacks and deaths do occur (rarely with foreigners, but commonly with locals) and it is best to be well-informed. Nile crocodiles can be extremely dangerous and swimming is not an option in most low-lying portions of East Africa. Lions and leopards can be dangerous, but you are unlikely to encounter them on foot unless you are being extremely foolish. Large herbivores such as Elephants and Rhinos can also be very dangerous if aggravated, even while in a vehicle. Venomous snakes exist and are plentiful, but are very shy and you are unlikely to even see one let alone be bitten by one. Most insects in the country are no more dangerous than what you would find in any other country, and the spiders are mostly harmless to humans. Despite all of this, easily the most dangerous non-human animal in the entire African continent is the mosquito.

Stay healthy

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of HIV and AIDS infection on Earth. A 2005 UN Report says over 25 million infected, over 7% of adults, for the continent as a whole. Be extremely cautious about any sexual activity in Africa. Especially note that the rates of HIV infection among sex workers is phenomenally high.

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Study guide

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikiversity

Flag of South Africa

Area in Africa where Swahili is spoken

.Africa is a continent consisting of many countries, nations and peoples.^ "Africa has an indispensable contribution to make in ensuring that 2005 becomes a turning point for the continent, the United Nations and the world."

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

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Categories: Continents | Africa

1911 encyclopedia

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From LoveToKnow 1911

AFRICA, the name of a continent representing the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the earth's surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, according to the most recent computations, of 11,262,000 sq. m., excluding the islands.' Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its N.E. extremity by the Isthmus of Suez, 80 m. wide. From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka, a little west of Cape Blanc, in 37°21' N., to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas, 34° 51' 15" S., is a distance approximately of 5000 m.; from Cape Verde, 17° 33' 22" W., the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun, 51° 27' 52" E., the most easterly projection, is a distance (also approximately) of 4600 m. The length of coast-line is 16,100 m. and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is shown by the fact that Europe, which covers only 3,760,000 sq. m., has a coast-line of 19,800 m.

I. Physical Geography The main structural lines of the continent show both the east-to-west direction characteristic, at least in the eastern hemisphere, of the more northern parts of the world, and the north-to-south direction seen in the southern peninsulas. Africa is thus composed of two segments at right angles, the northern running from east to west, the southern from north to south, the subordinate lines corresponding in the main to these two directions.

Table of contents

1 Main Geographical Features

2 Islands

3 Climate and Health

4 Flora

5 Fauna

Main Geographical Features

The mean elevation of the continent approximates closely to 2000 ft., which is roughly the elevation of both North and South America, but is considerably less than that of Asia (3117 ft.). In contrast with the other continents it is marked by the comparatively small area both of very high and of very low ground, lands under 600 ft. occupying an unusually small part of the surface; while not only are the highest elevations inferior to those of Asia and South America, but the area of land over 10,000 ft. is also quite insignificant, being represented almost entirely by individual peaks and mountain ranges. Moderately elevated tablelands are thus the characteristic feature of the continent, though the surface of these is broken by higher peaks and ridges. (So prevalent are these isolated peaks and ridges that a special term [Inselberglandschaft] has been adopted in Germany to describe this kind of country, which is thought to be in great part the result of wind action.) As a general rule, the higher tablelands lie to the east and south, while a progressive diminution in altitude towards the west and north is observable. Apart from the lowlands and the Atlas range, the continent may be divided into two regions of higher and lower plateaus, the dividing line (somewhat concave to the north-west) running from the middle of the Red Sea to about 6° S. on the west coast. We thus obtain the following four main divisions of the continent: - (1) The coast plains - often fringed seawards by mangrove swamps - never stretching far from the coast, except on the lower courses of streams. Recent alluvial flats are found chiefly in the delta of the more important rivers. Elsewhere the coast lowlands merely form the lowest steps of the system of terraces which constitutes the ascent to the inner plateaus. (2) The Atlas range, which, orographically, is distinct from the rest of the continent, being unconnected with any other area of high ground, and separated from the rest of the continent on the south by a depressed and desert area (the Sahara), in places below sea-level. (3) The high southern and eastern plateaus, rarely falling below 2000 ft., and having a mean elevation of about 3500 ft. (4) The north and west African plains, bordered and traversed by bands of higher ground, but generally below 2000 ft. This division includes the great desert of the Sahara.

The third and fourth divisions may be again subdivided. Thus the high plateaus include: - (a) The South African plateau as far as about 12° S., bounded east, west and south by bands of high ground which fall steeply to the coasts. On this account South Africa has a general resemblance to an inverted saucer. Due south the plateau rim is formed by three parallel steps with level ground between them. The largest of these level areas, the Great Karroo, is a dry, barren region, and a large tract of the plateau proper is of a still more arid character and is known as the Kalahari Desert. The South African plateau is connected towards the north-east with (b) the East African plateau, with probably a slightly greater average elevation, and marked by some distinct features. It is formed by a widening out of the eastern axis of high ground, which becomes subdivided into a number of zones running north and south and consisting in turn of ranges, tablelands and depressions. The most striking feature is the existence of two great lines of depression, due largely to the subsidence of whole segments of the earth's crust, the lowest parts of which are occupied by vast lakes. Towards the south the two lines converge and give place to one great valley (occupied by Lake Nyasa), the southern part of which is less distinctly due to rifting and subsidence than the rest of the system. Farther north the western depression, sometimes known as the Central African trough or Albertine rift-valley, is occupied for more than half its length by water, forming the four lakes of Tanganyika, Kivu, Albert Edward and Albert, the first-named over 400 m. long and the longest freshwater lake in the world. Associated with these great valleys are a number of volcanic peaks, the greatest of which occur on a meridional line east of the eastern trough. The eastern depression, known as the East African trough or rift-valley, contains much smaller lakes, many of them brackish and without outlet, the only one comparable to those of the western trough being Lake Rudolf or Basso Norok. At no great distance east of this rift-valley are Kilimanjaro - with its two peaks Kibo and Mawenzi, the former 19,321 ft., and the culminating point of the whole continent - and Kenya (17,007 ft.). Hardly less important is the Ruwenzori range (over 16,600 ft.), which lies east of the western trough. Other volcanic peaks rise from the floor of the valleys, some of the Kirunga (Mfumbiro) group, north of Lake Kivu, being still partially active. (c) The third division of the higher region of Africa is formed by the Abyssinian highlands, a rugged mass of mountains forming the largest continuous area of its altitude in the whole continent, little of its surface falling below 5000 ft., while the summits reach heights of 15,000 to 16,000 ft. This block of country lies just west of the line of the great East African trough, the northern continuation of which passes along its eastern escarpment as it runs up to join the Red Sea. There is, however, in the centre a circular basin occupied by Lake Tsana.

Both in the east and west of the continent the bordering highlands are continued as strips of plateau parallel to the coast, the Abyssinian mountains being continued northwards along the Red Sea coast by a series of ridges reaching in places a height of 7000 ft. In the west the zone of high land is broader but somewhat lower. The most mountainous districts lie inland from the head of the Gulf of Guinea (Adamawa, &c.), where heights of 6000 to 8000 ft. are reached. Exactly at the head of the gulf the great peak of the Cameroon, on a line of volcanic action continued by the islands to the south-west, has a height of 13,370 ft., while Clarence Peak, in Fernando Po, the first of the line of islands, rises to over 9000. Towards the extreme west the Futa Jallon highlands form an important diverging point of rivers, but beyond this, as far as the Atlas chain, the elevated rim of the continent is almost wanting.

The area between the east and west coast highlands, which north of 17° N. is mainly desert, is divided into separate basins by other bands of high ground, one of which runs nearly centrally through North Africa in a line corresponding roughly with the curved axis of the continent as a whole. The best marked of the basins so formed (the Congo basin) occupies a circular area bisected by the equator, once probably the site of an inland sea. The arid region, the Sahara - the largest desert in the world, covering 3,500,000 sq. m. - extends from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Though generally of slight elevation it contains mountain ranges with peaks rising to 8000 ft. Bordered N.W. by the Atlas range, to the N.E. a rocky plateau separates it from the Mediterranean; this plateau gives place at the extreme east to the delta of the Nile. That river (see below) pierces the desert without modifying its character. The Atlas range, the north-westerly part of the continent, between its seaward and landward heights encloses elevated steppes in places 100 m. broad. From the inner slopes of the plateau numerous wadis take a direction towards the Sahara. The greater part of that now desert region is, indeed, furrowed by old water-channels.

Mountains.	Ft.	Lakes.		Ft.
Rungwe (Nyasa) .	10,400	Chad .	�	8501
Drakensberg. .	11,7001	Leopold II		I 100
Lereko or Sattima	13,2142	Rudolf .	�	1250
(Aberdare Range) Cameroon .	13,370	Nyasa . Albert Nyanza	�	16 45 2 20281
Elgon .	14,1522	Tanganyika .		26242
Karissimbi (Mfum- biro) .	?4,6832	Ngami . Mweru	� �	2950 3000
Meru .	14,9552	Albert Edward		30042
Tagharat (Atlas) .	15,0001	Bangweulu. .		3700
Simen Mountains, Abyssinia	15,1601	Victoria Nyanza Abai	� �	37 202 4200
Ruwenzori	16,6192	Kivu		48292
Kenya .	17,0072	Tsana .	�	5690
Kilimanjaro	19,3212	Naivasha	�	61 35 2

The following table gives the approximate altitudes of the chief mountains and lakes of the continent: - The Hydrographic Systems. - From the outer margin of the African plateaus a large number of streams run to the sea with comparatively short courses, while the larger rivers flow for long 1 Estimated.

2 See the calculations of Capt. T. T. Behrens, Geog. Journal, vol. xxix. (1907).

distances on the interior highlands before breaking through the outer ranges. The main drainage of the continent is to the north and west, or towards the basin of the Atlantic Ocean. The high lake plateau of East Africa contains the head-waters of the Nile and Congo: the former the longest, the latter the largest river of the continent. The upper Nile receives its chief supplies from the mountainous region adjoining the Central African trough in the neighbourhood of the equator. Thence streams pour east to the Victoria Nyanza, the largest African lake (covering over 26,000 sq. m.), and west and north to the Albert Edward and Albert Nyanzas, to the latter of which the effluents of the other two lakes add their waters. Issuing from it the Nile flows north, and between 7° and 10 N. traverses a vast marshy level during which its course is liable to blocking by floating vegetation. After receiving the Bahr-el-Ghazal from the west and the Sobat, Blue Nile and Atbara from the Abyssinian highlands (the chief gathering ground of the flood-water), it crosses the great desert and enters the Mediterranean by a vast delta. The most remote head-stream of the Congo is the Chambezi, which flows south-west into the marshy Lake Bangweulu. From this lake issues the Congo, known in its upper course by various names. Flowing first south, it afterwards turns north through Lake Mweru and descends to the forest-clad basin of west equatorial Africa. Traversing this in a majestic northward curve and receiving vast supplies of water from many great tributaries, it finally turns south-west and cuts a way to the Atlantic Ocean through the western highlands. North of the Congo basin and separated from it by a broad undulation of the surface is the basin of Lake Chad - a flat-shored, shallow lake filled principally by the Shari coming from the south-east. West of this is the basin of the Niger, the third river of Africa, which, though flowing to the Atlantic, has its principal source in the far west, and reverses the direction of flow exhibited by the Nile and Congo. An important branch, however - the Benue - comes from the south-east. These four river-basins occupy the greater part of the lower plateaus of North and West Africa, the remainder consisting of arid regions watered only by intermittent streams which do not reach the sea. Of the remaining rivers of the Atlantic basin the Orange, in the extreme south, brings the drainage from the Drakensberg on the opposite side of the continent, while the Kunene, Kwanza, Ogowe and Sanaga drain the west coast highlands of the southern limb; the Volta, Komoe, Bandama, Gambia and Senegal the highlands of the western limb. North of the Senegal for over 1000 m. of coast the arid region reaches to the Atlantic. Farther north are the streams, with comparatively short courses, which reach the Atlantic and Mediterranean from the Atlas mountains.

Of the rivers flowing to the Indian Ocean the only one draining any large part of the interior plateaus is the Zambezi, whose western branches rise in the west coast highlands. The main stream has its rise in 11° 21' 3" S. 24° 22' E. at an elevation of 5000 ft. It flows west and south for a considerable distance before turning to the east. All the largest tributaries, including the Shire, the outflow of Lake Nyasa, flow down the southern slopes of the band of high ground which stretches across the continent in to 12° S. In the south-west the Zambezi system interlaces with that of the Taukhe (or Tioghe), from which it at times receives surplus water. The rest of the water of the Taukhe, known in its middle course as the Okavango, is lost in a system of swamps and saltpans which formerly centred in Lake Ngami, now dried up. Farther south the Limpopo drains a portion of the interior plateau but breaks through the bounding highlands on the side of the continent nearest its source. The Rovuma, Rufiji, Tana, Juba and Webi Shebeli principally drain the outer slopes of the East African highlands, the last named losing itself in the sands in close proximity to the sea. Another large stream, the Hawash, rising in the Abyssinian mountains, is lost in a saline depression near the Gulf of Aden. Lastly, between the basins of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans there is an area of inland drainage along the centre of the East African plateau, directed chiefly into the lakes in the great rift-valley. The largest river is the Omo., which, fed by the rains of the Abyssinian highlands, carries down a large body of water into Lake Rudolf. The rivers of Africa are generally obstructed either by bars at their mouths or by cataracts at no great distance up-stream. But when these obstacles have been overcome the rivers and lakes afford a network of navigable waters of vast extent.

The calculation of the areas of African drainage systems, made by Dr A. Bludau (Petermann Mitteilungen, 43, 1897, pp. 184-186) gives the following general results: Basin of the Atlantic .

� � Mediterranean. 4,070,000 sq. m.

Congo (length over 3000 m.) .	. 1,425,000 sq. m.
Nile (� fully 4000 m.) .	. 1,082,000 2 �
Niger (,, about 2600 m.) .	. 808,0002
Zambezi (� � 2000 m.) ,	513,500
Lake Chad .
ran Orange (length about 1300 m.) . g (g 3)	370,5002 . � 37 ,5 �
(actual drainage area) .	172,500 �

. I,680,000 � � � Indian Ocean. 2,086,000 � Inland drainage area. .. � 3,452,000 The areas of individual river-basins are: The area of the Congo basin is greater than that of any other river except the Amazon, while the African inland drainage area is greater than that of any continent but Asia, in which the corresponding area is 4,900,000 sq. m.

The principal African lakes have been mentioned in the description of the East African plateau, but some of the phenomena connected with them may be spoken of more particularly here. As a rule the lakes which occupy portions of the great rift-valleys have steep sides and are very deep. This is the case with the two largest of the type, Tanganyika and Nyasa, the latter of which has depths of 430 fathoms. Others, however, are shallow, and hardly reach the steep sides of the valleys in the dry season. Such are Lake Rukwa, in a subsidiary depression north of Nyasa, and Eiassi and Manyara in the system of the eastern rift-valley. Lakes of the broad type are of moderate depth, the deepest sounding in [[Victoria (disambiguation)|Victoria ]] being under 50 fathoms. Apart from the seasonal variations of level, most of the lakes show periodic fluctuations, while a progressive desiccation of the whole region is said to be traceable, tending to the ultimate disappearance of the lakes. Such a drying up has been in progress during long geologic ages, but doubt exists as to its practical importance at the present time. The periodic fluctuations in the level of Lake Tanganyika are such that its outflow is intermittent. Besides the East African lakes the principal are: - Lake Chad, in the northern area of inland drainage; Bangweulu and Mweru, traversed by the head-stream of the Congo; and Leopold II. and Ntomba (Mantumba), within the great bend of that river. All, except possibly Mweru, are more or less shallow, and Chad appears to by drying up. The altitudes of the African lakes have already been stated.

Divergent opinions have been held as to the mode of origin of the East African lakes, especially Tanganyika, which some geologists have considered to represent an old arm of the sea, dating from a time when the whole central Congo basin was under water; others holding that the lake water has accumulated in a depression caused by subsidence. The former view is based on the existence in the lake of organisms of a decidedly marine type. They include a jelly-fish, molluscs, prawns, crabs, &c., and were at first considered to form an isolated group found in no other of the African lakes; but this supposition has been proved to be erroneous.

Islands

With one exception - Madagascar - the African islands are small. Madagascar, with an area of 229,820 sq. m., is, after New Guinea and Borneo, the largest island of the world. It lies off the S.E. coast of the continent, from which it is separated by the deep Mozambique channel, 250 m. wide at its narrowest point. Madagascar in its general structure, as in flora and fauna, forms a connecting link between Africa and southern Asia. East of Madagascar are the small islands of Mauritius and Reunion. Sokotra lies E.N.E. of Cape Guardafui. Off the 1 The estimate of Capt. H. G. Lyons in 1905 was 1,107,227 sq. m.

2 Including waterless tracts naturally belonging to the river-basin.

north-west coast are the Canary and Cape Verde archipelagoes, which, like some small islands in the Gulf of Guinea, are of volcanic origin.

Climate and Health

Lying almost entirely within the tropics, and equally to north and south of the equator, Africa does not show excessive variations of temperature. Great heat is experienced in the lower plains and desert regions of North Africa, removed by the great width of the continent from the influence of the ocean, and here, too, the contrast between day and night, and between summer and winter, is greatest. (The rarity of the air and the great radiation during the night cause the temperature in the Sahara to fall occasionally to freezing point.) Farther south, the heat is to some extent modified by the moisture brought from the ocean, and by the greater elevation of a large part of the surface, especially in East Africa, where the range of temperature is wider than in the Congo basin or on the Guinea coast. In the extreme north and south the climate is a warm temperate one, the northern countries being on the whole hotter and drier than those in the southern zone; the south of the continent being narrower than the north, the influence of the surrounding ocean is more felt. The most important climatic differences are due to variations in the amount of rainfall. The wide heated plains of the Sahara, and in a lesser degree the corresponding zone of the Kalahari in the south, have an exceedingly scanty rainfall, the winds which blow over them from the ocean losing part of their moisture as they pass over the outer highlands, and becoming constantly drier owing to the heating effects of the burning soil of the interior; while the scarcity of mountain ranges in the more central parts likewise tends to prevent condensation. In the inter-tropical zone of summer precipitation, the rainfall is greatest when the sun is vertical or soon after. It is therefore greatest of all near the equator, where the sun is twice vertical, and less in the direction of both tropics. The rainfall zones are, however, somewhat deflected from a due west-to-east direction, the drier northern conditions extending southwards along the east coast, and those of the south northwards along the west. Within the equatorial zone certain areas, especially on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea and in the upper Nile basin, have an intensified rainfall, but this rarely approaches that of the rainiest regions of the world. The rainiest district in all Africa is a strip of coastland west of Mount Cameroon, where there is a mean annual rainfall of about 390 in. as compared with a mean of 458 in. at Cherrapunji, in Assam. The two distinct rainy seasons of the equatorial zone, where the sun is vertical at half-yearly intervals, become gradually merged into one in the direction of the tropics, where the sun is overhead but once. Snow falls on all the higher mountain ranges, and on the highest the climate is thoroughly Alpine. The countries bordering the Sahara are much exposed to a very dry wind, full of fine particles of sand, blowing from the desert towards the sea. Known in Egypt as the khamsin, on the Mediterranean as the sirocco, it is called on the Guinea coast the harmattan. This wind is not invariably hot; its great dryness causes so much evaporation that cold is not infrequently the result. Similar dry winds blow from the Kalahari in the south. On the eastern coast the monsoons of the Indian Ocean are regularly felt, and on the south-east hurricanes are occasionally experienced.

While the climate of the north and south, especially the south, is eminently healthy, and even the intensely heated Sahara is salubrious by reason of its dryness, the tropical zone as a whole is, for European races, the most unhealthy portion of the world. This is especially the case in the lower and moister regions, such as the west coast, where malarial fever is very prevalent and deadly; the most unfavourable factors being humidity with absence of climatic variation (daily or seasonal). The higher plateaus, where not only is the average temperature lower, but such variations are more extensive, are more healthy; and in certain localities (e.g. Abyssinia and parts of British East Africa) Europeans find the climate suitable for permanent residence. On tablelands over 6500 ft. above the sea, frost is not uncommon at night, even in places directly under the equator. The acclimatization of white men in tropical Africa generally is dependent largely on the successful treatment of tropical diseases. Districts which had been notoriously deadly to Europeans were rendered comparatively healthy after the discovery, in 1899, of the species of mosquito which propagates malarial fever, and the measures thereafter taken for its destruction and the filling up of swamps. The rate of mortality among the natives from tropical diseases is also high, one of the most fatal being that known as sleeping sickness. (The ravages of this disease, which also attacks Europeans, reached alarming proportions between 1893 and 1907, and in the last-named year an international conference was held in London to consider measures to combat it.) When removed to colder regions natives of the equatorial districts suffer greatly from chest complaints. Smallpox also makes great ravages among the negro population.

Flora

The vegetation of Africa follows very closely the distribution of heat and moisture. The northern and southern temperate zones have a flora distinct from that of the continent generally, which is tropical. In the countries bordering the Mediterranean are groves of oranges and olive trees, evergreen oaks, cork trees and pines, intermixed with cypresses, myrtles, arbutus and fragrant tree-heaths. South of the Atlas range the conditions alter. The zones of minimum rainfall have a very scanty flora, consisting of plants adapted to resist the great dryness. Characteristic of the Sahara is the date-palm, which flourishes where other vegetation can scarcely maintain existence, while in the semi-desert regions the acacia (whence is obtained gum-arabic) is abundant. The more humid regions have a richer vegetation - dense forest where the rainfall is greatest and variations of temperature least, conditions found chiefly on the tropical coasts, and in the west African equatorial basin with its extension towards the upper Nile; and savanna interspersed with trees on the greater part of the plateaus, passing as the desert regions are appNoached into a scrub vegetation consisting of thorny acacias, &c. Forests also occur on the humid slopes of mountain ranges up to a certain elevation. In the coast regions the typical tree is the mangrove, which flourishes wherever the soil is of a swamp character. The dense forests of West Africa contain, in addition to a great variety of dicotyledonous trees, two palms, the Elaeis guincensis (oil-palm) and Raphia vinifera (bamboo-palm), not found, generally speaking, in the savanna regions. The bombax or silk-cotton tree attains gigantic proportions in the forests, which are the home of the indiarubber-producing plants and of many valuable kinds of timber trees, such as odum (Chlorophora excelsa), ebony, mahogany (Khaya senegalensis), African teak or oak (Oldfieldia africana) and camwood (Baphia nitida). The climbing plants in the tropical forests are exceedingly luxuriant and the undergrowth or " bush " is extremely dense. In the savannas the most characteristic trees are the monkey bread tree or baobab (Adansonia digitata), doom palm (Hyphaene) and euphorbias. The coffee plant grows wild in such widely separated places as Liberia and southern Abyssinia. The higher mountains have a special flora showing close agreement over wide intervals of space, as well as affinities with the mountain flora of the eastern Mediterranean, the Himalayas and IndoChina (cf. A. Engler, Ober die Hochgebirgsflora des tropischen Afrika, 1892).

In the swamp regions of north-east Africa the papyrus and associated plants, including the soft-wooded ambach, flourish in immense quantities - and little else is found in the way of vegetation. South Africa is largely destitute of forest save in the lower valleys and coast regions. Tropical flora disappears, and in the semi-desert plains the fleshy, leafless, contorted species of kapsias, mesembryanthemums, aloes and other succulent plants make their appearance. There are, too, valuable timber trees, such as the yellow pine (Podocarpus elongatus), stinkwood (Ocotea), sneezewood or Cape ebony (Pteroxylon utile) and ironwood. Extensive miniature woods of heaths are found in almost endless variety and covered throughout the greater part of the year with innumerable blossoms in which red is very prevalent. Of the grasses of Africa alfa is very abundant in the plateaus of the Atlas range.

Fauna

The fauna again shows the effect of the characteristics of the vegetation. The open savannas are the home of large ungulates, especially antelopes, the giraffe (peculiar to Africa), zebra, buffalo, wild ass and four species of rhinoceros; and of carnivores, such as the lion, leopard, hyaena, &c. The okapi (a genus restricted to Africa) is found only in the dense forests of the Congo basin. Bears are confined to the Atlas region, wolves and foxes to North Africa. The elephant (though its range has become restricted through the attacks of hunters) is found both in the savannas and forest regions, the latter being otherwise poor in large game, though the special habitat of the chimpanzee and gorilla. Baboons and mandrills, with few exceptions, are peculiar to Africa. The single-humped camel - as a domestic animal - is especially characteristic of the northern deserts and steppes.

The rivers in the tropical zone abound with hippopotami and crocodiles, the former entirely confined to Africa. The vast herds of game, formerly so characteristic of many parts of Africa, have much diminished with the increase of intercourse with the interior. Game reserves have, however, been established in South Africa, British Central Africa, British East Africa, Somaliland, &c., while measures for the protection of wild animals were laid down in an international convention signed in May 1900.

The ornithology of northern Africa presents a close resemblance to that of southern Europe, scarcely a species being found which does not also occur in the other countries bordering the Mediterranean. Among the birds most characteristic of Africa are the ostrich and the secretary-bird. The ostrich is widely dispersed, but is found chiefly in the desert and steppe regions. The secretary-bird is common in the south. The weaver birds and their allies, including the long-tailed whydahs, are abundant, as are, among game-birds, the francolin and guinea-fowl. Many of the smaller birds, such as the sun-birds, bee-eaters, the parrots and halcyons, as well as the larger plantain-eaters, are noted for the brilliance of their plumage. Of reptiles the lizard and chameleon are common, and there are a number of venomous serpents, though these are not so numerous as in other tropical countries. The scorpion is abundant. Of insects Africa has many thousand different kinds; of these the locust is the proverbial scourge of the continent, and the ravages of the termites or white ants are almost incredible. The spread of malaria by means of mosquitoes has already been mentioned. The tsetse fly, whose bite is fatal to all domestic animals, is common in many districts of South and East Africa. Fortunately it is found nowhere outside Africa. (E. HE.; F. R. C.) II. Geology In shape and general geological structure Africa bears a close resemblance to India. Both possess a meridional extension with a broad east and west folded region in the north. In both a successive series of continental deposits, ranging from the Carboniferous to the Rhaetic, rests on an older base of crystalline rocks. In the words of Professor Suess, " India and Africa are true plateau countries." Of the primitive axes of Africa few traces remain. Both on the east and west abroad zone of crystalline rocks extends parallel with the coast-line to form the margin of the elevated plateau of the interior. Occasionally the crystalline belt comes to the coast, but it is usually reached by two steps known as the coastal belt and foot-plateau. On the flanks of the primitive western axis certain ancient sedimentary strata are thrown into folds which were completed before the commencement of the mesozoic period. In the south, the later palaeozoic rocks are also thrown into acute folds by a movement acting from the south, and which ceased towards the close of the mesozoic period. In northern Africa the folded region of the Atlas belongs to the comparatively recent date of the Alpine system. None of these earth movements affected the interior, for here the continental mesozoic deposits rest, undisturbed by folding, on the primary sedimentary and crystalline rocks. The crystalline massif, therefore, presents a solid block which has remained elevated since early palaeozoic times, and against which earth waves of several geological periods have broken.

The formations older than the mesozoic are remarkably unfossiliferous, so that the determination of their age is frequently a matter of speculation, and in the following table the European equivalents of the pre-Karroo formations in many regions must be regarded as subject to considerable revision.

Rocks of Archean age cover wide areas in the interior, in West and East Africa and across the Sahara. Along the coastal margins they underlie the newer formations and appear in the deep valleys and kloofs wherever denudation has laid them bare. The prevailing types are granites, gneisses and schists. In the central regions the predominant strike of the foliae is north and south. The rocks, for convenience classed as pre-Cambrian, occur as several unconformable groups, chiefly developed in the south where alone their stratigraphy has been determined. They are unfossiliferous, and in the absence of undoubted Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian strata in Africa they may be regarded as of older date than any of these formations. The general occurrence of jasper-bearing rocks is of interest, as these are always present in the ancient pressure-altered sedimentary formations of America and Europe. Some unfossiliferous conglomerates, sandstones and dolomites in South Africa and on the west coast are considered to belong to the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian formations, but merely from their occurrence beneath strata yielding Devonian fossils. In Cape Colony the Silurian age of the Table Mountain Sandstone is based on such evidence.

The Devonian and Carboniferous formations are well represented in the north and south and in northern Angola.

Up to the close of the palaeozoic period the relative positions of the ancient land masses and oceans remain unsolved; but the absence of marine strata of early palaeozoic age from Central Africa points to there being land in this direction. In late Carboniferous times Africa and India were undoubtedly united to form a large continent, called by Suess Gondwana Land. In each country the same succession of the rocks is met with; over both the same specialized orders of reptiles roamedand were entombed.

The interior of the African portion of Gondwana Land was occupied by several large lakes in which an immense thickness - amounting to over 18,000 ft. in South Africa - of sandstones and marls, forming the Karroo system, was laid down. This is par excellence the African formation, and covers immense areas in South Africa and the Congo basin, with detached portions in East Africa. During the whole of the time - Carboniferous to Rhaetic - that this great accumulation of freshwater beds was taking place, the interior of the continent must have been undergoing depression. The commencement of the period was marked by one of the most wonderful episodes in the geological history of Africa. Preserved in the formation known as the Dwyka Conglomerate, are evidences that at this time the greater portion of South Africa was undergoing extreme glaciation, while the same conditions appear to have prevailed in India Table Of Formations Sedimentary. Recent. Alluvium; travertine; coral; sand dunes; continental dunes. Generally distributed.

Pleistocene. Ancient alluviums and gravels; travertine. Generally distributed.

Pliocene. N. Africa; Madagascar.

Miocene. N. Africa.

Oligocene. N. Africa.

Eocene. N. Africa, along east and west coasts; Madagascar.

Cretaceous. Extensively developed in N. Africa; along coast and foot-plateaus in east and west; Madagascar.

Jurassic. N. Africa; E. Africa; Madagascar; Stormberg period (Rhaetic) in S. Africa.

< Trias. Beaufort Series in S. Africa; Congo basin; Central Africa; Algeria; Tunis.

Permian. Ecca Series in S. Africa.

Carboniferous. N. Africa; Sabaki Shales in E. Africa; Dwyka and Witteberg Series in S. Africa.

Devonian. N. Africa; Angola; Bokke veld Series in S. Africa. Silurian. Table Mountain Sandstone in S. Africa, Silurian(?). Ordovician. Doubtfully represented in N. Africa, French Cambrian. Congo, Angola, and by Vaal River and Water berg Series in S. Africa. Pre-Cambrian. Quartzites, conglomerates, phyllites, jasper-bearing rocks and schists. Gener ally distributed.

Archean. Gneisses and schists of the continental platform.

and Australia. At the close of the Karroo period there was a remarkable manifestation of volcanic activity which again has its parallel in the Deccan traps of India.

How far the Karroo formation extended beyond its present confines has not been determined. To the east it reached India. In the south all that can be said is that it extended to the south of Worcester in Cape Colony. The Crystal Mountains of Angola may represent its western boundary; while the absence of mesozoic strata beneath the Cretaceous rocks of the mid-Sahara indicates that the system of Karroo lakeland had here reached its most northerly extension. Towards the close of the Karroo period, possibly about the middle, the southern rim of the great central depression became ridged up to form the folded regions of the Zwaarteberg, Cedarberg and Langeberg mountains in Cape Colony. This folded belt gives Africa its abrupt southern Scale,n Deposits (A) 1 Ili Igneous. Some volcanic islands; rift-valley volcanoes.

A long-continued succession in the central and northern regions and among the island groups. Doubtfully represented south of the Zambezi.

Diamond pipes of S.

Africa; Kaptian fissure eruptions; Ashangi traps of Abyssinia.

Chief volcanic period in S. Africa.

Feebly, if .anywhere developed.

Not recorded.

Klipriversberg and Ventersdorp Series of the Transvaal (?).

S. Africa and generally.

Igneous complex of sheared igneous rocks; granites.

termination, and may be regarded as an embryonic indication of its present outline. The exact date of the maximum development of this folding is unknown, but it had done its work and some ro,000 ft. of strata had been removed before the commencement of the Cretaceous period. It appears to approximate in time to the similar earth movement and denudation at the close of the palaeozoic period in Europe. It was doubtless connected with the disruption of Gondwana Land, since it is known that this great alteration of geographical outline commenced in Jurassic times.

The breaking up of Gondwana Land is usually considered to have been caused by a series of blocks of country being let down by faulting with the consequent formation of the Indian Ocean. Other blocks, termed horsts, remained unmoved, the island of Madagascar affording a striking example. In the African portion Ruwenzori is regarded by some geologists to be a block mountain or horst.

In Jurassic times the sea gained access to East Africa north of Mozambique, but does not appear to have reached far beyond the foot-plateau except in Abyssinia.

The Cretaceous seas appear to have extended into the central Saharan regions, for fossils of this age have been discovered in the interior. On the west coast Cretaceous rocks extend continuously from Mogador to Cape Blanco. From here they are absent up to the Gabun river, where they commence to form a narrow fringe as far as the Kunene river, though often overlain by recent deposits. They are again absent up to the Sunday river in Cape Colony, where Lower Cretaceous rocks (for long considered to be of Oolitic age) of an inshore character are met with. Strata of Upper Cretaceous age occur in Pondoland and Natal, and are of exceptional interest since the fossils show an intermingling of Pacific types with other forms having European affinities. In Mozambique and in German East Africa, Cretaceous rocks extend from the coast to a distance inland of over roo m.

Except in northern Africa, the Tertiary formations only occur in a few isolated patches on the east and west coasts. In northern Africa they are well developed and of much interest._ They contain the well-known nummulitic limestone of Eocene age, which has been traced from Egypt across Asia to China. The Upper Eocene rocks of Egypt have also yielded primeval types of the Proboscidea and other mammalia. Evidences for the greater extension of the Eocene seas than was formerly considered to be the case have been discovered around Sokoto. During Miocene times Passarge considers that the region of the Zambezi underwent extreme desiccation.

The effect of the Glacial epoch in Europe is shown in northern Africa by the moraines of the higher Atlas, and the wider extension of the glaciers on Kilimanjaro, Kenya and Ruwenzori, and by the extensive accumulations of gravel over the Sahara.

The earliest signs of igneous activity in Africa are to be found in the granites, intrusive into the older rocks of the Cape peninsula, into those of the Transvaal, and into the gneisses and schists of Central Africa. The Ventersdorp boulder beds of the Transvaal may be of early palaeozoic age; but as a whole the palaeozoic period in Africa was remarkably free from volcanic and igneous disturbances. The close of the Stormberg period (Rhaetic) was one of great volcanic activity in South Africa. Whilst the later Secondary and Tertiary formations were being laid down in North Africa and around the margins of the rest of the continent, Africa received its last great accumulation of strata and at the same time underwent a consecutive series of earth-movements. The additional strata consist of the immense quantities of volcanic material on the plateau of East Africa, the basalt flows of West Africa and possibly those of the Zambezi basin. The exact period of the commencement of volcanic activity is unknown. In Abyssinia the Ashangi traps are certainly post-Oolitic. In East Africa the fissure eruptions are considered to belong to the Cretaceous. These early eruptions were followed by those of Kenya, Mawenzi, Elgon, Chibcharagnani, and these by the eruptions of Kibo, Longonot, Suswa and the Kyulu Mountains. The last phase of vulcanicity took place along the great meridional rifts of East Africa, and though feebly manifested has not entirely passed away. In northern Africa a continuous sequence of volcanic events has taken place from Eocene times to latest Tertiary; but in South Africa it is doubtful if there have been any intrusions later then Cretaceous.

During this long continuance of vulcanicity, earth-movements were in progress. In the north the chief movements gave rise to the system of latitudinal folding and faulting of the Moroccan and Algerian Atlas, the last stages being represented by the formation of the Algerian and Moroccan coast-outline and the sundering of Europe from Africa at the Straits of Gibraltar. Whilst northern Africa was being folded, the East African plateau was broken up by a series of longitudinal rifts extending from Nyasaland to Egypt. The depressed areas contain the long, narrow, precipitously walled lakes of East Africa. The Red Sea also occupies a meridional trough.

Lastly there are the recent elevations of the northern coastal regions, the Barbary coast and along the east coast. (W. G.*) Ethnology In attempting a review of the races and tribes which inhabit Africa, their distribution, movements and culture, it is advisable that three points be borne in mind. The first of these is the comparative absence of natural barriers in the interior, owing to which intercommunication between tribes, the dissemination of culture and tribal migration have been considerably facilitated. Hence the student must be prepared to find that, for the most part, there are no sharp divisions to mark the extent of the various races composing the population, but than the number of what may be termed " transitional " peoples is unusually large. The second point is that Africa, with the exception of the lower Nile valley and what is known as Roman Africa (see Roman Africa), is, so far as its native inhabitants are concerned, a continent practically without a history, and possessing no records from which such a history might be reconstructed. The early movements of tribes, the routes by which they reached their present abodes, and the origin of such forms of culture as may be distinguished in the general mass of customs, beliefs, &c., are largely matters of conjecture. The negro is essentially the child of the moment; and his memory, both tribal and individual, is very short. The third point is that many theories which have been formulated with respect to such matters are unsatisfactory owing to the small amount of information concerning many of the tribes in the interior.

Excluding the Europeans who have found a home in various parts of Africa, and the Asiatics, Chinese and natives of India introduced by them (see section History below), the of Africa consists of the following elements: The chief populationgl African - the Bushman, the Negro, the Eastern Hamite, races. the Libyan and the Semite, from the intermingling of which in various proportions a vast number of " transitional " tribes has arisen. The Bushmen, a race of short yellowish-brown nomad hunters, inhabited, in the earliest times of which there is historic knowledge, the land adjoining the southern and eastern borders of the Kalahari desert, into which they were gradually being forced by the encroachment of the Hottentots and Bantu tribes. But signs of their former presence are not wanting as far north as Lake Tanganyika, and even, it is rumoured, still farther north. With them may be classed provisionally the Hottentots, a pastoral people of medium stature and yellowish-brown complexion, who in early times shared with the Bushmen the whole of what is now Cape Colony. Though the racial affinities of the Hottentots have been disputed, the most satisfactory view on the whole is that they represent a blend of Bushman, Negroid and Hamitic elements. Practically the rest of Africa, from the southern fringe of the Sahara and the upper valley of the Nile to the Cape, with the exception of Abyssinia and Galla and Somali-lands, is peopled by Negroes and the " transitional " tribes to which their admixture with Libyans on the north, and Semites (Arabs) and Hamites on the north-east and east, has given rise. A slight qualification of the last statement is necessary, in so far as, among the Fula in the western Sudan, and the Ba-Hima, &c., of the Victoria Nyanza, Libyan and Hamitic elements are respectively stronger than the Negroid. Of the tracts excepted, Abyssinia is inhabited mainly by Semito-Hamites (though a fairly strong negroid element can be found), and Somali and Galla-lands by Hamites. North of the Sahara in Algeria and Morocco are the Libyans (Berbers, q.v.), a distinctively white people, who have in certain respects (e.g. religion) fallen under Arab influence. In the north-east the brown-skinned Hamite and the Semite mingle in varied proportions. The Negroid peoples, which inhabit the vast tracts of forest and savanna between the areas held by Bushmen to the south and the Hamites, Semites and Libyans to the north, fall into two groups divided by a line running from the Cameroon (Rio del Rey) crossing the Ubangi river below the bend and passing between the Ituri and the Semliki rivers, to Lake Albert and thence with a slight southerly trend to the coast. North of this line are the Negroes proper, south are the Bantu. The division is primarily philological. Among the true Negroes the greatest linguistic confusion prevails; for instance, in certain parts of Nigeria it is possible to find half-a-dozen villages within a comparatively small area speaking, not different dialects, but different languages, a fact which adds greatly to the difficulty of political administration. To the south of the line the condition of affairs is entirely different; here the entire population speaks one or another dialect of the Bantu Languages. As said before, the division is primarily linguistic and, especially upon the border line, does not always correspond with the variations of physical type. At the same time it is extremely convenient and to a ceriain extent justifiable on physical and psychological grounds; and it may be said roughly that while the linguistic uniformity of the Bantu is accompanied by great variation of physical type, the converse is in the main true of the Negro proper, especially where least affected by Libyan and Hamitic admixture, e.g. on the Guinea coast. The variation of type among the Bantu is due probably to a varying admixture of alien blood,which is more apparent as the east coast is approached. This foreign element cannot be identified with certainty, but since the Bantu seem to approach the Hamites in those points where they differ from the Negro proper, and since the physical characteristics of Hamites and Semites are very similar, it seems probable that the last two races have entered into the composition of the Bantu, though it is highly improbable that Semitic influence should have permeated any distance from the east coast. An extremely interesting section of the population not hitherto mentioned is constituted by the Pygmy tribes inhabiting the densely forested regions along the equator from Uganda to the Gabun and living the life of nomadic hunters. The affinities of. this little people are undecided, owing to the small amount of knowledge concerning them. The theories which connected them with the Bushmen do not seem to be correct. It is more probable that they are to be classed among the Negroids, with whom they appear to have intermingled to a certain extent in the upper basin of the Ituri, and perhaps elsewhere. As far as is known they speak no language peculiar to themselves but adopt that of the nearest agricultural tribe. They are of a dark brown complexion, with very broad noses, lips but slightly everted, and small but usually sturdy physique, though often considerably emaciated owing to insufficiency of food. Another peculiar tribe, also of short stature, are the Vaalpens of the steppe region of the north Transvaal. Practically nothing is known of them except that they are said to be very dark in colour and live in holes in the ground, and under rock shelters.

Having indicated the chief races of which in various degrees of purity and intermixture the population of Africa is formed, it remains to consider them in greater detail, particu connected by a vertical strip of grassy highland lying mainly to the east of the chain of great lakes. The third zone is a vast region of forest and rivers in the west centre, comprising the greater part of the basin of the Congo and the Guinea coast. The rainfall, which also has an important bearing upor the culture of peoples, will be found on the whole to be greatest in the third zone and also in the eastern highlands, and of course least in the desert, the steppes and savannas standing midway between the two. As might be expected these variations are accompanied by certain variations in culture. In the bestwatered districts agriculture is naturally of the greatest importance, except where the density of the forest renders the work of clearing too arduous. The main portion therefore of the inhabitants of the forest zone are agriculturists, save only the nomad Pygmies, who live in the inmost recesses of the forest and support themselves by hunting the game with which it abounds. Agriculture, too, flourishes in the eastern highlands, and throughout the greater part of the steppe and savanna region of the northern and southern zones, especially the latter. In fact the only Bantu tribes who are not agriculturists are the Ova-Herero of German South-West Africa, whose purely pastoral habits are the natural outcome of the barren country they inhabit. But the wide open plains and slopes surrounding the forest area are eminently suited to cattle-breeding, and there are few tribes who do not take advantage of the fact. At the same time a natural check is imposed upon the desire for cattle, which is so characteristic of the Bantu peoples. This is constituted by the tsetse fly, which renders a pastoral life absolutely impossible throughout large tracts in central and southern Africa. In the northern zone this check is absent, and the number of more essentially pastoral peoples, such as the eastern Hamites, Masai, Dinka, Fula, &c., correspondingly greater. The desert regions yield support only to nomadic peoples, such as the Tuareg, Tibbu, Bedouins and Bushmen, though the presence of numerous oases in the north renders the condition of life easier for the inhabitants. Upon geographical conditions likewise depend to a large extent the political conditions prevailing among the various tribes. Thus among the wandering tribes of the desert and of the heart of the forests, where large communities are impossible, a patriarchal system prevails with the family as the unit. Where the forest is less dense and small agricultural communities begin to make their appearance, the unit expands to the village with its headman. Where the forest thins to the savanna and steppe, and communication is easier, are found the larger kingdoms and " empires " such as, in the north those established by the Songhai, Hausa, Fula, Bagirmi, Ba-Hima, &c., and in the south the states of Lunda, Kazembe, the Ba-Rotse, &c.

But if ease of communication is favourable to the rise of large 'states and the cultural progress that usually accompanies it, it is, nevertheless, often fatal to the very culture which, at first, it fostered, in so far as the absence of natural boundaries renders invasion easy. A good example of this is furnished by the history of the western Sudan and particularly of East and South-East Africa. From its geographical position Africa looks naturally to the east, and it is on this side that it has been most affected by external culture both by land (across the Sinaitic peninsula) and by sea. Though a certain amount of Indonesian and even aboriginal Indian influence has been traced in African ethnography, the people who have produced the most serious ethnic disturbances (apart from modern Europeans) are the Arabs. This is particularly the case in East Africa, where the systematic slave raids organized by them and carried out with the assistance of various warlike tribes reduced vast regions to a state of desolation. In the north and west of Africa, however, the Arab has had a less destructive but more extensive and permanent influence in spreading the Mahommedan religion throughout the whole of the Sudan.

The fact that the physical geography of Africa affords fewer natural obstacles to racial movements on the side most exposed to foreign influence, renders it obvious that the culture most characteristically African must be sought on the other side.

gi larly from the cultural standpoint. This is hardly possible without drawing attention to the main physical characters of the continent, as far as they affect the inhabitants. For ethnological purposes three principal zones may be distinguished; the first two are respectively a large region of steppes and desert in the north, and a smaller region of steppes and desert in the south. These two zones are It is therefore in the forests of the Congo, and among the lagoons and estuaries of the Guinea coast, that this earlier culture will The char- most probably be found. That there is a culture acteristic distinctive of this area, irrespective of the linguistic African line dividing the Bantu from the Negro proper, has culture. now been recognized. Its main features may be summed as follows: - a purely agricultural life, with the plantain, yam and manioc (the last two of American origin) as the staple food; cannibalism common; rectangular houses with ridged roofs; scar-tattooing; clothing of bark-cloth or palm-fibre; occasional chipping or extraction of upper incisors; bows with strings of cane, as the principal weapons, shields of wood or wickerwork; religion, a primitive form of fetishism with the belief that death is due to witchcraft; ordeals, secret societies, the use of masks and anthropomorphic figures, and wooden gongs. With this may be contrasted the culture of the Bantu peoples to the south and east, also agriculturists, but in addition, where possible, great cattle-breeders, whose staple food is millet and milk. These are distinguished by circular huts with domed or conical roofs; clothing of skin or leather; occasional chipping or extraction of lower incisors; spears as the principal weapons, bows, where found, with a sinew cord, shields of hide or leather; religion, ancestor-worship with belief in the power of the magicians as rain-makers. Though this difference in culture may well be explained on the supposition that the first is the older and more representative of Africa, this theory must not be pushed too far. Many of the distinguishing characteristics of the two regions are doubtless due simply to environment, even the difference in religion. Ancestor-worship occurs most naturally among a people where tribal organization has reached a fairly advanced stage, and is the natural outcome of patriotic reverence for a successful chief and his councillors. Rain-making, too, is of little importance in a well-watered region, but a matter of vital interest to an agricultural people where the rainfall is slight and irregular.

Within the eastern and southern Bantu area certain cultural variations occur; beehive huts are found among the ZuluXosa and Herero, giving place among the Bechuana to the cylindrical variety with conical roof, a type which, with few exceptions, extends north to Abyssinia. The tanged spearhead characteristic of the south is replaced by the socketed variety towards the north. Circumcision, characteristic of the Zulu-Xosa and Bechuana, is not practised by many tribes farther north; tooth-mutilation, on the contrary, is absent among the more southern tribes. The lip-plug is found in the eastern area, especially among the Nyasa tribes, but not in the south. The head-rest common in the south-east and the southern fringe of the forest area is not found far north of Tanganyika until the Horn of Africa is reached.

In the regions outside the western area occupied by the Negro proper, exclusive of the upper Nile, the similarities of culture outweigh the differences. Here the cylindrical type of hut prevails; clothing is of skin or leather but is very scanty; iron ornaments are worn in profusion; arrows are not feathered; shields of hide, spears with leather sheaths are found and also fighting bracelets. Certain small differences appear between the eastern and western portions, the dividing line being formed by the boundary between Bornu and Hausaland. Characteristic of the east are the harp and the throwing-club and throwingknife, the last of which has penetrated into the forest area. Typical of the west are the bow and the dagger with the ring hilt. The tribes of the upper Nile are somewhat specialized, though here, too, are found the cylindrical hut, iron ornaments, fighting bracelets, &c., characteristic of the Sudanese tribes. Here the removal of the lower incisors is common, and circumcision entirely absent.

Throughout the rest of the Sudan is found Semitic culture introduced by the Arabized Libyan. Circumcision, as is usual among Mahommedan tribes, is universal, and tooth-mutilation absent; of other characteristics, the use of the sword has penetrated to the northern portion of the forest area. The culture prevailing in the Horn of Africa is, naturally, mainly Hamito Semitic; here are found both cylindrical and bee-hive huts, the sword (which has been adopted by the Masai to the south), the lyre (which has found its way to some of the Nilotic tribes) and the head-rest. Circumcision is practically universal.

As has been said earlier, the history of Africa reaches back but a short distance, except, of course, as far as the lower Nile valley and Roman Africa is concerned; elsewhere no records exist, save tribal traditions, and these only relate to very recent events. Even archaeology, which can often sketch the main outlines of a people's history, is here practically powerless, owing to the insufficiency of data. It is true that stone implements of palaeolithic and neolithic types are found sporadically in the Nile valley, Somaliland, on the Zambezi, in Cape Colony and the northern portions of the Congo Free State, as well as in Algeria and Tunisia; but the localities are far too few and too widely separated to warrant the inference that they are to be in any way connected. Moreover, where stone implements are found they are, as a rule, very near, even actually on, the surface of the earth; nothing occurs resembling the regular stratification of Europe, and consequently no argument based on geological grounds is possible.

The lower Nile valley, however, forms an exception; flint implements of a palaeolithic type have been found near Thebes, not only on the surface of the ground, which for several thousand years has been desert owing to the contraction of the river-bed, but also in stratified gravel of an older date. References to a number of papers bearing on the discussion to which their discovery has given rise may be found in an article by Mr H. R. Hall in Man, 1905, No. 19. The Egyptian and also the Somaliland finds appear to be true palaeoliths in type and remarkably similar to those found in Europe. But evidence bearing on the Stone age in Africa, if the latter existed apart from the localities mentioned, is so slight that little can be said save that from the available evidence the palaeoliths of the Nile valley alone can with any degree of certainty be assigned to a remote period of antiquity, and that the chips scattered over Mashonaland and the regions occupied within historic times by Bushmen are the most recent; since it has been shown that the stone flakes were used by the medieval Makalanga to engrave their hard pottery and the Bushmen were still using stone implements in the 10th century. Other early remains, but of equally uncertain date, are the stone circles of Algeria, the Cross river and the Gambia. The large system of ruined forts and " cities " in Mashonaland, at Zimbabwe and elsewhere, concerning which so many ingenious theories have been woven, have been proved to date from medieval times.

Thus while in Europe there is a Stone age, divided into periods according to various types of implement disposed in geological strata, and followed in orderly succession by the ages Origin and of Bronze and Iron, in Africa can be found no true spread of Stone age and practically no Bronze at all. The reason the racial is not far to seek; Africa is a country of iron, which is stocks. found distributed widely throughout the continent in ores so rich that the metal can be extracted with very little trouble and by the simplest methods. Iron has been worked from time immemorial by the Negroid peoples, and whole tribes are found whose chief industry is the smelting and forging of the metal. Under such conditions, questions relating to the origin and spread of the racial stocks which form the population of Africa cannot be answered with any certainty; at best only a certain amount of probability can be attained.

Five of these racial stocks have been mentioned: Bushman, Negro, Hamite, Semite, Libyan, the last three probably related through some common ancestor. Of these the honour of being considered the most truly African belongs to the two first. It is true that people of Negroid type are found elsewhere, principally in Melanesia, but as yet their possible connexion with the African Negro is little more than theoretical, and for the present purposes it need not be considered.

The origin of the Bushman is lost in obscurity, but he may be conceived as the original inhabitant of the southern portion of the continent. The original home of the Negro, at first an agriculturist, is most probably to be found in the neighbourhood of the great lakes, whence he penetrated along the fringe of the Sahara to the west and across the eastern highlands southward. Northerly expansion was prevented by the early occupation of the Nile valley, the only easy route to the Mediterranean, but there seems no doubt that the population of ancient Egypt contained a distinct Negroid element. The question as to the ethnic affinities of the pre-dynastic Egyptians is still unsolved; but they may be regarded as, in the main, Hamitic, though it is a question how far it is just to apply a name which implies a definite specialization in what may be comparatively modern times to a people of such antiquity.

The Horn of Africa appears to have been the centre from which the Hamites spread, and the pressure they seem to have applied to the Negro tribes, themselves also in process of expansion, sent forth larger waves of emigrants from the latter. These emigrants, already affected by the Hamitic pastoral culture, and with a strain of Hamitic blood in their veins, passed rapidly down the open tract in the east, doubtless exterminating their predecessors, except such few as took refuge in the mountains and swamps. The advance-guard of this wave of pastoral Negroids, in fact primitive Bantu, mingled with the Bushmen and produced the Hottentots. The penetration of the forest area must certainly have taken longer and was probably accomplished as much from the south-east, up the Zambezi valley, as from any other quarter. It was a more peaceful process, since natural obstacles are unfavourable to rapid movements of large bodies of immigrants, though not so serious as to prevent the spread of language and culture. A modern parallel to the spread of Bantu speech is found in the rise of the Hausa language, which is gradually enlarging its sphere of influence in the western and central Sudan. Thus those qualities, physical and otherwise, in which the Bantu approach the Hamites gradually fade as we proceed westward through the Congo basin, while in the east, among the tribes to the west of Tanganyika and on the upper Zambezi, " transitional " forms of culture are found. In later times this gradual pressure from the south-east became greater, and resulted, at a comparatively recent date, in the irruption of the Fang into the Gabun.

The earlier stages of the southern movement must have been accompanied by a similar movement westward between the Sahara and the forest; and, probably, at the same time, or even earlier, the Libyans crossing the desert had begun to press upon the primitive Negroes from the north. In this way were produced the Fula, who mingled further with the Negro to give birth to the Mandingo, Wolof and Tukulor. It would appear that either Libyan (Fula) or, less probably, Hamitic, blood enters into the composition of the Zandeh peoples on the Nile-Congo watershed. These Libyans or Berbers, included by G. Sergi in his " Mediterranean Race," were active on the north coast of Africa in very early times, and had relations with the Egyptians from a prehistoric period. For long these movements continued, always in the same direction, from north to south and from east to west; though, of course, more rapid changes took place in the open country, especially in the great eastern highway from north to south, than in the forest area. Large states arose in the western Sudan; Ghana flourished in the 7th century A.D., Melle in the IIth, Songhai in the 14th, and Bornu in the 16th.

Meanwhile in the east began the southerly movement of the Bechuana, which was probably ,spread over a considerable period. Later than they, but proceeding faster, came the Zulu-Xosa (" Kaffir ") peoples, who followed a line nearer the coast and outflanked them, surrounding them on the south. Then followed a time of great ethnical confusion in South Africa, during which tribes flourished, split up and disappeared; but ere this the culture represented by the ruins in Rhodesia had waxed and waned. It is uncertain who were the builders of the forts and " cities," but it is not improbable that they may be found to have been early Bechuana. The Zulu-Xosa, Bechuana and Herero together form a group which may conveniently be termed " Southern Bantu." Finally began a movement hitherto unparalleled in the history of African migration; certain peoples of Zulu blood began to press north, spreading destruction in their wake. Of these the principal were the Matabele and Angoni. The movement continued as far as the Victoria Nyanza. Here, on the border-line of Negro, Bantu and Hamite, important changes had taken place. Certain of the Negro tribes had retired to the swamps of the Nile, and had become somewhat specialized, both physically and culturally (Shilluk, Dinka, Alur, Acholi, &c.)., These had blended with the Hamites to produce such races as the Masai and kindred tribes. The old Kitwara empire, which comprised the plateau land between the Ruwenzori range and Kavirondo, had broken up into small states, usually governed by a Hamitic (Ba-Hima) aristocracy. The more extensive Zang (Zenj) empire, of which the name Zanzibar (Zanguebar) is a lasting memorial, extending along the sea-board from Somaliland to the Zambezi, was also extinct. The Arabs had established themselves firmly on the coast, and thence made continual slave-raids into the interior, penetrating later to the Congo. The Swahili, inhabiting the coast-line from the equator to about r6° S., are a somewhat heterogeneous mixture of Bantu with a tinge of Arab blood.

In the neighbourhood of Victoria Nyanza, where Hamite, Bantu, Nilotic Negro and Pygmy are found in close contact, the ethnic relations of tribes are often puzzling, but the Bantu not under a Hamitic domination have been divided by F. Stuhlmann into the Older Bantu (Wanyamwezi, Wasukuma, Wasambara, Waseguha, Wasagara, Wasaramo, &c.) and the Bantu of Later Immigration (Wakikuyu, Wakamba, Wapokomo, Wataita, Wachaga, &c.), who are more strongly Hamitized and in many cases have adopted Masai customs. These peoples, from the Victoria Nyanza to the Zambezi, may conveniently be termed the " Eastern Bantu." Turning to the Congo basin in the south, the great Luba and Lunda peoples are found stretching nearly across the continent, the latter, from at any rate the end of the 16th century until the close of the 19th century, more or less united under a single ruler, styled Muata Yanvo. These seem to have been the most recent immigrants from the south-east, and to exhibit certain affinities with the Barotse on the upper Zambezi. Among the western Baluba, or Bashilange, a remarkable politico-religious revolution took place at a comparatively recent date, initiated by a secret society termed Bena Riamba or " Sons of Hemp," and resulted in the subordination of the old fetishism to a cult of hemp, in accordance with which all hemp-smokers consider themselves brothers, and the duty of mutual hospitality, &c., is acknowledged. North of these, in the great bend of the Congo, are the Balolo, &c., the Balolo a nation of iron-workers; and westward, on the Kasai, the Bakuba, and a large number of tribes as yet imperfectly known. Farther west are the tribes of Angola, many of whom were included within the old " Congo empire," of which the kingdom of Loango was an offshoot. North of the latter lies the Gabun, with a large number of small tribes dominated by the Fang who are recent arrivals from the Congo. Farther to the north are the Bali and other tribes of the Cameroon, among whom many primitive Negroid elements begin to appear. Eastward are the Zandeh peoples of the Welle district (primitive Negroids with a Hamitic or, more probably, Libyan strain), with whom the Dor tribe of Nilotes on their eastern border show certain affinities; while to the west along the coast are the Guinea Negroes of primitive type. Here, amidst great linguistic confusion, may be distinguished the tribes of Yoruba speech in the Niger delta and the east portion of the Slave Coast; those of Ewe speech, in the western portion of the latter; and those of Ga and Tshi speech, on the Gold Coast. Among the last two groups respectively may be mentioned the Dahomi and Ashanti. Similar tribes are found along the coast to the Bissagos Islands, though the introduction in Sierra Leone and Liberia of settlements of repatriated slaves from the American plantations has in those places modified the original ethnic distribution. Leaving the forest zone and entering the more open country there are, on the north from the Niger to the Nile, a number of Negroids strongly tinged with Libyan blood and professing the Mahommedan religion. Such are the Mandingo, the Songhai, the Fula, Hausa, Kanuri, Bagirmi, Kanembu, and the peoples of Wadai and Darfur; the few aborigines who persist, on the southern fringe of the Chad basin, are imperfectly known.

The island of Madagascar, belonging to the African continent, still remains for discussion. Here the ethnological conditions are peculiar. Before the French occupation the dominant people were the Hova, a Malayo-Indonesian people who must have come from the Malay Peninsula or the adjacent islands. The date of their immigration has been the subject of a good deal of dispute, but it may be argued that their arrival must have taken place in early times, since Malagasy speech, which is the language of the island, is principally MalayoPolynesian in origin, and contains no traces of Sanskrit. Such traces, introduced with Hinduism, are present in all the cultivated languages of Malaysia at the present day. The Hova occupy the table-land of Imerina and form the first of the three main groups into which the population of Madagascar may be divided. They are short, of an olive-yellow complexion and have straight or faintly wavy hair. On the east coast are the Malagasy, who in physical characteristics stand halfway between the Hova and the Sakalava, the last occupying the remaining portion of the island and displaying almost pure Negroid characteristics.

Though the Hova belong to a race naturally addicted to seafaring, the contrary is the case respecting the Negroid population, and the presence of the latter in the island has been explained by the supposition that they were imported by the Hova. Other authorities assign less antiquity to the Hova immigration and believe that they found the Negroid tribes already in occupation of the island.

As might be expected, the culture found in Madagascar contains two elements, Negroid and Malayo-Indonesian. The first of these two shows certain affinities with the culture characteristic of the western area of Africa, such as rectangular huts, clothing of bark and palm-fibre, fetishism, &c., but cattle-breeding is found as well as agriculture. However, the Negroid tribes are more and more adopting the customs and mode of life of the Hova, among whom are found pile-houses, the sarong, f adi or tabu applied to food, a non-African form of bellows, &c., all characteristic of their original home. The Hova, during the 19th century, embraced Christianity, but retain, nevertheless, many of their old animistic beliefs; their original social organization in three classes, andriana or nobles, Nova or freemen, and andevo or slaves, has been modified by the French, who have abolished kingship and slavery. An Arab infusion is also to be noticed, especially on the north-east and south-east coasts.

It is impossible to give a complete list of the tribes inhabiting Africa, owing to the fact that the country is not fully explored. Even where the names of the tribes are known their ethnic relations are still a matter of uncertainty in many localities.

The following list, therefore, must be regarded as purely tentative, and liable to correction in the light of fuller information: -

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Categories: ADY-AGN | Africa

Wiktionary

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Wikipedia has an article on:

Africa

Wikipedia

See also África, Àfrica, and africa

English

Etymology

From Latin Africa, from Afri, the ancient Carthaginian tribe of Northern Africa named after Άφρος (Afros), a character in Greek mythology, king of Λιβύη (Libya) and son of Κρόνος (Kronos) and Φιλύρα (Filyra). Adjective form with suffix -ic, -icus, -ikos, related to Afars.

Pronunciation

(RP) IPA: /ˈæfɹɪkə/

Proper noun

Singular
Africa

Plural
-

Africa

The continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica. It holds the following countries:

Countries of Africa

Derived terms

Translations

continent south of Europe

Afrikaans: Afrika af(af)
Arabic: أفريقيا ar(ar)
Armenian: Աֆրիկա hy(hy) (Afrika)
Asturian: África ast(ast)
Bosnian: Afrika bs(bs) f.
Catalan: Àfrica f.
Chinese:

Cantonese: 非洲 (fei1 zau1)

Mandarine: 非洲 (fēi zhōu)
Croatian: Afrika hr(hr) f.
Czech: Afrika cs(cs) f.
Danish: Afrika da(da)
Dutch: Afrika nl(nl)
Esperanto: Afriko eo(eo)
Estonian: Aafrika et(et)
Finnish: Afrikka fi(fi)
French: l’Afrique f.
Galician: África gl(gl) f.
Georgian: აფრიკა ka(ka) (ap'rika)
German: Afrika de(de) n.
Greek: Αφρική el(el) (Afrikí) f.
Hebrew: אפריקה (afriqa) n.
Hungarian: Afrika hu(hu)
Icelandic: Afríka is(is) f.
Ido: Afrika io(io)
Italian: l’Africa it(it) f.
Japanese: アフリカ ja(ja) (Afurika)
Javanese: Afrika jv(jv)
Kannada: ಆಫ್ರಿಕಾ kn(kn)

Kashubian: Afrika f.
Korean: 아프리카 (ah-peu-li-ka)
Latin: Africa la(la) f.
Latvian: Āfrika lv(lv) f.
Lingua Franca Nova: Africa
Lower Sorbian: Afrika f.
Macedonian: Африка mk(mk) (Áfrika) f.
Navajo: Łizhiní bikéyah
Novial: Afrika
Persian: افریقا fa(fa) (Afriqâ)
Polish: Afryka pl(pl) f.
Portuguese: África pt(pt) f.
Romanian: Africa ro(ro) f.
Russian: Африка ru(ru) f. (Afrika)
Scottish Gaelic: Afraga m.
Serbian:
- Cyrillic: Африка sr(sr) f.
- Latin: Afrika sr(sr) f.
Slovak: Afrika f.
Slovene: Afrika sl(sl) f.
Sotho: Afrika st(st)
Spanish: África es(es) f.
Swahili: afrika sw(sw)
Swedish: Afrika
Turkish: Afrika tr(tr)
Upper Sorbian: Afrika f.
Volapük: Frikop vo(vo)
Yiddish: אַפֿריקע yi(yi)

External links

Africa Time Zones with current time

Anagrams

Anagrams of aacfir
AFAICR

Italian

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈafrika/, SAMPA: /"afrika/

Proper noun

Africa f.

Africa.

Related terms

Latin

Proper noun

Āfrica (genitive Āfricae); f, first declension

Africa

Si probare possemus Ligarium in Āfricā omnino non fuisse.

If we could prove that Ligarius was not at all in Africa.

Inflection

nominative	Āfrica
genitive	Āfricae
dative	Āfricae
accusative	Āfricam
ablative	Āfricā
vocative	Āfrica
locative	Āfricae

Related terms

Āfricānus
Āfricus

Romanian

Romanian Wikipedia has an article on:

Africa

Wikipedia ^ro

Etymology

Latin Africa

Pronunciation

IPA: [ˈa.fri.ka]

Proper noun

Africa f.

Africa

Declension

gender f.	uncountable
Nom/Acc	Africa
Gen/Dat	Africii

Bible wiki

Up to date as of January 23, 2010

Biblical Age.

.The Bible has no general name for Africa, any more than it has for Europe or Asia.^ AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES FIELD STAFF. A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY: Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America.

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

The word "Ham," from the Hebrew root (missing hebrew text) (to be hot), which is applied in the later Psalms (lxxviii. 51; cv. 23, 27; cvi. 22) to Egypt, is the nearest approach to a general name, inasmuch as it applies directly to the hot southern countries (Book of Jubilees, viii.). Next in importance is the term "Cush," corresponding to the Greek ἔθνος Κουσσαῖον, the Cushite tribe, in Plutarch's "Lives" ("Alexander," lxxii.), and also occurring frequently in the works of other Greek writers in the form Κοσσαῖοτ (Knobel, "Völkertafel der Genesis," p. 250, Giessen, 1850). The "Kossaioi" or the "Kissia Chora" of the ancients, it is true, are to be sought in Asia, but it is supposed that a migration of these peoples took place, and there are many philological, historical, and ethnological proofs of such an occurrence. .Since two of the peoples mentioned as belonging to the sons of Ham (Gen 10:6), Mizraim and Canaan, are perfectly well known, it is evident that the enumeration proceeds from south to north; and on this basis Cush must be the southernmost of the Hamitic peoples.^ Last year was a momentous year in Sudan, with the world's attention focused on the crisis in Darfur as well as the peace negotiations between the Government in the North and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the South.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The ancient Greeks and Romans regarded these peoples collectively as Ethiopians (Knobel, "Völkertafel der Genesis"), which goes far to prove that the terms "Cush" and "Ethiopia" are nearly equivalent. .Both terms were used originally to designate various nations in Asia and Africa, but their use was afterward limited to the countries south of Egypt.^ The United States seeks to promote long-term stability, both in the country and in the region, through the promotion of reconciliation and judicial transparency.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ THE AFRICAN PATRIOTS: The Story of the African National Congress of South Africa.

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Even in its closer application, the Hebrew term "Cush," as used in Gen. x., includes peoples outside of Africa. One, at least, of the descendants of Ham, Sheba (Gen 10:7), must be identified with a nation in southwest Arabia (Dillmann, "Die Genesis," 5th ed., p. 181, Leipsic, 1886). A definitely bounded African continent, as known to-day, was not thought of by the Biblical writers. On the contrary, the territory on both sides of the Red Sea formed for them an ethnic unit, which was sharply distinguished from the rest of Africa.

Extent of Africa.

After Ethiopia, Egypt and Libya are the two most important lands of Africa. The Hebrew name for Egypt is (missing hebrew text) (compare the Phenician Muẓra, for which read Musra in Stephanus Byzantinus under the word Αίγυπτος; Babylonian, Muẓri, Miẓir—(Schrader, "K. A. T.," 2d ed., p. 89; ancient Persian, Mudraja; Septuaginta, Mestrem; South Arabian, Miẓr; Arabic Maẓr). The Hebrew term has not been sufficiently explained, but it certainly shows a dual form which can best be interpreted as referring to the upper and lower districts. From a philological standpoint, however, the form may be differently explained, and the seeming sign of the dual may be regarded as a locative ending (Barth, "Nominalbildung in den Semitischen Sprachen," p. 319). The two names Cush and Mizraim, therefore, designate the entire eastern portion of the African continent known to antiquity. Several of the countries adjacent to Egypt are also found in the table of peoples as given in Genesis. "Phut" is mentioned as of equal rank with Egypt (Gen 10:6; compare also Nah 3:9; Jer 46:9; Ezek 27:10, xxx. 5, xxxviii. 5). The Septuagint, a recognized authority in Egyptianmatters, Josephus, and Jerome, all interpret Phut as referring to Libya (Dillmann, "Die Genesis," p. 178), from which it may be assumed that the Biblical writers included in their perspective also that great expanse of territory west of Egypt called Libya, by which name ancient writers often designate the whole of Africa. Authors like Herodotus were unacquainted with any African countries to the west of Libya. Some, indeed, have endeavored to explain the Biblical Havilah as an African region; and Josephus ("Ant." i. 6, § 1) even identifies it with the land of the Gætuli, which view is also held by the medieval chronicler Jerahmeel ("Jew. Quart. Rev." xi. 675; Gaster, "Chronicles of Jerahmeel," 1899, p. 68). The land of the Gætuli is placed by the ancients on the borders of the Sahara (Sallust, "Bellum Jugurthinum," xix. .11); though it is hardly probable that writers who do not appear to have known even the western coast of North Africa should have been acquainted with an interior country south of ancient Numidia, now Algeria.^ Rebels and mercenaries committed particularly grave abuses in the western region of the country and in the north.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The Old Testament takes no cognizance of the negro race, though Jer 13:23 may be considered a passing reference to a dark-skinned people. Cush refers only to Ethiopia, and there exists no ground for assuming that the Biblical writers had a more extended knowledge of the African continent.

All other Biblical names that have been supposed to apply to individual parts of Africa belong to the realm of myth.

Other Biblical Identifications.

The term "Sofala" for the east coast of Africa is of the same origin as the Hebrew (missing hebrew text) (shefelah), or coastland (Winer, "B. R." 3d ed., s.v. "Ophir"), but the assertion that the Biblical gold-producing Ophir is to be located in that region is utterly without foundation. This semifabulous land has been located with more justification in Mozambique and Zambesia. The statement that Tunis is the Biblical Tarshish is erroneous, and was long ago refuted by Abraham Zacuto ("Yuḥasin," p. 231b, London, 1857). Nevertheless, it is the serious opinion of Zacuto that Epher (Gen 25:4) gave his name to the continent when, as Zacuto thinks, the children of Keturah migrated thither ("Yuḥasin," p. 233b). This is also the opinion of the Arabian Ibn Idris (Rapoport, "'Erek Millin," p. 184). Benjamin of Tudela, a noted traveler of the twelfth century, considered Tunis the same as Hanes (Isa 30:4), and also identified the modern Damietta with the Biblical Caphtor. According to legend, the city Sabta ( (missing hebrew text) ) was built by Shem, the son of Noah, and it is even related that Joab, the general of David, reached it ("Yuḥasin," p. 226a). Israel ben Joseph Benjamin, a traveler of more recent times, whose descriptions of various countries were written in French, German, and English, and translated into Hebrew by David Gordon ("Mas'e Yisrael" [Israel's Travels], p. 109, Lyck, 1859), relates the same legend, but does not mention the "Yuḥasin." In a geographical work by Abraham Farissol, "Iggeret Orḥot 'Olam" (Letter on the Ways of the World), fols. 18 and 30, even paradise is said to have been situated in the Mountains of the Moon, in Nubia (Zunz, "Geographische Literatur der Juden," in "Gesammelte Schriften," i. 179, Berlin, 1875).

Egypt.

Without doubt Egypt is, historically, the most important of the countries of Africa. Indeed, it was considered by the ancients as belonging rather to Asia than to Africa, and was, with Palestine, the classic land of Jewish history. .For centuries an important historic connection existed between the land of the Israelites and the kingdom of the Pharaohs, a connection which the tablets discovered in 1887 at Tell el-Amarna have established beyond the possibility of doubt.^ The focus on human rights throughout 2004 underscored the important connection between the protection of human rights and a strong relationship with the United States.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

When the national life of Israel in Palestine ceased, an important section of the people, carrying with them the prophet Jeremiah, wandered back to Egypt. Thus, for the second time, Egypt became the home of the Jewish race, and much of later Jewish history was made upon its soil. To what importance the Jews attained here can best be inferred from legends concerning them, originating in other countries. An Ethiopic apocryphal book contains a legend respecting Jeremiah which narrates that, in answer to a prayer of the prophet, the reptiles of the dry land and the crocodiles of the rivers were exterminated (R. Basset, "Les Apocryphes Éthiopiens," i. 25, Paris, 1893; and also "Chron. Paschale," ed. Dindorf, i. 293; Suidas, under the word 'Αργολαι). According to Jewish legend similar blessings descended upon Egypt at the advent in the land of the patriarch Jacob (Midrash Tanḥuma on Gen 67:10, quoted by Rashi). A native legend declares also that, previous to the arrival of Joseph, the son of Jacob, the present province of Fayum was covered by a great lake, which received its water from the Nile, but that Joseph drained it and turned it into a dry plain (Baḥr Yusufs; Ritter, "Erdkunde," part i., "Afrika," p. 804, Berlin, 1822).

Jewish Soldiers in Egypt.

In ancient times the Jews performed military service for the Egyptians; for, according to the letter of Aristeas, King Psammetichus, probably the second of the name, employed Jewish mercenaries in a war against the Ethiopians, and it is reported that these Hebrew soldiers distinguished themselves by their courage. Even more remarkable is the legend recounted by Josephus ("Ant." ii. 10, § 2), according to which Moses himself was an Egyptian general, and conducted a successful invasion of Ethiopia (Meroe?). The Hebrew Josephus (Josippon, i. chap. ii.), indeed, reports that Zepho, son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, who was brought to Egypt as a captive by the viceroy Joseph, escaped thence to Carthage, where he was appointed general by King Angias. The source of this legend is not known, but it recalls the Talmudic legend (Yer. Shab. vi. 36c), that the Girgashites went to Africa, a statemenṭ based upon the fact that Carthage was colonized by Phenicians; hence from Canaan. Again Jerome, in "Onomastica Sacra," ed. Lagarde, Göttingen, 1887, represents Gergesæus as establishing colonies (colonum eiciens), which story is undoubtedly based on the Talmudic legend. This recalls the inscription said by Procopius to have been found in Africa, which describes Joshua as a robber, because he conquered Canaan (see "Jew. Quart. Rev." iii. 354; Barker, "Supposed Inscription upon 'Joshua the Robber,'" illustrated from Jewish sources). These wide-spread legends are ample proof that the continent of Africa occupied an important place in the thoughts of Jews.

Ethiopia.

The next most important land of Africa, from the point of view of Jewish history, is Cush (Ethiopia), the influence of whose king, Tirhakah, upon the history of Israel in the days of King Hezekiah is plainly discernible. According to 2Chr 14:8 et seq., the Ethiopian king Zerah invaded Judah and advanced as far as Mareshah; but the passage offers many historical difficulties. A war of the Ethiopian king Kyknos with the Syrians and the Children of the East is described in Yalḳuṭ. (Ex. § 168, 52d) and in the Sefer ha-Yashar (on Ex. ii.), but the source of the legend is unknown. Ezekiel indicates Ethiopia as the border-land of Egypt, and designates(xxix. 10, xxx. 6) Syene, the present Assouan, as the most southern city. This probably exhausts what the Biblical sources and the legends connected with the Bible contain on Africa.

Greek and Roman Age.

About the time that Greek and Roman culture began to influence the northern portion of Africa the Jews began to spread into these regions; indeed, they went even beyond the confines of the Roman empire. Egypt, according to the testimony of Philo, was inhabited, as far as the borders of Libya and Ethiopia, by Jews whose numbers were estimated at a million. The great mercantile city of nullAlexandria was the intellectual and commercial center of African Jewish life. Alexander the Great had conferred upon the Jews full rights of citizenship, and they guarded these rights jealously. In Cyrene also they were of importance; and their progress may be traced by the aid of inscriptions as far as Volubilis, in the extreme west of Mauretania (Schürer, "Gesch." 3d ed., iii. 19-26). .Throughout the Grecian countries they formed themselves into separate political communities (πολίτευμα; see P. Prerdrizet, in "Revue Archéologique," 1899, xxxv.^ The Embassy maintains regular contact with a diverse groups of religious communities and utilizes these contacts to promote dialogue on religious freedom throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Several of the Embassy's regular interlocutors have noted that they see the American Embassy as the best and strongest advocate in the country for human rights and democracy.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ With the assistance of the international community, the former government, rebel groups, civil society, and the political opposition formed a transitional government in 2003.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

45), while in the Latin districts they not only founded communities, but built synagogues, some of which were very beautiful. According to Jerome, the Jews dwelt in a continuous chain of settlements, from Mauretania eastward, throughout the province of Africa, and in Palestine, reaching as far as India ("Ep. 129 ad Dardanum," ed. Vallarsi, i. 966). If they were interrogated on Biblical matters they gave no answer ("Ep. 112 ad Augustinum," i. 744), probably in order to avoid being drawn into disputes with Christians. Jerome, it is true, claims they did not know any Hebrew. When Jerome's Bible translation, the Vulgate, was to be introduced among the African Christians, the Jews spread the report that the translation was false and thereby aroused strife among the Christian congregations (Jerome, ibid., and S. Krauss in the "Magyar Zsidó Szemle," vii. 530, Budapest, 1890). But Judaism in these regions did not dissolve or merge into Christianity; on the contrary, it continued to maintain its independent existence. Only in Egypt, particularly in Alexandria, where the path to Christianity had been smoothed by Jewish Hellenism, undoubtedly great masses of Jews went over to Christianity; but even there they continued to exist until the beginning of the fifth century, when Bishop Cyril expelled them from that city, which had been their home for many centuries. They must have returned at the first favorable opportunity, for in 640 the calif Omar, the conqueror of Egypt, found 40,000 Jews in Alexandria.

Rabbinic Accounts.

Rabbinical sources show much familiarity with, and great interest in, this part of the world. The Biblical names of Hamitic peoples are explained in the Talmud and Midrash from the standpoint of Greco-Roman geography. According to the researches of Epstein ("Les Chamites de la Table Ethnographique," in "Rev. Ét. Juives," xxiv. 8; S. Krauss, "Die Biblische Völkertafel im Talmud, Midrasch, und Targum," in "Monatsschrift," xxxix. 56) the following African peoples are mentioned: Syenians, Indians (that is, African Indians), Sembritæ (south of Meroe), Libyans, Zingians (on the east coast of Africa), Mazakians (in Mauretania, mentioned in Sifre, Deut. 320 and in Yeb. 63b; in Ex. R. iii. 4 reference is made to a Mauretanian girl). A collective term for the dark-skinned Africans is Cushites, which often occurs in this literature. The terms "Barbar" and "Barbaria," which very frequently occur in connection with the term Cushites, do not indicate the Berbers or Barbary country of Africa, but the Scythian peoples of the north of Europe. The word "Barbaria," which occurs in Ptolemy and in Cosmas Indicopleustes in about the same sense as the modern Barbary, and which has come to the Arabs in the form "Barbara" (Yakut, i. 543), only appears in later Jewish literature in this sense, and is applied to the coast of Somaliland (see Tomaschek, under the word "Barbaria," in the "Realencyklopädie für Classische Alterthumswissenschaft").

Meaning of "Africa."

On the other hand, the rabbinical term (missing hebrew text) , which has been wrongly explained as Phrygia, or Iberia in the Caucasus, means nothing else than the present Africa ("Monatsschrift," ibid.), and is intended to denote either the entire continent or the Roman province Africa. Thus, when the "sons of Africa" appear before Alexander the Great to accuse the Jews of the reconquest of Palestine (Sanh. 91a), and the Egyptians almost immediately present another charge against them, the reference can only be to the province of Africa, since the "sons of Africa" who demand the restoration of Canaan are, without doubt, the Girgashites, who had been compelled to emigrate to Africa (Yer. Sheb. vi, 36c.). Since the legend of this Girgashite emigration is intimately connected with the founding of Carthage, Africa is thus identified with it even more closely (Tamid, 32b, and the parallel passage, where (missing hebrew text) , "African land," is evidently the same as Carthage). The Septuagint (Isa 23:1), and Jerome (on Ezek. xxvii.), who, though a Christian, was taught by Jews, and very often the Aramaic Targum on the Prophets, identify the Biblical Tarshish with Carthage, which was the birthplace of a number of rabbis mentioned in the Talmud (compare above the identification with Tunis). Africa, in the broader sense, is clearly indicated where mention is made of the Ten Tribes having been driven into exile by the Assyrians and having journeyed into Africa (Mek., Bo, 17; Tosef., Shab. vii. 25; Deut. R. v. 14; and especially Sanh. 94a). Connected with this is the idea that the river Sambation is in Africa. The Arabs, who also know the legend of the Beni Musa ("Sons of Moses"), agree with the Jews in placing their land in Africa (compare Bacher, "Ag. Tan." i. 298; Epstein, "Eldad ha-Dani," p. 15). The probable basis of this legend must be sought in the actual existence of the Falashas in Africa. Rabbi Akiba, who traveled in Africa, on one occasion made use of an African word (Rapoport, in "Bikkure ha-'Ittim," iv. 70, 1823).

.Besides the north of Africa, the great region to the west of the Red Sea—the land of Ethiopia or Abyssinia (Habesh), together with its adjacent countries, inhabited from time immemorial by the tribe of the Falashas, who profess the Jewish faith—possesses a special interest for Judaism.^ Rebels and mercenaries committed particularly grave abuses in the western region of the country and in the north.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ In 2004, Madagascar was selected as a focus country for the Women's Legal Rights Initiative in the Africa region.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The native legend narrates that the queen of Sheba (I Kings, x.) bore a son called .Menelek to Solomon, and that Menelek was educated in Jerusalem and afterward introduced the Mosaic law into his own country.^ Zanzibar, although integrated into the country's governmental and party structure, has its own president and legislature and exercises considerable autonomy.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

This, however, only makes intelligible the rapid dissemination of Christianity in Ethiopia. With this may be compared the conversion of the eunuch of the queen Candace in Acts 8:27. According to the royal annals of Abyssinia, a large part of the land was inhabited by Jews, even before the common era. This refers, in all probability, to the Falashas (Ritter, "Erdkunde," part i., "Afrika," p. 218, Berlin, 1822). The undeniable relationship of the Ethiopian language (Geez) to other Semitic dialects stamps the Ethiopiansas a Semitic tribe, an assumption that is confirmed by their physical appearance. The nomadic Zalans, who live apart from the state church, also consider themselves Israelites (Flad, "Die Abyssinischen Juden," Basel, 1869; also the monograph of Metz in "Monatsschrift," 1879, xxviii.; and Epstein, "Eldad ha-Dani," Presburg, 1891).

This entry includes text from the Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906.

Categories: Articles missing Hebrew text | Jewish Encyclopedia 1906

Genealogy

Up to date as of February 01, 2010

From Familypedia

For other uses, see Africa (disambiguation).

A world map showing the continent of Africa.^ MAPS 4 AFRICA - the world at your fingertips...

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^ Africa is the second largest continent in the world .

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa is the world's second largest continent.

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Mr. Dowling's Africa Today Page 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.mrdowling.com [Source type: News]

.(See Politics section for a clickable map of individual countries.^ Clickable map to locate writers by country .

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ This section includes a map overview, a description of the different migration seasons, as well as recommended Africa safari tours to see the migration.

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^ The Ants of Africa Linked "clickable" map for ant distribution lists for all sub-Saharan countries with lists and linked spreadsheets for each country.

The Ants of Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC antbase.org [Source type: General]

)

.Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia.^ Africa Africa is the world's second-largest continent .

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ It is also the second largest freshwater lake in the world.

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^ It is also the continent's most populous and one of its most diverse.

African Recipes and the Cooking of Sub-Saharan Africa | Whats4Eats 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.whats4eats.com [Source type: General]

.At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.^ It covers 20.3 % of total land area on earth.

Africa Holiday Tours,Africa Holiday Tour to Africa,Holiday Tour to Africa,Holiday Package for Africa 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.tsitours.com [Source type: News]

^ Area : about 30 244 000 km 2 (11 700 000 mi 2 ) including its adjacent islands it covers about 20 percent of Earth's total land area.

Countries by Continent :: Destination Africa - African Countries 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nationsonline.org [Source type: News]

^ At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the ...

Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC ca.encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^[1] .With more than 900,000,000 people (as of 2005)^[2] in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world's human population.^ With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.72% of the World's human population.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nydailynews.com [Source type: General]

^ A BBC investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda has heard first-hand accounts which suggest ritual killings of children may be more common than ...

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nydailynews.com [Source type: General]

^ The Great Africa Rift Valley The Rift Valley extends more than 4,830 km (3,000 mi) from Syria in south-western Asia to Mozambique in south-eastern Africa.

African facts and figures 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.africaguide.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.^ The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nydailynews.com [Source type: General]

^ Africa is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north, and the Red Sea on the northeast.

Africa Map - ZoomSchool.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.enchantedlearning.com [Source type: Academic]

^ It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean and is divided almost equally by the Equator.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.There are 46 countries including Madagascar, and 53 including all the island groups.^ Not counting the disputed territory of Western Sahara, there are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nydailynews.com [Source type: General]

^ There are 53 countries in Africa, and each has its own unique history and identity.

Countries Facts - Africa Facts: It’s Not a Country 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC countries-facts.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ It consists of 54 countries, including its adjacent islands, 53 if you consider Western Sahara part of Morocco .

africa Articles, Posts, Blogs, Videos - Technorati 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC technorati.com [Source type: General]

.Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae tree, as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids, as well as later ones that have been dated to around 7 million years ago – including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus and Homo erectus – with the earliest humans being dated to ca.^ Eastern Africa - - Central and southern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ West-central Africa - - Eastern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Kenya and East Africa as a region are also internationally credited to hold the original hominid excavations of prehistoric humans underscoring the theory of our existence to have originated from the area.

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.200,000 years ago, according to this view.^ Modern human beings evolved between 130,000 and 90,000 years ago, and subsequently spread out of Africa.

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Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC ca.encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In 1988 scientific Mitochondria-research proved that every living human being origins from the same woman in Africa about 200.000 years ago!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

^ Ancient Egypt, one of the world’s first great civilizations, arose in northeastern Africa more than 5,000 years ago.

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Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC ca.encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.^ Africa straddles the equator and most of its area lies within the tropics.

Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC ca.encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ With a land area of 30,244,050 km square, Africa is the second-largest continent of the world.

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^ Temperature/Weather Situated halfway between the Equator and the Antarctic, South Africa enjoys a temperate climate.

Global Adrenaline :: Africa :: South Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globaladrenaline.com [Source type: News]

.Because of the lack of natural regular precipitation and irrigation as well as glaciers or mountain aquifer systems, there is no natural moderating effect on the climate except near the coasts.^ An elephant can weigh up to 6-7 tons and has no natural enemies for he is not a predator and there is none large enough to challenge him.

African facts and figures 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.africaguide.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Theres no lack of candidates to replace the director of the , , who is expected to step down by the end of March.

Africa Intelligence: Maghreb Confidential, Africa Energy & Mining Intelligence, The Indian Ocean Newsletter 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.africaintelligence.com [Source type: News]

^ Wine - Grape vines are characteristic of Mediterranean climates, including portions of the South African coast, as well as Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Etymology

.Afri was the name of several peoples who dwelt in North Africa near the provincial capital, Carthage.^ Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book.

Page 1 | How to Write about Africa | Granta 92: The View from Africa | Magazine | Granta Magazine 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.granta.com [Source type: General]

^ The origin of Afer may be the Arabic afer , dust; the Afridi tribe, who dwelt in Northern Africa around the area of Carthage ; Greek aphrike , without cold; or Latin aprica , sunny.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The ancient Romans used the name Africa terra — "land of the Afri" (plural, or "Afer" singular) — for the northern part of the continent, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia .

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The continent inherited its name from Ifriqiya, modern-day Tunisia.^ The former name Dahomey, pronounced Dan Ho Me ("on the belly of Dan") was an ancient Kingdom located in the south of what is modern-day Benin Republic.

AfricaSpeaks.com - Map of Africa and Resource Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.africaspeaks.com [Source type: News]

The Roman suffix "-ca" denotes "country or land".^[3]

Other etymologies that have been postulated for the ancient name 'Africa':

the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Ant. .1.15) asserted that it was named for Epher, grandson of Abraham according to Gen.
^ According to Scripture, as Isidore of Seville explained, Africa was named for Afer, a descendant of Abraham (or Ham , a son of Noah from the Bible ).
Africa@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]
25:4.
the Latin word aprica, meaning "sunny";
the Greek word aphrike, meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian Leo Africanus (1488–1554), who suggested the Greek word phrike (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the privative prefix "a-", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Africa

A composite satellite image of Africa

.Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth's exposed surface.^ Tag details Africa is the second largest of the earth's seven continents, covering about 30,330,000 sq km.

africa Articles, Posts, Blogs, Videos - Technorati 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC technorati.com [Source type: General]

^ With an area of 30,310,000 square km, Africa is the third largest continent on Earth, after Asia and America.

Missionaries of Africa - A Few Facts About Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC missionariesofafrica.org [Source type: News]

^ A project committed to ending mass atrocities and genocide in Africa by combining analysis, advocacy, and activism.

allAfrica.com: Other Sources 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC allafrica.com [Source type: News]

.Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez (transected by the Suez Canal), 163 km (101 miles) wide.^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Beyond the Suez Canal in the east, the Sinai Peninsula overlaps into Asia; the Sinai was occupied by Israeli forces from 1967 to 1982.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nationsencyclopedia.com [Source type: General]

^ Africa is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north, and the Red Sea on the northeast.

Africa Map - ZoomSchool.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.enchantedlearning.com [Source type: Academic]

^[4] .(Geopolitically, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa, as well.^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Beyond the Suez Canal in the east, the Sinai Peninsula overlaps into Asia; the Sinai was occupied by Israeli forces from 1967 to 1982.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nationsencyclopedia.com [Source type: General]

^ Sorghum and Millet - Grown in dry savanna lands, these grains are often the main food crops in many parts of Africa.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

[2][3]) .From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles);^[5] from Cape Verde, 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles).^ It stretches 8,000 km (5,000 mi) from its northernmost point, Ra’s al Abyaḑ in Tunisia, to its southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas in South Africa.

Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ South Africa, Western Cape Tour - Part1 [08:37] .

South Africa Hotel, Travel and Tourism Guide | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ THE DARK SIDE Africa is 8'000 km long and 7'600 km wide.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^[6] .The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only 10,400,000 km² (4,010,000 square miles) – about a third of the surface of Africa – has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).^ THE DARK SIDE Africa is 8'000 km long and 7'600 km wide.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Total area of Africa = 11,700,000 square miles .

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa covers 11,700,000 square miles (30,300,000 square kilometers).

Africa Map - ZoomSchool.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.enchantedlearning.com [Source type: Academic]

^[6]

.Africa's largest country is Sudan, and its smallest country is the Seychelles, an archipelago off the east coast.^ Off the east coast of Africa lies the island of Madagascar .

Africa - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Sudan , the biggest country in Africa.

Africa - Wikiality, the Truthiness Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC wikiality.wikia.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^[7] The smallest nation on the continental mainland is The Gambia.

.According to the ancient Romans, Africa lay to the west of Egypt, while "Asia" was used to refer to Anatolia and lands to the east.^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ At this site the art community of Ratoma in Conakry/Guinea present themselve with a collection Ancient Masks, modern paintings and other artifacts from West Africa.

Africa Photo Album 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: General]

^ Rice - Grown in sub-tropical climate areas, paddy rice is found in the Nile river delta lands of Egypt, in Madagascar, and in West Africa in coastal mangrove swamps.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.A definite line was drawn between the two continents by the geographer Ptolemy (85–165 AD), indicating Alexandria along the Prime Meridian and making the isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea the boundary between Asia and Africa.^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ With an area of 30,310,000 square km, Africa is the third largest continent on Earth, after Asia and America.

Missionaries of Africa - A Few Facts About Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC missionariesofafrica.org [Source type: News]

^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

.As Europeans came to understand the real extent of the continent, the idea of Africa expanded with their knowledge.^ You can't really understand what Africa is like, where it's coming from and where it's going, without learning a whole hell of a lot that society and a public education has probably neglected to teach you.

Africa@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They are based on co-operation between Nordic and African researchers to produce new knowledge and improved understanding of issues central to contemporary Africa.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (01/31/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The slave trade can also be seen as one stage in a very long-term process by which Africa came to be integrated into a European-dominated global economy.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Climate, fauna, and flora

.The climate of Africa ranges from tropical to subarctic on its highest peaks.^ Climate Because Africa straddles the equator with half of its lands in the northern hemisphere and the other half in the southern hemisphere, its climate is mostly tropical and uniform.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The rest of Africa includes Mediterranean climate, mountain climate, tropical wet and dry, rainy and mild, and wet and mild.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Drakensberg Mountains The Drakensberg, southern Africa's highest mountain range, form the backbone of the Eastern .

Global Adrenaline :: Africa :: South Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globaladrenaline.com [Source type: News]

.Its northern half is primarily desert or arid, while its central and southern areas contain both savanna plains and very dense jungle (rainforest) regions.^ The continent is commonly divided along the lines of the Sahara , the world’s largest desert, which cuts a huge swath through the northern half of the continent.

Africa - MSN Encarta 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC encarta.msn.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In fact, the Arabic term which they applied to the "Swahili" coast was the very same word with which they referred to the "Sahel" -- the semi-arid West African region stretching along the southern margin of the Sahara.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ An excursion from the coast to the desert to the mountains with their winter snows to the dense tropical coastal forest to the "bush veld" savannas is truly a world in one country.

Global Adrenaline :: Africa :: South Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globaladrenaline.com [Source type: News]

.In between, there is a convergence where vegetation patterns such as sahel, and steppe dominate.^ As such, merely listing off figures does not actually establish that there were substantial differences in living standards between Third and First World workers.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Africa boasts perhaps the world's largest combination of density and "range of freedom" of wild animal populations and diversity, with wild populations of large carnivores (such as lions, hyenas, and cheetahs) and herbivores (such as buffalo, deer, elephants, camels, and giraffes) ranging freely on primarily open non-private plains.^ Giraffes, deer and elephants, also commonly found on the world's second largest continent, are also popular animals found ranging freely throughout the African plains.

African Tattoo 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.todaytattoos.com [Source type: General]

^ Africa is the world's second largest continent.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Africa is the second largest continent in the world .

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]
"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.It is also home to a variety of jungle creatures (including snakes and primates) and aquatic life (including crocodiles and amphibians).^ Jungle creatures, including snakes, are also present along with various aquatic species.

African Tattoo 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.todaytattoos.com [Source type: General]

History

Main article: History of Africa

1890 map of Africa

.Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human species originating from the continent.^ Africa is notable in that it is the original homeland of the human species.

Africa - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Let me repeat just to get it right once and for all: white man and EVERY other human being on planet earth originates from the African continent!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

^ In 1988 scientific Mitochondria-research proved that every living human being origins from the same woman in Africa about 200.000 years ago!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

.During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago.^ In 1988 scientific Mitochondria-research proved that every living human being origins from the same woman in Africa about 200.000 years ago!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

^ MULTIMEDIA Poverty in Niger N EARLY two years ago, an 86-year-old man shuffled to the front of a stage in Johannesburg and challenged people to "wipe poverty from the Earth".

How we lied to Africa - In Depth - theage.com.au 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.theage.com.au [Source type: News]

^ In the early 19th century the European imperial powers staged a massive " scramble for Africa " and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial states.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have evolved into modern man, such as Australopithecus afarensis (radiometrically dated to approximately 3.9–3.0 million years BC),^[8] Paranthropus boisei (c.^ Tools and fossil remains of the earliest humans have been found in an area that extends from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and northward into Ethiopia.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Jewish communities of Morocco date back some 2,000 years and once numbered more than a quarter of a million.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The more dramatic evidence of these early human ancestors, however, are the famous Australopithecine footprints, made perhaps by parent and child about 3.5 million years ago at Laetoli, Tanzania .

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

2.3–1.4 million BC)^[9] and Homo ergaster (c. 600,000–1.9 million BC) have been discovered.^[1]

.The Ishango bone, dated to about 25,000 years ago, shows tallies in mathematical notation.^ Scientists at MIT's Whitehead Institute found evidence that Europeans are descended from about 50 people who left Africa 60,000 years ago and inbred among themselves for 30 generations.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ In 1988 scientific Mitochondria-research proved that every living human being origins from the same woman in Africa about 200.000 years ago!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

^ The Jewish communities of Morocco date back some 2,000 years and once numbered more than a quarter of a million.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Throughout humanity's prehistory, Africa (like all other continents) had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers such as the Khoi and San.^ There is no other continent like Africa in terms of beauty and love.

Extreme Poverty in Africa - Hunger, HIV/AIDS and Deaths in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC cozay.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The population in Africa is grteater than all of the other continents.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Let me repeat just to get it right once and for all: white man and EVERY other human being on planet earth originates from the African continent!

Africa - a positive angle - another view. African content: culture, history, news, photos and more 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC crawfurd.dk [Source type: General]

^[10]^[11]^[12]

.At the end of the Ice Ages, estimated to have been around 10,500 BC, the Sahara had become a green fertile valley again, and its African populations returned from the interior and coastal highlands in Sub-Saharan Africa.^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Sub-Saharan Africa is an over-populated shithole.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Agriculture and natural resources provide livelihoods for some 70-80% of people in sub-Saharan Africa, 30% of GDP, and 40% of export revenue.

Africa: make climate change history | openDemocracy 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.opendemocracy.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BC the Sahara region was becoming increasingly drier.^ North of the Sahara the climate is hot and dry, the greenery confined to river banks and oases, and the culture is mainly Arabic with French influence still remaining.

Africa hotels and accommodation, hotel reservations in World, by all-hotels.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.all-hotels.com [Source type: News]

.The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the Second Cataract where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements.^ In fact, the Arabic term which they applied to the "Swahili" coast was the very same word with which they referred to the "Sahel" -- the semi-arid West African region stretching along the southern margin of the Sahara.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Pockets of population and agriculture also thrive in scattered oases , and along the Nile River Valley , while hardy nomad ic people live throughout the desert .

Africa@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Permanent scaffolding made of protruding planks characterized the Malian region.

History of Science Society | Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hssonline.org [Source type: Academic]

.A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa.^ Eastern Africa - - Central and southern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ West-central Africa - - Eastern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Since then dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, especially in Ethiopia in the last 200 years.^ Oil palm - A local staple in West Africa which requires hot humid conditions with constant temperatures and heavy rainfall year round.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The International Monetary Fund announced that sub-Saharan Africa's economy had grown 5 percent last year, with inflation at its lowest in twenty-five years.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ Tuesday 03 February 2009 The World Bank warns that Africa's economic growth will slow to 3.5 percent this year, from an annual average of 5.8 percent over the last decade.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

.The domestication of cattle in Africa precedes agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures.^ The village was founded by a group of hunters and gatherers who adopted agriculture c.

Template -- Teachers @ Work - Mark Teadwell 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.teachers-work.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Looking forward to 2010, Africa seems in line to be put through some vigorous tests, From politics to agriculture and technology, in 2010 Africa will be challenged to show… .

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa.^[13] .In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the pack ass, and a small screw horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia.^ It went from the Atlantic coast to the Niger river, and then included many of the trade towns of the western Sahara desert.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Altogether, Cairo has a population of 6.8 million approximately, with many people moving up from rural villages along the Nile.

Hostels in Africa - Africa Hostels 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hostelafrica.com [Source type: General]

^ Moreover, these new methods of food production exposed humans to many new diseases, including infections contracted from domesticated animals.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Agriculturally, the first cases of domestication of plants for agricultural purposes occurred in the Sahel region circa 5000 BC, when sorghum and African rice began to be cultivated.^ At first, their purpose was to fish, collect relatively abundant plant foods along lake shores, and hunt the animals which congregated around water sources.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Jim Fisher-Thompson, "US-African partnership helps counter terrorists in Sahel region", Washington File, US Department of State Information Service.

United States: the new scramble for Africa - Le Monde diplomatique - English edition 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC mondediplo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In her work Black Rice, Judith Carnoy demonstrates the legacy of enslaved Africans to the Americas in the sphere of rice cultivation.

History of Science Society | Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hssonline.org [Source type: Academic]

.Around this time, and in the same region, the small guinea fowl became domesticated.^ Compare this to the Carolingian empire in Europe, the Inca empire, or the Mongol empire that existed around the same time.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ At other times of the year, nighttime temperatures in the same regions can plummet as low as 4° F (-16° C), evidencing the great variability that exists in the country.

Global Adrenaline :: Africa :: South Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globaladrenaline.com [Source type: News]

.According to the Oxford Atlas of World History, in the year 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace.^ Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The Department of History at Skidmore College invites applications for a one-year (2008-09) visiting assistant professorship in the history of the Islamic World.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^[14] .This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink rather significantly and caused increasing desertification.^ If 75 percent of scientists calling for increased government funding of climate change research were themselves funded by government agencies, skeptics would be reasonably be suspicious of their research agenda and conclusions.

Africa Topics for Debate 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.economicthinking.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa.^ Rice - Grown in sub-tropical climate areas, paddy rice is found in the Nile river delta lands of Egypt, in Madagascar, and in West Africa in coastal mangrove swamps.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Much more recently, eastern Africa has, like much of the continent, witnessed migrations and population displacements, which have created an area that is culturally and linguistically complex.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Because sub-Saharan Africa is subject to more extreme climate variability than other regions, it needs improved water storage capacity.

Water Stress in Sub-Saharan Africa - Council on Foreign Relations 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.cfr.org [Source type: Academic]

^[14]

.By 3000 BC agriculture arose independently in both the tropical portions of West Africa, where African yams and oil palms were domesticated, and in Ethiopia, where coffee and teff became domesticated.^ On my journey across the poorest, sub-Saharan swathe of the continent - that took in Liberia and Nigeria in the west, Sudan in the centre, and Kenya in the east - people explored the impact that both non-Africans and Africans had had on why Africa is poor.

Why is the African continent poor? 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.assetrecovery.org [Source type: News]

^ Oil palm - A local staple in West Africa which requires hot humid conditions with constant temperatures and heavy rainfall year round.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Coffee - Thought to have originated in Ethiopia, coffee thrives in tropical (often highland) climates (20 degrees N and S of the equator), including in Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.No animals were independently domesticated in these regions, although domestication did spread there from the Sahel and Nile regions.^ Although these antennas cost more to purchase and ship, there will be savings on the re-occurring monthly bandwidth cost that will compensate for the higher initial cost.

Africa: Broadband Satellite Internet access service providers 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.satsig.net [Source type: General]

^ This shows that although there are measures and programs to suppress the spread of HIV/AIDS, such measures and program only exists in government documents but there is hardly anything on the ground.

Zachary Arochi Kwena 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.codesria.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Moreover, these new methods of food production exposed humans to many new diseases, including infections contracted from domesticated animals.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^[15] .Agricultural crops were also adopted from other regions around this time as pearl millet, cowpea, groundnut, cotton, watermelon and bottle gourds began to be grown agriculturally in both West Africa and the Sahel Region while finger millet, peas, lentil and flax took hold in Ethiopia.^ On my journey across the poorest, sub-Saharan swathe of the continent - that took in Liberia and Nigeria in the west, Sudan in the centre, and Kenya in the east - people explored the impact that both non-Africans and Africans had had on why Africa is poor.

Why is the African continent poor? 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.assetrecovery.org [Source type: News]

^ Kenyan Elections African Political Economy A literature review of scholarly works concerning the political economy of Africa with a focus on the regions in and around Sub-Saharan Africa.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ Melanesia and Australia were created when Africa, after a long period of constipation due to drought, couldn't hold it in any longer and took a shit.

Africa - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^[16]

.The international phenomenon known as the Beaker culture began to affect western North Africa.^ While northern Africa was dominated by the Romans for several centuries, the first known empire in western Africa was Ghana (5th–11th century ad ).

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ (No known website) Civair -- South Africa based company providing helicopter and charter services, operating from V&A Waterfront and Cape Town International Airport.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Genus Tapinolepis - nine species, with a new key to all known species, including one from North Africa; descriptions are available of all, with drawings of three species and photographs of three species.

The Ants of Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC antbase.org [Source type: General]

Named for the distinctively shaped ceramics found in graves, the Beaker culture is associated with the emergence of a warrior mentality. .North African rock art of this period depicts animals but also places a new emphasis on the human figure, equipped with weapons and adornments.^ Animal Intelligence and the Obsolescence of Left Humanism New essay by Steven Best Click HERE to continue.

Animal Rights Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC animalrightsafrica.org [Source type: General]

^ Kunapipi: Journal of Post colonial Writing "a bi-annual arts magazine of critical and creative writing with special but not exclusive emphasis on the new literatures written in English."

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Moreover, these new methods of food production exposed humans to many new diseases, including infections contracted from domesticated animals.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.People from the Great Lakes Region of Africa settled along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to become the proto-Canaanites who dominated the lowlands between the Jordan River, the Mediterranean and the Sinai Desert.^ The insider's guide to Africa's Great Lakes .

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ As a U.N.-backed conference on Africa's volatile Great Lakes region concludes on Friday, we offer a guide to the troubled area and its chances for lasting stability.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ Mixed-migration movements in the region involve not only flows out of Africa, such as the dangerous journeys across the Gulf of Aden or the Mediterranean.

UNHCR - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.unhcr.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.By the 1st millennium BC ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly began spreading across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-saharan Africa^[17] and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa, possibly after being introduced by the Carthaginians.^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Sub-Saharan Africa is an over-populated shithole.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ The Sahara stretches across Northern Africa, a vast, desolate land, melting into the fringes of green Mediterranean coast al regions, where the majority of food is grown and the majority of people live.

Africa@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]

.Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in areas of East and West Africa, though other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Some copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia have been excavated in West Africa dating from around 500 BC, suggesting that trade networks had been established by this time.^ The gateway to the Northern Transvaal, Pretoria is also home to the nation's monuments and grandiose official buildings, some dating back to the 19th century.

Global Adrenaline :: Africa :: South Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globaladrenaline.com [Source type: News]

^ Helderberg Wine Route Stretching north from Somerset West to Stellenbosch and southeast to Sir Lowry's Pass, the Helderberg Wine Route incorporates the majestic Helderberg Mountains, on the slopes of which some of South Africa's finest vineyards fl...

South Africa Hotel, Travel and Tourism Guide | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ Portable laptop sized RBGAN and R-BGAN hand carry terminals suggested for reporters and travelling business users in Africa north of equator.

Africa: Broadband Satellite Internet access service providers 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.satsig.net [Source type: General]

^[14]

Early civilisations and trade

.About 3300 BC, the historical record opens in Africa with the rise of literacy in the Pharaonic-ruled civilisation of Ancient Egypt, which continued, with varying levels of influence over other areas, until 343 BC.^[18]^[19] Prominent civilisations at different times include Carthage, the Kingdom of Aksum, the Nubian kingdoms, the empires of the Sahel (Kanem-Bornu, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai), Great Zimbabwe, and the Kongo.^ One page each on Mali, Songhay, Great Zimbabwe, Kush, Ghana, Islamic invasions, Swahili kingdoms, Hausa Kingdoms, Kanem-Bornu.

African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Animals & Safari Bushtracks 8 Day Mali, The Road to Timbuktu $7,330 This intensive journey around Mali reveals the secrets of the Dogon civilization and of the various other ethnic groups living...

Adventure Collection | Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.adventurecollection.com [Source type: General]

^ Other recent changes in South Africa's maritime industry include more frequent sailings from the United States, a more competitive pricing structure, and more reliable transit times.

Out of (and into) Africa - 5/1/2001 - Logistics Management 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.logisticsmgmt.com [Source type: News]

^[20]^[21]

.After the Sahara had become a desert it did not present an impenetrable barrier for travellers between north and south.^ Then independence was followed by 50 years of on-off war between the south and north - with northerners in Khartoum continuing the British tactic of divide and rule among the southern groups.

Why is the African continent poor? 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.assetrecovery.org [Source type: News]

^ In Muslim areas, HIV rates are low: between 1% and 3% north of the Sahara and around Senegal and Liberia.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ From the jungles of West Africa to the great plains of East Africa, from the Sahara in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, this is a continent of contrasts.

Adventure travel Africa. Africa adventure holidays and tours 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.imaginative-traveller.com [Source type: News]

.Even prior to the introduction of the camel^[22] the use of oxen for desert crossing was common, and trade routes followed oases that were strung across the desert.^ Prior to that, companies either didn't trade with them or they used alternative routes if they were prepared to take the risk."

Out of (and into) Africa - 5/1/2001 - Logistics Management 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.logisticsmgmt.com [Source type: News]

.The camel was first brought to Egypt by the Persians after 525 BC, although large herds did not become common enough in North Africa to establish the trans-Saharan trade until the eighth century AD.^[23] The Sanhaja Berbers were the first to exploit this.^ Read our business section or send us an E-mail Northern Africa Going through Africa from the North to the South, you will first encounter six arab-berber countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Mauritania.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "RA_LinkColorRed" style="margin-top: 3px"> Morocco Camel Riding
The trans-SAHARAN Camel Caravan Trade Routes of the 9th century carried salt, gold, slaves and spices from sub-Sahara Africa to the Mediterranean ports and the Middle East.

Africa Vacations, Rentals, Adventure Travel, Tours & Getaways 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC realadventures.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Morocco Camel Riding The trans-SAHARAN Camel Caravan Trade Routes of the 9th century carried salt, gold, slaves and spices from sub-Sahara Africa to the Mediterranean ports and the Middle East.

Africa Vacations, Rentals, Adventure Travel, Tours & Getaways 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC realadventures.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Pre-colonial Africa possessed perhaps as many as 10,000 different states and polities^[24] characterised by different sorts of political organisation and rule.^ Over 1,000 images of pre-colonial Africa (ex.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Civilizations in Africa - Washington State University Pre-colonial history.

African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ European heads of state laid down ground rules for the colonial conquest of Africa at the Congress of Berlin in 1884-5.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.These included small family groups of hunter-gatherers such as the San people of southern Africa; larger, more structured groups such as the family clan groupings of the Bantu-speaking people of central and southern Africa and heavily-structured clan groups in the Horn of Africa, the Sahelian Kingdoms, and autonomous city-states such as the Swahili coastal trading towns of the East African coast, whose trade network extended as far as China.^ The incursion of Bantu peoples from the west displaced earlier hunter-gatherers.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Eastern Africa - - Central and southern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Central and southern Africa - - Madagascar .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.In 1418, the fifth expedition by Chinese admiral Zheng He reached Africa's east coast.^ South Africa: From Boer Wars to the ANC Jan Lamprecht - 5/26/2005 The Zulus, who live on the east coast, had many wars with other Blacks.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Sadly though, one of the first outsiders to reach Africa, Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim eunuch general (quick, try saying that ten times!

Here's to Closer Ties Between India and Africa - Sepia Mutiny 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.sepiamutiny.com [Source type: General]

^ We speak to the BBC’s Will Ross , who witnessed a drone launch on the Seychelle Islands, off the coast of East Africa.

The Takeaway: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.thetakeaway.org [Source type: General]

.The two later Zheng He voyages, the last in 1432, also sailed to East Africa.^ Somewhat later these early humans spread into northern Africa and the Middle East and, ultimately, to the rest of the world.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

The Chinese travelled at least as far as Malindi in Kenya. .In 1482, the Portuguese established the first of many trading stations along the coast of Ghana at Elmina.^ It went from the Atlantic coast to the Niger river, and then included many of the trade towns of the western Sahara desert.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Cape Coast Castle - Slave Trade Video of a tour guide in Ghana discussing the slave trade.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Africa, not merely because of the misrule and warped personalities of many African leaders, but because Africa had been damaged severely, first by the slave trade, then by the colonialism which grew out of the slave trade."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

The chief commodities dealt in were slaves, gold, ivory and spices. .The European discovery of the Americas in 1492 was followed by a great development of the slave trade, which, before the Portuguese era, had been an overland trade almost exclusively, and never confined to any one continent.^ Images of the slave trade in Africa and the Americas.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Slave plantations were set up in the Americas and elsewhere, and supplied by an enormous slave trade.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Nevertheless, the slave trade continued on a diminished scale, and about 3.3 million slaves were exported to the Americas after 1800.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^[25]

.In West Africa, the decline of the Atlantic slave trade in the 1820s caused dramatic economic shifts in local polities.^ Images of the slave trade in Africa and the Americas.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ Oil palm - A local staple in West Africa which requires hot humid conditions with constant temperatures and heavy rainfall year round.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The gradual decline of slave-trading, prompted by a lack of demand for slaves in the New World, increasing anti-slavery legislation in Europe and America, and the British navy's increasing presence off the West African coast, obliged African states to adopt new economies.^ Agronomic techniques and new crops taken by West Africans to the Americas.

History of Science Society | Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hssonline.org [Source type: Academic]

^ Images of the slave trade in Africa and the Americas.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Exploring Amistad The Amistad ship uprising "set off an intense legal, political, and popular debate over the slave trade, slavery, race, Africa, and ultimately America itself."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

.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.^ Sudan in the North, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west, South Africa in the South, and the Island nations in the East) and proposes a way forward to the new millennium.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.iupui.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ There are many rivers and waterways in West Africa, the largest being the Niger, Senegal, Volta, and Benue Rivers.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.Asante and Dahomey concentrated on the development of "legitimate commerce" in the form of palm oil, cocoa, timber and gold, forming the bedrock of West Africa's modern export trade.^ KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 Malaysias state plantation agency will focus on growing oil palms in West Africa after scrapping plans to develop estates in Brazil last month, the Business Times reported today.

TLC Africa 2009 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC tlcafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ Oil palm - A local staple in West Africa which requires hot humid conditions with constant temperatures and heavy rainfall year round.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ West Africa Offshore , oil services World Health Organization World Nuclear Global nuclear energy industry rep ZWNews , World's leading website on Zimbabwe .

Africa, NewsFollowUp.com promote biz govt transparency 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC newsfollowup.com [Source type: News]

The Oyo Empire, unable to adapt, collapsed into civil wars.^[26]

Pre-colonial exploration

.In the mid-nineteenth century, European explorers became interested in exploring the heart of the continent and opening the area for trade, mining and other commercial exploitation.^ Before the late 19th century, Europe showed little interest in colonizing Africa, but by 1884 European countries had begun a scramble to partition the continent, and by 1920 much of it was under colonial rule.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Author: Hess, Robert L. and Dalvan M. Coger Title: A bibliography of primary source for nineteenth-century tropical Africa as recorded by explorers, missionaries, traders, travelers, administrators, military men, adventurers, and others.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ For many years, historians had believed that the famous Sahelian cities such as Timbuktu had emerged only after North African traders had established commercial contacts with West Africa from the 8th century AD. In other words, historians believed that North Africans had taken the initiative to open up trade with West Africans.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.In addition, there was a desire to convert the inhabitants to Christianity.^ Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua a native of Zoogoo, in the interior of Africa (a convert of Christianity) , with a description of that part of the world, including the manners and customs of the inhabitants...

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

.The central area of Africa was still largely unknown to Europeans at this time.^ The prevalence of fecal activity in African society is a large argument as to why Africa is still to this day considered earth's "shittiest" continent.

Africa - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ CICIBA of Gabon has produced several works (largely in French) on medicine in the Bantu-speaking regions of Central and Southern Africa.

History of Science Society | Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hssonline.org [Source type: Academic]

^ Central Africa has seen the rise of many kingdoms, mostly in the period before European contact.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.David Livingstone explored the continent between 1852 and his death in 1873; amongst other claims to fame, he was the first European to see the Victoria Falls.^ Victoria Falls are a must see for any visitor.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Victoria Falls Proflight -- Zambia based company operates out of Livingstone, offering fixed wing flights over the majestic Victoria Falls as well as charters in the region.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The next day I will go visit Soweto (one of the townships) to see the other "half" of South Africa first hand.

Templeton: Around the World in 14 days. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.templetons.com [Source type: Original source]

.A prime goal for explorers was to locate the source of the River Nile.^ Moreover, the forest is located on the watershed of two tributaries of the River Nile.

GRAIN | Seedling | 2007 | The new scramble for Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.grain.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Victoria is a source of the Nile, the world's longest river.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The regions are host to a number of large lake s: Lake Victoria , Lake Tanganyika , and Lake Malawi , as well as Victoria Falls , the source of the Nile , and the Congo River Basin .

Africa@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]

Expeditions by Burton and Speke (1857–1858) and Speke and Grant (1863) located Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria. The latter was eventually proven as the main source of the Nile. .With subsequent expeditions by Baker and Stanley, Africa was well explored by the end of the century and this was to lead the way for the colonization which followed.^ Overland Africa is the most economical and convenient way of exploring the African continent .

Overland Africa - Overland Adventure Travel Throughout Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC overlandafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ Century maps of Liberia "...includes twenty examples from the American Colonization Society (ACS), organized in 1817 to resettle free black Americans in West Africa.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ At the end of the 19th century, a period of international rivalry, often dubbed the " Scramble for Africa ", the European powers laid claim to African territories.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

Colonialism and the "scramble for Africa"

Main article: Colonization of Africa

Map showing European territorial claims on the African continent in 1914

.In the late nineteenth century, the European imperial powers engaged in a major territorial scramble and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial nation states, and leaving only two independent nations: Liberia, an independent state partly settled by African Americans; and Orthodox Christian Ethiopia (known to Europeans as "Abyssinia").^ Pan Africanism has to do with daring to stand up - Economical enslavement [slavery, exploitation, and child labour] - Nationalism and border line [Colonialism] - Africans from the Diaspora and their influence in the country.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Thus, timing was everything; many nations of the world had just achieved independence from colonial powers within the previous decade.

"How Big is Africa?" Curriculum Guide: Outreach Program 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.bu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ I wish to state that as a result of institutional reforms in financial sector, communication and industries, Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Ethiopia and many more African countries have witnessed unprecedented increase of their respective middle class populations.

Special Report: China Storms Africa | Fast Company 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fastcompany.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Colonial rule by Europeans would continue until after the conclusion of World War II, when all colonial states gradually obtained formal independence.^ World War II: 1939-1945.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Anticolonial sentiment developed gradually, becoming widespread after 1950, and one by one the colonies became independent, the last in 1990.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Effectively dealing with this epidemic and the heavy loss of adults will make the rebuilding of Europe after World War II seem like child's play by comparison.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

.Colonialism had a destabilising effect on a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics.^ Application by research students coming from African Universities is encouraged; subsidies for the participation of a limited number of successful applicants are being sought for.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The people The African continent is a mosaic of 3,000 ethnic groups speaking 1,000 languages.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

.Before European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian Peninsula, where a group's territory was congruent with its military or trade influence.^ Pan Africanism has to do with daring to stand up - Economical enslavement [slavery, exploitation, and child labour] - Nationalism and border line [Colonialism] - Africans from the Diaspora and their influence in the country.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ You misinterpret some short term gains, such as, joining international trade of some African nations under the colonial rule and making pennies in the face of long term damage that colonialism inflicted on the African nations, such as, military rulers, dictatorships destroying any seed for democractic governance and also in economic terms subordnitating the economy of a colony to that of its master.

Think Again: A Marshall Plan for Africa | Foreign Policy 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.foreignpolicy.com [Source type: Original source]

^ National Archives Has online exhibitions such as the Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850 , which includes Black Romans and West Africa before the Europeans (with a map of West Africa in 1600).

African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The European insistence of drawing borders around territories to isolate them from those of other colonial powers often had the effect of separating otherwise contiguous political groups, or forcing traditional enemies to live side by side with no buffer between them.^ While divide and conquer may have been an effective tool to preserve colonial power, upon the advent of decolonization, the Europeans should have convened an exit conference and re-drawn the borders to create real nation-states.

Think Again: A Marshall Plan for Africa | Foreign Policy 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.foreignpolicy.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Most of its states are not nations, but are better termed "post-colonies": huge, random chunks of territory whose borders were drawn up by colonial powers in the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 with zero consideration for local demographics, slicing through homelands of people who want to live together, and looping together other peoples that would prefer to live apart.

Think Again: A Marshall Plan for Africa | Foreign Policy 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.foreignpolicy.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.For example, although the Congo River appears to be a natural geographic boundary, there were groups that otherwise shared a language, culture or other similarity living on both sides.^ There are 3 friction pegs on both sides.

ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The conflicts in both Cte dIvoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo have had at their hearts the right of one part of the national population to share with others on equal terms the rights and duties of citizenship.

AfriMAP 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.afrimap.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The division of the land between Belgium and France along the river isolated these groups from each other.^ However, it simply does not follow that from a demonstration that there were nominal differences in wage rates between two groups of miners that the one benefited from the exploitation of the other.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ During negotiations between South Africa's White Afrikaners and ANC, as well as other Black groups, some of the Afrikaners demanded the right to self-determination.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Those who lived in Saharan or Sub-Saharan Africa and traded across the continent for centuries often found themselves crossing borders that existed only on European maps.^ Male circumcision for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa: who, what, when?

Sub-Saharan Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC hivinsite.ucsf.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Sub-Saharan Africa is an over-populated shithole.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

.In nations that had substantial European populations, for example Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa, systems of second-class citizenship were often set up in order to give Europeans political power far in excess of their numbers.^ In any case the present political system in Kenya gives far too much power to the president.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

^ Wake-up call for South Africa .

GRAIN | Seedling | 2007 | The new scramble for Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.grain.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Far-right racism will long be a political concern in South Africa.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.In the Congo Free State, personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium, the native population was submitted to inhumane treatment, and a near slavery status assorted with forced labor.^ Alice Seeley Harris was a missionary in the Belgian Congo, and during her time there witnessed the horrific abuses of the indigenous population exploited by a wicked regime under King Leopold II of Belgium."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The issue of land, economic and cultural globalization and the increasing tendency toward homogeneity amongst the dominant populations are emblematic of the treatment of minorities in many states.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Part V.—Down to the coast By Henry Woodd Nevinson SEE ALSO: Africa ; Angola ; Colonies ; Forced labor ; Portugal ; Slave-trade ; Slavery PDF IMAGES .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

However, the lines were not always drawn strictly across racial lines. .In Liberia, citizens who were descendants of American slaves had a political system for over 100 years that gave ex-slaves and natives to the area roughly equal legislative power despite the fact the ex-slaves were outnumbered ten to one in the general population.^ Scientists at MIT's Whitehead Institute found evidence that Europeans are descended from about 50 people who left Africa 60,000 years ago and inbred among themselves for 30 generations.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ West Africa, with an area of over 2.5 million square miles and estimated population of 250 million, is comparable in size and people to the continental USA. It is the most densely populated region of Africa despite the fact that millions of people were forcibly taken from her shores during the tragic period of the Slave Trade.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While there were the instances of political unrest, in all I think African countries had one of the better years.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

.The inspiration for this system was the United States Senate, which had balanced the power of free and slave states despite the much-larger population of the former.^ It's a good reminder that in much of the world, including but not limited to the Congo, a free flow of information is viewed as, at best, an annoyance by those in power.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ Searching for a land of freedom and opportunity, thousands of former slaves left the United States in the 19th century and sailed across the Atlantic to a continent their ancestors had unwillingly left.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ The key imperialist powers are the dominant First World states and their ruling classes: Western Europe, the United States of America, Japan etc.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Europeans often altered the local balance of power, created ethnic divides where they did not previously exist, and introduced a cultural dichotomy detrimental to the native inhabitants in the areas they controlled.^ While divide and conquer may have been an effective tool to preserve colonial power, upon the advent of decolonization, the Europeans should have convened an exit conference and re-drawn the borders to create real nation-states.

Think Again: A Marshall Plan for Africa | Foreign Policy 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.foreignpolicy.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Apartheid and Separate Development Johann Wingard, Ph.D. - 6/6/2005 A common misconception exists that the Afrikaners (Whites of West European descent who lived in southern Africa for 350 years) introduced the apartheid to South Africa when they assumed political power in 1948.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At the end of the 19th century, a period of international rivalry, often dubbed the " Scramble for Africa ", the European powers laid claim to African territories.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.For example, in what are now Rwanda and Burundi, two ethnic groups Hutus and Tutsis had merged into one culture by the time German colonists had taken control of the region in the nineteenth century.^ At this time, most of the continent of Africa was divided into colonies: France claimed the majority of West Africa; Germany received much of the eastern territory that is now Tanzania; Belgium got the Congo region; Portugal retained control of Mozambique and Angola; and Britain received the remainder of the continent.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And staring squarely into the face of calamity are the Maasai people, perhaps the most famous ethnic group in the region.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ At the same time, they have realized that many of the European writings which they use to reconstruct the African past -- such as accounts by nineteenth-century missionaries and travelers, for example -- are themselves tainted by these same notions of African inferiority.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.No longer divided by ethnicity as intermingling, intermarriage, and merging of cultural practices over the centuries had long since erased visible signs of a culture divide, Belgium instituted a policy of racial categorization upon taking control of the region, as racially based categorization and philosophies were a fixture of the European culture of that time.^ The Department of Defense no longer controls or can "take out" the Internet.

Hoffmania!: If You Think This Is A Tinfoil Hat Story... 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.hoffmania.com [Source type: General]

^ At this time, most of the continent of Africa was divided into colonies: France claimed the majority of West Africa; Germany received much of the eastern territory that is now Tanzania; Belgium got the Congo region; Portugal retained control of Mozambique and Angola; and Britain received the remainder of the continent.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately time is running out, and the stupid, lazy proud jaluos are no longer content with fishing at Lake Victoria.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

.The term Hutu originally referred to the agricultural-based Bantu-speaking peoples that moved into present day Rwanda and Burundi from the West, and the term Tutsi referred to Northeastern cattle-based peoples that migrated into the region later.^ A Bantu speaking people of northern South Africa and Zimbabwe, practice circumcision, keep one day a week holy and avoid eating pork or pig-like animals such as hippopotamus.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ And staring squarely into the face of calamity are the Maasai people, perhaps the most famous ethnic group in the region.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The terms described a person's economic class; individuals who owned roughly 10 or more cattle were considered Tutsi, and those with fewer were considered Hutu, regardless of ancestral history.^ Meanwhile the bottom 80% of the population owned just 10% of the personal wealth, mostly in the form of owning the house they live in.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ The top 10% of the population also owned four fifths of all personal wealth, and 98% of all privately held company shares and stocks.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ There are also those who stress that Africans should not touch western culture at all and remain true to their own culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

This was not a strict line but a general rule of thumb, and one could move from Hutu to Tutsi and vice versa.

.The Belgians introduced a racialized system; European-like features such as fairer skin, ample height, narrow noses were seen as more ideally Hamitic, and belonged to those people closest to Tutsi in ancestry, who were thus given power amongst the colonised peoples.^ The Swahili is the name given to the coastal people who historically could be found as far North as Mogadishu (Somalia) and as far south as the Rovuma River (Mozambique).

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Kenya, HIV/AIDS was thought to be restricted to people with unusual characters such as those who practice homosexuality (gay and lesbians) and those who have close relationship with pets.

Zachary Arochi Kwena 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.codesria.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Identity cards were issued based on this philosophy.^ It addresses the issue of the changing nature of the nation state, and of identity-based politics.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

.Tunisia was the first country in Africa to gain Independence, doing so in 1956. The decades-long struggle for independence from France was led by Habib Bourguiba, founder of the Republic of Tunisia.^ The Jews led the city after the founding of Israel and again when Tunisia gained independence from France in the 1950s.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Thus, as important as ensuring free and fair elections, is the struggle to maintain internal democracy within that dominant party, FRELIMO, the Frente de Libertao de Moambique that led the country in the struggle for independence from Portugal.

AfriMAP 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.afrimap.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ What follows is a fairly long account of my perceptions of the political situation in South Africa, which is to most people the thing that makes the country fascinating.

Templeton: Around the World in 14 days. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.templetons.com [Source type: Original source]

Post-colonial Africa

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ A week in the former European colony reveals a dynamic and diverse country with eye-popping scenery.

Africa & Middle East Travel Guides, Vacation Packages & Deals - Travel - LATimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC travel.latimes.com [Source type: General]

^ The Exploration of Africa by Europeans and Colonial Development - up to ca 1907.

The Ants of Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC antbase.org [Source type: General]

.Since colonialism, African states have frequently been hampered by instability, corruption, violence, and authoritarianism.^ African countries face instability, violence, tensions with neighbors By Catholic News Service Here is a list of countries in Africa that recently have been or currently are engaged in violent conflicts.

Catholic News Service - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.catholicnews.com [Source type: News]

^ The United States has a plan, AFRICOM, to control African countries in a more direct and militarized way, as opposed to controlling the economies as has been done since the 2nd World War.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

.The vast majority of African nations are republics that operate under some form of the presidential system of rule.^ Moussa Dadis Camara, the military leader of the West African nation of Guinea, was shot and wounded in an attack on his presidential convoy, an official said.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ South African apartheid" by major African historians (Jacob Ajayi, George Abungu, Director-General of the National Museums of Kenya and others).

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Teaching about Africa - Curriculum - Lesson Plans for K-12 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ From its hub in Maputo, LAM operates flights to major African destinations include Johannesburg, Durban, Dar es Salaam, Harare and Nairobi.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Zambia has made strides toward democratic governance that protects human rights, but many challenges remain.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Exceptionally poor civil-military relations have been a chronic impediment to democratic governance in Sierra Leonean society.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.A number of Africa's post-colonial political leaders were military generals who were poorly educated and ignorant on matters of governance.^ Governance and politics in Africa.

Project MUSE - Subject Browse 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC muse.jhu.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ African leaders have sought to develop a pan-African approach to the continent’s political and military affairs through the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The island nation's leader of a self-styled transitional government, Andry Rajoelina, ousted his political rival, President Marc Ravalomanana, and suspended parliament.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Neither would you call them 'ethnic groups', as these terms refer to the residents of those countries ie: one might also term kikuyus as kenyans.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

^ We might expect the "tribal" model of isolated ethnic groups to be nowhere more appropriate than in the great equatorial forest of modern-day Zaire.

African History 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.uiowa.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.For political gain, many leaders fanned ethnic conflicts that had been exacerbated, or even created, by colonial rule.^ In the early 19th century the European imperial powers staged a massive " scramble for Africa " and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial states.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ 'Narrative - both explosive and intimate - of six countries under siege, battling the legacy of ethnic conflict and colonial abuse and fighting for their future'.

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The forest destruction has created large-scale soil erosion and caused aquifer levels to fall, exacerbating a recent drought that caused many rivers to run dry.

Yale Environment 360: Region 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC e360.yale.edu [Source type: News]

.In many countries, the military was perceived as being the only group that could effectively maintain order, and it ruled many nations in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s.^ Since colonisation, the nations of Zimbabwe and South Africa maintain small, but significant groups, returned to Africa after a few ten thousand years absence, identifying themselves as white and Asian .

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In the early 19th century the European imperial powers staged a massive " scramble for Africa " and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial states.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.During the period from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Africa had more than 70 coups and 13 presidential assassinations.^ CALL FOR PAPERS MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN ASIA AND AFRICA, Oslo, Norway (late 2004/early 2005) The conference will invite scholars to discuss set texts; present papers; and participate in a roundtable discussion over a three-day period.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (01/31/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The rainforest is hot and wet; an average of more than 70 inches of rain falls annually.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One international relief agency recently discovered a village in a remote region of West Africa where more than 18,000 people were on the verge of starvation.

Extreme Poverty in Africa - Hunger, HIV/AIDS and Deaths in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC cozay.com [Source type: Original source]

.Border and territorial disputes were also common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.^ Border and territorial disputes have also been common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The U.N. Security Council slapped Eritrea with an arms embargo and further sanctions Wednesday for its role in aiding rebels in Somalia and refusing to withdraw from a border dispute with Djibouti.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ Today, Africa is home to over 30 independent countries, many of which still have borders drawn during the era of European colonialism .

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Cold War conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the policies of the International Monetary Fund, also played a role in instability.^ Africans in America - October 19-22, 1998 "Africans in America will be the first comprehensive television history of the international events leading to the growth of racial slavery in the United States.

African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Topics include regional conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf crisis, foreign policy process, and the end of the cold war and its impact in the new millennium.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

^ This might play a role similar to that of World War II for Europe, after which the people in the neighbouring countries decide to integrate their societies in such a way that war between them becomes as unthinkable as a war between, say, France and Germany would be today.

Africa - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Africa? What is Africa? Where is Africa? Definition of Africa. Meaning of Africa. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.When a country became independent for the first time, it was often expected to align with one of the two superpowers.^ Anticolonial sentiment developed gradually, becoming widespread after 1950, and one by one the colonies became independent, the last in 1990.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ On April 25, Rwanda became the first developing country in the world to launch a national immunization program against pneumococcal disease.

AFRICA - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC kristof.blogs.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

^ I was at the first one in London earlier this year, and we had a great time, so I hope this will be just as good.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

.Many countries in Northern Africa received Soviet military aid, while many in Central and Southern Africa were supported by the United States, France or both.^ Eastern Africa - - Central and southern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Central and southern Africa - - Madagascar .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ AFRICOM, the United States' recolonization of Africa will also .

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

.The 1970s saw an escalation, as newly independent Angola and Mozambique aligned themselves with the Soviet Union and the West and South Africa sought to contain Soviet influence by funding insurgency movements.^ Angola is located on the west coast of Africa, south of the equator.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.nationsencyclopedia.com [Source type: General]

^ But I looked at saw that about 1000 miles east of South Africa, out in the middle of the Indian ocean, was the spot on the planet opposite where I live.

Templeton: Around the World in 14 days. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.templetons.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

.Some countries were ruled by communist parties that sought to impose Soviet policies resulting in atrocities such as the Ethiopian famine of 1985–85.^ Hundreds of thousands of people fled their areas of origin and some fled to neighbouring countries such as Uganda.

Africa | Amnesty International Report 2009 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC thereport.amnesty.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Today, 25 African countries have such policies, which include sex education, AIDS awareness programs, and promotion and distribution of contraception.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ After a long wait in obtaining the final victors in the polls, it seems, some mediators in Zimbabwe are negotiating for a unity government by the national parties, both ruling and opposition.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.AIDS has also been a prevalent issue in post-colonial Africa.^ AIDS in Africa from the Washington Post provides a number of articles of interest.

AIDS in Africa — Global Issues 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globalissues.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-7/12/99 Africa has 13% of the world's population, and 69% of the world's HIV or AIDS cases.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5) I&S Survey of the many cultures of pre- and post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

.See article AIDS in Africa.^ See article, " Massive Africa Update on Google Maps " May 21, 2009 on the White African blog.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Anup Shah This Page Last Updated Sunday, November 29, 2009 This page: http://www.globalissues.org/article/90/aids-in-africa .

AIDS in Africa — Global Issues 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globalissues.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Global Health Overview Health Care Around the World Diseases—Ignored Global Killers AIDS around the world Pharmaceutical Corporations and Medical Research Pharmaceutical Corporations and AIDS AIDS in Africa Tobacco Obesity Sugar See more related articles .

AIDS in Africa — Global Issues 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globalissues.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Politics

Political map of Africa.^ MAP Africa: Political Entities Before the Scramble [At Washington U., St. Louis] Map and text showing the variety of African state formations.

Internet African History Sourcebook 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Texas has political maps, historical maps, an Islam in Africa map , natural vegetation, population density, and individual country maps.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.(Hover mouse to see name, click area to go to article.^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ See an example of his map at: http://www.petersmap.com (Click through to Page 2 for a comparison between the traditional world map and the equal-area map) .

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ To go to an article on a select australopith fossil site, click on a hyperlinked label.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

)

.The African Union (AU) is a federation consisting of all of Africa's states except Morocco.^ While 'all member states accept the United States of Africa as a common and desirable goal, the Executive Council agreed on the need for a pragmatic and progressive approach and recommended an audit of the state of the Union in order to identify areas in which significant improvement have to be made in order to accelerate the African integration process.'

AfriMAP 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.afrimap.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The history of mathematics in other parts of Africa has been examined by the African Mathematical Union, based in Mozambique, and other scholars.

History of Science Society | Links 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.hssonline.org [Source type: Academic]

^ South Africa has always had a teledensity significantly higher than the rest of sub-Saharan Africa (Hodge and Miller 1996; International Telecommunications Union, African Telecommunication Indicators, 1996).

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The union was formed, with Addis Ababa as its headquarters, on June 26 2001.^ October (1) 2 October 2009 - Washington, DC, USA ► September (2) 30 September 2009 - ICANN DOC Affirmation 09 September 2009 - African Union, Addis Ababa, Et...

. Africa - Africa’s map in the digital inclusion! 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC dotafrica.blogspot.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ September 2009 - African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: .

. Africa - Africa’s map in the digital inclusion! 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC dotafrica.blogspot.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ African Union (Addis Ababa) .

allAfrica.com: Other Sources 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC allafrica.com [Source type: News]

.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.^ Template:FA/07 July 2006 Template:FA/2006 Retrieved from " http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Africa " Categories : African countries .

Africa - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Application deadline is February 20, 2005 The Africa Advocacy Director is the chief advocacy strategist for Human Rights Watch's work in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ HUMAN GROWTH IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA: UNDERSTANDING THE LEGACY OF APARTHEID .

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ On Friday, the African Union suspended Madagascar's membership in protest, and the United States cut all non-humanitarian aid.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

.The African Union, not to be confused with the AU Commission, is formed by an Act of Union which aims to transform the African Economic Community, a federated commonwealth, into a state, under established international conventions.^ Africans in America - October 19-22, 1998 "Africans in America will be the first comprehensive television history of the international events leading to the growth of racial slavery in the United States.

African History for K-12 Classes 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Unless the international community and the African Union (AU) intervene and say what went wrong in Kenya and what is to be done now, there will be no peace and tranquility will not prevail in Kenya and Mafia type governemnt will rule in Kenya for a long time and the poor will suffer LONG LIVE KENYA. .

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The African Union has a parliamentary government, known as the African Union Government, consisting of legislative, judicial and executive organs, and led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the Pan African Parliament.^ African leaders have sought to develop a pan-African approach to the continent’s political and military affairs through the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The $5-million African Leadership Prize, an award designed to encourage good governance in Africa, was awarded to former Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano, who ruled his country for 18 years before stepping down in 2005.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ The island nation's leader of a self-styled transitional government, Andry Rajoelina, ousted his political rival, President Marc Ravalomanana, and suspended parliament.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

A person becomes AU President by being elected to the PAP, and subsequently gaining majority support in the PAP.

.President Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella is the Head of State and Chief of Government of the African Union, by virtue of the fact that she is the President of the Pan African Parliament.^ The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor reported Friday to the U.N. Security Council that violence continues in Darfur and that the Sudanese president and his government are not cooperating with investigators.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ The island nation's leader of a self-styled transitional government, Andry Rajoelina, ousted his political rival, President Marc Ravalomanana, and suspended parliament.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

^ President Moi as a head of state has been very keen on the spread of HIV/AIDS among the populace.

Zachary Arochi Kwena 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.codesria.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

She was elected by Parliament in its inaugural session in March 2004, for a term of five years. .The PAP consists of 265 legislators, five from each constituent state of the African Union.^ On Friday, the African Union suspended Madagascar's membership in protest, and the United States cut all non-humanitarian aid.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

^ Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi has been elected as the next head of the African Union, vowing to press ahead with plans to create a "United States of Africa".

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

Over 21% of the members are female.

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The island nation's leader of a self-styled transitional government, Andry Rajoelina, ousted his political rival, President Marc Ravalomanana, and suspended parliament.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

^ Guineans explained that President Moussa Dadis Camara was having those properties — including the hotel where we stayed the night — marked for demolition as a settlement of property disputes.

AFRICA - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC kristof.blogs.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

.Failed state policies, inequitable global trade practices, and climatic conditions (especially draught) have resulted in many widespread famines, and significant portions of Africa remain with distribution systems unable to disseminate enough food or water for the population to survive.^ I wish to state that as a result of institutional reforms in financial sector, communication and industries, Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Ethiopia and many more African countries have witnessed unprecedented increase of their respective middle class populations.

Special Report: China Storms Africa | Fast Company 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fastcompany.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The cause of this movement is uncertain, but many anthropologists believe it was caused by an increase in population, a result of the introduction of new crops, such as the banana (native to south Asia), which allowed for more efficient food production.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.What had before colonialism been the source for 90% of the world's gold has become the poorest continent on earth, its former riches enjoyed by those on other continents.^ Although it has historically been largest in former English colonies, it has a strong presence throughout the world, especially in Africa.

Anglicans Online | Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC anglicansonline.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The peoples of Africa probably speak more languages than those of any other continent.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Leaders of the world's eight major industrialized nations will end their summit Friday with a pledge to help nations on the world's poorest continent.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

.The spread of disease is also rampant, especially the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the associated acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which has become a deadly pandemic on the continent.^ For example, there are at present almost ten times the number of Africans infected with the HIV virus than there are Internet users on the continent, and this year roughly the same number of people will die of AIDS as will use the Web.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ It's no coincidence that both poverty and the HIV-AIDS pandemic have run rampant in these last two decades of neoliberalism, since the root causes of both can be found in the economic model.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The International AIDS Society is the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals.

allAfrica.com: Other Sources 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC allafrica.com [Source type: News]

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ The Treaty of Utrecht, signed by Spain in 1713, stated that no Jews or Muslims could live there.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ United States officials have made clear that demonstrated improvement with respect to democracy and human rights could lead to increased cooperation with the United States.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Anglicans Online | Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC anglicansonline.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ A U.N.-backed military operation to thwart rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to deliberate killings of more than 1,400 civilians in the country over a nine-month period, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ The best guitar sounds from Zaire, township rhythms from South Africa, and different musical styles from dozens of other African countries continue to land on U.S. shores.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

.Since the conflict began in 1998, the estimated death toll has reached 4 million.^ Estimated percentage of all AIDS deaths since 1980 that took place in Africa : 83 .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^[27] .Political associations such as the African Union offer hope for greater co-operation and peace between the continent's many countries.^ African health ministers have declared a tuberculosis emergency to muster greater political commitment to stop one of the continent's top killers, the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ African leaders have sought to develop a pan-African approach to the continent’s political and military affairs through the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Between 1960 and 1965, I was the Treasurer and Publicity Secretary of Mombasa Branch of Kenya African National Union (KANU), the party which was in power from 1965 till 2002.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The United States will continue to encourage the Government to implement policies that lead to a decrease in human rights violations throughout the country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Most of such violations occur for political reasons, often as a side effect of civil war.^ Ultimately, such policies can lead to economic and political disaster, or even war.

AfriMAP 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.afrimap.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa's modern history has also earned an as-yet-unrecognized place in the world events that have effected everyone in the western world, such as world wars and the cold war.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although there are no political prisoners in the country and serious violations have been few, human rights violations continue to occur.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Countries where major human rights violations have been reported in recent times include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Côte d'Ivoire.^ A U.N.-backed military operation to thwart rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to deliberate killings of more than 1,400 civilians in the country over a nine-month period, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ Following my recent post regarding the generosity of Americans towards victims of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, comes a newly released report of foreign companies profiting from violence in the region.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ I likely picked up my dose of Eh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an epicenter of virulent disease, from flies that transported it from infected human feces to food.

Special Report: China Storms Africa | Fast Company 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fastcompany.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Africa

African Economic Community map

.Although being a continent with plenty of natural resources, Africa remains the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continent, due largely to the effects of the slave trade, corrupt governments, failed central planning, the international trade regime and geopolitics; as well as widespread human rights violations, the negative effects of colonialism, despotism and conflict (ranging from war to civil war to guerrilla to genocide).^ And Africa has an enormous reservoir of natural and human resources.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Africa has an enormous reservoir of natural and human resources, and a new consciousness.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Africa is the world's second largest continent.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^[28] .According to the United Nations' Human Development Report in 2003, the bottom 25 ranked nations (151st to 175th) were all African nations.^ What, after all, does this have to do with human rights or development?

AFRICA - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC kristof.blogs.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

^ A United Nations report has condemned slow (if any) justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo prosecution in the murder of a journalist.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^[29]

.Some areas, notably Botswana and South Africa, have experienced economic success.^ The cratons were tectonically stabilized by voluminous granite intrusions toward the end of the Archean and were then covered by clastic sediments , some of which contain economically important gold and uranium deposits (e.g., the Witwatersrand System in South Africa ).

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Indeed, in 2008, South Africa was by far the leading recipient of new asylum claims in the world, totalling some 207,000.

UNHCR - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.unhcr.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The latter has a wealth of natural resources, being the world's leading producers of both gold and diamonds, and a well-established legal system.^ Its natural resources include diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, natural gas and more which attracted a few Jewish peddlers and merchants.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Most of the gold and diamonds mined in the world come from this region of Africa.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Diamond and gold mining are especially important in the south, while petroleum and natural gas are produced particularly in the west.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.South Africa also has access to financial capital, numerous markets, skilled labor, and first world infrastructure in much of the country and the opening of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.^ What follows is a fairly long account of my perceptions of the political situation in South Africa, which is to most people the thing that makes the country fascinating.

Templeton: Around the World in 14 days. 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.templetons.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The best guitar sounds from Zaire, township rhythms from South Africa, and different musical styles from dozens of other African countries continue to land on U.S. shores.

Africa: News & Videos about Africa - CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC topics.edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

^ Up to 50 million metric tons of refined product – or 78% of the annual consumption of the 48 sub-Saharan countries in Africa - is expected to be added to the world market by 2010.

GRAIN | Seedling | 2007 | The new scramble for Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.grain.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Over a quarter of Botswana's budget (also a major diamond producer) goes toward improving the infrastructure of Gaborone, the nation's capital, largest city, and one of the world's fastest growing cities.^ Even though Nigeria is one of the world's top oil-producing countries the average Nigerian is worse off now than when the nation gained independence from Britain 41 years ago.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ In a country where up to a Quarters of children are malnourished, and where the majority live on less than one US dollar a day, Parliamentarians earn US$16,000 a month.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ NAIROBI : The world's largest slum is here, Kibera , home to 1.2 million mostly young Kenyans, about one third of Nairobi's population.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

.Other African countries are making comparable progress, such as Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and Egypt.^ Comparing Asia to other countries?

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ December 2008, San Francisco - South Africa Shares its success stories - Says we are working with other African countries to enable the same!

. Africa - Africa’s map in the digital inclusion! 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC dotafrica.blogspot.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ A documentary presenting the stories of three women from three African countries: Burkina Faso, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

African Films and Documentaries 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC globetrotter.berkeley.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Nigeria sits on one of the largest proven oil reserves in the world and has the highest population among nations in Africa, with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.^ Rwanda has one of the highest population densities of Africa.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ NAIROBI : The world's largest slum is here, Kibera , home to 1.2 million mostly young Kenyans, about one third of Nairobi's population.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ The countries with the largest populations in Africa are Nigeria (107,000,000 people), Egypt (64,800,000 people), and Ethiopia (58,700,000 people).

Africa Map - ZoomSchool.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.enchantedlearning.com [Source type: Academic]

.From 1995 to 2005, economic growth picked up, averaging 5% in 2005. However, some countries experienced much higher growth (10+%) in particular, Angola, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea, all three of which have recently begun extracting their petroleum reserves.^ I can imagine that lower population density means higher operating costs, and that lower economic growth rates mean fewer opportunities to invest successfully.

AFRICA - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC kristof.blogs.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

^ Zambia's population growth rate has remained at 3.1% for the last 10 years, with an average of 6.1 children per woman, down from 6.5 in 1992.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ United States engagement with Equatorial Guinea resulted in the country developing and passing a strict law addressing trafficking in persons in that country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

Demographics

Main articles: African people and Demographics of Africa

.The last 40 years have seen a rapid increase in population; hence, this population is relatively young.^ Zambia's population growth rate has remained at 3.1% for the last 10 years, with an average of 6.1 children per woman, down from 6.5 in 1992.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ Africa, with 13% of the world's population, is projected to see 34% of the globe's population increase over the next 50 years.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

^ In the last 5 years there has been an increase in family planning and empowerment of women, and it is also important to involve men in the family planning process.

Africa Population Dynamics - WOA!! 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.overpopulation.org [Source type: News]

.In some African states half or more of the population is under 25 years old.^ I wish to state that as a result of institutional reforms in financial sector, communication and industries, Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Ethiopia and many more African countries have witnessed unprecedented increase of their respective middle class populations.

Special Report: China Storms Africa | Fast Company 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fastcompany.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ As a 26 year-old African-American, I don't know which is more difficult: trying to make history as the first Nigerian delegate in the Winter Olympics, or finding a donor for a bone marrow transplant.

Africa : Pictures, Videos, Breaking News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.huffingtonpost.com [Source type: General]

^ Moreover, State power dampens artistic expression and cultural creativity amongst the population as whole; the more pervasive the power of the State, the lower the general levels of creativity in the country as a whole.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^[30]

.Speakers of Bantu languages (part of the Niger-Congo family) are the majority in southern, central and East Africa proper.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Eastern Africa - - Central and southern Africa .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Central and southern Africa - - Madagascar .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Central and southern Africa - - Madagascar .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ For your info Kenya is the leading exporter of Tea in the world , has a thriving Tourism industry and a key economic hub in east and central Africa.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

.Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon and southern Somalia.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The Bantu probably originated in what is now Cameroon, migrating downward into southern Africa.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ North Africa The History of the Hottentot People of South Africa The word 'Hottentots' was a name disparagingly used to refer to the Khoikhoi people that lived in the southern parts of the African continent...

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

.In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the Bushmen (also "San", closely related to, but distinct from "Hottentots") have long been present.^ The Kalahari, in southern Africa, is another large desert.

Africa Map - ZoomSchool.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.enchantedlearning.com [Source type: Academic]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ All through southern Africa there are game reserves where you can see close at hand some of the rarest creatures in the world.

Africa hotels and accommodation, hotel reservations in World, by all-hotels.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.all-hotels.com [Source type: News]

.The San are physically distinct from other Africans and are the indigenous people of southern Africa.^ Africa: Religions ) indigenous religions ( in African religions ) influence of .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ December 2008, San Francisco - South Africa Shares its success stories - Says we are working with other African countries to enable the same!

. Africa - Africa’s map in the digital inclusion! 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC dotafrica.blogspot.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Bantu, a linguistically related group of about 60 million people living in equatorial and southern Africa.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5) I&S Survey of the many cultures of pre- and post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

.The peoples of North Africa comprise two main groups; Berber and Arabic-speaking peoples in the west, and Egyptians in the east.^ Over half of the people of West Africa are muslims.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.The Arabs who arrived in the seventh century introduced the Arabic language and Islam to North Africa.^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ When Europeans arrived here, sub-Saharan Africa was split among 300 tribes who were constantly at war with each other.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Those of us who live in Africa, especially those, who like myself lived further north, know just what a scam this is.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Semitic Phoenicians, the European Greeks, Romans and Vandals settled in North Africa as well.^ European Digital Archive of Soil Maps of the World On-line collection of soil maps from Africa (over 2000 maps), Asia, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe (EuDASM).

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Berbers still make up the majority in Morocco, while they are a significant minority within Algeria.^ The Minor is designed to provide an opportunity for students to make a combination with a Specialization, a Major, or Honours in another discipline.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

They are also present in Tunisia and Libya. .The Tuareg and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The inhabitants, both human and otherwise are no less diverse - Africa is home to modern cities and nomadic villages alike.

Africa Travel - Experience African Safari Tours from Gap Adventures 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.gapadventures.com [Source type: General]

^ When Europeans arrived here, sub-Saharan Africa was split among 300 tribes who were constantly at war with each other.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nubians are a Nilo-Saharan-speaking group (though many also speak Arabic), who developed an ancient civilisation in northeast Africa.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ However, there are still many historic torahs, religious books and civil records remaining, and groups outside of Egypt are seeking to rescue them.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The Speak Africa event also included a powerful spoken word piece by members of the Academy of Young Writers, encouraging young people to take part in Africa’s development.

Speak Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.speakafrica.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.During the past century or so, small but economically important colonies of Lebanese and Chinese have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively.^ South Africa and South East Africa, with Kenya, attract wildlife seekers, during safaris.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ How did the British Government try to keep the support of the people of West Africa during the Second World War?

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Well i think that During my recovery, I had time to dwell on parasites, how they invade and deplete their hosts, much as successive colonial powers have done over the centuries in places such as Africa.

Special Report: China Storms Africa | Fast Company 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.fastcompany.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Some Ethiopian and Eritrean groups (like the Amhara and Tigrayans, collectively known as "Habesha") speak Semitic languages.^ The people The African continent is a mosaic of 3,000 ethnic groups speaking 1,000 languages.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Northern Africans speak a family of languages known as Afro-Asiatic.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Every nationality/ethnic group has the right, just like the individual, to think, feel, desire, speak and act in its own ways.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.The Oromo and Somali peoples speak Cushitic languages, but some Somali clans trace their founding to legendary Arab founders.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The people The African continent is a mosaic of 3,000 ethnic groups speaking 1,000 languages.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The peoples of Africa probably speak more languages than those of any other continent.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Sudan and Mauritania are divided between a mostly Arabized north and a native African south (although the "Arabs" of Sudan clearly have a predominantly native African ancestry themselves).^ Days KwaZulu-Natal 14-day Self-Drive Tour The KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa varies between authentic African bushveld in the north and the rugged Drakensberg Escarpment in the south.

Africa Adventure Trips - BootsnAll World Adventures 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC adventures.bootsnall.com [Source type: General]

^ Although many North Africans do not consider themselves Arab, they are saddled with the untenable Arab world view which attempts to place a veneer of civilization over backward tribalism characterized by traditional Islamic [sharia] law.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ There is a balance between the past and the future that only Africans themselves can solve - and they have every capability of doing so, as humans have done since they became human.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.Some areas of East Africa, particularly the island of Zanzibar and the Kenyan island of Lamu, received Arab Muslim and Southwest Asian settlers and merchants throughout the Middle Ages and in antiquity.^ Indonesia's president Abdurrahman Wahid was sightseeing in the Middle East and north Africa while machete-wielding Dayak tribesmen in Borneo continued to hunt down Madurese settlers and chop off their heads.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ While the world is riveted on the body count in the latest outbreak of Middle East warfare -- it had topped 350 as of this morning -- the killing in Africa goes on nearly unnoticed.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ March 1966 Advertising supplement TWA adventures Europe-Africa-Asia/1966 SEE ALSO: Africa ; Airlines ; Asia ; Middle East ; Rates PDF IMAGES .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

.Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans such as the Portuguese and Dutch began to establish trading posts and forts along the coasts of western and southern Africa.^ The Portuguese explored the western coast in the 15th century.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ World History Network - Migration Simulation "an online simulation of the demography of migration for three major cases: Atlantic Slave Trade (18th century), Oriental Slave Trade (from Africa across the Sahara and Red Sea in the 19th century), and European Migration (1840-1920).

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Peoples of European descent are found mostly in the south; Dutch (Boer) migrations began in the 17th century, and the English first settled in what is now Kenya and Zimbabwe in the 19th century.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Eventually, a large number of Dutch augmented by French Huguenots and Germans settled in what is today South Africa.^ South Africa inaugurates its fourth post-apartheid president today, a man whom I’ve met and have come to admire for his contribution to the liberation struggle.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

^ Nambia Nambia Books South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during WW I and administered it as a mandate until after WW II, when it annexed the territory.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Number of people who died in police custody in South Africa last year: 758 .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

.Their descendants, the Afrikaners and the Coloureds, are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today.^ During negotiations between South Africa's White Afrikaners and ANC, as well as other Black groups, some of the Afrikaners demanded the right to self-determination.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ West Africa Small Group Tours - Discover the colour, sounds and culture of this remarkable destination...

Africa Overland Tours, Safaris, Lodge based and Self Drive Tours, Overland Tours for the Disabled Traveller and Kilimanjaro Climbs 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.kumuka.com [Source type: General]

.In the nineteenth century, a second phase of colonisation brought a large number of French and British settlers to Africa.^ French colonies in Africa and Asia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ How did the British Government try to keep the support of the people of West Africa during the Second World War?

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Already, large percentages of households in Sub-Saharan Africa are poor, and the large number of people on treatment means ever-increasing treatment program costs.

AIDS in Africa — Global Issues 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globalissues.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

The Portuguese settled mainly in Angola, but also in Mozambique. .The French settled in large numbers in Algeria where they became known collectively as pieds-noirs, and on a smaller scale in other areas of North and West Africa as well as in Madagascar.^ In North Africa (mainly in Algeria), a special plucked instrument is getting popular since the 1960's, which is a combination of an oud , a guitar and a mando-cello .

ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The reason a large percentage of white people in the world are relatively well of is because they work hard and aren’t fighting wars, and that is exactly what needs to happen in Africa.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Maps cover the African continent, South Africa, West Africa, North Africa, ethnographic.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The British settled chiefly in South Africa as well as the colony of Rhodesia, and in the highlands of what is now Kenya.^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Peoples of European descent are found mostly in the south; Dutch (Boer) migrations began in the 17th century, and the English first settled in what is now Kenya and Zimbabwe in the 19th century.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ South Africa and South East Africa, with Kenya, attract wildlife seekers, during safaris.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Germans settled in what is now Tanzania and Namibia, and there is still a population of German-speaking white Namibians.^ Among the most popular destinations are Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, and Morocco, but there are rare riches to be found throughout the region.

Adventure Collection | Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.adventurecollection.com [Source type: General]

^ But note that the gap between the "German-speaking people" (White Germans) is a point of "concern".

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

Smaller numbers of European soldiers, businessmen, and officials also established themselves in administrative centers such as Nairobi and Dakar. .Decolonisation during the 1960s often resulted in the mass emigration of European-descended settlers out of Africa – especially from Algeria, Angola, Kenya and Rhodesia.^ Country maps for Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.However, in South Africa and Namibia, the white minority remained politically dominant after independence from Europe, and a significant population of Europeans remained in these two countries even after democracy was finally instituted at the end of the Cold War.^ I was born in South Africa and this country is breathtaking.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Before the late 19th century, Europe showed little interest in colonizing Africa, but by 1884 European countries had begun a scramble to partition the continent, and by 1920 much of it was under colonial rule.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The resignation of South African President Thabo Mbeki last week heralds a new era in Africa, a continent dominated by political demigods and kleptomaniacs who do not respect constitutional authority.

Africa | Midwest Voices 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC voices.kansascity.com [Source type: General]

.South Africa has also become the preferred destination of white Anglo-Zimbabweans, and of migrants from all over southern Africa.^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ AfroAIDSinfo An HIV/AIDS information portal for southern Africa developed by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC).

Sub-Saharan Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC hivinsite.ucsf.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ All it takes are a few good men and an idea Mike Smith - 8/11/2008 I have often wondered why Whites in South Africa, and in particular, Afrikaners, do not have independence yet.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.European colonisation also brought sizeable groups of Asians, particularly people from the Indian subcontinent, to British colonies.^ Regent Street Colonial Policies of the British and French in Africa The British practiced association and the French practiced assimilation when colonizing Africa.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ During the colonial era, Gandhi linked the fate of Indians suffering abroad under British colonial rule to the fate of those at home.

Here's to Closer Ties Between India and Africa - Sepia Mutiny 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.sepiamutiny.com [Source type: General]

^ Mugabe The Differences in Colonization in Africa and India The way Europeans colonized Africa was different from the way the British colonized India.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

.Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and East African countries.^ And where are the leaders from the other East Africans nations?

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

^ I was born in South Africa and this country is breathtaking.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

The large Indian community in Uganda was expelled by the dictator Idi Amin in 1972, though many have since returned. .The islands in the Indian Ocean are also populated primarily by people of Asian origin, often mixed with Africans and Europeans.^ This island is located in the Indian Ocean.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ "The word 'Black' is used here to denote people of African descent; 'Asian' to describe people of South Asian origin (from modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the area that formed the British territory of India);..."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

The Malagasy people of Madagascar are a Austronesian people, but those along the coast are generally mixed with Bantu, Arab, Indian and European origins. .Malay and Indian ancestries are also important components in the group of people known in South Africa as Cape Coloureds (people with origins in two or more races and continents).^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ However, the Report also points out that Indian entrepreneurs have long enjoyed trading relations in Africa, particularly along the continent’s east coast, running from Kenya down to the tip of South Africa.

Here's to Closer Ties Between India and Africa - Sepia Mutiny 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.sepiamutiny.com [Source type: General]

^ Nationwide Airlines -- South Africa based airline flies to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, George, London Gatwick, Mpumalanga and Port Elizabeth.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Languages

Main article: African languages

Map showing the distribution of African language families and some major African languages.^ The Countries Database has individual country maps showing some ethnic groups and a continent country-boundaries map.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ NetStoreUSA Sells a variety of African maps and atlasees (some plastic, some from the Institut Geographique National, political, city maps, etc.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Has a map of African languages, an African facts flashcard game, classroom ideas for teachers .

Teaching about Africa - Curriculum - Lesson Plans for K-12 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Afro-Asiatic extends from the Sahel to Southwest Asia. Niger-Congo is divided to show the size of the Bantu sub-family.

Many African countries today have more than one official language.

.By most estimates, Africa contains well over a thousand languages (some have estimated over two thousand), most of African origin and a few of European origin.^ Rioters near and around Paris set thousands of cars and dozens of buildings on fire after two teenagers of African descent were electrocuted while trying to escape the police .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ A genetic map of Africa - the continent from which all modern humans originate - has provided information about its huge diversity of language and culture.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

.Africa is the most polyglot continent in the world; it is not rare to find individuals there who fluently speak not only several African languages, but one or two European ones as well.^ Africa is the world's second largest continent.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Apparently not many guitars were made locally in Africa, as most photos of African players (even the older ones) show (cheap) western (or Far Eastern) made instruments; one likely exception is shown here.

ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Students will find here gains dealing with fundamental geographic details of Africa as well as the desperate challenge that Africa poses to the rest of the world in terms on ethnic rivalry, drought and political instability.

Template -- Teachers @ Work - Mark Teadwell 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.teachers-work.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.There are four major language families native to Africa.^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ At the larger scale there are major disparities between South Africa and the rest of the continent, with the vast majority of Internet connectivity at the extreme south or north.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ There are, then, still major disparities in Africa's connectivity.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout East Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia.
The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people.
^ And Asia is much, much, much larger than Africa.
35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]
^ Many languages are spoken in western Africa.
Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa , with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.Nilo-Saharan languages are mainly spoken in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
The Niger-Congo language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages.
^ Lake Victoria, on the border of Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, is the world's second largest freshwater lake.
Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Many languages are spoken in western Africa.
Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
.A substantial number of them are the Bantu languages spoken in much of sub-Saharan Africa.
The Khoisan languages number about fifty and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120,000 people.
^ The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo family, while smaller numbers in central Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in southern Africa Khoisan languages .
Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]
^ Many languages are spoken in western Africa.
Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
Many of the Khoisan languages are endangered. The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa.

.Following colonialism, nearly all African countries adopted official languages that originated outside the continent, although several countries nowadays also use various languages of native origin (such as Swahili) as their official language.^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While there were the instances of political unrest, in all I think African countries had one of the better years.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

.In numerous countries, English and French (see African French) are used for communication in the public sphere such as government, commerce, education and the media.^ Series: Government publications relating to African countries prior to independence.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ There was some evidence, including several infrastructure projects, which the Government started to use the country's oil wealth for the public good.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ I see a situation that could certainly be as bad as strife in west African countries and hopefully not ape the Rwanda disaster.

Open House: Have Your Say: Kenya's Slide Towards Civil War 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC blogs.independent.co.uk [Source type: Original source]

.Arabic, Portuguese, Afrikaans and Malagasy are other examples of originally non-African languages that are used by millions of Africans today, both in the public and private spheres.^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Embassy staff continued to use private meetings and public engagements with Kenyan government officials to urge improvements in democratic institutions and human rights practices.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ Arabic, French, Portuguese, English, Spanish and other languages relevant to the history of the African diaspora."

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Africa

.African culture is characterised by a vastly diverse patchwork of social values, ranging from extreme patriarchy to extreme matriarchy, sometimes in tribes existing side by side.^ Hybrid mixtures of these different cultures also exist, making South Africa one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

Culture of South Africa | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ Calls for Submissions Editors of the International Research Confederacy on African Literature and Culture (IRCALC) are currently receiving submissions in existing literatures of Africa.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ POLI 386 Contemporary Liberalism and Its Critics (3 credits) This course discusses the political, cultural, and social consequences of classical liberalism and neo-liberalism from the critical viewpoints of a range of contemporary political thinkers.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

.Modern African culture is characterised by conflicted responses to Arab nationalism and European imperialism.^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Imperialism is responsible for genocide, national oppression, attacks on working class conditions, war, underdevelopment, starvation, and poverty.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Increasingly, beginning in the late 1990s, Africans are reasserting their identity.^ The Hip-Hop Headrush originated in South African campus radio in the mid-90s, moving to the Web in the late 1990s - now its primary home.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.In North Africa especially the rejection of the label Arab or European has resulted in an upsurge of demands for special protection of indigenous Amazigh languages and culture in Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.^ Read our business section or send us an E-mail Northern Africa Going through Africa from the North to the South, you will first encounter six arab-berber countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Mauritania.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They share a common language, widely spoken by non-Swahilis, called Ki-Swahili, and enjoy a city-based fusion of African and Arab culture.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

The re-emergence of Pan-Africanism since the fall of apartheid has heightened calls for a renewed sense of African identity. .In South Africa, intellectuals from settler communities of European descent increasingly identify as African for cultural rather than geographical or racial reasons.^ South African cultural heritage.

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Topics include Nigerian elections, Sudan, AIDS, slavery, Rwanda, African culture, Ethiopian religions, South Africa, African drumming, Queen of Sheba, Timbuktu, Kenyan women, Swahili coast.

Teaching about Africa - Curriculum - Lesson Plans for K-12 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Those who govern badly,” said an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs, “bag a lot more than $5 million.” .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

Famously, some have undergone ritual ceremonies to become members of the Zulu or other community.

.Much of the traditional African cultures have become impoverished as a result of years of neglect and suppression by colonial and neo-colonial regimes.^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ For example, the ESAP package assumes that the cause of the African economic crisis is internal, the result of too much government intervention in the market.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.There is now a resurgence in the attempts to rediscover and revalourise African traditional cultures, under such movements as the African Renaissance led by Thabo Mbeki, Afrocentrism led by an influential group of scholars including Molefi Asante, as well as the increasing recognition of traditional spiritualism through decriminalization of Voudoo and other forms of spirituality.^ Despite South Africa President Thabo Mbeki's attempts to be the continent's peace broker, the image of the 'lost continent' deteriorates daily.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It examines a major text such as Plato’s Laws or Hegel’s Phenomenology as well as commentaries on it, while attempting to explore systematically the issues and problems raised by the text and the interpretative traditions that follow from it.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

^ Under the Roman Empire, Christianity took root in the region and several of the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine of Hippo, were native Africans.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.In recent years African traditional culture has become synonymous with rural poverty and subsistence farming.^ A recent report by Frost and Sullivan shows double digit growth in the East African Mobile market over the next 5 years.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ South African Culture and Tradition Explored .

Culture of South Africa | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

.Urban culture in Africa, now associated with Western values, is a great contrast from traditional African urban culture which was once rich and enviable even by modern Western standards.^ The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Annual Conference--a new, inter-disciplinary academic association that promotes the highest standards of research and teaching in the fields of Middle Eastern studies, African studies and their related disciplines--invites scholars to attend our annual conference set for April 24-26, 2008 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The conference is entitled: "The Evolution of Islamic Politics, Philosophy, and Culture in the Middle East and Africa: From Traditional Limits to Modern Extremes."

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Traditional African religions are strong and historic in West Africa.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Ebook.org/ Historians from the African Studies Association are selecting Africa-related titles.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

.African cities such as Loango, M'banza Congo, Timbuktu, Thebes, Meroe and others had served as the world's most affluent urban and industrial centers, clean, well-laid out, and full of universities, libraries, and temples.^ Most remarkable destinations are Cairo with its pyramids, Luxor with its valley of Kings, the medieval cities of Morocco such as Marrakesh and Fez and the cities of Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Library, Documentation and Information, Department of the African Studies Centre at the University of Leiden has compiled a web dossier on conflict in Sudan, and especially Darfur.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (01/31/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The western world knows this since long but most Africans didn't!

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.The main and most enduring cultural fault-line in Africa is the divide between traditional pastoralists and agriculturalists.^ Africa Speaks: West African University Students Write About Their Lives Essay and stories "about growing up and living in West Africa on the fault line between traditional and western cultures.

Teaching about Africa - Curriculum - Lesson Plans for K-12 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Hybrid mixtures of these different cultures also exist, making South Africa one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

Culture of South Africa | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ Southern Ghana is home to sub-Saharan Africa's most dynamic and enduring glass bead-making tradition.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

.The divide is not, and never was based on economic competition, but rather on the colonial racial policy that identified pastoralists as constituting a different race from agriculturalists, and enforcing a form of apartheid between the two cultures beginning in the 1880s and lasting until the 1960s.^ Overview of ancient through contemporary times, focusing on the historical and cultural contexts of the arts and the stylistic differences between tribal and individual artists' styles.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Replies: 0 Last poster: Jammeh at 07-01-2010 14:43 Topic is Open The relation between the Gambia and Senegambia has been in existence since time immemorial, the two countries that share the same cultures and ethnic groups were only divided by colonial masters.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ However, it simply does not follow that from a demonstration that there were nominal differences in wage rates between two groups of miners that the one benefited from the exploitation of the other.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Although European colonial powers were largely industrial, many of the administrators and philosophers, whose writings provided rationale for colonialism, applied quasi-scientific eugenics policies and racist politics on Africans in experiments of misguided social engineering.^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Classical music, although European in nature, is enjoyed regularly at al fresco concerts across the country amidst the beauty of large botanical gardens.

Culture of South Africa | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

Most of the racial recategorisation of Africans to fit European stereotypes was contradictory and incoherent. .However, because their legalism and laws that emanated from these policies were backed by police force, the scientific establishment and economic power, Africans reacted by either conforming to the new rules, or rejecting them in favour of Pan-Africanism.^ However, three southern African countries, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe rejected the offer because the loans would further the dependency and debt of African countries , while American pharmaceutical corporations would benefit.

AIDS in Africa — Global Issues 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.globalissues.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ In other words, decolonisation on the nationalist model delivers power to a new local ruling class.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.All across Africa communities and individuals were measured by colonial eugenics boards and reassigned identities and ethnicities based on pseudoscience.^ Johann Wingard, Ph.D. - 6/19/2006 The Constitution of South Africa is based on the liberal principle of individualism and only the human rights of individuals are recognised explicitly.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Kumuka operates overland, specialist, lodge based, small group and self drive tours across Africa.

Africa Overland Tours, Safaris, Lodge based and Self Drive Tours, Overland Tours for the Disabled Traveller and Kilimanjaro Climbs 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.kumuka.com [Source type: General]

^ In Anarchism, society will be based on the free association of individuals into communes and syndicates, the federation of syndicates along industrial lines, and of communes on regional , country-wide and ultimately international lines.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.The schools taught that in general Africans who resembled Europeans in some physical or cultural aspect were superior to other Africans and deserved more privileges.^ Ther are more Africans/ blacks world wide than any other group except the “oriental” Asians.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ When Europeans arrived here, sub-Saharan Africa was split among 300 tribes who were constantly at war with each other.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ ANTH 324 Culture and Politics of Africa (5) I&S Hoffman Introduction to African cultural responses to the slave trade, European colonialism, and globalization.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

.This caused animosity, incited by other Europeans – socialists and communists – who identified Africans according to dubious classes also modeled on European concerns.^ When Europeans arrived here, sub-Saharan Africa was split among 300 tribes who were constantly at war with each other.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In other words, decolonisation on the nationalist model delivers power to a new local ruling class.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Continue Jamati Online Highlights Top African Models African models seem to be a multifaceted group of people who are dedicated to giving back to their communities.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

.The easiest way to divide Africans was along economic lines.^ In this way, British workers are divided from French workers, and both are divided from Asian and African workers.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Pastoralists, agriculturalists, hunter-gatherers and Westernised Africans, all formed distinctly identifiable cultures each of which came to play a different and disfiguring role in Africa's modern politics.^ Explores the history, culture, and politics of Africa.

Video Series -- Media Resources Center, UC Berkeley 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.lib.berkeley.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ While there were the instances of political unrest, in all I think African countries had one of the better years.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ Robert Mugabe - Africa's Saddam Hussein Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/7/2005 The Western press casts him in the role of an African Saddam Hussein.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Westernised Africans, specifically Senegalese and Sudanese Nubians from urban centers such as Dakar and Khartoum, were used to serve as the bulk of colonial troops against the rural Africans.^ Witnesses say the insurgents used artillery against a Ugandan contingent of the AU. The AU has been in Mogadishu since March last year and has about 3,000 troops.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

^ The United States three-year Basic Education on Human Rights and Responsibilities plan empowers human rights based education in 120 rural villages and urban centers, using methodology and materials adapted to the socio- economic context of the participants.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ "King Mandume ya Ndemufayo, died fighting the Portuguese and British-South African colonial troops at the Oihole village in 1917."

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

Pastoralists were radicalised by the wholesale confiscation of grazing lands in favour of plantations. .Agriculturalists came into conflict for land and water with pastoralists after the traditional sharing arrangements had been destroyed by colonial policies.^ The central aim of the conference is to gain insight into the nature of policy-making concerning land not only at national level but also at the level of regional, inter-state systems.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (01/31/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

75,000 year old Nassarius shell beads found in Blombos Cave, South Africa

.In addition, a growing body of speculative anthropology and race science made false claims about the superiority and inferiority of Africans with different cultural and economic backgrounds.^ Africa Speaks: West African University Students Write About Their Lives Essay and stories "about growing up and living in West Africa on the fault line between traditional and western cultures.

Teaching about Africa - Curriculum - Lesson Plans for K-12 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Ever the African icon, Fela’s music and ideas have been at the cornerstone of the growing Afropolitan culture in New York and other metropolitan areas around the world.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ From the 1999 Arts Diary site sponsored by the South African government's Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ At the larger scale there are major disparities between South Africa and the rest of the continent, with the vast majority of Internet connectivity at the extreme south or north.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The enforcement of the government decrees and policies tended to produce effects that confirmed the prejudices of the European colonialists.^ He wrote a book called "Government by deception" about African politics related to Zimbabwe and the effects Mugabe's policies may have on other countries.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.African art and architecture reflect the diversity of African cultures.^ Critical Interventions is a peer-reviewed journal of advanced research and writing on African art history and visual culture.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Studies the art masterpieces as reflections of the Western culture that produced them.

Video Series -- Media Resources Center, UC Berkeley 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.lib.berkeley.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Art & Architecture Culture, History & Ruins Sight-Seeing Geographic Expeditions Among the Lions $6,250 GeoEx offers an amazing 9-day Kenya lion safari.

Adventure Collection | Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.adventurecollection.com [Source type: General]

.The oldest existing examples of art from Africa are 75,000 year old beads made from Nassarius shells that were found in Blombos Cave.^ Scientists at MIT's Whitehead Institute found evidence that Europeans are descended from about 50 people who left Africa 60,000 years ago and inbred among themselves for 30 generations.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ Much speculation ensued about what the 54-year-old Blair would do next, and it was thought that he might establish a foundation to fight poverty in Africa .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ Clinton lauds oldest Peace Corps volunteer, an 85-year-old .

Africa News and Video Coverage -- African International News from CNN.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC edition.cnn.com [Source type: News]

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was the world's tallest structure for 4,000 years until the completion of Lincoln Cathedral around 1300. The stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe are also noteworthy for their architecture, and the complex of monolithic churches at Lalibela, Ethiopia, of which the Church of St. George is representative, is regarded as another marvel of engineering.

Music and dance

Main article: Music of Africa

.The music of Africa is one of its most dynamic art forms.^ FDLR Inc: Congo’s multinational rebels, one of Africa's most feared militias .

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ One” – you are an idiot.The reason for africa looking smaller in comparison to other countries on most maps is that the maps are projections from a sphere to a flat rectangular representation.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Also be sure to check Ladybrille Magazine at http://ladybrillemag.com for stories on Africa fashion,film, music and the arts!

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

.Egypt has long been a cultural focus of the Arab world, while remembrance of the rhythms of sub-Saharan Africa, in particular West Africa, was transmitted through the Atlantic slave trade to modern samba, blues, jazz, reggae, rap, and rock and roll.^ Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Images of the slave trade in Africa and the Americas.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is an African initiative that has been established to: * Stimulate debate on good governance across sub-Saharan Africa and the world * Provide objective criteria by which citizens can hold their Governments to account .

allAfrica.com: Other Sources 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC allafrica.com [Source type: News]

The 1950's through the 1970's saw a conglomeration of these various styles with the popularization of Afrobeat and Highlife music. .Modern music of the continent includes the highly complex choral singing of southern Africa and the dance rhythms of soukous, dominated by the music of the Democratic Republic of Congo.^ Also includes theater, music, dance, cinema.

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Republic Democratic of Congo Congo Democratic Republic map and data.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Recent developments include the emergence of African hip hop, in particular a form from Senegal blended with traditional mbalax, and Kwaito, a South African variant of house music.^ Rock and pop are also popular and a number of South African musicians have created sounds which simply cannot be confined to a particular music group, but which are very South African in nature.

Culture of South Africa | By South Africa Channel 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.southafrica.com [Source type: News]

^ The project "explores the journey of Africans from freedom to slavery, the transformation of the landscape and development of wealth generated by the work of enslaved Africans, and the surviving traditions of those individuals in contemporary South Carolina."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Duties include teaching upper-division and graduate courses in sub-Saharan African and/or South Asia and lower-division courses in world history.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (01/31/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]
JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

.Afrikaans music, also found in South Africa, is idiosyncratic being composed mostly of traditional Boer music, while more recent immigrant communities have introduced the music of their homes to the continent.^ Africa is the second-largest continent, after Asia, in size and population; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ Peoples of European descent are found mostly in the south; Dutch (Boer) migrations began in the 17th century, and the English first settled in what is now Kenya and Zimbabwe in the 19th century.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Despite South Africa President Thabo Mbeki's attempts to be the continent's peace broker, the image of the 'lost continent' deteriorates daily.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Indigenous musical and dance traditions of Africa are maintained by oral traditions and they are distinct from the music and dance styles of North Africa and Southern Africa.^ African Art Great Online Resources for African Music Radio Stations African music has been influenced by styles from the US and Europe but has still managed to maintain it's own unique characteristics making for a new 'flavor' that will keep you dancing for ages.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ The population includes many agriculturists, who keep some animals as well, although, in distinction to eastern and southern Africa, cattle are not herded here.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

.Arab influences are visible in North African music and dance and in Southern Africa western influences are apparent due to colonisation.^ Africa: Religions ) indigenous religions ( in African religions ) influence of .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ African Art Great Online Resources for African Music Radio Stations African music has been influenced by styles from the US and Europe but has still managed to maintain it's own unique characteristics making for a new 'flavor' that will keep you dancing for ages.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ Robert Mugabe - Africa's Saddam Hussein Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/7/2005 The Western press casts him in the role of an African Saddam Hussein.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Many African languages are tone languages, in which pitch level determines the meaning.^ Many groups in African societies continued to face discrimination and exclusion from protection or the means to get redress for the abuses they suffered.

Africa | Amnesty International Report 2009 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC thereport.amnesty.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The rapid urbanization and prevailing poverty in many African countries means that many people find themselves without adequate housing, often living in slums.

Africa | Amnesty International Report 2009 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC thereport.amnesty.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been an major inspiration for many young Africans looking to re-define what it means to be African in the West.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

This also finds expression in African musical melodies and rhythms. .A variety of musical instruments are used, including drums (most widely used), bells, musical bow, lute, flute, and trumpet.^ What makes iPhone most appealing to me is the wide variety of available applications that have been designed to run on iPhones.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

.African dances are important mode of communication and dancers use gestures, masks, costumes, body painting and a number of visual devices.^ SEE ALSO: Africa ; Costume ; Masks, African PDF IMAGES .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

.With urbanisation and modernisation, modern African dance and music exhibit influences assimilated from several other cultures.^ African Art Great Online Resources for African Music Radio Stations African music has been influenced by styles from the US and Europe but has still managed to maintain it's own unique characteristics making for a new 'flavor' that will keep you dancing for ages.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ ADC Airlines -- Lagos, Nigeria based airline designated as a flag carrier to fly to Europe and several other African countries by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ However, their use in Kenya like many other African countries is hampered by perceived discomfort, culture and superstitions people have towards them (Nasirumbi, 2000).

Zachary Arochi Kwena 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.codesria.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Legends of Africa

Main article: Legends of Africa

Africa has a wealth of history which is largely unrecorded. Many myths, fables and legends abound.

Sports

.53 African countries have football teams in the Confederation of African Football, while Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana have advanced to the knockout stage of recent FIFA World Cups.^ Cameroon won the Olympic Football Games in 2000, and Kenyan runners win most of the marathons held in the world.

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Globalis - Interactive World Map Generate custom maps (African continent) and country rankings.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ ADC Airlines -- Lagos, Nigeria based airline designated as a flag carrier to fly to Europe and several other African countries by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

African Airlines Of The Web - Airfare Information, Reservations, Schedules, Aviation 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC flyaow.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup tournament, and will be the first African country to do so.^ I was born in South Africa and this country is breathtaking.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Doctors Without Borders The Issue: Chinese Investment in Africa There has been much controversy and debate lately over China's increased investment in African countries.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ Up to 50 million metric tons of refined product – or 78% of the annual consumption of the 48 sub-Saharan countries in Africa - is expected to be added to the world market by 2010.

GRAIN | Seedling | 2007 | The new scramble for Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.grain.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Cricket is also popular in some African nations, with South Africa and Zimbabwe holding Test status and Kenya also being a significant force in One-Day International cricket.^ South Africa and South East Africa, with Kenya, attract wildlife seekers, during safaris.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ You can click directly on the map (Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya and polar region text labels) to see all hotels of the selected area.

Africa Hotels in South Africa Hotel Morocco Hotels Egypt Tunisia Seychelles Mauritius 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.asiarooms.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Those who govern badly,” said an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs, “bag a lot more than $5 million.” .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

.The three countries jointly hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup.^ The ANC now says they want 4.5% economic growth by 2010 - at which time we will be hosting the world cup soccer and then we will kick right up to 6% GDP growth.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.A number of African nations, especially Ethiopia, Kenya, and Morocco, have fielded world-class long-distance runners such as Abebe Bikila and Cosmas Ndeti.^ The western world knows this since long but most Africans didn't!

Welcome in Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC us-africa.tripod.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Much of the poverty in which this African nation is mired today is the fault of the support of Julius Nyerere by the World Bank and the IMF. .

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These sorts of national hostilities are also promoted by Third World elites and nationalists who also oppose the idea of international class struggle unity.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.South Africa hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup and also won the 2007 Rugby World Cup.^ South Africa Links World Wide Worx South African Internet Technology research website.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ Jan Lamprecht - 5/30/2007 There is no limit to the amount of ignorance out there in the Western world about Africa and what happened here.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This is not to say that South Africa was independent of the broader world imperialist system, as it acted as a semi- periphery / junior partner of imperialism dominating the southern part of Africa <1> .

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

Religion

See also: African Traditional Religion, Christianity in Africa, Islam in Africa, and Jews and Judaism in Africa

.Different Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs^[31] and it is difficult to conclude accurate statistics about religious demography in Africa as a whole.^ South Africa Links World Wide Worx South African Internet Technology research website.

Africa Internet Usage and Population Statistics 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.internetworldstats.com [Source type: Academic]

^ Mass Media A Taste of African Food in St. Louis, Missouri Africa is a huge continent with many different countries and regional specialties in food.

African Continent - Associated Content - Topic - associatedcontent.com 10 September 2009 21:14 UTC www.associatedcontent.com [Source type: General]

^ Five years ago, there was a widely shared belief that the Internet was the golden fleece of Africa's future prosperity.

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Estimations from World Book Encyclopedia claim that there are 150 million African Muslims and 130 million African Christians, while Encyclopedia Britannica estimates that approximately 46.5% of all Africans are Christians and another 40.5% are Muslims with roughly 11.8% of Africans following indigenous African religions.^ Africa: Religions ) indigenous religions ( in African religions ) influence of .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ While there were the instances of political unrest, in all I think African countries had one of the better years.

Alltop - Top Africa News 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC africa.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ But all in all, from about the latitude of the southern portion of the West African coastline southwards, there were no cities at all.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

A small number of Africans are Hindu or Baha'i, or have beliefs from the Judaic tradition. .Examples of African Jews are the Beta Israel, Lemba peoples and the Abayudaya of Eastern Uganda.^ The Images and Sounds of the Abayudaya, the Jews of Uganda " - authored by Richard Sobol and Jeffrey A. Summit.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Uganda Ugandan Books There are approximately 600 Jews (2002) living in this African country.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The indigenous Sub-Saharan African religions tend to revolve around animism and ancestor worship.^ Duties include teaching upper-division and graduate courses in sub-Saharan African and/or South Asia and lower-division courses in world history.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

Mots Pluriels Martin Hall 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC motspluriels.arts.uwa.edu.au [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Change since 1987 in the percentage of sub-Saharan Africans living on less than $1 a day: 0 .

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

.A common thread in traditional belief systems was the division of the spiritual world into "helpful" and "harmful". Helpful spirits are usually deemed to include ancestor spirits that help their descendants, and powerful spirits that protect entire communities from natural disaster or attacks from enemies; whereas harmful spirits include the souls of murdered victims who were buried without the proper funeral rites, and spirits used by hostile spirit mediums to cause illness among their enemies.^ The issue of food insecurity is touched on in P. McCarthy, winter 1992/3, "Famine in Somalia- its not a natural disaster, its murder", in Workers Solidarity: the Magazine of the Workers Solidarity Movement, no.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Many legal systems combine laws introduced by European powers during the colonial era with traditional law, though North African countries derive many laws from Islam.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The case of Ossian Sweet, a highly respected black doctor who found himself the victim of a community attack in Detroit, 1925, and Darrow's role in defending him.

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.While the effect of these early forms of worship continues to have a profound influence, belief systems have evolved as they interact with other religions.^ They are funded by IMF/World Bank loans and other forms of aid.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Firstly, these ruling classes are an essential part of the imperialist capitalist system as they provide the economic and political preconditions for continued imperialist domination throughout the ruling class.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Authors experiment with form, language, content, and other rhetorical strategies in order to adequately represent the complex and multivalent nature of these conflicts.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

.The formation of the Old Kingdom of Egypt in the third millennium BCE marked the first known complex religious system on the continent.^ Egypt has been inhabited for thousands of years with the earliest known appearance of hieroglyphics dates to about 3200 B.C. The Egyptian system of currency is called a pound, like the United Kingdom.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Africa’s first great historical kingdom, Egypt, arose along the Nile c.

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Around the ninth century, Carthage (in present-day Tunisia) was founded by the Phoenicians, and went on to become a major cosmopolitan center where deities from neighboring Egypt, Rome and the Etruscan city-states were worshipped.^ Many Jews emigrated to Israel after the founding of the Jewish state - or to France when Tunisia won independence in 1956.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The Jews led the city after the founding of Israel and again when Tunisia gained independence from France in the 1950s.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In major cities around Uganda, more than 130 journalists, government officers, Members of Parliament and academics participated in discussion on the state of press freedom in Uganda and on the pending Freedom of Information Act.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.Today, many Jewish peoples also live in North Africa, particularly in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.^ Those of us who live in Africa, especially those, who like myself lived further north, know just what a scam this is.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ South Africa: From Boer Wars to the ANC Jan Lamprecht - 5/26/2005 The Zulus, who live on the east coast, had many wars with other Blacks.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ South Africa's Coming Race War Jan Lamprecht - 5/18/2005 Many people are fooled by words.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.The founding of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is traditionally dated to the mid-first century, while the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Church officially date from the fourth century.^ Dates range from the late 19th century to pre-World War II and the mid 1960s.

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ This site features digital copies of 113 antique maps of Africa and accompanying text dating from the mid 16th Century to the early 20th Century.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The Embassy worked closely with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Mekane Yesus Church, the Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church and the Missionaries of Charity Sisters to support HIV/AIDS programs.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

.These are thus some of the first established Christian churches in the world.^ Thus a successful struggle against imperialism requires maximum international support and solidarity, both within the First World and across the Third World.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Any new church that wants to establish itself must be approved first through the Ministry of Justice, Religion, and Penal Institutions.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

^ As such, merely listing off figures does not actually establish that there were substantial differences in living standards between Third and First World workers.

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.At first, Christian Orthodoxy made gains in modern-day Sudan and other neighbouring regions.^ One of the first things Christians should do upon arrival is seek to understand the other religions in the area, and not just on a “know thy enemy” level.

AFRICA - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC kristof.blogs.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

However, after the spread of Islam, growth was slow and restricted to the highlands.

.Many Sub-Saharan Africans were converted to Western Christianity during the colonial period.^ Africa, not merely because of the misrule and warped personalities of many African leaders, but because Africa had been damaged severely, first by the slave trade, then by the colonialism which grew out of the slave trade."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Duties include teaching upper-division and graduate courses in sub-Saharan African and/or South Asia and lower-division courses in world history.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5) I&S Survey of the many cultures of pre- and post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa.

ANTHROPOLOGY 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.washington.edu [Source type: Academic]

In the last decades of the twentieth century, various sects of Charismatic Christianity rapidly grew. .A number of Roman Catholic African bishops were mentioned as possible papal candidates in 2005, the most prominent of those being Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze.^ Application by research students coming from African Universities is encouraged; subsidies for the participation of a limited number of successful applicants are being sought for.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin, (04/14/08) 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

.African Christians appear to be more socially conservative than their co-religionists in much of the industrialized world, which has quite recently led to tension within denominations such as the Anglican and Methodist Churches.^ Those narrow-minded responses sadly say so much about the level of ignorance within the developed world, and perhaps even more about the staggeringly misguided perceptions and lacking education of the typical American citizen.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ Ther are more Africans/ blacks world wide than any other group except the “oriental” Asians.

35 – The Size of Africa « Strange Maps 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC strangemaps.wordpress.com [Source type: General]

^ "Genizah" of Cairo , holds thousands of hand writings of all kinds relating to Jews from various social statuses, holy scripts and much more.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC jewishwebindex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The African Initiated Churches have experienced significant growth in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.^ African Greek Orthodox Church ( in African Greek Orthodox Church ) Baptist church ( in Baptist (denomination): Growth outside the United States ) Christian missions ( in Christianity: Missions to Africa and South America ) 19th-century Protestant missions ( in Protestantism (Christianity): The spread of missions ) Reformed and Presbyterian churches ( in Reformed and Presbyterian churches (Christianity): Africa ) Roman Catholicism ( in Roman Catholicism: Missions in Africa ) People .

Africa -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ The department seeks a tenure-track assistant professor in twentieth-century postcolonial African literature.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The Schomburg's exhibition, Images of African-Americans from the 19th Century, includes photographs of diplomats to Liberia and Bishop Sameul A. Crowther, first African Anglican bishop.

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

.Islam entered Africa as Arab Muslims conquered North Africa between 640 and 710, beginning with Egypt.^ Includes a profile of Olaudah Equiano , an essay on Religion in Africa , and a timeline beginning with 1526: the first North American slave revolt.

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ Index.htm Islam in Africa Map - University of Texas Shows predominantly Muslim countries and coutnries with significant Muslim minorities.

African Maps | Map Africa 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ POLI 395 Politics of the Middle East (3 credits) This course is a comparative study of the government and politics of Arab North Africa, the Fertile Crescent, and the Arabian peninsula.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

.They settled in Mogadishu, Melinde, Mombasa, Kilwa, and Sofala, following the sea trade down the coast of East Africa, and diffusing through the Sahara desert into the interior of Africa -- following in particular the paths of Muslim traders.^ "An elephant hunter's chronicle of his safari into the interior of South Africa to search for a fabled diamond mine and to rescue the brother of the English gentleman who accompanies him across the deserts and mountains."

African Literature and Writers on the Internet 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ South Africa: From Boer Wars to the ANC Jan Lamprecht - 5/26/2005 The Zulus, who live on the east coast, had many wars with other Blacks.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.Muslims were also among the Asian peoples who later settled in British-ruled Africa.^ How did the British Government try to keep the support of the people of West Africa during the Second World War?

African History on the Internet - Colonial Period 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www-sul.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]
Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

^ The Coloured, as they are known in South Africa, are people who are born of black/white marriages - the brown people.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

.During colonial times, Christianity had success in converting those who followed traditional religions but had very little success in converting Muslims, who took advantage of the urbanization and increase in trade to settle in new areas and spread their faith.^ Local senior managers and expatriate senior managers for foreign companies, where the goal is to increase local market share with managers who have strong track records of success in the local markets of Africa.

Africa Headhunter,Africa Executive Search, Africa Headhunters, Africa Executive Search Firms, Africa Managing Director, Africa CEO, Africa Country Manager, Africa Sales Director, Africa, Headhunter 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.atlanticresearch.com [Source type: News]

^ Those who support the idea (mainly Muslims) argue that to be opposed to the idea of the Kadhi Courts is evidently to have an ill-will against the Muslim community.

Global Politician - Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC globalpolitician.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Massachusetts and Rhode Island were the principal slave trading colonies in New England."

Africa and Slavery, African Slave Trade - African History on the Internet 10 September 2009 17:20 UTC library.stanford.edu [Source type: Academic]

As a result, Islam in sub-Saharan Africa probably doubled between 1869 and 1914.^[32]

.Islam continued this tremendous growth into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.^ 'The Lamming monographs are themselves part of the current discourse which targets the historical, cultural and scientific implications of the pan-hemispheric encounters that will continue to be of global importance well into the twenty-first century.'

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ MNC s first moved into the Third World in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth- century, focussing in this stage on primary industry (raw material extraction and production) .

African anarchists on imperialism 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC flag.blackened.net [Source type: Original source]

.Today, backed by gulf oil cash, Muslims have increased success in proselytizing, with a growth rate, by some estimates, that is twice as fast as Christianity in Africa.^ But the report says that the per capita growth rate will be negative because Africa's population is growing faster than the economy.

Africa on David T. Nicholson's Wednesday-Night.com 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.wednesday-night.com [Source type: News]

^[33]

Territories and regions

Main articles: Regions of Africa and List of African countries

.The countries in this table are categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles.^ POLI 315 International Organizations (3 credits) This course offers an overview of international institutions, including the League of Nations, the United Nations and its agencies, and regional organizations.

Section 31.240 - Political Science - Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC registrar.concordia.ca [Source type: Academic]

^ The United Nations , responding to food riots in 30 countries, said that the number of chronically hungry people in the world was expected to rise 100 million to 950 million.

Africa (Harper's Magazine) 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC harpers.org [Source type: Academic]

^ The articles will include historical coverage as well as a contemporary analysis of that nation's relations with the United States.

JUA: Penn African Studies Bulletin (02/14/05) 16 September 2009 0:33 UTC www.africa.upenn.edu [Source type: Academic]

Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated.

Regions of Africa:

██ Northern Africa

██ Western Africa

██ Middle Africa

██ Eastern Africa

██ Southern Africa

Physical map of Africa.

Satellite photo of Africa.

Name of region^[34] and territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2002 est.)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Eastern Africa:
Template:Country data Burundi Burundi	27,830	6,373,002	229.0	Bujumbura
Template:Country data Comoros Comoros	2,170	614,382	283.1	Moroni
Template:Country data Djibouti Djibouti	23,000	472,810	20.6	Djibouti
Template:Country data Eritrea Eritrea	121,320	4,465,651	36.8	Asmara
Template:Country data Ethiopia Ethiopia	1,127,127	67,673,031	60.0	Addis Ababa
Template:Country data Kenya Kenya	582,650	31,138,735	53.4	Nairobi
Template:Country data Madagascar Madagascar	587,040	16,473,477	28.1	Antananarivo
Template:Country data Malawi Malawi	118,480	10,701,824	90.3	Lilongwe
Template:Country data Mauritius Mauritius	2,040	1,200,206	588.3	Port Louis
Template:Country data Mayotte Mayotte (France)	374	170,879	456.9	Mamoudzou
Template:Country data Mozambique Mozambique	801,590	19,607,519	24.5	Maputo
Template:Country data Réunion Réunion (France)	2,512	743,981	296.2	Saint-Denis
Template:Country data Rwanda Rwanda	26,338	7,398,074	280.9	Kigali
Template:Country data Seychelles Seychelles	455	80,098	176.0	Victoria
Template:Country data Somalia Somalia	637,657	7,753,310	12.2	Mogadishu
Template:Country data Tanzania Tanzania	945,087	37,187,939	39.3	Dodoma
Template:Country data Uganda Uganda	236,040	24,699,073	104.6	Kampala
Template:Country data Zambia Zambia	752,614	9,959,037	13.2	Lusaka
Template:Country data Zimbabwe Zimbabwe	390,580	11,376,676	29.1	Harare
Middle Africa:
Template:Country data Angola Angola	1,246,700	10,593,171	8.5	Luanda
Template:Country data Cameroon Cameroon	475,440	16,184,748	34.0	Yaoundé
Template:Country data Central African Republic Central African Republic	622,984	3,642,739	5.8	Bangui
Template:Country data Chad Chad	1,284,000	8,997,237	7.0	N'Djamena
Template:Country data Republic of the Congo Congo	342,000	2,958,448	8.7	Brazzaville
Template:Country data Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo	2,345,410	55,225,478	23.5	Kinshasa
Template:Country data Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea	28,051	498,144	17.8	Malabo
Template:Country data Gabon Gabon	267,667	1,233,353	4.6	Libreville
Template:Country data São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe	1,001	170,372	170.2	São Tomé
Northern Africa:
Template:Country data Algeria Algeria	2,381,740	32,277,942	13.6	Algiers
Template:Country data Egypt Egypt^[35]	1,001,450	70,712,345	70.6	Cairo
Template:Country data Libya Libya	1,759,540	5,368,585	3.1	Tripoli
Template:Country data Morocco Morocco	446,550	31,167,783	69.8	Rabat
Template:Country data Sudan Sudan	2,505,810	37,090,298	14.8	Khartoum
Template:Country data Tunisia Tunisia	163,610	9,815,644	60.0	Tunis
Template:Country data Western Sahara Western Sahara^[36]	266,000	256,177	1.0	El Aaiún
European dependencies in Northern Africa:
Template:Country data Canary Islands Canary Islands (Spain)^[37]	7,492	1,694,477	226.2	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Template:Country data Ceuta Ceuta (Spain)^[38]	20	71,505	3,575.2	—
Template:Country data Madeira Madeira Islands (Portugal)^[39]	797	245,000	307.4	Funchal
Template:Country data Melilla Melilla (Spain)^[40]	12	66,411	5,534.2	—
Southern Africa:
Template:Country data Botswana Botswana	600,370	1,591,232	2.7	Gaborone
Template:Country data Lesotho Lesotho	30,355	2,207,954	72.7	Maseru
Template:Country data Namibia Namibia	825,418	1,820,916	2.2	Windhoek
Template:Country data South Africa South Africa	1,219,912	43,647,658	35.8	Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria^[41]
Template:Country data Swaziland Swaziland	17,363	1,123,605	64.7	Mbabane
Western Africa:
Template:Country data Benin Benin	112,620	6,787,625	60.3	Porto-Novo
Template:Country data Burkina Faso Burkina Faso	274,200	12,603,185	46.0	Ouagadougou
Template:Country data Cape Verde Cape Verde	4,033	408,760	101.4	Praia
Template:Country data Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire	322,460	16,804,784	52.1	Abidjan, Yamoussoukro^[42]
Template:Country data Gambia Gambia	11,300	1,455,842	128.8	Banjul
Template:Country data Ghana Ghana	239,460	20,244,154	84.5	Accra
Template:Country data Guinea Guinea	245,857	7,775,065	31.6	Conakry
Template:Country data Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau	36,120	1,345,479	37.3	Bissau
Template:Country data Liberia Liberia	111,370	3,288,198	29.5	Monrovia
Template:Country data Mali Mali	1,240,000	11,340,480	9.1	Bamako
Template:Country data Mauritania Mauritania	1,030,700	2,828,858	2.7	Nouakchott
Template:Country data Niger Niger	1,267,000	10,639,744	8.4	Niamey
Template:Country data Nigeria Nigeria	923,768	129,934,911	140.7	Abuja
Template:Country data Saint Helena Saint Helena (UK)	410	7,317	17.8	Jamestown
Template:Country data Senegal Senegal	196,190	10,589,571	54.0	Dakar
Template:Country data Sierra Leone Sierra Leone	71,740	5,614,743	78.3	Freetown
Template:Country data Togo Togo	56,785	5,285,501	93.1	Lomé
Total	30,368,609	843,705,143	27.8

Notes

^ ^a ^b Sayre, April Pulley. (1999) Africa, Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 0-7613-1367-2.
^ "World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision" [[United Nations|]] (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, population division)
^ Consultos.com etymology
^ Drysdale, Alasdair & Gerald H. Blake. (1985) The Middle East and North Africa, Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-503538-0.
^ Lewin, Evans. (1924) Africa, Clarendon press.
^ ^a ^b (1998) Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Index), Merriam-Webster. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
^ Hoare, Ben. (2002) The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-7534-5569-2.
^ Kimbel, William H. & Yoel Rak & Donald C. Johanson. (2004) The Skull of Australopithecus Afarensis, Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-515706-0.
^ Tudge, Colin. (2002) The Variety of Life., Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860426-2.
^ Sertima, Ivan Van. (1995) Egypt: Child of Africa/S V12 (Ppr), Transaction Publishers. pp. 324-325. ISBN 1-56000-792-3.
^ Mokhtar, G. (1990) UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. II, Abridged Edition: Ancient Africa, University of California Press. ISBN 0-85255-092-8.
^ Eyma, A. K. & C. J. Bennett. (2003) Delts-Man in Yebu: Occasional Volume of the Egyptologists' Electronic Forum No. 1, Universal Publishers. p. 210. SBN 1-58112-564-X.
^ Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.167.
^ ^a ^b ^c O'Brien, Patrick K. (General Editor). Oxford Atlas of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp.22-23
^ Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.100.
^ Diamond, Jared. (1999) "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York:Norton, pp.126–127.
^ Martin and O'Meara. "Africa, 3rd Ed." Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995. http://princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/history1.htm#Irontechnology
^ Hassan, Fekri A. (2002) Droughts, Food and Culture, Springer. p. 17. ISBN 0-306-46755-0.
^ McGrail, Sean. (2004) Boats of the World, Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-19-927186-0.
^ Fage, J. D. (1979) The Cambridge History of Africa, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-21592-7.
^ Oliver, Roland & Anthony Atmore. (1994) Africa Since 1800, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42970-6.
^ Stearns, Peter N. (2001) The Encyclopedia of World History, Houghton Mifflin Books. p. 16. ISBN 0-395-65237-5.
^ McEvedy, Colin (1980) Atlas of African History, p. 44. ISBN 0-87196-480-5.
^ The Fate of Africa - A Survey of Fifty Years of Independence (html). washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
^ Oliver, Roland. (1977) The Cambridge History of Africa, Cambridge University Press. p. 453. ISBN 0-521-20981-1.
^ Simon, Julian L. (1995) State of Humanity, Blackwell Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 1-55786-585-X.
^ The Deadliest War In The World
^ Richard Sandbrook, The Politics of Africa's Economic Stagnation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1985 passim
^ http://hdr.undp.org/
^ Africa Population Dynamics
^ "African Religion on the Internet", [[Stanford University|]]
^ Bulliet, Richard, Pamela Crossley, Daniel Headrick, Steven Hirsch, Lyman Johnson, and David Northrup. The Earth and Its Peoples. 3. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. ISBN 0-618-42770-8
^ [1]
^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map.
^ [[Suez Canal|]].</small>
^ the remainder.</small>
^ The [[Western Sahara|]]; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The [[Ceuta|]] is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The [[Madeira Islands|]] are often considered part of Northern Africa due to their relative proximity to Morocco; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ The [[Melilla|]] is surrounded on land by Morocco in Northern Africa; population and area figures are for 2001.
^ [[Pretoria|]] is the country's administrative seat.
^ [[de facto|]] seat.

References

"Africa". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. 2005. New York: Columbia University Press.

Bibliography

Clark, J. Desmond (1970). The Prehistory of Africa. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 9780500020692.
Crowder, Michael (1978). The Story of Nigeria. London: Faber. ISBN 9780571049479.
Davidson, Basil (1966). The African past; chronicles from antiquity to modern times. Harmondsworth: Penguin. OCLC 2016817.
Gordon, April A.; Donald L. Gordon (1996). Understanding contemporary Africa. .Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
^ Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1995.
RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
ISBN 9781555875473.
Khapoya, Vincent B. (1998). The African experience: an introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 9780137458523.

External links

Articles on this topic in other Wikimedia projects can be found at: [[{{{1}}}| Africa]]

Wikimedia Atlas of Africa, holding maps related to Africa.

News

allAfrica.com current news, events and statistics
PlusNews, the United Nations HIV and AIDS news - original HIV reporting, country profiles and treatment statistics
AfricaFront.com African news articles, African journalists
BBC News In Depth - Africa 2005: Time for Change?
Yale Economic Review Africa:Failed Economic History

Directories

Library of Congress - African & Middle Eastern Reading Room
Open Directory Project - Africa directory category
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara
The Index on Africa directory from The Norwegian Council for Africa
Aluka - Digital library of scholarly resources from and about Arfica

Politics

Africa Action Africa Action is the oldest organization in the United States working on African affairs.
^ In the weeks preceding the election, the United States also worked with media partners to create a "Meet the Candidate" national radio show.
Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]
^ The United States, through USAID, continues to work with IFES, which received a grant during the reporting period to improve the capacity of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK).
Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]
^ The United States continues to work closely with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa to overcome these difficulties.
Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]
It is a national organization that works for political, economic and social justice in Africa.
Commission for Africa
African Unification Front
Working class history in Africa -- people's and grassroots histories

Business

Business Action for Africa - Business Action for Africa is an international alliance of businesses, business organisations, non-government organisations, governments, donors and academics, working together to accelerate growth and poverty reduction in Africa.

Sports

Confederation of African Football; in English and French

Tourism

{{{2}}} travel guide from Wikitravel

Countries of Africa

Sovereign states
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Comoros · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt¹ · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea-Bissau · Guinea · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe

Dependencies | Unrecognized
British Indian Ocean Territory (UK) · Mayotte (France) · Réunion (France) · St. Helena² (UK) | Canary Islands (Spain) · Ceuta (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Melilla (Spain) ·
Socotra (Yemen) · Puntland · Somaliland · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

¹ Partly in Asia. ² Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.

Continents of the world

Africa-Eurasia

America

Eurasia

Oceania

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Australia

Europe

N. America

S. America

Geological supercontinents
Gondwana · Laurasia · Pangaea · Pannotia · Proto-Gondwana · Proto-Laurasia · Rodinia · Columbia · Kenorland · Ur · Vaalbara

Historical continents
Arctica · Asiamerica · Atlantica · Avalonia · Baltica · Cimmeria · Congo craton · Euramerica · Kalahari Desert · Kazakhstania · Laurentia · Siberia · South China · Ur

Submerged continents
Kerguelen Plateau · Zealandia

Mythical and theorised continents
Atlantis · Lemuria · Mu · Terra Australis

Possible future continents
Pangaea Ultima · Amasia

Regions of the world

	Africa	Central · Eastern · Northern · Southern · Western
	Americas	Anglo · Caribbean · Central · Latin · Middle · North · Northern · South
	Asia	Central · Eastern · Northern · Southern · Southeastern · Southwestern / Western
	Europe	Central ·Northern ·Southern ·Western ·Eastern

	Oceania	Australasia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Polynesia
	Other	Asia Pacific · Caucasus · Far East · Indian subcontinent · Middle East
	Polar	Arctic · Antarctic
	Oceans	World · Arctic · Atlantic · Indian · Pacific · Southern

</div>

See also Continents of the world

.This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia.^ English language printing / edition, as stated (there is a date of 1977 on the title page, but the book was printed in February 1978).

RECOLLECTION USED BOOKS & HORIZON BOOKS: Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.eskimo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ IMET funds were also used to develop the English language capacity of military officers, thereby enabling them to participate in a wide range of courses.

Africa 19 January 2010 8:47 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: Original source]

The original content was at Africa. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.

Categories: Semi-protected | Africa | Titular Sees of the Coptic Orthodox Church

Facts about AfricaRDF feed

This article uses material from the "Africa" article on the Genealogy wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

Simple English

File:Vegetation

Biomes of Africa

Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It makes up about a fifth of the world's land.^[1] It is surrounded by large areas of water. There are 61 countries in Africa, and about a billion (14.7%) of the world's population live there.^[1] It is thought to be the continent where the first humans evolved.

1 Climate
- 1.1 Rainfall
2 Slavery
3 Colonialism
4 Politics
5 Countries
6 African diaspora
7 Animals
8 Other websites
9 References

Climate

From north to south, Africa has most types of climate. In sequence from the north:

Alpine and mediterranean climate
Dry sandy desert
Fairly dry savannah (grassland)
Rain forest
More grassland
More deserts
Table Mountain

Running north-east to the south is the East African Great Rift Valley. This has mountains, volcanoes, deep rifts and valleys, rivers and lakes.

In fact Africa has examples of most of the Earth's climate types.

Rainfall

File:Rain

The rainshadow concept, but with wind coming from the west.

File:Africa FebAug.gif

This picture shows where vegetation is most common in February and August (before and after the summer)

Much of North Africa is dry and hot: it is dominated by the Sahara Desert and does not receive much rain. In Saharan Africa there are few rivers or other water sources. Underground water sources, such as springs are very important in the desert. These often form oases. An oasis is an area of vegetation (plant life) surrounded by desert.

In that part of the world the wind comes mostly from the east. That does bring rain, but the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau blocks the monsoon rain and prevents it getting to North Africa. Also, the Atlas Mountains near the north coast of Africa prevent rain from coming in from the north. That is another rain shadow.

These two rain shadows are mainly responsible for the Sahara desert.

Conditions and winds are different further south, where huge amounts of rain falls near the equator. The equator runs across the middle of Africa (see red line drawn on map). That means much of Africa is between the two tropics:

Slavery

Slavery was long practiced in Africa.^[2]^[3] Between the seventh and twentieth centuries, the Arab slave trade took 18 million slaves from Africa via trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean routes.

Between the fifteenth and the nineteenth centuries (500 years), the Atlantic slave trade took an estimated 7–12 million slaves to the New World. ^[4]^[5]^[6]

Between 1808 and 1860, the British Navy seized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were aboard.^[7]

Colonialism

File:Colonial Africa 1914

Areas of Africa under the control or influence of European nations in 1914 (at outbreak of World War I).

In the late nineteenth century, the European powers occupied much of the continent, creating many colonial and dependent territories. They left only two fully independent states: Ethiopia (known to Europeans as "Abyssinia"), and Liberia.

Egypt and Sudan were never formally incorporated into any European colonial empire. However, after the British occupation of 1882, Egypt was effectively under British administration until 1922.

Politics

The African Union (AU) is a 53 member federation consisting of all of Africa's states except Morocco.

The African Union, not to be confused with the AU Commission, aims to transform the African Economic Community, a federated commonwealth, into a state under established international conventions.

The African Union has a parliamentary government, known as the African Union Government, consisting of legislative, judicial and executive organs. It is led by the African Union President and Head of State, who is also the President of the Pan African Parliament. A person becomes AU President by being elected to the PAP, and subsequently gaining majority support in the PAP.

In the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), neighbouring African countries became involved (see also Second Congo War). Since the conflict began in 1998, the estimated death toll has reached 5 million.

Most of such violations occur for political reasons, often as a side effect of civil war. Countries where major human rights violations have been reported in recent times include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Countries

These are the countries of Africa:

North Africa

East Africa

West Africa

Central Africa

South Africa

This list leaves out some islands.

African diaspora

Countries with significant African descendents outside Africa:

Haiti: 98%
Saint Kitts and Nevis: 96.9%
Anguilla: 91.4%
Bahamas: 86.1%
Barbados: 81.1%
Jamaica: 76.3%
Dominican Republic: 71.1%
Cayman Islands: 60.0%
Trinidad and Tobago: 39.5%
Cuba: 34.9%
Turks and Caicos: 34.0%
Belize: 29.8%
Venezuela: 24.0%
Panama: 22.0%
Colombia: 21.0%
Brazil: 13-19%
United States: 12.9%
Puerto Rico: 6.9%
Argentina: less than 2%

Animals

Africa has a lot of wildlife.^[8]^[9] There are many types of animals there. Some are cheetahs, elephants, lions, snakes, giraffes, and a lot more. Over 2,000 types of fish live in African lakes and rivers.^[10]

Other websites

Simple English Wiktionary has the word meaning for:

Africa

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Sayre, April Pulley 1999. Africa. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 0-7613-1367-2.
↑ Historical survey > Slave societies, Encyclopædia Britannica
↑ Swahili Coast, National Geographic
↑ Welcome to Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History, Encyclopædia Britannica
↑ Focus on the slave trade, BBC
↑ Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa p 25 by Paul E. Lovejoy
↑ Sailing against slavery. By Jo Loosemore BBC
↑ J.Hofman and S.Colbert 2009. The Ultimate Guide to African Mammals, Libeal House, New Jersey.
↑ J.Dorst and P.Dandelot 1983. A field guide to the larger Mammals of Africa. Collins, London.
↑ N.Myers 1997. The rich diversity of biodiversity issues. (In:Biodiversity II, ed. E.O.Wilson et al., National Academy Press.

Continents of the world

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Australia

Europe

N. America

S. America

(The Pacific Islands are not part of any continent, but sometimes they are grouped with Australia as Oceania)

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Categories: Africa | Continents

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Etymology

History

Paleohistory

Pre-history

Early civilizations

9th–18th century

Height of slave trade

Colonialism and the "Scramble for Africa"

Post-colonial Africa

Geography

Climate

Fauna

Ecology

Politics

Economy

Demographics

Languages

Culture

Visual art and architecture

Music and dance

Sports

Religion

Territories and regions

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Contents

Etymology

History

Paleohistory

Pre-history

Early civilizations

9th–18th century

Height of slave trade

Colonialism and the "Scramble for Africa"

Post-colonial Africa

Geography

Climate

Fauna

Ecology

Politics

Economy

Demographics

Languages

Culture

Visual art and architecture

Music and dance

Sports

Religion

Territories and regions

See also

References

Further reading

External links

From Wikitravel

Contents

Understand

Geography

Climate

Other territories

Get in

By plane

From Europe

From the Americas

From Asia & the Middle East

From Australia

By road/ferry

By ship

Get around

By plane