Africa is an amazing continent who has always attracted the attention of travelers with its mystery, natural naturalness and inexplicable charm.

If it were not for Eurasia, which occupies the first place, then Africa would be the largest continent of the Earth. Its area is 29.2 million km². To compare, it must be said that the area is 17.1 km². If it surprises you, because, looking at the map, you see a little other proportions, we advise you to read about.

Among other things, it is the most plain mainland. If other parts of the world can demonstrate to us, plains and the sea, then with Africa the situation is extremely simple.

In Africa, the most small people live on earth. You probably know that these are pygmen. In a different way, they are called Negrilli. Their maximum growth is 150 cm., And the middle - 135 cm.

And of course, everyone knows that among the black people are very high. The record for this indicator also belongs to Africans. Nilots are the people of Africa whose number is about 10 million people. They are the highest on Earth. Their average height is 184 cm.

It is in Africa that is the biggest hot in the world. It . Its area is equal to 8.6 million km², which is about 30% of the area of \u200b\u200ball Africa. Interesting the fact that this desert increases in size every year, expanding its boundaries by 6-10 kilometers south.

The longest freshwater lake in the world is located in Africa. It is also considered one of the deepest on the planet.

It is believed that the largest is also located in Africa. This is an East African rift valley. Its width reaches a hundred kilometers, but the depth is just fantastic. The accurate kilometer is not yet installed, but it is reliably known that these are thousands of kilometers. Imagine to fall into such a "pit"!

In the African city of Tripoli (Capital), in 1922 it was possible to fix the highest temperature on Earth in history. Celsius degrees rose to +58.

Interesting the fact that the longest strait in the world is Mozambique. It equals approximately 1760 km.

Kilimanjaro is the highest point of Africa. This is dangerous, potentially active.

For a long time it was believed that the longest river in the world is located in Africa, and its name -

The second continent in size on the planet Earth is the mainland of Africa. The first in size is the mainland of Eurasia. There is still a part of the world, which is also called Africa. In this article will be considered Africa as the mainland of the planet.

In its area, the size of Africa is 29.2 million km2 (with the islands - 30.3 million km2), which is about 20% of the entire surface of the planet's sushi. The Mainland Africa is washed by the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast, the west coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south and east the continent is washes the Indian Ocean, and the northeast coast is washes the Red Sea. In Africa, there are 62 states, of which 54 independent states, and the population of all the mainland is about 1 billion people. By clicking on the link you can see the full list of Africa countries in the table.

The size of Africa from north to south is 8000 kilometers, and if you look from the east to west, then approximately 7,500 kilometers.

Extreme points on the mainland of Africa:

1) The easternmost point of the mainland is Cape Rasha Hafun, which is located in the territory of Somalia.

2) The northernmost point of this mainland is Cape Blanco, which is located in the Tunisia Republic.

3) The most western point of the continent is Cape Almadi, which is located on the territory of the Republic of Senegal.

4) And, finally, the southernmost point of the mainland of Africa is a needle cape, which is located on the territory of the South African Republic (South Africa).

Relief Africa

Most of the mainland make up the plains. The following relief forms are dominated: Highlands, plateaus, stepped plains and plateau. Conditionally divide the mainland on high Africa (where the heights of the mainland reach the size of over 1000 meters - southeast of the mainland) and low Africa (where the heights reach the size preferably less than 1000 meters - the north-western part).

The highest point of the mainland - Kilimanjaro volcano, which reaches a height of 5895 meters above sea level. Also in the south of the mainland there are dragons and capacities, in the east of Africa there are Ethiopian Highlands, and south of it is East African Plateau, in the north-west of the continent there are atlas mountains.

In the north of the mainland there is the largest desert on the planet - sugar, in the south there is a desert of Kalahari, and in the south-west mainland there is a desert Namib.

At the same time, the lowest point of the mainland is the bottom of the salt lake ASALAL, the depth of which reaches 157 meters below the sea level.

Climate Africa

The climate of Africa can be put in the first place from all the mainland heat. This is the hottest mainland, as it is completely in the roast climatic belts of the planet Earth and intersects the line of equator.

Central Africa is located in the equatorial belt. This belt is characterized by a large precipitation and there is no change in the seasons. South and norther from the equatorial belt are subequatorial belts, which are characterized in the summer season of the rains, and in the winter dry season at high air temperatures. If you follow on the south and north after the subequatorial belts, then the Northern and Southern Tropical Belt followed by respectively. Such belts are characterized by low precipitation at quite high air temperatures, which leads to the formation of the desert.

Inner waters of Africa

The inner waters of Africa in their structure are uneven, but at the same time extensive and extensive. On the mainland, the longest river is the River Nile (the length of its system reaches 6852 km), and the Congo River is considered the largest river (the length of its system reaches 4374 km), which has become famous for the fact that the only one crosses from all the equator rivers twice.

There are on the mainland and the lake. Lake Victoria is considered the biggest lake. The area of \u200b\u200bthis lake is 68 thousand km2. The greatest depth reaches 80 m in this lake. The lake itself is the second in its area on the planet Earth from fresh lakes.

30% of the sushi of the continent of Africa make up the deserts in which the reservoirs may be temporary, that is, at times completely dispel. But usually underground water can be observed in such desert regions, which are in the artesian basins.

Vegetable and animal world of Africa

Mainland Africa has become famous for its diversity of both plant peace and animal. On the continent, wet tropical forests are growing, which are replaced by a parel and savannahs. In the subtropical belt you can meet mixed forests.

The most common plants in African forests are palm trees, Saibi, Rosyanka and many others. But in the savannas most often you can meet spiky shrubs and small trees. The desert is characterized by a small variety of plants growing in it. Most often it is herbs, shrubs or trees in oases. Many desert areas do not have vegetation at all. A special plant in the desert is considered a plant of Velvichia amazing, which can live more than 1000 years, it releases 2 sheets that grow throughout the life of the plant and can reach a length of 3 meters.

Diversified in Africa and animal world. In the areas of Savannah very quickly and well grows her grass, which attracts a lot of herbivorous animals (rodents, hares, gazelles, zebras, etc.), and respectively, predators that feed on herbivorous animals (leopards, lions and so on).

The desert at first glance may seem uninhabited, but in fact there lives a lot of reptiles, insects, birds that hunt mostly at night.

Africa became famous for animals as an elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, a wide variety of monkeys, zebras, leopards, branched cats, gazelles, crocodiles, parrots, antelopes, rhinos and much more. This mainland is amazing and unique.

If you like this material, share it with your friends on social networks. Thank you!

Africa is the second in Square Continent after Eurasia, washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, red - from the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean from the West and the Indian Ocean from the East and South. Africa is also called part of the world, consisting of the mainland of Africa and the adjacent islands. The Square of Africa is 29.2 million km², with islands - about 30.3 million km², thus covering, thus 6% of the total area of \u200b\u200bthe earth surface and 20.4% of the sushi surface. On the territory of Africa there are 54 states, 5 unrecognized states and 5 dependent territories (island).

The population of Africa is about billion people. Africa is considered a pranodina of mankind: it was here that the most ancient remains of the early hominids and their probable ancestors were found, including SAHELANTHROPUS TCHADENSIS, AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICANUS, A. AFARENSIS, HOMO ERECTUS, H. HABILIS and H. ERGASTER.

The African continent crosses the equator and several climatic zones; This is the only continent stretching from the northern subtropical climatic belt to the southern subtropical. Due to the lack of constant precipitation and irrigation - as well as glaciers or aquifer of mountain systems - natural climate regulation by anywhere, except for coarse, is practically not observed.

The study of cultural, economic, political and social problems in Africa is engaged in the science of Africanism.

Extreme Points

• North - Cape Blanco (Benx Skid, Ras Engel, El Abyad)
• South - Cape Needor
• Western - Cape Almadi
• Eastern - Cape Rasha Hafun

origin of name

Initially, the word "Afri" residents of the ancient Carthagene called people who lived near the city. This name is usually referred to by the Phoenician AFAR, which means "dust". After the conquest of Carthage, the Romans called the province of Africa (Lat. Africa). Later, Africa began to call all the well-known regions of this continent, and then the continent himself.

Another theory says that the name of the people "Afri" comes from Berber IFRI, "Cave", having in mind the cave inhabitants. The Muslim province of Iphrikia, which emerged later, also saved this root in its name.

According to the historian and archaeologist I. Efremova, the word "Africa" \u200b\u200bcame from an ancient language to those (Egypt. "Afros" is a foamy country). This is due to the collision of several types of flows, which form a foam when approaching the continent in the Mediterranean Sea.

There are other versions of the origin of toponym.

• Joseph Flavius, the Jewish historian of the I century, argued that this name comes on behalf of Abraham Efra's grandson (Gen. 25: 4), whose descendants settled Libya.
• The Latin word aprica, meaning "sunny", is mentioned in the "beginning" of Isidore Seville, volume XIV, section 5.2 (vi).
• The version of the origin of the name from the Greek word αφρίκη, which means "without cold", offered the historian Lion African. He assumed that the word φρίκη ("cold" and "horror"), connected with the negative prefix α-, denotes the country where there is no cold or horror.
• Gerald Massey, the poet and the self-taught egyptologist, in 1881 put forward a version of the origin of the word from the Egyptian AF-RUI-KA, "to turn the face to the opening." Ka is the energy double of each person, and the "hole" means Lono or place of birth. Africa, thus, for the Egyptians means "homeland".

History of Africa

Prehistoric period

At the beginning of the Mesozoic era, when Africa was part of a single continent of Pangea, and until the end of the triad period in this region, teropods and primitive poultrytastes were dominated. Examined excavations related to the end of the triad period indicate a greater intensity of the south of the mainland, and not the north.

Human Origins

Africa is considered a man's homeland. The remains of the oldest species of the genus Homo are found here. Of the eight species of this kind, only one was survived - a reasonable person, and in small quantities (approx. 1000 individuals) began to settle around the territory of Africa about 100,000 years ago. And already from Africa, people migrated to Asia (about 60 to 40 thousand years ago), and from there to Europe (40 thousand years old), Australia and America (35-15 thousand years).

Africa during the Stone Century

The oldest archaeological finds indicating the processing of grain in Africa are dated to the thirteenth millennium BC. e. Cattle breeding in Sahara began approx. 7500 BC er, and organized agriculture in the Nile area appeared in 6 millennia BC. e.

In the Sahara, a group of fishermen hunters, archaeological finds were evidenced in sugar. Across Sahara (the current Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Chad, etc.) a lot of petroglyphs and rocky paintings dating from 6000 BC were found. e. until the VII century n. e. The most famous monument of primitive art of North Africa is Tassilin-Agere.

In addition to the group of sugar monuments, rock painting is also found in Somalia and South Africa (the most ancient drawings are dated 25th thousand years BC. E.).

Linguistic data show that the ethnic groups speaking in the band language migrated in the south-west direction, to outstand Koysan peoples from there (Spit, Zulu, etc.). In the settlement of the bow, a characteristic set of grain crops suitable for tropical Africa, including maniacs and yams, was found.

A small number of ethnic groups, such as Bushmen, continue to conduct a primitive lifestyle, engaged in hunting, collecting, like their ancestors a few millennia ago.

Ancient Africa

North Africa

By the 6-5th millenniums BC e. In the valley of the Nile, agricultural crops were formed (Tsyiyan culture, Fayum culture, Merimda), on the basis of which in the 4th millennium BC. e. Ancient Egypt arose. To the south of her, also on Nile, under its influence, Kerma-Kushite civilization was formed, replaced in the 2nd millennium BC. e. Nubian (state education attack). Aloa, Mukurra, the Nabatie kingdom, and others, were formed on his fragments, which were under the cultural and political influence of Ethiopia, Coptic Egypt and Byzantium.

In the north of Ethiopian Highlands, an Ethiopian civilization appeared under the influence of the South Saori Sabey Kingdom: in the V century BC. e. The Ethiopian kingdom, in the II-XI centuries, is formed from South Arabia. e. The Aksum kingdom existed, on the basis of which Christian Ethiopia (XII-XVI century) has developed. These foci of civilization were surrounded by the cattle breeding tribes of Libyans, as well as the ancestors of modern coschito- and nitilo-speaking peoples.

As a result of the development of horse breeding (which appeared in the first century, N. E.), as well as camels and oasis agriculture in Sahara, the shopping cities of Telga, Debis, Garama, had a Libyan letter.

On the Mediterranean coast of Africa in the XII-II centuries BC. e. The Phoenician-Carthage Civilization flourished. Neighborhood of the Carthaginian slave owner had an impact on the Libyan population. To iv c. BC e. Large alliances of Libyan tribes - Mauritans (modern Morocco to the lower flow of the Muluha River) and Numidians (from the Muluha River to Carthage possessions). By the III century BC e. There were conditions for the formation of states (see Numidia and Mauretania).

After the defeat of the Carthage Rome, its territory became the Roman province of Africa. Eastern Numidia in 46 BC The new Africa was turned into the Roman province, and in 27 BC. e. Both provinces were combined into one, managed by Proconsules. The Maurretan kings became Vassal of Rome, and in 42 the country was divided into two provinces: Mauretania Tingitania and Maurethenia Caesareski.

The weakening of the Roman Empire in the III century caused a crisis and in the provinces of North Africa, which contributed to the success of the invasions of the barbarians (Berberov, ready, vandals). With the support of the local population, Barbara overthrew the power of Rome and formed several states in North Africa: the Kingdom of Vandalov, the Berber Kingdom of Jedar (between Mulule and Ores) and a number of smaller Berber Principles.

In the 6th century, North Africa was conquered by Byzantia, but the positions of the central government were fragile. African provincial know often entered allied relationships with barbarians and other external enemies of the Empire. In 647, the Carthaginian Exarce of Grigory (cousin's nephew of Emperor Irakli I), taking advantage of the weakening of the imperial power due to the strikes of Arabs, deposited from Constantinople and proclaimed himself with Emperor Africa. One of the manifestations of discontent with the population of Byzantium policies was the widespread extension of heresy (Arianism, Donatism, Monophizite). The ally of the heretical movements became Arabs-Muslims. In 647, the Arab troops broke the Army of Grigory in the battle at Sufetule, which led to the rejection of the Byzantium of Egypt. In 665, Arabs repeated the invasion of North Africa and by 709, all African provinces of Byzantium became part of the Arab Caliphate (for more details, see Arab conquest).

Africa south of Sahara

In Africa, south of Sahara in the I millennium BC. e. Iron metallurgy spread everywhere. This contributed to the development of new territories, first of all - tropical forests, and became one of the reasons for the settlement for the most part of the tropical and southern African of the Batue-speaking peoples who were crowded to the north and south of representatives of Ethiopian and capoid races.

The foci of civilizations of tropical Africa spread in the direction from north to south (in the eastern part of the continent) and partly from the east to the West (especially in the western part).

The Arabs who penetrated into North Africa in the VII century, up to the appearance of Europeans, became the main mediators between the tropical Africa and the rest of the world, including through the Indian Ocean. The cultures of Western and Central Sudan have formed a single West African, or Sudanese, cultural zone, who stood from Senegal to the modern Republic of Sudan. In the second millennium, most of this zone included in the major state formations of Ghana, Kanem-Born Mali (XIII-XV century), Songai.

South of Sudanese civilizations in VII-IX centuries. e. The state formation of an IFE, which became the cradle of the civilization of Yoruba and Bini (Benin, OoO); Their influence also experienced neighboring peoples. To the west of her in the 2nd millennium, Akano-Ashanti Protocylization was formed, whose flourishing came to the XVII-beginning of the XIX century.

In the area of \u200b\u200bCentral Africa during the XV-XIX centuries. We gradually arose different statements - Buganda, Rwanda, Burundi, etc.

In East Africa, the Suakhilian Muslim culture (city-state kilva, Pate, Mombasa, Lama, Malindi, Sofala, and others, Sultanat Zanzibar) flourished.

In Southeast Africa - Zimbabvian (Zimbabwe, Monomota) Protocylization (X-XIX century), in Madagascar the process of the State Education ended at the beginning of the XIX century to the union of all the early political formations of the island around Warry.

Appearance in Africa Europeans

Europeans penetration in Africa began in the XV-XVI centuries; The most contribution to the development of the continent at the first stage was made by Spaniards and Portuguese after the completion of reconquists. Already at the end of the 15th century, the Portuguese actually controlled the Western Coast of Africa and in the XVI century they launched an active slave trade. Alternatively, almost all Western European powers rushed in Africa: Holland, Spain, Denmark, France, England, Germany.

Trade of slaves with Zanzibar gradually led to the colonization of East Africa; Attempts to Morocco seize the Sahel failed.

All North Africa (except Morocco) by the beginning of the XVII century entered the Ottoman Empire. With the final section of Africa between European powers (1880s), a colonial period was occurring, forcibly introduced Africans to industrial civilization.

Colonization of Africa

The colonization process has acquired a wide scale in the second half of the XIX century, especially after 1885 with the beginning of the so-called race or fight for Africa. Almost the entire continent (except for those who remained independent Ethiopia and Liberia) by 1900 was divided between a number of European states: Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, their old colonies were kept and somewhat expanded Spain and Portugal.

The most extensive and rich were the ownership of the UK. In the southern and central part of the continent:

• Cape Colony
• Natal,
• Becouanland (now - Botswana),
• Basutolend (Lesotho),
• Swaziland,
• South Rodezia (Zimbabwe),
• Northern Rodezia (Zambia).

In the East:

• Kenya,
• Uganda,
• Zanzibar,
• British Somalia.

In the north-east:

• Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, formally considered by the conciliation of England and Egypt.

In the West:

• Nigeria,
• Sierra Leone,
• Gambia
• Golden shore.

In the Indian Ocean

• Mauritius (Island)
• Seychelles.

The colonial empire of France was not inferior to the British, but the population of her colonies was several times less, and natural resources were poorer. Most of the French possessions were in Western and Equatorial Africa and a considerable part of their territory accounted for a sugar, adjacent to her semi-desert area of \u200b\u200bSachel and tropical forests:

• French Guinea (now - the Republic of Guinea),
• Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire),
• Upper Volta (Burkina Faso),
• Dagomey (Benin),
• Mauritania,
• Niger,
• Senegal,
• French Sudan (Mali),
• Gabon,
• Average Congo (Republic of Congo),
• Ubanga-Shari (Central African Republic),
• French countryside Somalia (Djibouti)
• Madagascar,
• Comoros,
• Reunion.

Portugal owned by Angola, Mozambique, Portuguese Guinea (Guinea-Bissau), which included the islands of the Green Cape (Cape Verde), San Tome and Principe.

Belgium owned Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in 1971-1997 - Zaire), Italy - Eritrea and Italian Somalia, Spain - Spanish sugar (Western Sahara), Northern Morocco, Equatorial Guinea, Canary Islands; Germany - German East Africa (now - continental part of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi), Cameroon, Togo and German South-West Africa (Namibia).

The main stimuli that led to the hot fiction of European powers for Africa is considered the economic. Indeed, the desire to exploit the natural wealth and the population of Africa was of paramount importance. But it is impossible to say that these hopes immediately justified. The south of the continent, where the world's largest gold and diamond deposits were found, began to give huge profits. But before receiving income, there were first major investments for the intelligence of natural wealth, the creation of communications, the adaptation of the local economy to the needs of the metropolis, to suppress the protest of indigenous people and finding effective ways to force them to work on the colonial system. All this required time. The other argument of the ideologues of colonialism was not immediately justified. They argued that the acquisition of the colonies will open in the metropolis themselves many jobs and eliminate unemployment, since Africa will become an electric market for European products and there will unfold huge construction of railways, ports, industrial enterprises. If these plans were carried out, then slower than was supposed, and in a smaller scale. Untenable turned out to be an argument that in Africa will move the excess population of Europe. The resettlement flows were less than expected, and were mainly limited to the south of the continent, Angola, Mozambique, Kenia - countries where climate and other natural conditions were suitable for Europeans. The countries of the Gulf of the Gulf, called the "White Man's Grave", seduced little.

Colonial control period

African Theater of Military Activities of the First World War

The First World War was a fight for the redistribution of Africa, but on the life of most African countries, it affected not particularly strongly. Military actions covered the territory of the German colonies. They were won by the troops of the Entente and after the war by decision of the League of Nations were transferred to the countries of the Entente as submanent areas: Togo and Cameroon were divided between Great Britain and France, the German South-West Africa went to South African Union (UAUS), part of German East Africa - Rwanda and Burundi - was transferred to Belgium, another - Tanganica - Great Britain.

With the acquisition of Tanganyiki, the long-standing dream of the English ruling circles came true: a continuous band of British possessions from Cape Town to Cairo appeared. After the end of the war, the process of colonial development of Africa accelerated. The colonies were increasingly turned into agrarian-raw materials appendages of metropolis. Agriculture was increasingly focused on export.

Interwar period

In the interwar period, the composition of the agricultural crops grown by Africans has changed dramatically - the production of export crops has changed dramatically: coffee - 11 times, tea - at 10, cocoa beans - in 6, peanuts - more than 4, tobacco - 3 times and t . d. An increasing number of colonies became the countries of the monocultural economy. On the eve of World War II, in many countries from two thirds to 98% of the total exports accounted for any one culture. In Gambia and Senegal, an earthen walnut became such a culture, on Zanzibar - Carnation, in Uganda - cotton, on the golden shore - cocoa beans, in French Guinea - bananas and pineapples, in South Rhodesia - tobacco. In some countries there were two export cultures: on the shore of ivory and in Togo - coffee and cocoa, in Kenya - coffee and tea, etc. In Gabon and some other countries, the valuable breeds of the forest were monoculture.

The industry created - mostly mining - was even more exported. It developed quickly. In the Belgian Congo, for example, copper mining from 1913 to 1937 increased more than 20 times. By 1937, Africa occupied an impressive place for the production of mineral raw materials in the capitalist world. It accounted for 97% of all diamond produced, 92% of cobalt, more than 40% of gold, chromites, lithium minerals, manganese ore, phosphorites and more than a third of the entire production of platinum. In West Africa, as well as in most areas of Eastern and Central Africa, export products were carried out mainly in the farms of the Africans themselves. European plantation production there was not soaked due to climatic conditions, difficult for Europeans. The main exploiters of the African manufacturer were foreign companies. Export agricultural products were produced on farms belonging to Europeans located in the South African Union, Southern Rhodesia, part of Northern Rhodesia, Kenya, South-West Africa.

African Theater of War of World War II

The fighting during World War II on the African continent is divided into two directions: the North African campaign, which touched Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and was an integral part of the most important Mediterranean theater of hostilities, as well as the autonomous African Theater of Military Action, which battles on which Wore a secondary value.

During World War II, military actions in tropical Africa were conducted only on the territory of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Italian Somalia. In 1941, English troops together with Ethiopian partisans and with the active participation of Somali occupied the territories of these countries. In other countries, tropical and South Africa hostilities were not conducted (with the exception of Madagascar). But hundreds of thousands of Africans were mobilized in the Metropolis Army. An even greater number of people had to serve troops, work for military needs. The Africans fought in North Africa, in Western Europe, in the Middle East, in Burma, in Malaya. On the territory of the French colonies there was a struggle between the vickers and supporters of the "free France", which did not lead, as a rule, to military clashes.

Decolonization of Africa

After World War II, the process of decolonization of Africa quickly went. The year of Africa - the year of the liberation of the greatest number of colonies - was announced 1960. This year, the independence found 17 states. Most of them are French colonies and wards of the UN territory, which were under France: Cameroon, Togo, Malagasy Republic, Congo (former French Congo), Dagomey, Upper Volta, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Mali. Independently proclaimed the largest country of Africa in terms of population - Nigeria, belonging to the UK, and the largest in the territory of the Belgian Congo. British Somalia and Somalia ward, who were under the control of Italy, were united and became the Somali Democratic Republic.

The 1960th changed the entire setting on the African continent. The dismantling of the remaining colonial regimes has already become unauthorized. Sovereign states were proclaimed:

• in 1961, the British possessions of Sierra Leone and Tanganyika;
• in 1962 - Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda;
• in 1963 - Kenya and Zanzibar;
• in 1964 - Northern Rodezia (called the Republic of Zambia, by the name of the Zambisi River) and Nyasaland (Malawi); In the same year, Tanganyik and Zanzibar united, creating the Republic of Tanzania;
• in 1965 - Gambia;
• in 1966, Bechuanland became the Republic of Botswana and Basutolend - the Kingdom of Lesotho;
• in 1968 - Mauritius, Equatorial Guinea and Swaziland;
• in 1973 - Guinea-Bissau;
• in 1975 (after the revolution in Portugal) - Angola, Mozambique, the islands of the Green Cape and Sao Tome and Principe, as well as 3 of 4 Comoros (Mayotte remained possession of France);
• in 1977 - Seychelles, and French Somalia became the Republic of Djibouti;
• in 1980, South Rodezia became the Republic of Zimbabwe;
• in 1990 - the Powered territory of South-West Africa - the Republic of Namibia.

Proclamation of independence of Kenya, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique and Namibia preceded war, uprisings, partisan struggle. But for most African countries, the final stage of the path was traveled without major bloodshed, it became the result of mass demonstrations and strikes, a negotiation process, and in relation to the wards of the United Nations solutions.

Due to the fact that the borders of African states during the "race for Africa" \u200b\u200bwere carried out artificially, excluding the settlement of various peoples and tribes, as well as the fact that traditional African society was not ready for democracy, in many African countries, after gaining independence, civilians began wars. In many countries, dictators came to power. The conditions arising from this are distinguished by neglecting human rights, bureaucracy, totalitarianism, which, in turn, leads to the crisis of the economy and growing poverty.

Currently, under the control of European countries are:

• Anklava Spain in Morocco Ceuta and Melilla, Canary Islands (Spain),
• Islands of St. Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunya and the Archipelago Chagos (United Kingdom),
• Reunion, Islands of the Epars and Mayotte (France),
• Madeira (Portugal).

Changing the names of states

In the period of investigating African countries of independence, many of them changed their names for various reasons. It could be secessions, association, change of regime or the acquisition of the country of sovereignty. The phenomenon of renaming African names of its own (names of countries, personal names of people) in order to reflect African identity was called Africanization.

Previous name	Year	Current name
Portuguese southwestern Africa	1975	Republic of Angola.
Dahomey	1975	Republic of Benin
Protectorate of the Bechuanland	1966	Republic of Botswana.
Republic of Upper Volta	1984	Republic of Burkina Faso
Ubanga-Shari	1960	Central African Republic
Republic of Zaire	1997	Democratic Republic of Congo
Middle Congo	1960	Republic of Congo
Ivory Coast	1985	Republic of Côte d'Ivoire *
French territory of Afarov and Issa	1977	Republic of Djibouti
Spanish Guinea	1968	Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Abyssinia	1941	Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Golden shore	1957	Republic of Ghana
part of the French West Africa	1958	Republic of Guinea
Portuguese Guinea	1974	Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Protectorate Basutolend	1966	Kingdom Lesotho
Protectorate Nyasaland	1964	Republic of Malawi
French Sudan	1960	Republic of Mali.
Hermann Southwest Africa	1990	Republic of Namibia.
German Eastern Africa / Rwanda-Urundi	1962	Republic of Rwanda / Republic of Burundi
British Somaliland / Italian Somaliland	1960	Republic of Somalia
Zanzibar / Tanganyika	1964	United Republic of Tanzania
Buganda	1962	Republic of Uganda
North Rhodesia	1964	Zambia
South Rhodesia	1980	Republic of Zimbabwe.

* The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire did not change his name as such, but demanded that in other languages \u200b\u200bthe French name of the country (FR Côte d'iVoire) was used, and not his literal translation into other languages \u200b\u200b(ivory coast, Ivory Coast, Elfenbeinküste, etc.).

Geographic research

David Livingston

David Livingston conceived to study the rivers of South Africa and find natural passages deep into the mainland. He made swimming in Zambezi, opened Victoria Waterfall, determined the Water Separation of Lake Nyasa, Taganik and the Lualaba River. In 1849, he first crossed the Kalahari desert and explored the NGAM Lake. During his last trip, he tried to find the origins of the Nile.

Heinrich Bart

Heinrich Bart found that the lake Chad's faceless, the first of Europeans studied the rock paintings of the ancient residents of the Sahara and expressed its assumptions about the change in the climate of North Africa.

Russian researchers

Mining engineer, Traveler Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky helped the Egyptians in search of gold deposits, studied the inflows of the Blue Nile. Vasily Vasilyevich Juncker explored the watershed of the main African rivers - Nile, Congo and Niger.

Geography of Africa

Africa covers an area of \u200b\u200b30.3 million km². The length from north to south - 8 thousand km, from west to east in the northern part - 7.5 thousand km.

Relief

Mostly - the plain, in the north-west are the atlas of the mountains, in Sakhar - Highlands Ahaggar and Tibesta. In the East - Ethiopian Highlands, south of him East African Plateau, where Kilimanjaro volcano is located (5895 m) - the highest point of the mainland. In the south there are caps and dragons of the mountain. The lowest point (157 meters below the World Ocean) is located in Djibouti, this is the salt lake Assal. The deepest cave is Anu Ifflis, located in the north of Algeria in the mountains of Tel Atlas.

Minerals

Africa is known primarily by its richest deposits of diamonds (South Africa, Zimbabwe) and gold (South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Republic of Congo). Large oil deposits are in Nigeria and Algeria. Boxites are mined in Guinea and Ghana. The resources of phosphorites, as well as manganese, iron and lead-zinc ores concentrated in the zone of the northern coast of Africa.

Inland waters

In Africa there is one of the most extended rivers in the world - Neil (6852 km), current from the south to the north. Other largest rivers are Niger in the West, Congo in Central Africa and the Zambezi River, Limpopo and Orange in the south.

The largest lake is Victoria. Other large lakes - Nyasa and Tanganic, located in lithospheric faults. One of the largest salty lakes is the lake Chad, located on the territory of the state of the same name.

Climate

Africa is the hottest mainland of the planet. The reason for this is in the geographical location of the mainland: the whole territory of Africa is in hot climatic belts and the mainland intersects the equator line. It is in Africa that is the hottest place on Earth - Dullaol, and the highest temperature on Earth (+58.4 ° C) was recorded.

Central Africa and the coastal areas of the Gulf of Guinea are the equatorial belt, there are abundant precipitation during the entire year and there is no change in the seasons. To the north and south of the equatorial belt are the subequatorial belts. Here in summer, the wet equatorial mass of air (rainy season) is dominant, and in the winter - dry air of tropical trade winds (dry season). The north and south of the subequatorial belts are the northern and southern tropical belts. It is characterized by high temperatures with a small amount of precipitation, which leads to the formation of the desert.

In the north is the largest desert of the Sahara, in the south - the Kalahari desert. The north and southern tip of the mainland is included in the appropriate subtropical belts.

Fauna Africa, Flora Africa

The flora of tropical, equatorial and subequatorial belts are diverse. Ceiba, Pipdathenia, Terminal, Combretomum, Brachistgia, Isoberity, Pandan, Tamarind, Rosyanka, Bubble, Palms, and Many others are growing everywhere. In the savannas, low trees and spiny shrubs (acacia, terminal, bush) prevail.

The vegetation of the desert, on the contrary, is scarce, consists of small communities of herbs, shrubs and trees growing in oases, high-rise, and along the water. In the depressions there are salted-resistant salts. On the least secured plains and plateau, types of herbs, small bushes and trees resistant to droughts and heat grow. The flora of the desert regions is well adapted to the irregularity of precipitation. This is reflected in a large variety of physiological adaptations, habitat preferences, creating dependent and related communities and reproduction strategies. Perennial drought-resistant cereals and shrubs have an extensive and deep (up to 15-20 m) root system. Many of herbal plants - ephemers that can produce seeds three days after sufficient moistening and hang them out within 10-15 days after that.

In the mountainous areas of the Sahara desert there is a relict-neogenic flora, an environmentally related kindred Mediterranean, many endemics. Among the relict wood plants growing in mountainous areas - some types of olive, cypress and mastic tree. Also presented types of acacia, tamaris and wormwood, Duma Palma, Oleander, Picture, Timyan, ephedra. In oases culture dates, figs, olive and fruit trees, some citrus fruits, various vegetables. Herbal plants growing in many parts of the desert are represented by triosnica clannice, wildlife and millet. On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean is growing coastal and other salinular herbs. Various combinations of ephemers form seasonal pastures, called ashabami. In reservoirs there are algae.

In many desert areas (rivers, Hamada, partially clusters of sands, etc.) vegetation cover is generally absent. The strong impact on the vegetation of almost all areas was human (grazing of cattle, collection of useful plants, billet fuel, etc.).

The remarkable plant of the desert of Namib - Tumeboy, or Welwitzchia (Welwitschia Mirabilis). It places two giant sheets, slowly growing all its life (more than 1000 years), which can exceed 3 meters in length. The leaves are attached to the stalk, which resembles a huge radister of a conical shape with a diameter of 60 to 120 centimeters, and sticks out of the ground for 30 centimeters. The roots of Velvichia go to the ground to a depth of 3 m. Venelvichia is known for its ability to grow in extremely dry conditions, using dew and fog as the main source of moisture. Velvichia - endemic for Northern Namiba - depicted on the state coat of arms of Namibia.

In a slightly more wet places of the desert, another famous Namib plant is found (Acanthosicyos Horridus), (endemic), which grows on the sand dunes. Her fruits make up the food base and the source of moisture for many animals, African elephants, antelope, dickery, etc.

From prehistoric times in Africa, the largest number of megafaun representatives has been preserved. Tropical Equatorial and subequatorial belt inhabit a variety of mammals: okap, antelope (fools, bongo), dwarf hippopotamus, cystic pig, warter, galago, monkey, flying (needles), lemurs (on about. Madagascar), viverra, chimpanzee, gorilla, and other . Nowhere in the world there is no such abundance of large animals, as in African savannah: elephants, hippos, lions, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, antelope (Cannes), zebras, monkeys, bird secretary, hyena, African Ostrich, Meerkats. Some elephants, cuff buffaloes and white rhinos dwell only in reserves.

Jaco, Turako, Tsearok, Rhino Bird (Calao), Cockada, Marabu prevail among birds.

The reptiles and amphibians of the tropical equatorial and subequatorial belt - Mamba (one of the most poisonous snakes in the world), crocodile, python, quanks, wood and marble frogs.

In wet climatic zones, the Malari Komar and Fly Tsetz, causing a sleepy disease, both in humans and mammals, are common.

Ecology

In November 2009, Greenpeace published a report in which two villages in Niger near the mining mines of the French transnational company AREVA have a dangerous level of radiation. The main environmental problems of Africa: desertification - the problem of the northern part, cutting down the tropical forests-in the central part.

Political division

In Africa, there are 55 countries and 5 self-proclaimed and unrecognized states. Most of them were for a long time were the colonies of European states and gained independence only in the 50s-60s of the XX century. Prior to that, independent were only Egypt (C 1922), Ethiopia (since the days of Middle Ages), Liberia (since 1847) and South Africa (since 1910); In South Africa and South Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), up to the 80-90s of the 20th century, the regime of apartheid was maintained, discriminatory to the indigenous (black) population. Currently, in many African countries, regimes are legal in relation to the white population. According to the research organization Freedom House, in recent years in many African countries (for example, in Nigeria, Mauritania, Senegal, Congo (Kinshasa) and Equatorial Guinea) there was a tendency to retreat from democratic achievements towards authoritarianism.

In the north of the continent, the territory of Spain (Ceuta, Melilla, Canary Islands) and Portugal (Madeira) are located.

Countries and territories	Area (km²)	Population	Population density
Algeria
Egypt
West Sahara
Libya
Mauritania
Mali.
Morocco
Niger		13 957 000
Sudan
Tunisia
Chad				Nitejamen

Spanish and Portuguese territories in North Africa:

Countries and territories	Area (km²)	Population	Population density
Canary Islands (Spain)				Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Madeira (Portugal)
Melilla (Spain)
Ceuta (Spain)
Small sovereign territories (Spain)				Countries and territories Area (km²) Population Population density Benin Cotonou, Porto New Burkina Faso Ouagadugu Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bisau. Cape Verde Côte d'Ivoire Yamusukro Liberia Monrovia Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Countries and territories Area (km²) Population Population density Gabon Libreville Cameroon DR Congo Republic of Congo Brazzaville Sao Tome and Principe CAR Equatorial Guinea Countries and territories Area (km²) Population Population density Burundi Bujumbura British Territory in the Indian Ocean (Dependent Territory) Diego Garcia Galmudug (unrecognized state) Galcayo Djibouti Kenya Puntland (unrecognized state) Rwanda Somalia Mogadishu Somaliland (unrecognized state) Hargeisa Tanzania Uganda Eritrea Ethiopia Addis Ababa South Sudan Countries and territories Area (km²) Population Population density Angola Botswana Gaborone Zimbabwe Komora. Lesotho Mauritius Madagascar Antananarivo Mayotte (Dependent Territory, France Overseas Region) Malawi Lilongwe. Mozambique Namibia Reunion (Dependent Territory, France Overseas Region) Swaziland. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan-Da-Kun (Dependent Territory (United Kingdom) Jamestown. Seychelles Victoria Opace Islands (Dependent Territory, France Overseas) South Africa Republic Bloemfontein Cape Town Pretoria African Soyuz In 1963, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established, uniting 53 countries in Africa. This organization was officially transformed into the African Union on July 9, 2002. The Chairman of the African Union is elected for a period of one year of one of the African states. The administration of the African Union is in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. The tasks of the African Union are: promoting the political and socio-economic integration of the continent; promotion and protection of the interests of the continent and its population; achieving peace and security in Africa; promoting the development of democratic institutions, wise leadership and human rights. The African Union does not include Morocco - in protest against the adoption of Western Sahara, which Morocco considers its territory. Economy Africa General economic and geographical characteristics of countries in Africa A feature of the geographical position of many countries in the region is the lack of access to the sea. At the same time, in countries overlooking the ocean, the coastline is weakly cut, which is unfavorable for the construction of large ports. Africa is extremely rich in natural resources. Especially great reserves of mineral raw materials - ore manganese, chromites, bauxites, etc. In decreases and coastal areas there is fuel raw materials. Oil and gas are mined in North and West Africa (Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Libya). The colossal reserves of cobalt and copper ores are concentrated in Zambia and DRC; Manganese ores are mined in South Africa and Zimbabwe; platinum, iron ores and gold - in South Africa; Diamonds - in Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Ghana; phosphorites - in Morocco, Tunisia; Uranium - in Niger, Namibia. In Africa, quite large land resources, however, the erosion of soil accepted a catastrophic nature due to its incorrect processing. Water resources in the territory of Africa are distributed extremely unevenly. Forests occupy about 10% of the territory, but as a result of predatory destruction, their area is quickly reduced. In Africa, the highest rates of natural population growth. Natural growth in many countries exceeds 30 people per 1000 inhabitants per year. The high proportion of children's ages is maintained (50%) and a small proportion of older people (about 5%). African countries have not yet managed to change the colonial type of industry and territorial structure of the economy, although economic growth rates somewhat acted. The colonial type of industry structure of the economy is distinguished by the predominance of small, consumer agriculture, weak development of the manufacturing industry, lag in the development of transport. The country of Africa in the mining industry has reached the greatest success. For the extraction of many minerals, Africa has a leading, and sometimes monopoly place in the world (for the extraction of gold, diamonds, platinoids, etc.). The manufacturing industry is represented by light and food, other branches are absent, with the exception of a number of areas near the presence of raw materials and on the coast (Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, DRC). The second sector of the economy, which defines the place of Africa in the world economy - tropical and subtropical agriculture. Agriculture products are 60-80% of GDP. The main commodity crops are coffee, cocoa beans, peanuts, dates, tea, natural rubber, sorghum, spices. Recently, grain crops began to grow: corn, rice, wheat. Livestock is plays a subordinate role, with the exception of countries with a dry climate. Extensive cattle breeding prevails, characterized by tremendous livestock, but low productivity and low marketability. Continent does not provide itself to agricultural products. Transport also retains the colonial type: Railways go from raw material production areas to the port, while the regions of one state are practically not connected. Related railway and marine types of transport. In recent years, other types of transport have been developed - automobile (road through sugar), air, pipeline. All countries, with the exception of South Africa, developing, most of them are the poorest in the world (70% of the population lives below the poverty line). Problems and difficulties of African states In most countries, Africa has emerged, unprofessional and ineffective bureaucratic apparatus. With the amorphy of social structures, the unique organized force remained the army. The result is endless military coups. Dictators who came to power were assigned unpretentious wealth. Capital Mobutu, President of the Congo, at the time of his overthrow was $ 7 billion. The economy functioned badly, and this gave the "destructive" economy: the production and distribution of drugs, illegal gold and diamonds, even trafficking in persons. The share of Africa in the global GDP and its share in world exports decreased, the production of products per capita declined. The formation of statehood is extremely complicated by the absolute artificiality of state borders. Africa received them inherited from the colonial past. They were installed in the section of the continent on the spheres of influence and have little in common with ethnic borders. Created in 1963. The organization of African unity, aware that any attempt to fix one or another border could lead to unpredictable consequences, called on to consider these boundaries with unshakable, as if they were neither unfair. But these borders still turned into a source of ethnic conflicts and movements of millions of refugees. The main branch of the economy of most countries of tropical Africa is agriculture, designed to provide food with food and serve as a raw material base of the manufacturing industry. It is occupied by the prevailing part of the amateur population of the region, it creates the main part of the cumulative national income. In many Tropical Africa states, agriculture occupies a leading place in exports, ensuring the receipt of a significant part of foreign exchange income. In the last decade, an alarming picture was observed with the growth rates of industrial production, which makes it possible to talk about the actual de-industrialization of the region. If in 1965-1980 they (on average per year) amounted to 7.5%, then in the 80s only 0.7%, the fall in growth rates occurred in the 80s in both the extractive and manufacturing industries. Due to a number of reasons, a special role in ensuring the socio-economic development of the region belongs to the mining industry, but this production is reduced annually by 2%. A characteristic feature of the development of tropical Africa countries is the weak development of the manufacturing industry. Only in a very small group of countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Senegal), its share in GDP reaches or exceeds 20%. Integration processes A characteristic feature of integration processes in Africa is a high degree of their institutionalization. Currently, the continent is about 200 economic associations of various levels, scale and orientation. But in terms of studying the problem of the formation of subregional identity and its ratio with identity national and ethnic interest, there are functioning of such major organizations as the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS), the South African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and so on . Extremely low performance of their activities in previous decades and the occurrence of the Epoch of Globalization demanded a sharp acceleration of integration processes on a qualitatively different level. Economic cooperation is developing in new - compared with the 70s - conditions of controversial interaction between the globalization of the global economy and the increasing marginalization of the positions of African states and, naturally, in another coordinate system. Integration is no longer considered as a tool and the basis for the formation of a self-sufficient and self-developing economy in support for its own strength and in opposition to the imperialist west. Another approach, which, as mentioned above, is integrating as a path and method of incorporating African countries to globalizing world economy, as well as impetus and an indicator of economic growth and development as a whole. Population, Peoples of Africa, Demography of Africa The population of Africa is about 1 billion people. Population population on the continent is the highest in the world: in 2004, it was 2.3%. Over the past 50 years, the average life expectancy has increased - from 39 to 54 years. The population consists mainly of representatives of the two races: the Negroid south of the Sahara, and the European-like in North Africa (Arabs) and South Africa (Bura and English-Africans). The most numerous people are the Arabs of North Africa. During the colonial development of the mainland, many state borders were carried out without taking into account ethnic features, which still leads to inter-ethnic conflicts. The average population density of Africa is 30.5 people / km² - it is significantly less than in Europe and Asia. In terms of urbanization, Africa lags behind from other regions - less than 30%, but the rate of urbanization here is the highest in the world, for many African countries is characterized by false urbanization. The largest cities in the African continent - Cairo and Lagos. Languages Autochonian languages \u200b\u200bof Africa are divided into 32 families, of which 3 (Semita, Indo-European and Austronesian) "penetrated" to continent from other regions. Also there are 7 isolated and 9 non-classified languages. The most popular invading African languages \u200b\u200binclude Languages \u200b\u200bBantia (Swahili, Congo), Fula. Indo-European languages \u200b\u200bwere distributed, as a result of the colonial control era: English, Portuguese, French are official in many countries. In Namibia from the beginning of the XX century. Compactly lives a community speaking in German as the main one. The only language belonging to the Indo-European family, which emerged on the continent is Afrikaans, one of the 11 official languages \u200b\u200bof South Africa. Also, the communities of Afrikaans live in other countries of South Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia. It is worth it, however, it is noted that after the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the language of Afrikaans is displaced by other languages \u200b\u200b(English and local African). The number of its carriers and the scope of application is reduced. The most common language of the Afrazian language macros - Arabic is used in North, Western and East Africa as the first and second language. Many African languages \u200b\u200b(Haus, Swahili) include a significant amount of borrowing from Arabic (primarily in the layers of political, religious vocabulary, abstract concepts). Austronesian languages \u200b\u200bare represented by the Malagasy language, which speaks Madagascar Malagasy's population - the people of Austronesian origin, which fell here allegedly in the II-V centuries of our era. For residents of the African continent, possessing at once in several languages, which are used in various household situations. For example, a representative of a small ethnic group that maintains his own language can use a local language in a family circle and communicate with its tribesmen, a regional inter-ethnic language (Lingala in DRC, Sango in the King, House in Nigeria, Bambara in Mali) in communicating with Representatives of other ethnic groups, and the state language (as a rule, European) in communicating with the authorities and other similar situations. At the same time, language ownership may be limited only by the ability to speak (the literacy of the population in Africa south of Sahara in 2007 amounted to about 50% of the total number of residents). Religion in Africa In the world's religions, Islam and Christianity prevail (the most common confessions of Catholicism, Protestantia, to a lesser extent, Orthodoxy, Monophimita) are dominated. In East Africa, Buddhists and Hinduses also live (many of them are immigrants from India). The followers of Judaism and Bahohasma also live in Africa. The expected religions entered into Africa are found both in pure form and syncretized with local traditional religions. Among the "large" traditional African religions, you can specify an ELISA or BVITY. Education in Africa Traditional education in Africa assumed the preparation of children to African realities and life in an African society. Training in Dookolonial Africa included games, dancing, singing, drawing, ceremonies and rituals. Training was engaged in the elders; Each member of society contributed to the education of the child. Girls and boys trained separately to assimilate a system of proper sexual behavior. The training of training was the rituals of the transition, symbolizing the end of the children's life and the beginning of an adult. With the beginning of the colonial period, the education system has undergone amendment towards European, so that the Africans have the opportunity to compete with Europe and America. Africa tried to establish the preparation of his own specialists. Now Africa is still lagging behind the formation of other parts of the world. In 2000, in Black Africa, only 58% of children were trained in schools; These are the lowest indicators in the world. In Africa, 40 million children, half of whom school age that do not receive school education. Two thirds of them - girls. In the postcolonial period, the power of the African countries did greater emphasis on education; A large number of universities were established, although there were very few money for their development and support, and in some places ceased at all. Nevertheless, universities are overcrowded, which often forces teachers to lecture shifts, in the evenings and weekends. Because of the low remuneration, the leakage of frames is observed. In addition to the lack of necessary funding, other problems of African universities are a unresolved system of degrees, as well as injustice in the career promotion system among the teaching staff, which is not always based on professional merit. This often causes protests and strikes of teachers. Internal conflicts For Africa, the reputation of the most conflict plane of the planet quite firmly approved, and the level of stability over time here is not only not rising, but also tends to decrease. For the postcolonial period on the continent, 35 armed conflicts were recorded, during which about 10 million people died, most of which (92%) are civilians. Africa has almost 50% of the global number of refugees (more than 7 million people) and 60% of displaced persons (20 million people). Many of them fate voted the tragic fate of the daily struggle for existence. Culture of Africa By virtue of historical reasons in cultural relations, Africa can be divided into two large areas: North Africa and Africa south of Sahara. Africa literature The concept of African literature themselves, the Africans themselves are included in both written and oral literature. In the consciousness of Africans, the form and content are inseparable from each other. The beauty of the presentation is used not so much for it, how much to build a more efficient dialogue with the listener, and beauty is determined by the degree of truthfulness of the above. Oral literature Africa exists in poetic form and in the form of prose. Poetry, often in a song form, includes the actual poems, EPOS, ritual, laudatory songs, love songs, etc. Prose - most often stories about the past, myths and legends, often with the trickster as a central character. Epos about Keit Sundiat, the founder of the ancient state of Mali is an important sample of the oral literature of the Preolonional period. The first written literature of Northern Africa was recorded in Egyptian papyrus, also wrote in the Greek, Latin and Phoenician languages \u200b\u200b(sources on the Phoenician remained extremely small). Latin wrote Apuli and St. Augustine. Ibn Haldong style, a philosopher from Tunisia, noticeably stand out among the Arab literature of that period. In the colonial period, African literature mainly concerned the problems of slavery. The first English-speaking work is considered to be Roman Joseph Efrachim Keisley-Heiford "Free Ethiopia: Essays on Racial Emancipation", published in 1911. Although the novel and balancing between fiction and political propaganda, he received positive responses in Western publications. The topic of freedom and independence increasingly climbed before the end of the colonial period. After acquired by the majority of independence, African literature accomplished a gigantic jump. A lot of writers appeared, whose works were widely recognized. The works were written both in European languages \u200b\u200b(basically these are French, English and Portuguese), and in autochthonous languages \u200b\u200bof Africa. The main themes of the work of the postcolonial period were conflicts: conflicts between past and present, tradition and modernity, socialism and capitalism, personality and society, indigenous peoples and arrivals. Social problems such as corruption, economic complexities of countries with newfound independence, rights and role of women in a new society are widely covered. Women writers are now much more widely represented than in the colonial period. The first African writer of the postcolonial period, who received the Nobel Prize in literature, was the will of Shoirek (1986). Before that, only Albert Cami, born in Algeria, was awarded this premium in 1957. Cinema Africa In general, Africa's cinema is poorly developed, the exception is only the movie School of North Africa, where since the 1920s many films (Algeria and Egypt cinema) were filmed. So black Africa did not have his own movie for a long time, and served only the scenery for films taken by the Americans and Europeans. For example, in the French colonies, the indigenous population was forbidden to shoot a movie, and only in 1955 Senegal director is full of Vieira's Sumor (en: Paulin Soumanou Vieyra) (En: Paulin Soumanou Vieyra) took off the first Francophone film L'Afrique Sur Seine ("Africa on Seine"), and then not at home , and in Paris. A certain number of films with anti-colonial mood have been shot, which were forbidden to decolonization. Only in recent years, after independence, national schools in these countries have begun to develop; First of all, it is South Africa, Burkina Faso and Nigeria (where the school of commercial cinema has already been formed, called "Nollywood"). The first film, which received international recognition was the Ribbon of Senegal director Usman Sememben "Black Girl" about the difficult life of the maid-black woman in France. Since 1969 (he has enlisted the support of the state in 1972) in Burkina Faso every two years, the Fespaco African Film Film Festival is held on the continent. The North African alternative to this festival is the Tunisian "Carthage". Many films taken by African directors are aimed at destroying stereotypes about Africa and its people. Many ethnographic films of the colonial period received disapproval by Africans as distorting African realities. The desire to adjust the world image of black Africa and literature. Also in the concept of "African cinema" includes films shot by the diaspora outside the Motherland. (Visited 1 276 Times, 1 Visits Today)

The mysteriousness of the African continent is endless, you can endlessly studying its nature, culture and history than scientists are safely engaged in not one century.

In addition, an interesting Africa name has also received a good name, just how it happened, there is no unambiguous hypothesis. Therefore, researchers spend a lot of strength in order to establish the truth. And since this word is mentioned in ancient foreign and it is difficult to find the truth.

It is surprising that the inquisitive antique historians have long been aware of the existence of land on another coast of the Mediterranean Sea, just for a long time did not understand, to which mainland they should be attributed. After Greek geographers somewhere in the 5th century BC. e. Determined that this is a separate part of the world, they began to call North African territories of Libya. So one of the ancient names of the continent is considered this word.

Sometimes the extensive territories of the Black Continent in the original sources were Master Ethiopia, and it happened to be so called more southern regions. This is confirmed by the long-lasting naming of the Guinean Bay by the Ethiopian Sea or Ocean, which continued until the 18th century. Prior to that, it was the opinion that local water boils under the hot sun, and the local residents have black skin, because she is charred.

Origin of the name of Africa

For the first time, Africa received the name, according to one of the versions, in the second century BC during the Punic Wars. Then the Roman afterrazGrom army established domination at Tunisian lands, where the colony of Africa was built by their order. So this word at that time meant not the entire continent, but only the specified territory. Many scientists, including the Frenchman P. Gaffarel, are convinced that the origin of the name of Africa was the beginning of this way.

Moreover, they decided on the tribes present here - afar, they were spread to the Gibraltar Strait itself. It was a militant Berber tribe living in antiquity, he was called Afarik or Avrig. Descendants, all the same Africans, still found on the mainland:

• in Ethiopia (the nationality of Afara lives in the northeastern part);
• b (second major nationality).

In addition, it is believed that those who live in ancient Carthage used the word "Afri" to call those who settled next to the city. This term has the Phoenician AFAR root that translates "dust." Accordingly, the surrounding tribes were called in this way.

The other version of the origin of Africa's names binds this tribe with the Berber word IFRI, meaning a "cave", that is, these ancient inhabitants called cave people. Indeed, upholstered in the desert areas, they could use all sorts of natural shelters, characteristic of the terrain.

Muslim province confirms the same information, which in time formed in these lands, it was called - Iphrikia.

In any case, the whole of Africa called this a little later, gradually the mainland and increasing the well-known dimensions.

And yet this option is not the most popular from other scientists who associated the name with another word and meaning. Thus, in the 16th century, the theory appeared, according to which the origin of the African name (sounding in Arabic Iphicia) went from the word "Faraka", meaning "separating" or "separated".

Such an option suggested and defended Mohammed al-Vazan, the Arab researcher, also known as the Lion African. According to such an assumption, the name expresses the isolation of the black continent from other parts of the world, first of all from Asia. Further transformation of the word Iphrikia to the familiar Africa occurred in the process of numerous borrowing in various languages.

And although it is logical, there is a nuance - about Africa mentioned much earlier than the given hypothesis was put forward, it means that the word was used with different values.

Also, the origin of the name of Africa can be explained by other theories:

• the Root "Afros" is borrowed from the language of this, meaning "foam country", we are talking about the Egyptian coast, which by the Mediterranean Sea is characterized by the combination of some currents;
• the name could be associated with the name - Abraham Efer, Libians are considered to be his descendants;
• in the historical work of the 15th century, the word aprica was captured, which Isidore Sevilsky tried to convey the meaning of "Sunny";
• the peculiarity of the mainland is expressed by the word "Africh", because the particle "A" denies the existence here "Frikn" - horror and cold, as a result, it turns out "without cold";
• Lderald Massey, who studies the culture of Egypt, in the 19th century laid out the name of the mainland - AF-RUI-KA, turned out to "turn to the hole to the hole," since the last couple of words means the birth of every person, then the Egyptians were called Africa.

Africa - Second on population continent, more than 1.1 billion people live here. This is a huge amount of nationality, languages \u200b\u200band cultures. Among conflict and poor countries there are quite peaceful, safe and interesting for tourists. Many travelers are familiar to countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. And about where you can spend time south of the Sahara edition onetwotrip.com.

Sierra Leone

Perhaps the most unexpected state in this list - Sierra Leone, which not so long ago for ten years weighed civil war. However, since 2002, serious changes occurred in Sierra Leone and today it is already among peace-loving countries according to the Global Security Index (GPI). Sierra Leone is considered one of the most religious tolerant states in the world, and the life expectancy of the local population is 57 years, which is not bad for African standards.

There are many beautiful natural reserves, such as the rain forest of Gala or the National Park of Autamba Kilimi, clean beaches on the coast of the Atlantic, and her capital Freetown is the oldest city in West Africa.

Botswana

Security Leader on the African Continent. Is this related to the fact that peaceful and tranquility and tranquility are one of the main features and the people of TSSvan, and Bushmen, or with the fact that Botswans understand what economic contribution to tourists, but one way or another there is a very low crime rate here.

No one, however, does not promise that grandparents will not attack you, so during Safari it is recommended not to feed these warlord monkeys and do not even smile. In general, animals in Botswana are a lot; For example, here lives the greatest population of elephants in the world.

One of the popular tourist attractions, along with Safari to the Kalahari desert and visiting national parks, since the 30s of the last century, the search for ancient treasures hidden from colonialists in the Caves of the Gchwihab is considered. The treasure still has found no one, but the caves themselves are with amazing stalactites up to 10 meters long, they are in order to go to the north of the country.

Ghana

In 2008, Ghana was determined by the Global Security Index as the safest country of Africa and since then holds the top lines in this ranking. In the country is rare internal conflicts and with her neighbors of her peaceful relations. Tourists here are very friendly and talking to them in English - this is the official language of Ghana.

Here you can visit numerous reserves with elephants, antilopes, monkeys and other exotic beasts, to visit the ruins of Cape Post and Elmina castles and fortresses listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and spend time on pure little beaches.

Namibia

This country is in the south-west of Africa - an oasis of stability and safety on a restless black continent. It is late enough (in 1878) was opened by Europeans, quickly out of all internal and external conflicts and is now one of the richest African countries.

Here is the most ancient desert on Earth - Namib, the legendary shore of skeletons, many national parks, the place of falling the largest meteorite Kob, the second largest after the Colorado Canyon and much more.

​
​

In Namibia, good car tracks, and The Desert Express tourist train runs between the capital of Windhoek and the resort city of Swakopmund, making along the way of stopping in particularly remarkable places.

Uganda

Uganda and GPI, and public tourist opinion consider the country safe for foreigners. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is not accepted here that merchants and climb themselves to stick to people may be due to the fact that the share of urban population in the country is only 13%, and the main attractions are not in the villages.

Tourists in Uganda need to have time to see a lot: one of the oldest in Africa Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Enttebbe Botanical Garden, where the first film about Tarzan was filmed, Ruvenzori's mountain chain - most likely, they are their ancient Egyptians called the lunar mountains. Here they are engaged in sailing on Lake Victoria and Rafting on Nile, which originates in Uganda.

If the locals here do not cause special concerns to tourists, then you need to be careful with animals, especially if you see Slonich with an elephant. By the way, Uganda is located on the main migration route of northern birds: eagles, cuckoo, swallows, crucibles and many familiar to us very much here.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde or Green Cape Islands - Archipelago near the West Coast of Africa. Calm, peacekeeping, relative purity and acceptable level of service (European companies are invested in local tourism) expect tourists here, in the homeland of the famous singer Cesary Evora.

There are enough pictorial landscapes on the islands: extinct volcanoes, mountain ranges, where you can go trekking, blooming meadows, in which you just take a walk. But the main feature of Cape Verde, this is, of course, the ocean - it is used at full capacity: from the beaches with black volcanic sand, continuing to dives to the shipwreck places and ending with windsurfing, the schools of which are on every island, but they are especially famous for them Sal Island.

Kenya

Kenya, the country of the Tribe Masayev and the business card of the real African nature, very beautiful, friendly and touristly developed. Mount Kenya is the second on the continent in height after Kilimanjaro. Along the country, you can observe the jambs of migratory birds, and the view of the highest mountain of Africa (Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania) from the Kenyan Ambossels Park, perhaps even better than the view from the mountain itself.

Tanzania

Tanzania residents are friendly and smiling, but, like everywhere, travelers are not worth losing a vigilance - robbers are enough. But in Tanzania still a lot of tourists who go here without fears. Here, at home Freddie Mercury, there is something to see.

First, Kilimanjaro volcano, to the top of which numerous tourist trails lead. Secondly, Zanzibar island - a holiday place, where the beautiful stone city is located in the 9th century. From here they go to the tours for spices, during which cinnamon can be touched and try unfamiliar spices. Third, the famous Serengeti National Park, which occupies a huge area and where more than three million large wild animals live.

Fourth, Ngoronoro Biosphere Reserve, located in the colossal (21 km in diameter) Crater of extinct volcano. About 25 thousand different animals live in it and here the highest concentration of predators in all Africa.

Madagascar

Madagascar is a separate mainland in miniature: so much does not look like in Africa, no other place on Earth. Here are amazing landscapes, and 80% of dwelling animals and plants are no longer found anywhere.

On the island a lot of natural parks and protected areas. The largest Zinggi de Bimaraha reserve, which, like many others, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The country is rich in beautiful beaches; Traditionally it is believed to swim on the west coast safer - there is less sharks there.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa: it is here that the famous Victoria Waterfall is on the border with Zambia. In Zambia, by the way, tourists are less, therefore, those who prefer a more secluded environment, recommend to admire the miracle of nature there.

In Zimbabwe, the environmental structure and animals are very well working here, even much even for Africa, so in some places the hunt is allowed (almost everywhere on the continent is already prohibited).

In addition to countless national parks, there is a unique historical object here - the stone ruins of the Big Zimbabwe: the pagan temple complex, built over a thousand years ago.

Tourists going on a journey to Africa must necessarily do all vaccinations, their list is usually on the embassy site. Even in those countries, for a trip to which vaccination is not required, it is necessary to take antimalarial pills, and start taking them before the trip. It is strictly forbidden to use crude water even to clean the teeth.