AFRICA
(The continent has 54 sovereign countries, the most on any continent and is the 2nd largest continent in terms of both land area and population)
Overview
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| A Brief History |
In the 1500s, Europeans had begun exploring the continent Africa. The first European settlement in South Africa was made in 1652. A majority of countries have become independent only in recent years. Earlier, almost all of them were under foreign rule i.e. one of the other European power. All of the countries are now busy with their economic development. They are engaged in improving their agriculture and setting up industries.
Geographical Extension
Africa stands next only to Asia in size. It occupies about 20 percent of land area of the earth. It extends between 370 14' N to 340 50' S latitude. The continent Africa is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea and from Asia by the Red sea. However it almost touches Eurasia at three different points: at the straits of Gibraltar in the north-west, at the Suez canal in the northeast, at the straits of Bab-el-mandeb in the east.
Physical Set up
In Africa plateaus are higher in the south and in the east. A few volcanic mountain peaks rise above the plateau in the eastern part near the equator. Mount. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of Africa is located in this highland region. It is 5895 m above sea level and remains snow-covered throughout the year. The lowland areas are in the western and northern parts and along the coast. In Africa, there is a long chain of rift valleys running from the south of lake Malawi, northward to the Red sea and then through the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Afuaba to the Dead sea. It is known as Great Rift Valley. (A rift valley is a long and deep valley formed due to cracks or rifts in the land. It is bounded by wall-like steep slopes on both sides). Many of these valleys are filled with water called lake.
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| Physiography |
Lake Victoria, the largest lake of Africa is the source of river Nile, which is the longest river in the world. It rises in the rainy equatorial region and flows northward. After a long journey through the Sahara desert it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. Then Congo River, formerly Zaire River is the continent’s second longest river, after the Nile. It drains a large area and discharges a huge amount of water into the Atlantic Ocean. It carries the greatest volume of water among all the rivers of Africa. Other important rivers are the Niger in the Western part and Zambezi & orange in the southern part. Victoria fall on the river Zambezi is more than 2 km width. Livingstone saw it for the first time in 1855, while travelling through Africa and named it after Queen Victoria. With the exception of the Nile and the Zaire, few African rivers can be used for shipping. This is because the rivers drop from the higher plateaus to the coastal law lands making waterfalls. Victoria fall on the Zambezi is higher and wider than the famous Niagara fall of North America.
About one-third of Africa is a desert land. The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. It is located in the northern part of Africa. The Kalahari Desert in the southern Africa is another great desert.
Climate, Soil and Vegetation
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| Climate |
The major part of Africa lies within the tropical zone. The temperature is very high almost throughout the year. The highest temperature in the world has been recorded at Al-aziziyah (Libya) as 580 C. Only on the high plateaus and mountains it is somewhat moderate, even on the plateaus the day temperature are high although the nights are cool.
The belt lying along the equator on both sides has a hot, wet climate throughout the year. It rains almost daily and there is only one season namely the hot-wet summer. This is known as the equatorial type of climate because of the abundance of heat and moisture. Most of the region is covered with thick forests called tropical rain forests.
To the north and south of the rain forests, there are region s of warm summer and mild winters. In these belts most of the rain occurs in summer. There is a distinctive dry period. Total rainfall is also much less than that in the tropical rain-forests. This climate is known as the Sudan type of climate. Sudan type of climate is found in a very large part of the continent. Its vegetation is mostly grasses. The region covered with tall and coarse grasses is known as the savanna. Beyond the savanna, both in northern and in the southern parts of Africa, there are extensive deserts.
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| Vegetation |
In the desert regions, there is almost no rainfall. Temperate is very high. The climate is hot and extremely dry known as the desert type of climate. Vegetation is either wholly absent or includes only shrub and bushes.
The northern and the southern coasts of Africa have mild and rainy winters and warm and dry summers. This is called the Mediterranean type of climate. The climate is cooler in the highlands of southern and eastern Africa.
In Africa, only 10 percent of the soil are suitable for crops. It includes the volcanic soils of east Africa, the alluvial soils of the Nile valley and certain soils of the savanna lands which are very fertile. In other parts of the continent, climate conditions and the nature of the land forms have not been suitable for the formation of good soil. However, a very large part of central Africa is under forest cover, which is also an important natural resource of the continent.
Human Geography
In the past few years, many African nations increased their production of cash crops. This could provide them money to build dams, industries, transport and communication lines and improving their living conditions. Hence, the area under food crops decreased in many countries. In some parts of Africa, drought conditions are prevailing because of the failure of rainfall for many years. There has been acute food shortage in several countries of Africa. In South Africa, though the white people are in a minority they rule the country. Besides, they practice a policy of segregation i.e. the nonwhite population is not allowed to live freely in the country.
Language and Religion
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| Languages |
Several hundred languages are spoken in Africa. This presents problems in communication. Many Africans, therefore find it useful to be able to speak at least two languages. 1. The local language or dialect. This enables them to communicate with people in their own village or tribe. 2. They learn to speak French, Italian, English, Arabic or Swahili. Different religions such as Islam, Christianity and animism are followed by the people of Africa. Animism is a religion followed by many tribes. It is based upon love and respect of nature.
Economical Geography
Agriculture
Africa has many valuable trees such as mahogany, ebony and kapok. Rubber trees grow wild in central African forests, though they are native to South America. Africa exports rubber in large quantities. Three different types of palm trees are found in Africa. They are coconut, oil palm and date palm. 1. Coconut palms are found in the tropical islands (such as Zanzibar and Pemba) and along the equatorial coasts such as Tanzania. They yield copra from which coconut oil is obtained. Oil palm, from which palm oil is obtained, is common in West Africa. Nigeria exports a good deal of this oil. Date palm grows in the oases in the drier regions. Egypt exports a large amount of dates.
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| Cash & Food Crops |
Groundnuts are produced mainly in West Africa. Cocoa is obtained from the cacao trees. Like coffee, it is a very popular drink and is also used for making chocolate. Cacao grows well in the equatorial lowlands. West African countries, such as Ghana and Nigeria, export a good deal of cocoa. Kola trees yield nuts which are used in preparing cold drinks and chewing gum. In the tropical region of Africa, banana, pineapple, papaya, jack fruit and mango are common. Citrus fruits such lemon, orange and lime are also grown here. The Mediterranean regions grow olives, apples, peaches and grapes. East Africa produces Cashew-nuts. Zanzibar and Pemba islands are the biggest producers and exporters of cloves, and coconuts. They produce about nine-tenths of the world’s cloves. Most of the food crops of Africa are root crops such as yam and cassava. With the exception of maize, cereals are not very important. Wheat, rice, and millet like sorghum are grown in small quantities. Among the cash crops, palm oil, groundnut, cocoa, coffee, cotton and sisal are important. (Crops which are grown mainly for manufacturing industries are known as cash crops whereas crops which are grown by people for food are called food crops).
Minerals
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More than 95 percent of the world’s diamond production comes from Africa. Africa is responsible for more than half the world’s gold production. South Africa is the major producer of gold and platinum in Africa. There is not much coal an iron ore in Africa. This has hampered for the production of steel, which is so important for modern industrial growth. Cobalt and manganese, which are mixed with iron to make steel are found in the southern half of Africa. Africa has large reserves of cobalt, manganese, chromium, copper tin, bauxite and uranium. South Africa leads the countries of the world in the production of chromium, a metal which does not rust. Zaire and South Africa are the main producers of copper, bauxite (which produces aluminium) and uranium (used in producing atomic energy). Petroleum is found in many parts of Africa such as Nigeria, Libya and Angola.
Trade, Transportation and Communication
Cocoa and coffee from Africa constitute about 60 and 24 percent of world trade respectively. Cotton has been grown in the Nile valley for several thousand years. About 9 percent of the world’s trade in cotton comes from Africa. Africa is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of Sisal (Its leaves are cut off and crushed by machines. The fiber left is dried and made into ropes and sacks). In fact, Tanzania leads the countries of Africa in Sisal production.
Rivers are useful only for local transportation. Though most of the rivers of Africa cannot be used for shipping, these can, however be used for the development of hydro-electricity. The Kariba dam on the Zambezi is the largest producer of water power in Africa. The Aswan dam on the Nile in Egypt is another very big dam. Railway routes are in south, east, north-east and West Africa. There are two sea routes, i.e. Through the Suez Canal and Around the Cape of Good Hope.
