Africa (continent)

Africa (continent)
Martin23230 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Africa
Area km2	30370000
Population	1.4 billion (approx.)
Countries	54

Africa (continent) Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, home to diverse peoples, societies, and ecosystems. It spans from the Mediterranean Sea to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, containing major features such as the Sahara, the Nile, and the Congo Basin. The continent has been central to human evolution, ancient civilizations, transcontinental trade networks, colonial encounters, and modern state formation.

Etymology and Naming

The name "Africa" appears in Roman sources connected to Africa Proconsularis and the Punic Wars involving Carthage. Classical authors such as Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy used variations that later entered medieval Byzantine Empire and Arab cartography, intersecting with terms like Ifriqiya. European Renaissance scholars including Gerardus Mercator and Albericus Gentilis reinforced the term during expansion by Portuguese Empire navigators such as Prince Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama, while Ottoman and Islamic geographers like Ibn Battuta and Al-Khwārizmī contributed alternative toponyms and regional distinctions used in later treaties like the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Geography and Geology

Africa's plate tectonic setting includes the African Plate and the Seychelles microcontinent, shaped by rift systems like the East African Rift with features such as the Great Rift Valley and volcanoes like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. Major river systems include the Nile River, Congo River, and Niger River, which traverse basins including the Sahara Desert, Sahel, Kalahari Desert, and Okavango Delta. Island territories include Madagascar, Seychelles, and Canary Islands (linked to Spain), each with endemic geology related to events like the breakup of Gondwana and the formation of the Mozambique Channel. Coastal margins meet the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean, affecting currents such as the Benguela Current and the Agulhas Current.

Climate and Environment

Climates range from equatorial rainforest in the Congo Basin to hyper-arid conditions in the Sahara, with monsoon-influenced regimes on the Horn of Africa and Mediterranean climates in the Maghreb and Cape Town region. Biodiversity hotspots include the Cape Floristic Region, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot, and the Guinean Forests of West Africa, hosting species like the African elephant, mountain gorilla, and okapi. Environmental challenges involve desertification linked to the Sahel droughts, deforestation in the Upper Guinean forests, coral bleaching in the Red Sea and the Mozambique Channel, and conservation efforts coordinated by organizations such as the African Union's Environment Directorate and initiatives with United Nations Environment Programme and Convention on Biological Diversity signatories.

History

Prehistoric epochs feature hominin fossils from sites like Olduvai Gorge, Herto and Omo Kibish that inform debates connected to Out of Africa models and researchers including Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey. Ancient states and empires encompassed Ancient Egypt, Kingdom of Kush, Aksumite Empire, Carthaginian Republic, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, and Great Zimbabwe. Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade linked ports such as Timbuktu, Kilwa Kisiwani, Zanzibar, and Alexandria with networks involving Mali, Songhai, Portuguese Empire, Ottoman Empire, and Swahili Coast city-states. The Atlantic slave trade and encounters with European colonization—notably the Scramble for Africa formalized at the Berlin Conference (1884–85)—reshaped borders and sovereignty, later prompting independence movements led by figures like Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, and Nelson Mandela. Postcolonial eras include episodes such as the Ethiopian–Italian Wars, Algerian War of Independence, the Rwandan genocide, and interventions like Operation Restore Hope and United Nations Mission in Liberia.

Demographics and Languages

Populations include ethnic groups such as the Akan, Amhara, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Zulu, Oromo, Somali, Berber (Amazigh), and Shona, with diasporas in the Caribbean, Brazil, and United States. Major urban centers include Lagos, Cairo, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Casablanca. Linguistic diversity covers language families like Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger–Congo, and Khoisan, alongside colonial languages such as English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and creoles like Cape Verdean Creole. Religious landscapes feature adherents of Islam, Christianity, and indigenous faiths associated with groups like the Dogon and Yoruba religion traditions, with pilgrimage sites including Mecca connections for African Muslims and Lalibela churches for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.

Economy and Infrastructure

Economies vary from resource-rich states like Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria to smaller economies such as Rwanda and Botswana that pursued policy reforms associated with World Bank and International Monetary Fund programs. Key exports include oil and gas from Nigeria and Libya, minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa (e.g., cobalt and gold), agricultural products from Ivory Coast and Kenya (e.g., cocoa and tea), and tourism hubs like Marrakesh, Victoria Falls, and Table Mountain. Infrastructure projects include transnational corridors such as the Trans-African Highway initiatives, rail projects like the Tazara Railway and Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, and energy ventures including the Inga Dams proposals and Gabonese hydropower plans, often financed through partnerships with China's Belt and Road Initiative and multilateral lenders such as the African Development Bank.

Politics and International Relations

The African Union succeeded the Organization of African Unity to coordinate continental policy, peacekeeping missions like the African Union Mission in Somalia and diplomatic initiatives addressing conflicts in Darfur, South Sudan, and the Sahel involving groups such as AQIM and Boko Haram. Regional blocs include the Economic Community of West African States, Southern African Development Community, East African Community, and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa which negotiate trade and integration frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area. External relations involve strategic partnerships with European Union, United States, China, Russia, and India across security, development, and investment arenas exemplified by summits such as the U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit and Forum on China–Africa Cooperation.

Category:Continents