forests and the great deserts to the north
and south are the savannas. These are
open grasslands scattered with trees such
as acacias and baobabs. Few plants grow
in the deserts.
A serious problem in the savanna is that
the vegetation is being used up, leaving
the land bare. As the population
increases, more and more of the trees are
being used for fuel and for building supplies.
Some scientists are concerned that
removing the vegetation may cause the
savanna to become more desertlike.
Africa has many different kinds of animals,
though their numbers were greatly
reduced in the 1900s. This loss occurred
because of overhunting and because
large areas of their natural habitats were
taken over for farming. Today many
species are threatened with extinction.
Several countries have set aside land to
help protect wild animals. These wildlife
preserves are home to such animals as
elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses,
antelopes, lions, jackals, and
hyenas. The rain forests support monkeys,
bats, flying squirrels, gorillas, leopards,
and mongooses. The native
animals of northern Africa include types
of wild sheep and goat, the African red
deer, and the jerboa (a small leaping
animal like a gerbil). Fish, birds, and
reptiles also are abundant.
People
Africa has the most physically varied
population in the world. Most of the
population consists of black peoples
belonging to almost 3,000 different ethnic
groups. In the north there are also
large numbers of Arabs. Mainly in the
south there are some descendants of
Europeans who established colonies in
Africa hundreds of years ago.
The number of languages spoken in
Africa probably exceeds 1,000, though
some are spoken by only a small number
of people. Arabic is the major language
of northern Africa. Most Africans who
live south of the equator speak one of
the many Bantu languages. In general,
Islam is the religion of northern Africa
South African boys pose in front
of a painting in Cape Town,
South Africa.
40 Africa BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
and Christianity of southern Africa.
Traditional religions are also practiced.
Many African countries are comparatively
poor. In all African countries the
government provides public education.
But most governments cannot afford to
provide education for everyone. Millions
of Africans remain unable to read or
write. Much of the money for health
care comes from other countries. Infectious
diseases, such as malaria, continue
to be a serious problem in Africa, and
about 70 percent of all AIDS cases are in
Africa.
Economy
Most of Africa is underdeveloped. But
the continent has some of the worlds
largest shares of minerals, including oil,
natural gas, and coal; metals such as
gold; and gems such as diamonds.
Farming is a very important part of the
African economy. The chief food crops
vary by region. They include yams in the
tropical forests of the west; corn, millet,
and rice in the savannas; and corn in the
south. The tropical grasslands are also
suitable for cattle farming. Most African
countries do not produce enough food
to feed all their people. Therefore they
must import food.
In many parts of Africa certain crops are
produced for sale to other countries.
Africa is the worlds largest supplier of
cocoa beans, which are used in making
chocolate. Africa also exports much cotton,
sisal (a fiber), tea, coffee, palm oil,
yams, and peanuts, as well as wood from
the forests.
Although Africa still earns most of its
money by exporting raw materials and
food, many of its countries are developing
industries. Some industries process
raw materials produced in local farms
and forests. Others manufacture goods
for use in Africa. South Africa is the
most industrialized African country.
History
Africa is thought to be the place where
humans first developed, more than 1
million years ago. The African continent
had many kingdoms and empires during
its early history. One of the worlds earliest
civilizations, ancient Egypt, devel-
Facts About
AFRICA
Area
11,678,801 sq mi (30,247,722 sq km)
Population
(2008 estimate) 955,761,100
Largest Country by Area
Sudan: 966,757 sq mi (2,503,890 sq km)
Smallest Country by Area
Seychelles: 176 sq mi (455 sq km)
Largest Country by Population
Nigeria: (2008 estimate) 146,255,000
Smallest Country by Population
Seychelles: (2008 estimate) 85,500
Largest Cities
Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; Johannesburg,
South Africa; Kinshasa, Congo; Khartoum,
Sudan
Longest River
Nile River: 4,132 mi (6,650 km)
Largest Lake
Lake Victoria: 26,828 sq mi (69,785 sq km)
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Africa 41
oped in the lower Nile River valley
nearly 5,000 years ago.
The region called Nubia was south of
Egypt. The powerful Nubian kingdom
called Kush ruled Egypt for a while in
the 700s and 600s BC. In the AD 300s
the kingdom of Aksum conquered Kush
from the south.
The African people have a long history
of contact with other powers. In about
the 700s BC the Phoenicians established
the city of Carthage in what is now
Tunisia. In the 100s BC the Roman
Empire took control of part of North
Africa. Arabs from the Middle East
spread into Africa in the AD 600s. Great
trading states, including the Ghana,
Mali, and Songhai empires, flourished in
western Africa. In eastern and central
Africa, powerful city-states such as
Mogadishu and Mombasa traded with
Arabia.
The first Europeans to arrive in Africa
were the Portuguese, in the late 1400s.
Soon the British, the Dutch, and the
French had also set up towns and trading
centers. They traded slaves from
Africa to the Americas from the 1500s
to the early 1800s. The Europeans did
not actually take control of the African
territories they entered during this
period, however.
Starting in the late 1800s Britain,
France, Belgium, Portugal, and Germany
ruled most of Africa as colonies.
The Europeans took raw materials such
as minerals and timber from their colonies
and shipped them back to Europe.
The African people had no say in how
they were ruled. They were also often
forced off the best land so that the Europeans
could take it. Many African
people resisted European control
throughout the colonial period.
In the 1900s the colonies were finally
granted independence. Many African
countries faced great unrest after gaining
independence. Ethnic violence led to
many deaths, and in many cases civil
war broke out as individuals and groups
struggled to establish control. The poor
economies of the countries added to the
problems. In 2002 African countries
formed an organization called the African
Union to try to solve these problems.
International agencies such as the
United Nations helped, too.
#More to explore
African Union Aksum Colony
Continent Egypt, Ancient Ghana
Empire Human Origins Kush Mali
Empire Nile River Nubia Rain
Forest Sahara Slavery Songhai
Empire
Ruins of a casbah, or fort, stand in Morocco
in North Africa.
42 Africa BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
African