Africa (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about Africa, its flora, fauna, climate and other characteristics. Also, its political division and forms of government.

africa kilimanjaro elephant — Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains.

What is Africa?

Africa It is the third largest continent (after Asia and America). It is bordered in the north by the Mediterranean Sea, in the south by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, in the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a total surface area of 30,272,922 square kilometers, which represents 20% of the total land surface on the planet.

The Romans were the first Europeans to have contact with the inhabitants of the African continent, who lived west of the Nile River. The Romans called them “afri” which derives from the Phoenician language, afar which means “dusty”, and ifri which means “cave”, something like “cave dwellers”.

The strongest theories maintain that Africa It is the continent from which the homo sapiens (the human being) after successive species of primates (hominids and anthropoids) evolved over millions of years and subsequently migrated from the continent.

Features of Africa

africa madagascar island baobabs — Madagascar, where baobabs grow, is the fourth largest island in the world.

The geography of Africa is notable for three great deserts: the Sahara (the largest in the world), the Namib and the Kalahari. It has a long mountain system in the eastern region of the continent, the Atlas Mountains, whose highest peak is Kilimanjaro (in Tanzania) at 5,895 meters and which is formed by 3 inactive volcanoes (Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo).

Africa also stands out for the Nile River, the largest on the continent and one of the longest in the world. The rest of the rivers have a fairly low flow or are poorly navigable. Among its large lakes, the most important are Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Alberto (or Mobutu), Eduardo (Rutanzige) and Kyoga.

Africa has numerous islands (some are independent nations and others are colonies). The best known is Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, located in the southeast on the Indian Ocean and separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel.

Flora and fauna of Africa

africa fauna — Africa's fauna includes many wild animals such as leopards and antelopes.

The fauna is characterized by wild animals such as lions, zebras, antelopes, elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, buffalos and hyenas They live in the savannah, the biome that predominates on the African continent. Because of their exotic beauty, they are coveted by smugglers and that is why there are numerous organizations and legislation to counteract their trafficking and illegal hunting.

The flora of the savannah is made up of the combination of grasslands, low-density shrubs and trees, and palm trees in the surroundings of the oases. The Baobabs tree stands out (typical of the island of Madagascar), whose leaves, fruits and seeds are used as food, for health and for the production of cosmetic products.

Africa Climate

The African continent is crossed by the equator line that divides it almost into two equidistant halves, so The predominant climate is tropical.

Libya (a country in North Africa) is the hottest region on the entire planet whose temperature has reached 58º C. At the furthest ends of the equator, the climate is subarctic with arid or desert areas. In the southern region the climate is temperate, warmer and more humid.

Forms of government in Africa

africa government democracy elections — Countries like Botswana are democratic and citizens elect their government.

More than half of African states are characterized as authoritarian (only a small part is democratic). According to the form of government, countries can be classified into:

Authoritarian governments There are 28 authoritarian countries: Angola, Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Swaziland, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, Djibouti and Zimbabwe.
Hybrid governments There are 15 hybrid countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Iberia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Democratic governments There are 11 democratic countries: Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa and Tunisia.

You may be interested: Population Growth

Africa population

africa ethnic tribes — There are more than 3,000 ethnic groups and tribes, such as the Masai.

The population of Africa is 1.2 billion inhabitants (equivalent to 15% of the total human population) and is made up of various ethnic groups and tribes such as the Bushmen, the Maasai, the Pygmies and the Hottentots. Nigeria is the most populous African country and the poorest on the continent (and on the planet).

The city of Luanda (the capital of Angola) is one of the most expensive cities in the world, even more than Tokyo (Japan) or Geneva (Switzerland). However, 2/3 of the African population lives below the poverty line and, of the total number of out-of-school children in the world, 43% are African.

African culture

africa christianity religions — Although Islam predominates in the north, Christianity is also important.

Africans practice a wide variety of traditional religions. Islam predominates in the northern regions and, starting in the 20th century, Catholicism and Protestantism acquired great prominence. Religious rituals are characterized by being accompanied by music with drums to invoke the different deities (the rhythm varies depending on the god they address).

There are more than 3,000 tribes or native peoples that continue to maintain ancestral customs rituals of excision of female private parts are even practiced today, despite being considered a violation of human rights by the UN (United Nations Organization).

Political division, countries and capitals of Africa

Africa is divided into 54 sovereign states (51 constituted as a republic and 3 constituted as a monarchy), 2 states with limited recognition and 2 independent territories:

The sovereign countries of Africa are:

Angola Capital: Luanda
Algeria. Capital: Algiers
Benin. Capital: Porto Nuevo and Cotonou
Botswana. Capital: Gaborone
Burkina Faso. Capital Ouagadougou
Burundi. Capital: Gitega
Cape Verde. Capital: Praia
Cameroon Capital: Yaoundé
Chad. Capital: N'Djamena
Comoros. Capital: Moroni
Ivory Coast. Capital: Yamoussoukro
Egypt. Capital: Cairo
Ethiopia. Capital: Addis Ababa
Gabon. Capital: Libreville
Gambia. Capital: Banjul
Ghana. Capital: Accra
Guinea. Capital: Conakry
Guinea-Bissau. Capital: Bissau
Equatorial Guinea. Capital: Malabo
Kenya. Capital: Nairobi
Lesotho. Capital: Maseru
Liberia. Capital: Monrovia (monarchy)
Libya. Capital: Tripoli
Madagascar. Capital: Antananarivo
Malawi. Capital: Lilongwe
Mali. Capital: Bamako
Morocco. Capital: Rabat (monarchy)
Mauritius. Capital: Port Louis
Mauritania. Capital: Nouakchott
Mozambique. Capital: Maputo
Namibia. Capital: Windhoek
Niger. Capital: Niamey
Nigeria. Capital: Abuja
Central African Republic. Capital: Bangui
Republic of the Congo. Capital: Brazaville
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Capital: Kinshasa
Rwanda. Capital: Kigali
Sao Tome and Principe. Capital: Sao Tome
Senegal. Capital: Dakar
Seychelles. Capital: Victoria
Sierra Leone. Capital: Freetown
Somalia. Capital: Mogadishu
Swaziland. Capital: Babane and Lobamba (monarchy)
South Africa. Capitals: Bloemfontein (judicial capital), Cape Town (legislative city) and Pretoria (administrative capital).
Sudan. Capital: Khartoum
South Sudan. Capital: Juba
Tanzania. Capital: Dodoma
Togo. Capital: Lomé
Tunisia. Capital: Tunisia
Uganda. Capital: Kampala
Djibouti. Capital: Djibouti
Zambia. Capital: Lusaka
Zimbabwe. Capital: Harare

Africa map

The other continents

There are 6 continents on the planet in total: Africa, America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica (the southernmost, with an approximate population of 4,000 inhabitants in summer and 1,000 in winter).

Africa is the third largest continent, after Asia and America. It borders to the north with the European continent (from which it is separated by the Mediterranean Sea) and to the east with the Asian continent (from which it is separated by the Suez Canal, through which the Red Sea passes).

References

“Africa” in Encyclopedia Britannica.
“Africa” in Encyclopedia.
“Africa” on Wikiwand.com.
«Modern humans came out of Africa» National Geographic.
«Female genital mutilation. Evolution in Africa since the second half of the 20th century” on Academia.edu.
«10 facts about the African continent that will surprise you» on Eacnur.org.