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Africa – a brief outline of the history of the continent

Sub‑Saharan Africa is different from North Africa in terms of culture, population and history. This part of the world is also often referred to as the real Africa or the Dark Land. One characteristic of this part of Africa was the continuation of society without state structures until the 19th century. The bases for social organisation were family connections, kinships, religious groups or groups with legal powers.

In the fifteenth century European sailors, mostly from Portugal, reached the West African coast. In 1488 they discovered the Cape of Good Hope and were able to sail further east – to India, where Vasco de Gama became the first European to arrive by ship. In the 16th century, English, Frnnch and Dutch merchants had established trading poststrading posttrading posts along the entire coast of Africa. The period from the 16th to the 19th century was one of the most tragic periods in the history of Africa – the slave trade. Historians estimate that over 400 years, around 65 million people were removed from Africa, of which only 15 million reached America and 40 million lost their lives travelling across the sea. The slave trade ended in the first half of the nineteenth century, although in Brazil slavery was only abolished in 1988.

Africa's interior was only explored by Europeans in the 19th century. It was at that time that the sources of the Nile and Congo were discovered, as well as the diversity of peoples living there. In the nineteenth century, several European countries expanded their spheres of influence, creating institutions to economically and politically exploit territories in Africa. This period is known as colonialism. The only countries not to be colonies of European nations were Abyssinia (modern‑day Ethiopia) and Liberia.

Population of Africa

In 2015, 1 billion 186 million people lived in Africa, which accounted for 16.1% of the world's population. This share is constantly growing. There are 39 people on average per 1 kmIndeks górny 2². In 1950‑2010 nearly fivefold growth was recorded in Africa, unparalleled on any other continent. This great demographic explosiondemographic explosion (demographic bomb)demographic explosion was mainly due to the improvement of hygienic and general living conditions, better access to medical care and the awareness of the need to look after one's own health.

The result was, among others reducing infant mortality and increasing life expectancy. The adult population of Africa is divided into five different groups. They are white Africans, black Africans, Pygmies, Khoisan peoples and Austronesians. The white population lives in northern Africa, the Sahara and the Somali Peninsula. The areas south of the Sahara are populated by Negroes (black Africans), mainly belonging to the Bantu group. Currently, it is the largest population group in Africa. Pygmies - people with a very small body - live in the Congo Basin. In the Kalahari Basin, Khoisan population groups have a yellowish skin tone - formerly the Khoisan peoples were called Bushmen and Hottentots. On the largest island of Africa, Madagascar, there are Austronese people showing a cultural and linguistic relationship with the population of the island of Borneo, distant from Madagascar by 7,000. km.

The population living in areas south of the Sahara is strongly ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse, which often leads to various social conflicts, including armed conflicts.

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Na ilustracji znajduje się wykres liniowy, przedstawiający zmiany populacji w Afryce, Africa - changes in the population. Na osi X population w milionach, na osi Y year od 1950 do 2020. Nastąpił sześciokrotny wzrost liczby ludności z dwustu milionów w tysiąc dziewięćset pięćdziesiątym roku do miliarda dwustu milionów w dwa tysiące dwudziestym (prognoza, forecast). Wartość procentowego udziału ludności Afryki w liczbie ludności świata wzrosła dwukrotnie (1950 - 8,8%, 2020 - 16,7%). Widoczne dane liczbowe to: osiem i osiem dziesiątych dla lat pięćdziesiątych, dziewięć i dwie dziesiąte dla sześćdziesiątych, dziewięć i siedem dziesiątych dla lat siedemdziesiątych, dziesięć i pół, jedenaście i osiem dziesiątych, trzynaście przecinek jeden, czternaście przecinek osiem i przewidywane na rok dwa tysiące dwudziesty szesnaście i siedem dziesiątych.

To the south of the Sahara lies almost 50 countries with strong social and economic differences. According to international statistics, most of the countries in this region are among countries with low level of economic development. The worst situation is in Liberia, Burundi, Malawi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, where the value of the annual national income per capita does not exceed USD 1,000. And only in a few African countries are high income per capita above 10,000 USD. These are mainly countries with mineral wealth, such as South Africa (various riches) or Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea (oil) as well as Botswana (diamonds). High national income is also achieved in small island states - Seychelles and Mauritius - where profits come almost exclusively from tourism.

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lustracja przedstawia mapę wydobywczą Afryki, Africa hard coal and crude oil. Na mapie odmiennymi sygnaturami oznaczono miejsca wydobycia węgla kamiennego i ropy naftowej oraz wielkość wydobycia w państwach. Węgiel kamienny – miejsca wydobycia: Republika Południowej Afryki (Okręg Witwatersrand), Zimbabwe i Botswana. Wielkość wydobycia węgla kamiennego w Republice Południowej Afryki – 255 milionów ton, w Zimbabwe – 5 milionów ton. Ropa naftowa – miejsca wydobycia: zachodnie wybrzeże nad Zatoką Gwinejską, północna część kontynentu. Największe wydobycie: Nigeria – 111 milinów ton, Angola – 87 milionów ton, Algieria – 68 milionów ton, Libia – 46 milionów ton, Egipt – 34 miliony ton, dalej – Gwinea Równikowa, Kongo, Gabon, Sudan, Czad, Ghana, Sudan Południowy, Kamerun. Na zachodnim wybrzeżu kontynentu opisano Zatokę Gwinejską.

In most African countries, agriculture is a sector of the economy employing from 30% to 60% of the total employed. In extreme cases, this share reaches 80%. This is the case, for example, in Chad, Niger, Ethiopia.

Africa is a continent rich in mineral resources. However, the exploitation of useful minerals requires large amounts of money. The costs of processing raw materials are also very high, that is why in Africa mineral resources are obtained that do not have to be processed and bring big profits.

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Exercise 2

Poszukaj informacji, gdzie w Afryce Subsaharyjskiej wydobywa się diament.

Poszukaj informacji, gdzie w Afryce Subsaharyjskiej wydobywa się diament.

Indicate the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa that are visible in the picture where minerals are mined.

• Namibia
• Mauritania
• Bostwana
• Ethiopia
• RSA
• Senegal
• Sudan

Keywords

Sub‑Saharan Africa, colonialism, demographic explosion

Glossary