What is it?
Africa is a large continent in the southern hemisphere. The continent is home to over a hundred ethnic groups, each with their own distinct culture, language, religion and history. The continent is split into two parts: Africa's northern part is the Sahara desert and its southern part is the tropics. Africa's eastern coast stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. The western coast of Africa runs from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The eastern and western coasts of Africa have different climates.
Africa has been inhabited since the Paleolithic period. Early humans lived in the area of present-day Sudan. In the early Neolithic period, people started to build settlements in North Africa. The oldest human settlement in Africa was discovered in South Africa and dates back to about 40,000 years ago. In the Bronze Age, Egypt was the center of civilization. Ancient Egyptians built pyramids, which were the tallest man-made structures in the world until the 19th century. The Egyptian civilization lasted more than 4,500 years.
Ancient Egypt was followed by the Roman Empire. The Romans ruled most of Africa from the 1st century AD to the 6th century AD. At that time, many Africans were slaves and were forced to work in mines. The Arab Muslim invaders conquered much of Africa in the 8th century. They converted many Africans to Islam and forced them to work as slaves in the Middle East. The Arabs were succeeded by the Portuguese, who ruled the African coast from 1434 to 1650.
In the 16th century, the Europeans started to colonize Africa. The British took control of most of Africa in the 19th century. The British controlled the African continent until the 20th century. After World War II, the European colonial powers were replaced by African nations. Many African nations gained independence in the 1960s and 1970s.
Africa is the second largest continent after Asia. It covers almost one quarter of the Earth's land surface. Africa has a total area of 9,065,700 square miles (23,800,000 square kilometers). It is the second largest country in the world after Russia. Africa's population is about 1.2 billion. About 90% of the population lives in Africa's coastal regions.
Africa is a very diverse continent. The majority of its population lives in rural areas. The urban population is growing, but it is still small compared to other continents. The continent is home to many ethnic groups. Some ethnic groups live in isolated areas and speak their own languages. Other ethnic groups live in close proximity to other ethnic groups and speak the same language.
The largest ethnic group in Africa is the black race. Most black people live in Africa's coastal regions. The black race includes the Bantu, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, Khoisan, Nilotic and Cushitic peoples. Other races include the white race, the Arab race and the Asian race.
The Bantu people are the largest ethnic group in Africa. They live in central and southern Africa. The Bantu people originated in the Great Lakes region. The Bantu people migrated to southern Africa around 1,000 BC. The Bantu people established several kingdoms in southern Africa.
The Nilo-Saharan people live in eastern Africa. The Nilo-Saharans are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. The Nilo-Saharan people live primarily in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya.
The Niger-Congo people are a subgroup of the Bantu people. The Niger-Congo people originated in the Great Lakes area. The Niger-Congo moved into western and central Africa around 2,000 BC. The Niger-Congo established several kingdoms in western and central Africa.
The Khoisan people live in southern Africa. The Khoisan people originated in southern Africa. The Khoi-San people lived in the Kalahari Desert. The Khoi-San hunted and herded animals. The Khoi-San also made tools out of stone. The Khoi-San lived in groups of 30 to 100 people.
The Nilotic people live in central and eastern Africa. The Nilotic people originated in the Nile River Valley. The Nilotic people migrated into eastern Africa around 2,000 BC.
