World Knowledge Series---Africa

Author: Di Xiangping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The World Knowledge Series is a popular reading material introducing the general of countries around the world, divided into six volumes: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Oceania. It consists of three main parts: text, maps, and images. The text part primarily introduces the natural geography, area, population, ethnic groups, history, politics, national flags and emblems, economy, and people's lives of each country, as well as folklore, important cities, and scenic spots. The content is rich yet concise; the maps include topographic maps, administrative division maps, major country maps, and city maps, which are concise and exquisite. They present the geographical, administrative, and other general of continents and countries, as well as famous cities and landmarks, in a more intuitive way; the image part features selected photographs of representative figures, landscapes, customs, and architecture from each continent, as well as national flags and emblems of various countries. The China Map Publishing House · Map Development Center is the department of China Map Publishing House specializing in compiling and publishing reference maps. Its business scope includes compiling and publishing the following maps: · Large and medium-sized thematic map collections. · Practical reference maps of China and its provinces and regions. · Practical reference maps of the world and various countries. · Various transportation and tourism maps. · Various foreign-language maps.
Africa, known as the African continent, is located in the southeastern part of the eastern hemisphere, with the equator crossing through it. The northwestern part of the continent has some areas and islands extending into the western hemisphere. It covers an area of approximately 30.2 million square kilometers, accounting for about 20% of the world's total land area and is the second-largest continent after Asia. Africa's coastline is relatively straight (compared to Europe, Africa is three times larger in area than Europe, yet its coastline is not as long as Europe's), with few peninsulas and bays. The terrain is relatively flat, making it a highland continent. The Ethiopian Plateau is known as the "Roof of Africa," with an altitude of over 1,000 meters. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest peak, reaching an elevation of 5,895 meters. Africa is home to the world's largest desert, the Sahara Desert. The Sahara Desert is located in northern Africa, spanning the entire continent, with an area of 9.2 million square kilometers, accounting for one-third of Africa's total area. The southwestern part of Africa is also home to the Namib Desert and the Kalahari Desert. The East African Rift Valley is the world's longest rift valley. Its eastern branch extends from the mouth of the Shire River in the south, northward across the Red Sea to the northern part of the Dead Sea, with a total length of about 6,400 kilometers. The rivers in Africa are characterized by canyons, rapids, and waterfalls, with abundant hydropower resources but not suitable for navigation. Major rivers include those flowing into the Atlantic, such as the Nile River, the Congo River, the Niger River, the Senegal River, and the Volta River; and those flowing into the Indian Ocean, such as the Zambezi River, the Limpopo River, and the Jubba River. Africa's lakes are concentrated in the East African Plateau, which is also part of the rift valley: Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kivu, Lake Edward, Lake Albert, Lake Victoria, and Lake Turkana. Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake and the world's second-largest freshwater lake. Lake Tanganyika is the world's second-deepest lake. Additionally, Lake Tana, located on the Ethiopian Plateau, has an altitude of 1,830 meters and is Africa's highest lake. Lake Chad is the largest lake in the interior basin. Africa has a hot, dry, and arid climate, earning it the nickname "the Tropic Continent." However, in some areas, such as certain Mediterranean coastal regions and highland areas, the climate is cool and even temperate year-round. Africa is rich in natural resources, with significant reserves of oil, natural gas, iron, manganese, chromium, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, copper, aluminum, zinc, tin, uranium, and phosphates. Gold and diamonds are particularly renowned. Africa has more than 40,000 plant species, many of which are rare or unique. The forest area in Africa accounts for 21% of the total land area, with a variety of precious woods such as teak, ebony, rosewood, copal, ivory, camphor, oak, walnut, and tung oil trees, all abundant in supply. Africa's grasslands are vast, covering 27% of the total land area, with great potential for livestock farming. Africa's fishing resources are also very abundant.
Africa's economy is underdeveloped, making it the continent with the lowest level of economic development in the world. According to the United Nations, the majority of the world's least developed countries are in Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of Africa's economy, with most countries being agrarian nations. The cultivation of cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, cotton, peanuts, palm oil, cashew nuts, and sisal occupies a significant proportion of agricultural production. The industrial base is weak, with outdated management and technology. Transportation and infrastructure are also in a backward state. Africa is both ancient and young. It is called ancient because Africa is one of the birthplaces of humankind, and the African people created splendid ancient civilizations. More than 200,000 years ago, "South Africans" in southern and eastern Africa began using stone tools. In many regions, slave states were established long before the Common Era. Great river basins, such as the Nile and Niger river basins, developed their own brilliant ancient civilizations. After the Common Era, most regions gradually established tribal states. Unfortunately, in the modern era, African countries one by one fell under European colonial rule, losing their independence, a state of affairs that lasted for more than a century. As a result, when people opened maps in the 1950s, they would find that there were few independent countries in Africa at the time. Most countries gained independence after 1960, and many of them had not yet celebrated their 40th anniversaries. In this sense, Africa is a young continent. The national independence movements that rose in Africa in the 1960s were one of the greatest political events of the 20th century. They ultimately dismantled Western colonial rule and held significant historical importance for the advancement of humanity. Africa has a population of 748 million, making it the second-most populous continent in the world. Africa's ethnic issues are highly complex. Most ethnic groups remain in a tribal state. The number of tribes in Africa is unmatched in the world. Some sources estimate there are as many as 3,000 tribes, while the most conservative estimate is 250. The vast difference in numbers is due to the fact that some tribes are very similar, making it possible to divide them into multiple tribes or consider them as a single tribe. Each tribe has its own distinct characteristics, including customs and traditions. Generally, each tribe has its own traditional "territory," and they can coexist peacefully, at least in a state of peaceful coexistence. However, in some regions, tribal conflicts have deep-rooted causes, with tribes being at odds with each other, leading to constant clashes and even tribal wars, sometimes resulting in thousands of casualties, and at times even millions. Africa's complex terrain and long history have provided humanity with numerous natural and cultural landmarks. Africa's vast and underdeveloped territory has offered vast spaces for wildlife to thrive. Many areas have been designated as wildlife sanctuaries.