O African continent is the third largest in the world. It is washed on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Indian Ocean. To the north, it is separated from the European mainland by the Mediterranean Sea; and to the northeast, it is separated from Asia by the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, located in Egypt.
Many people know Africa for its extreme poverty and misery, but few know why. According to the UN (United Nations), of the countries considered to have a low HDI (Human Development Index), all of them are African. This situation was mainly caused by the colonial and imperialist exploitation that took place in these countries.
First, there was a colonialist domination that began at the end of the 15th century, when the black population that formed the different ethnic groups of this continent was enslaved and taken to other places, including the Brazil. This domination remained that way until the 19th century, when an imperialist wave (also called neocolonialist) decided to appropriate the continent, dividing its territory among many others countries.
Because of this, many internal conflicts began to take place, either in search of independence, or between rival peoples seeking to control the same territory. Although before colonization there were also territorial disputes in Africa, they were not as bloody and intense as they are today.
The relief of the African continent is marked by the presence of two great deserts: the Saara's desert it's the Kalahari Desert. The first is in the northern region of the country and the second is further south. Most of the surface of Africa is made up of plateaus with medium and high altitudes. In the central and northern region, there are large rivers that are among the largest in the world, such as the Nile, Congo and Niger rivers.
Travelers crossing the Sahara Desert
Regarding vegetation, there are several types, such as desert plants, equatorial forests and steppes. However, the most present type are the savannas, which are very similar to the Brazilian Cerrado vegetation, with medium and small trees with very twisted branches.
Africa is divided into two main regions: Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. The first comprises the entire region of this continent that lies beneath the Sahara desert, characterized by a mostly black population and greater ethnic diversity. The second is further north and comprises the African Arab populations.
Although most of the African territory is formed by independent countries, that is, without the colonial rule of another country, its economy is quite subordinate. Furthermore, many internal guerrillas and bloody dictatorships exist or have recently existed in most African countries.
