Chapter 3: Africa

Mike Bobbe, Rachel Haemig-Lehman, Jeffrey Hedlund, Sarah Marier, Jackie Polloway

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Overview

Africa is a region of the world that has gone through vast political change that has resulted in many civil wars and unrest, limiting the region’s ability to prosper.

Colonialism and the World Wars have been instrumental in the creation of arbitrary post-colonial borders. Visitors to the region will want to pay close attention to numerous languages and religions, internal conflicts, and disease.

Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It contains 54 countries, which are often divided into Sub-Saharan and Northern Regions.

Sub-Saharan Africa includes the African countries south of the Sahara Desert. The realm can be further broken down into regional components: Central Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa. Madagascar is a large island off the southeastern coast of Africa and is usually not included with the other regions because its geographic qualities and biodiversity are quite different from the mainland. The Indian Ocean borders it on the east, and the Atlantic is on the west. The southern tip of the continent, off South Africa, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean, is often referred to as the Cape of Good Hope.

The countries in the North African region include the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea from Morocco to Sudan. The realm borders the Atlantic Ocean, the Sahara Desert, and the African Transition Zone. Egypt has territory in both Africa and Asia through its possession of the Sinai Peninsula.

Map of Africa

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Overview

Map of Africa

Suggested Research Links for Africa

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