Africa

By Caroline Bennett

To speak of Africa is to paint a wildly colorful collage. With its array of landscapes, cultures, and religions, about the only generalization that can be reasonably made is that Africa is as extraordinarily diverse as it is unique. From the untamed countryside in the south, through the sweeping sands of the Sahara desert to the ancient Arab cities of the north, Africa is arguably the most exotic and multifarious continent on the planet.

Africa is the world’s second largest continent and the second most populated after Asia. With its mind-boggling exhibition of biological diversity, the region is widely believed to be the birthplace of our modern ecological society. Recorded human activity on the continent began around 3000 B.C. with the civilizations of Ancient Egypt. Because of its enormity, Africa’s climates range from tropical to high-alpine, making it home to the world’s most diverse selection of wildlife. It is the only continent to stretch the polar temperate zones, but experiences no natural moderating effect on the inland climate, making it a place of ultimate extremes. From dense jungle to mountaintop glaciers, Africa is almost as diverse geographically as it is culturally.

Though rich in natural resources and offering limitless possibilities for exploring, Africa is notoriously not without its problems. Colonialism and (under) development can be blamed for many of the tribulations that continue to plague the continent today. The heart of the Africa actually remained an unseen and intangible mystery to explorers until the mid 17th century. In 1884, the great European powers of the day divided the continent along fairly arbitrary lines creating many of the national boundaries that exist today, often without care or notice to the ethnic groups within them. Colonialism also incited a system of exploitation, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where small European minorities ruled and African natives were treated as second-class citizens. Though many colonial powers left the continent by the mid 20th century, South Africa remained under a system of segregation knows as Apartheid until 1994.

Post-Colonial Africa has seen the declaration and rise of 52 independent states, however, instability, poverty, war, and health issues have plagued much of the region. Several countries like South Africa and Kenya have paved the way for modern societies, while others are still reeling from recent wars.

But the true picture of Africa shows more than the starving child or gun-toting militiaman. Africa is home to a countless variety of vibrant and unique cultures, speaking well over a thousand different languages and dialects. Over 70 languages- from French and Arabic to tribal dialects- are spoken in West Africa alone. Countries as small as Uganda are home to more than 25 tribes, each with its own unique history, art, rhythm and way of life. Nature lovers are awed by the fascinatingly diverse array of ecological wonders in the East, while urbanites find life in cosmopolitan cities like Johannesburg and Capetown in the south.

Africa’s long and complex history has tainted the continent with a reputation as dangerous, dark, or untamed from a Western perspective. But it is this rugged rawness and the richness of culture and natural beauty that make Africa such an exhilarating place to explore. As violence and unrest ebb and flow in parts of Africa, vast regions of the continent remain unrivaled travel destinations and new doors to practically unexplored territory are opened to the tourist and intrepid traveler alike.