Africa
A Note About Geography
Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It reaches 4,600 miles from east to west and 5,00 miles from north to south. It is about one-fifth of the earth's land. Much of the land is a high plateau, with lower land near the coasts. The rivers that flow along this high land often form waterfalls or rapids. As a result, boats cannot use these rivers to travel to and from the coast. Also the coast is not good for boats; there are few harbors.
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Africa has many different environments. The equator crosses Africa and much of the continent lies in the tropics, where the weather is hot all year round. Even in this environment, however, there are widely different areas: hot, dry deserts; steamy, wet rain forests; high, cool mountains. About 1/3 of Africa is desert, which is sparsely populated and acts as a barrier for movement on the continent. The dense rain forests that cover much of central Africa do not allow for growth on the forest floor. The majority of Africa's population is in the northern and southern regions where there is soil for farming and grass for animals.
A Note About Society
African peoples had many differences because of the different environments in which they lived, however the societies in Sub-Saharan Africa prior to the Post-Classical Period shared some common features:
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the family was the most important unit of society; in some areas family was considered all people who come from common ancestors (a clan)
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they believed one god created the world, but plants, animals, and other natural forces have spirits that played an important role in life
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they relied on oral story telling, rather than writing, to pass on the traditions of their people
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The earliest ancient city in West Africa, Djenne-Djeno, on the banks of the Niger River, held about 50,00 people at its largest with people lived in round huts made of reeds and later mud bricks, who grew rice, raised cattle, and made iron. They traded their goods for gold and copper.
A Note About Migration
During a wave of expansion that began 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, Bantu-speaking populations – today some 310 million people – gradually left their original homeland of West-Central Africa and traveled to the eastern and southern regions of the continent. Using data from a vast genomic analysis of more than 2,000 samples taken from individuals in 57 populations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, together with a broad international consortium, have retraced the migratory routes of these populations, previously a source of debate. Their research reveals that the admixture that occurred as a result of successive encounters with local populations enabled the Bantus to acquire genetic mutations that helped them adapt to their new environments. Finally, by analyzing the genomes of more than 5,000 African-Americans, the scientists have identified the genetic origins of African populations deported as slaves, and confirmed that the Bight of Benin and West-Central Africa were the main ports used for the slave trade to North America.
