Africa, subregions: states, population, nature

The second largest continent in the world (after Eurasia) is Africa. Its subregions (their economy, population, nature and states) will be examined in this article.

Variants of the division of the territory of the continent

The territory of Africa is the largest geographical region of our planet. Therefore, the desire to divide it into parts is quite natural. The following two major areas stand out: Tropical and North Africa (or Africa north of the Sahara). Between these parts there are quite large natural, ethnic, historical and socio-economic differences.

Tropical Africa is the most backward region of the developing world. And in our time, the share of agriculture in its GDP is higher than the share of industrial production. 28 of the 47 least developed countries in the world are located in Tropical Africa. Also here is the maximum number of countries that do not have access to the sea (such states in this region 15).

There is another way of dividing Africa into districts. According to him, its parts are Southern, Tropical and North Africa.

Let us now turn to the consideration of the actual regionalization, that is, the identification of the major macroregions (subregions) of the continent of interest to us. Currently, it is considered that there are only five of them. Africa's subregions have the following: South, East, Central, Western and North Africa (on the map above). At the same time, each of them has specific features of the economy, population and nature.

North Africa

North Africa goes to the Red and Mediterranean seas, as well as to the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to this, its relations with the Near East and Europe have been established for a long time. Its total area is about 10 million km ² , where about 170 million people live. The Mediterranean "façade" defines the position of this subregion. Thanks to it, North Africa neighbors with South-West Asia and Southern Europe. It has access to the main sea route, which runs from Europe to Asia.

Cradle of civilization, Arab colonization

The low-living areas of the Sahara desert form the "rear" of the region. North Africa is the cradle of the civilization of Ancient Egypt, which made a great contribution to culture. The Mediterranean part of the continent in ancient times was considered the breadbasket of Rome. And to this day, among the lifeless sea of stone and sand, you can find the remains of underground drainage galleries, as well as other ancient structures. Many of the cities along the coast have their origin from the Carthaginian and Roman settlements.

Arab colonization, which took place in the 7th-12th centuries, had a huge impact on the culture of the population, its ethnic composition and way of life. And in our time the northern part of Africa is considered Arab: almost all the local population professes Islam and speaks Arabic.

The economic life and population of North Africa

The economic life of this subregion is concentrated in the coastal strip. Here are the main manufacturing enterprises, as well as the main areas of agriculture. Naturally, it is here that virtually the entire population of this subregion lives. Clay houses with earthen floors and flat roofs predominate in rural areas. Cities also have a very characteristic appearance. Therefore ethnographers and geographers single out a different type of Arab type of city. It is characterized by a division into an old and a new part. North Africa is sometimes referred to as the Maghreb, but this is not entirely accurate.

Economy

At present, 15 independent states are located in this subregion. The Republics are 13 of them. Most states in North America are underdeveloped. In Libya and Algeria, the economy is somewhat better developed. These countries have a significant supply of natural gas and oil, which are now the market commodity in the world market. The extraction of phosphate, used in the production of fertilizers, is engaged in Morocco. Niger is a major producer of uranium, but remains one of the poorest states in North Africa.

The southern part of this subregion is very poorly populated. The agricultural population lives in oases, in which the main commodity and consumer culture is the date palm. Only nomadic camel breeders can be found on the rest of the territory of this region, and even then not everywhere. In the Libyan and Algerian parts of the Sahara there are gas and oil industries.

A narrow "lane of life" only along the Nile valley is wedged into the desert far to the south. For the development of Upper Egypt, the construction of the Aswan hydroelectric complex on the Nile with the technical and economic assistance of the USSR was very important.

West Africa

The subregions of the continent of interest to us are quite an extensive topic, so we will confine ourselves to a brief description of them. We move on to the next subregion, West Africa.

Here there are zones of savannas, tropical deserts and moist equatorial forests, which are located between the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahara desert. This is the largest subregion of the continent in terms of population and one of the largest by area. The natural conditions here are very diverse, and the ethnic composition of the local population is the most complex - various peoples of Africa are represented. This subregion was in the past the main area of the slave trade. At present, agriculture is developed here, represented by the production of various plantation consumer and cash crops. There is industry in the subregion. The most developed industry is mining.

The population of West Africa

According to 2006, the population of West Africa is 280 million people. In composition it is polyethnic. The largest ethnic groups are Vulof, Mande, Serer, Mossi, Songhai, Fulani and Hausa. The indigenous population is divided into three meta-groups according to the language: Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo and Afro-Asian. Of the European languages in this subregion are English and French. The main groups of the population on religious grounds are Muslims, Christians and animists.

Economy of West Africa

All the states that are here are developing countries. As we have already mentioned, the subregions of Africa differ economically. The table presented above gives a characteristic of such an important economic indicator of the countries of the continent of interest to us, as a gold reserve (data of 2015). The countries of West Africa in this table are Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritania and Cameroon.

The leading role in the creation of GDP in this subregion is played by agriculture, as well as by the extractive industry. The minerals found in West Africa are oil, iron ore, bauxite, gold, manganese, phosphates and diamonds.

Central Africa

From the very name of this subregion it is clear that it occupies the central part of the continent (equatorial). The total area of the region is 6613 thousand km ² . A total of 9 countries are located in Central Africa: Gabon, Angola, Cameroon, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (two different states), Sao Tome and Principe, Chad, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. Also here is the island of St. Helena, which is the overseas territory of Great Britain.

The states of Central Africa are located in the savanna and damp equatorial forests, which greatly influenced their economic development. This subregion is one of the richest in mineral resources , not only in Africa but also in the world. The ethnic composition of the local population, unlike the previous region, is homogeneous. Nine-tenths of it is made up of the peoples of Africa belonging to the Bantu, which are related to each other.

Economy of the subregion

All states of the subregion, according to the UN classification, are developing. In the creation of GDP, the main role is played by agriculture, as well as by the extractive industry. In this respect, West and Central Africa are similar. The minerals extracted here are cobalt, manganese, copper, diamonds, gold, natural gas, oil. The subregion has good hydropower potential. In addition, significant reserves of forest resources are located here.

These are the main features of Africa Central.

East Africa

It is located in tropical and subequatorial climate zones. East Africa comes to the Indian Ocean, so it has long maintained trade relations with the Arab countries and India. The mineral wealth of this subregion is less significant, but the diversity of natural resources in general is very large. This is largely determines the various options for their economic use.

The population of East Africa

East Africa is a very mosaic subregion in ethnic terms. The borders of many countries were established arbitrarily by former colonial powers. However, the cultural and ethnic differences that the population of East Africa has, were not taken into account. Due to significant social and cultural differences, there is a significant conflict potential in this subregion. Often there were wars, including civil war.

South Africa

It is located on the southern part of the continent, which is farthest from Asia, America and Europe, but it extends to the sea route that skirts the southern tip of Africa. This subregion is located in the subtropical and tropical latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. There is a considerable amount of natural resources, especially mineral ones. South Africa (South Africa) - the main "core" of this subregion. This is the only economically developed country on the continent.

Population and economy of South Africa

A significant number of the population of South Africa is of European origin. The people of Bantu are the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of this subregion. The local population as a whole is poor, but South Africa has a network of roads, efficient air services, and good tourist infrastructure. Mining, as well as deposits of gold, platinum, diamonds and other minerals form the backbone of the economy. In addition, southern Africa is increasingly developing technology, tourism and manufacturing.

Finally

As you can see, in general, the continent is not very developed economically. Its population is distributed unevenly. Currently, about a billion people live on a continent such as Africa. Its subregions were briefly characterized by us. In conclusion, I would like to note that this continent is considered the ancestral home of mankind: here were found the oldest remains of early hominids, as well as their probable ancestors. There is a special science of African studies that studies the cultural, political, economic and social problems of Africa.