LESSON ONE: GENERAL AFFAIRS, STATUS OF AFRICA

1.1 Introduction
During the course of Geography of East Africa, you were introduced to the influence of East African
Coast peoples, such as Arab, the Swahilis and their movements along the Coasts and Islands of East Africa
as a specific region. Other historical development activities such as the Railway lines were highlighted also.
This course aims to introduce learners to the physical and human components of the whole continent of
Africa using the same approaches as that used to study the Geography of East, but in larger scale, (or wider
perspectives), in a spatial outlook. This means considering all regions of Africa and their differential degrees
both in physical, developmental adoptions.

1.2 Objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

(a) Explain how the African continent developed historically.

(b) Discuss the previous and present status among the African Nations.
(c) Describe the origin of the African continent.
(d) Outline
1.3 Political Map of Africa
In this context we want to understand the way different regimes of previous colonizers developed
various regions (Northern region, East region, Central region, South region, West region) of Africa
according to these regime’s economic trends.

1.3.1 Political Map of Africa – is an old concept that followed the colonial interpretations, in dividing
Africa into political regions or countries, just before 1960.

1.3.2

These regions or countries were as follows:-

(a) Countries that were free from colonialism are:

 Ethiopia
 Siera-Leone

(b) Countries that we (still) under colonialism

(c) Countries that were never ruled by colonists

1.3.3

(a) According to colonialists each of the above category maintained a special

separate flag colour.

(b) East empire or colony had its own flag colour of the country under its regime/rule.

1.3.4. The empires or colonists that dominated Africa before 1960, are as follows:-
 (a) British (d) Italian

(b) French (e) Spain

(c) Portuguese (f) Germany

1.3.5 To-day (or at least by 1968) all countries are free.

This means:

 East country has its own flag

 Flag
 Regime (or government)
 Policies (or political trend)
 Constitution
1.4 The history of Political Map of Africa
Political map of Africa is an old concept based on the colonial interpretations, that divided the
African continent into political regions/sectors or countries slightly before 1960.

In this concept one would be made to understand the way different previous colonial regimes divided
and developed various regions (East African Region, West African Region, North African Region, South
African Region, Central African Region etc.) of Africa according to colonial interest regimes and economic
trends.

Dividing of such regions or countries were generally based on the following criterion as follows in a
kind of category:

(a) Countries that were free from colonialism:-

(i) Ethiopia
(ii) Siera-Leone
(b) Countries that were still under colonialism by 1960.
(c) Countries that were never ruled by colonialism
 (a) According to the colonialists rule, each of the above category maintained a
special separate flag colour.

(b) East empire or colony had its own flag colour of the country under its
regime/rule.

1.4.3 The colonialists that dominated Africa before 1960, were:

(a) British (d) Italian

(b) French (e) Spain

(c) Portuguese (f) Germany

1.4.4. To-day (or at least by 1968) all countries are free from colonialism in Africa that is to say:
East country has its own;

 Flag and colour

 Regime or government
 Policies or political trend
 Constitution or law
1.5 Position, Size of Africa
Africa seems one of the huge continents on the surface of the Earth, among other Global Continents.

The area is about 30.3 million km2, or 20% of the Earth’s land surface taken together.

The continent of Africa extends through 72 degrees of latitude from Cape Aqulkas in the South (34 0
51'S) to Cape Blane in north (37o51N) in Tunisia for nearly 8,000K long.
 The larger part of Africa lies between Ras Hufun, northern Somali (known as the Horn of Africa –
51o5’E) and Cape Verde, in Senega (17o32’W) with a distance of about 7200km ( ).

Nearly over three quarters (¾) of the African area (nearly 77%) lies in the tropics, - i.e. 23½ and 23½
latitudes north and south of the Equator. One third (⅓) of the African areas is affected by cold wind belts
that provide arid and semi-arid conditions of northern and Southern Hemispheres.

And over 25% of the Africa area is covered by Great Wastes of the Sahara Desert north of the
Equator.
Table 1: Below compares Africa with other continents of our Earth. Table 1, gives

comparison with other continents.

Continent Area in Square Units %

Africa 30.3 million km2 20%

Asia 17.0 million square miles

Europe 4.0 million square miles

North America 8.4 million square miles

Central America 6.9 million square miles

Australia (with N.Z.) 3.0 million square miles

Oceanic 5.5 million square miles

Antarctica

The African Continent seems like an island that connected to the since Peninsula by a narrow
Isthmus, separated by the human created Suez Canal. From Spain is also cut off by the 9 mile wide straits of
Gibraltar, that between morocco (in Africa) and Spain (in Europe) countries.

To the North-East, Africa is separated from Arabia by the straits of Rabel Mandeb, a 20 miles of
water a part within or across the Red Sea.

1.5 Summary
 In this lesson we have discussed the approaches that were adopted by colonialists to divide and
develop the African Continent during the early colonial times slightly before the year 1960.

The history of the political Map of Africa and regions or countries and the way they were categorised
has been highlighted in this lesson.

The position of Africa with comparison with other continents worldwide with each continents areal
figures are summarised.

1.6 Revision Questions

(a) Discuss the methods used by colonialists to regionalised the Continent of Africa.
(b) Outline the countries according to the colonial economic trends in the Continent of Africa.
(c) Describe the extend of the African Continent.
(d) Explain the problems that faced by Africa because of the Sahara Desert expansion.

1.7 Definition of Key Words

(a) Continent - means one of the Earth’s major constituent land-masses

with the composition of sialic rocks. It rises from the oceanic floor with
submerged zones known as continental shelf plus other islands around it.

(b) Region - is a unit-zone on the surface of the Earth that differs by its

specific characteristics from others. It must be functional with unifying force

like a river basin or marketing formal.

(c) Political Map - means politically organised zones with specific interests
and their economic trends, political phenomena groupings

etc.
1.8 Further Reading

(a) Richard White (1990); Africa in Focus: A Physical, Human and Economic Geography,
Macmillan Publishers.

(b) Church, R.J.H., Clarke, J.I., Clarke, P.J.H., and Henderson, H.J.R. (1979); Africa and the Islands,
Longman: London.

(c) Hance, W.A. (1975); The Geography of Modern Africa.