This document provides an overview of Africa, including its geography, history of colonization, natural resources, climate zones, languages, religions, economies, and development. Key points include: - Africa has over 30 million square kilometers and over 1 billion people. - Most anthropologists agree that humans emerged in Africa around 10-11 million years ago. The ancient Egyptians also had one of the earliest civilizations. - In the late 15th-early 20th centuries, European powers colonized most of Africa and drew borders without consideration for ethnic groups, causing conflicts that continue today. - Africa has a variety of natural resources but colonial infrastructure prioritized exporting resources rather than intra-African trade or development. Many

1. Metropolitan University Prague
Martin Kolmhofer
AFRICA

2. Facts: 30 million square kilometers, 1 billion people

3. Africa as the cradle of humanity? Most anthropologists agree that the apelike
ancestor of humans emerged in Africa, probably 10 to 11 million years ago.
Africa as the cradle of civilization? The Ancient Egyptians had one of the earliest
and longest lasting civilizations in world history. (3000 BC and c. 1000 BC)

4. From the end of the 15th
century until around 1870 British, French, Spanish,
Portuguese and Dutch traders shipped between 12 and 20 million slaves across the
Atlantic to work the New World’s tobacco, sugar and cotton plantations.

5. At the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, most of Africa was split into colonies.
France and Britain got the biggest parts, with Germany,
Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium picking up bits and pieces. Liberia and Ethiopia
were the only African countries that never have been colonized.

6. The present day borders of the countries in Africa were drawn with the specific
purpose of exploiting the resource potential and assuring colonial control (not to
serve the interests of the people in those countries for future development). Also,
when the borders were drawn, there was no consideration concerning ethnic and
cultural similarities and differences. So today there are African nations with
populations that contain different ethnic and tribal groups that have long histories
of conflict. These ethnic conflicts continue today, causing many African nations to
become politically unstable and difficult to govern.

7. Another consequence of colonial borders: Lack of a consistent and effective
economic infrastructure. Railways and Roads were designed to link the interior
with ports, not African neighbors with one another.
Plus: Africa has 15 landlocked countries that face specific challenges in trade.

8. Africa has a large quantity of natural resources including oil, diamonds, gold, iron,
cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and cocoa beans, but also woods
and tropical fruits.

9. Clear Borders:
Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal (built from 1859 to
1869), Bab el Mandeb strait

10. Different climate zones cause big cultural and economic differences:
Mediterranean climate in the north and south - warm to high temperatures with
rainfall in the autumn and winter months.

11. Desert - High temperatures throughout the year with very little rainfall.
Sahara: Largest desert in the world (8 million km2); it covers one-quarter of Africa.

12. Savanna (bright green) and Steppe (orange):
This region has very high temperatures all year and rain during the summer season only.
Rainforest (dark green) - This region is characterized by very high temperatures and high
rainfall throughout the year.

13. Examples of different climate zones in one country: Nigeria, Sudan

14. There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively
in Africa in several major language families:
Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger–Congo, Bantu, Khoe

15. There are three religious systems in Africa. Traditional African religions,
Islam and Christianity. (Islam-Christian North-South religious divide )

16. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average life
expectancy in Africa is 52 years of age, while the Global average is 66.
(Canada, Europe and Japan have the highest average life expectancy).

17. South Africa is the largest economy in Africa – it accounts for 1/3 of south-Saharan
Africa’s GDP. (Mining, Industry, Service Sector, good Transport Infrastructure)

18. Cities with > 2 million inhabitants
The urbanization of most of Africa is moving fast forward, especially south of
the Sahara.

19. Africa now has the fastest-growing middle class in the world. Some 313 million
people, 34% of Africa’s population, spend USD 2-20 a day, according to the
African Development Bank.

20. Top FDI destinations in Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Congo, Algeria
(2013 World Investment Report, UN Conference on Trade and Development)

21. Mobile development has enabled Africans to ‘bypass' poor landline infrastructure,
which has been a brake on progress. Many Africans get their first internet
experience on a mobile rather than a desktop computer, using services that
revolutionize commerce, farming and healthcare. Almost 18 million Kenyans use
their mobiles as a bank account to deposit or transfer money and pay their
accounts.

22. Concerns about Africa – China Economic Relationship:
* With fast-growing population, Africa's priority is jobs
* China provided infrastructure but brought own workforce
* China's focus on raw materials provides few good jobs
* Cheap manufacturing imports stifle African industry

23. In 2008, COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) agreed to
an expanded free-trade zone including members of two other African trade blocs,
the East African Community(EAC) and the Southern Africa Development
Community (SADC).

24. Africa's free trade zone is expected to be operational by the end of 2017.

25. Video:
Chinese Infrastructure Investment in Africa
China has an interest in developing Africa’s infrastructure - it sees its future
economy closely tied to Africa. In exchange for access to African resources,
China underwrites major infrastructure projects.

27. HISTORY OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC THOUGHT

28. FINANCIAL MARKETS: THE CITY OF LONDON

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