Africa leads the planet in the total number of government entities. African countries differ in area, natural resource potential and population, but most of them have a similar history and the same development problems.
Africa: general characteristics of the region
The "black" continent is the hottest and highest continent on the planet. The second largest in area, it occupies 20% of the earth's total land surface.
Africa is considered the cradle of all humanity, because it was here that the most ancient remains of the so-called hominids were found - a transitional family between Homo sapiens and primates. Today, about a billion people live on the continent in more than 50 state entities.
All African countries are different, but at the same time similar to each other. A special science, African studies, studies the historical, cultural and economic features, as well as the problems of development of this most interesting region of the Earth.
The origin of the name "Africa" is interesting. Many scholars believe that it comes from the Phoenician word "afar", which translates as "dust". Thus, Africa is nothing more than a “dusty land” in the understanding of the ancient Romans.
Today, Africanists divide all African countries into five geographical regions on a territorial basis:
- North Africa;
- West Africa;
- Central Africa;
- East Africa;
- South Africa.
African countries: list of largest states
If you look at the political map of the continent, you will notice one distinctive feature. The contrast between the territories of different African states, which is very striking when examining a map of Asia or America, is not very noticeable on it. In other words, there are no states in Africa that are too large or too small, and most countries have approximately comparable areas. This is one of the consequences of Africa's colonial past: many of the official borders between states are not objective, which provokes a huge number of interethnic conflicts.
Today, there are 62 territorial entities on the mainland (including sovereign states, unrecognized and dependent territories). 54 of them are independent.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table “The largest countries in Africa”. A list of the 10 largest states by area is presented below.
| The name of the country | Population, | Capital | GDP per capita population in $ |
|
| Algeria | 2382 | 33,3 | Algeria | 7700 |
| Republic of the Congo | 2345 | 71,7 | Kinshasa | 772 |
| Sudan | 1886 | 30,9 | Khartoum | 2520 |
| Libya | 1760 | 6,1 | Tripoli | 12700 |
| Chad | 1284 | 10,1 | N'Djamena | 1520 |
| Niger | 1267 | 13,9 | Niamey | 873 |
| Angola | 1247 | 15,9 | Luanda | 2814 |
| Mali | 1240 | 13,6 | Bamako | 1153 |
| South Africa | 1221 | 47,4 | Pretoria | 12160 |
| Ethiopia | 1104 | 92,2 | Addis Ababa | 1310 |
History of African countries
The historical path of most African states passed through three stages:
- European colonization.
- National liberation movements.
- Decolonization and the formation of new independent states.
The colonization of African lands by Europeans took place differently in the northern and southern parts of the continent. Thus, if North Africa was completely divided among the colonialists without any special difficulties throughout the 19th century, the conquest of the southern and central parts of the continent was slower and more difficult. The reason for this was the complete lack of infrastructure in these territories, as well as various dangerous tropical diseases.
One way or another, by the beginning of the twentieth century there were only two independent states in Africa: Ethiopia and Liberia. All other countries were controlled by the European metropolises: France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Britain.
Different countries in Africa experienced the period of decolonization in different ways, which began in the 1920s and ended at the end of the twentieth century. And if in North Africa the national liberation movements were more successful, then in South Africa they had the character of individual situational uprisings.
Libya was the first to gain independence in 1951. And the culmination of the decolonization of the continent was 1961, which historians nicknamed “the year of Africa.” This year, as many as 17 countries on the mainland became independent!
Main problems of regional development
The development of African countries, as a rule, is hampered by the same problems. Here are the most important of them:
- a colossal social “gap” between those in power and the common people;
- constant military conflicts, riots and coups;
- the widespread development of so-called destructive sectors of the economy (drug production, arms sales, human trafficking, etc.);
- mismatch of state and ethnic borders;
- low level of development of the manufacturing industry;
- lack of quality medicine, high infant mortality.
Finally...
There are currently 54 independent states on the continent. Almost all countries in Africa, despite their cultural, religious or ethnic differences, have a similar path of historical development, as well as common problems. Among the most pressing problems of these countries are poverty, poor quality medicine and poor ecology.
Seminar on the topic: AfricaGoals: consolidate and generalize students’ knowledge on the topic “Africa”. Carry out knowledge control.
Equipment: seminar questions printed on pieces of paper, map of Africa: physical and economic, atlases.
Lesson type: lesson-seminar.
During the classes
The test on the topic “Africa” can be carried out in the form of a seminar or a test.
Questions for the seminar are distributed to students in advance.
- Describe the current migration situation in Africa. What are the main migration flows within the continent?
- What features of the historical development of Africa had the greatest influence on its modern, socio-economic appearance? Justify your answer.
- Capital investment by developed countries in the African economy is low. This is due to the fact that... Complete the sentence.
- What crops are Africa home to? In what natural zones do they grow, in what areas on other continents can they still be cultivated?
- What types of human economic activities can cause significant damage to the environment?
- Using African countries as an example, explain the impact of monoculture farming on their export specialization. Why is this the case in many African countries? Suggest ways to solve this problem.
- Why is it wrong to reduce the causes of famine in Ethiopia only to frequent droughts?
- Agriculture in many African countries is unable to produce enough food to meet the needs of its population. What are the reasons for this situation?
- Why is there an acute problem of agricultural irrigation in Africa?
- How will the specialization of agriculture change? Madagascar if moved 40° north and 70° west. Give your answer in the form of two diagrams - the existing one and the forecast one.
- What are the reasons for the failure and delay of the “green revolution” in Africa?
- In your opinion, is multi-structure a sign of the progressiveness of agriculture or its backwardness?
- How does the colonial past of African countries manifest itself in the modern colonial structure and colonial pattern of agriculture?
- Africa has a lot of cheap labor, so why are there no newly industrialized countries here?
- What do you see as the reason that South Africa is the only developed country on the continent?
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OPTION 3. I. Perform the test. 1. Which of the following states has an area of more than 1 million km2 and is washed by the Mediterranean Sea? a) Mauritania; b) Morocco; c) Sudan; d) Congo; d) Libya. 2. Select the option that indicates the countries where the largest urban agglomerations in Africa are located: a) Algeria, South Africa; c) Kenya, Cameroon; e) Libya, Ethiopia. b) Sudan, Congo; d) Nigeria, Egypt; 3. In African countries, the main form of government is: a) a republic; c) Jamahiriya; b) monarchy; d) colonies. 4. Which feature of the historical development of Africa had the greatest influence on its modern appearance: a) Africa is the continent of ancient civilizations; b) Africa has gone through all stages of socio-economic development; c) colonial past; d) richness in mineral raw materials. 5. Choose the option in which both of these countries are characterized by very high natural population growth: a) Egypt, Libya; b) Algeria, Chad; d) Morocco, South Africa; c) Somalia, Mali; e) Togo, Ethiopia. 6. Why does African agriculture have low productivity? a) low demand for rural products; c) general economic backwardness. b) low soil fertility; 7. The East Guinea mining region is distinguished by its production of: a) iron ore; b) oil; c) phosphorites; d) diamonds; e) gold; f) coal, 8. Select the correct statements: a) The industry of North Africa gravitates towards coastal areas. b) The main agricultural crops of North Africa are olives, cereals, and cotton. c) Natural, consumer agriculture is the main industry in Tropical Africa. d) South Africa is rich in platinum, gold, coal and oil. II. Answer the questions. 1. What features of the historical development of Africa had the greatest influence on its modern socio-economic appearance? 2. What cultures are home to Africa? In what natural areas do they grow? 3. Using African countries as an example, explain the impact of monoculture farming on their export specialization. Why is this the case in many African countries? 4. Why is the problem of irrigation of agricultural land acute in Africa?
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"Natural resources and economy of African countries." OPTION 3."
"Natural resources and economy of African countries."
OPTION 3.
I. Run the test.
1. Which of the following states has an area of more than 1 million km2 and is washed by the Mediterranean Sea?
a) Mauritania; b) Morocco; c) Sudan;
d) Congo; d) Libya.
2. Select the option that shows the countries where the largest urban agglomerations in Africa are located:
a) Algeria, South Africa; c) Kenya, Cameroon; e) Libya, Ethiopia.
b) Sudan, Congo; d) Nigeria, Egypt;
3. In African countries the main form of government is:
a) republic; c) Jamahiriya;
b) monarchy; d) colonies.
4. What feature of the historical development of Africa had the greatest influence on its modern appearance:
a) Africa - the continent of ancient civilizations;
b) Africa has gone through all stages of socio-economic development;
c) colonial past;
d) richness in mineral raw materials.
5. Choose the option in which both of these countries are characterized by very high natural population growth: a) Egypt, Libya;
b) Algeria, Chad; d) Morocco, South Africa;
c) Somalia, Mali; e) Togo, Ethiopia.
6. Why does African agriculture have low productivity?
a) low demand for rural products; c) general economic backwardness.
b) low soil fertility;
7. The East Guinea mining region is distinguished by its production:
a) iron ore; b) oil; c) phosphorites;
d) diamonds; e) gold; e) coal,
8. Highlight the correct statements:
a) The industry of North Africa gravitates towards coastal areas.
b) The main agricultural crops of North Africa are olives, cereals, and cotton.
c) Subsistence, consumer agriculture is the main industry in Tropical Africa.
d) South Africa is rich in platinum, gold, coal and oil.
II. Answer the questions.
1. What features of the historical development of Africa had the greatest influence on its modern socio-economic appearance?
2. What cultures are home to Africa? In what natural areas do they grow?
3. Using African countries as an example, explain the impact of monoculture farming on their export specialization. Why is this the case in many African countries?
4. Why is the problem of irrigation of agricultural land acute in Africa?
Question 01. Tell us about the integration processes in Latin America. Why do they displease the US ruling circles?
Answer. Integration in Latin America affects mainly the economic sphere. Unions such as the South American Common Market, the Andean Community, and the Union of South America strengthen the economic cooperation of these states as opposed to the economic influence of the United States, which is why they cause dissatisfaction with the United States.
Question 02. Tell us about the foreign policy of modern China, Russian-Chinese relations. When answering, use materials from the media and the Internet.
Answer. China has become one of the most economically developed countries in the region (not counting Japan), so it began to pursue an active foreign policy around the world, taking care of economic cooperation with many countries. Cooperation between China and Russia occupies a special place. The signing of the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation between these countries in 2001 is of exceptional importance. At the same time, China's position on international issues remains very tough. In particular, Beijing has no intention of recognizing Taiwan's independence.
Question 03: What development problems does Japan face? How does this affect its economic position in the Asian region?
Answer. The emergence of strong competitors, rising energy prices and overproduction caused a protracted economic crisis in Japan, the ruin of many enterprises, and rising unemployment. Stimulating the economy by lowering the interest rate on loans does not yield results; from time to time there is even talk of switching completely to electronic money, thanks to which the interest rate can be made negative.
Question 04. What are the features of the modernization process in India at the present stage?
Answer. Peculiarities:
1) India’s economy has developed as a multi-structure economy;
2) there are special economic zones with preferential conditions for business;
3) there is a huge difference between large European-style cities and underdeveloped rural areas;
4) large cities, by European standards, are significantly overpopulated, their infrastructure requires serious development;
5) The Indo-Pakistani conflict remains relevant, but smoldering, periodically it leads to terrorist attacks;
6) since 1998, both sides of the Indo-Pakistani conflict have nuclear weapons;
7) the pace of economic development in India is one of the highest in the world;
8) the wealth stratification in the country is enormous, most of the population lives below the poverty line;
9) a significant part of the poorest population remains illiterate and has no chance of getting an education.
Question 05. What allowed India to achieve significant success in modernization? Give examples of industries in which the Indian economy has been particularly successful?
Answer. The reasons for the success of the Indian economy lie in government regulation, encouraging the development of advanced areas of the economy and creating attractive conditions for investors from developed countries. At the same time, a significant part of the demand is created by consumption within the country. A typical example is mechanical engineering. Based on discoveries made in other countries, India has developed its own car models aimed at the local market. The main criterion for this was the low price due to the simplicity of the design, which is implemented, in particular, in the cheapest car in the world - the Tata Nano. Another example is Indian cinema, the famous Bollywood. The film industry creates a fairy tale for people living in difficult conditions, the consumption of its products is huge, especially within the country, which ensures the prosperity of the industry.
Question 06. What are the features of the development of Islamic countries in the Middle East and North Africa?
Answer. Peculiarities:
1) a significant part of the countries in the region lives off significant revenues from oil sales;
2) the region is torn apart by religious contradictions between Shiites and Sunnis;
3) the influence of fundamental Islam in the region is constantly increasing;
4) in 2010-2011, revolutions took place in a number of countries in the region that overthrew secular authoritarian regimes, the so-called “Arab Spring”.
Question 07. What are the main features of the development of the states of Central and Southern Africa? Why have the problems of the poorest countries on this continent become global?
Answer. Peculiarities:
1) in many regional states there is political instability, coups d'état often occur;
2) the economy of most countries in the region remains backward and cannot provide decent income for a significant part of the population;
3) the problem of hunger remains very relevant in the region, it is further aggravated by the high birth rate;
4) the problem of AIDS remains very relevant in the region, which infects a significant number of people;
5) terrible epidemics periodically occur in the region, the latest being the outbreak of the Ebola virus.
The problems of this region are also becoming relevant for Europe due to illegal migration from these countries. Fleeing from a low, often unbearably low standard of living, people cross the Mediterranean Sea on fragile boats in the hope of a better life.
The role and place of African countries in the international arena are collectively incomparable with the role played by the United States, China, the states of the European Union and even Latin America. At the same time, to date, the population of Africa has reached 1 billion people, ranking second in the world in terms of this indicator after Asia. If current forecasts are to be believed, if current birth rates continue, the continent's population will double by 2050. Africa is also second only to Asia in terms of its territory.
In Africa, primarily in countries such as Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, etc., huge reserves of oil and gas are concentrated. African countries are a rich source of natural raw materials for America, Europe, China, India and Russia. They export coffee, tea, cocoa, flowers, tropical fruits, and spices.
Features of African economic development
Despite massive external economic assistance, by the early 1990s. Africa has lagged behind not only industrialized countries, but also most developing countries. For example, at that time, out of 53 countries, 33 were included in the group of least developed countries in the world. In sub-Saharan countries, external financing of state budgets amounted to 11% of their GDP.
Over the past decade and a half, African economies have experienced notable ups and downs. If from the mid-70s to the mid-90s. During the last century there was a serious decline and stagnation, then the economic situation of the region began to stabilize. There have been positive changes in the macroeconomic sphere, the rate of economic growth has accelerated, and the inflation rate has decreased.
In a number of African countries, more or less noticeable progress has been achieved in manufacturing, construction, electricity production and other sectors. Agriculture in African countries, growing coffee, cocoa, tea and other crops, works mostly for export. To cover its needs it produces food products. According to available data, if in the 1990s. the average annual GDP growth rate in the countries of Tropical Africa was 2.5%, then in the period from 2000 to 2007 they reached 4.9%.
In this regard, an important role was played, first of all, by the favorable conditions on world markets for the countries of the continent, where prices for mineral and agricultural raw materials have noticeably increased.
The best successes in economic development are demonstrated by sub-Saharan countries such as South Africa and Nigeria. It is significant that South Africa is currently included in the G20 and BRICS. Among the countries that have shown good results are Ghana in West Africa, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa, Namibia in South-West Africa, Botswana in South Africa, etc., which have managed to diversify their economies to one degree or another. Oil exporting countries, such as Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, etc., found themselves in a preferable position. In general, the countries of Southern Africa have the greatest potential for economic growth and development (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, etc. .) led by South Africa, and the weakest - by the countries of Central Africa.
It is too early to talk about a massive transfer of production from Western and Asian countries to Africa in order to reduce the cost of industrial products. To achieve this, the economic infrastructure here is not sufficiently developed, there is not enough of the necessary contingent of well-trained personnel of higher and medium qualifications, there are not enough highly qualified managers, etc.
In general, it would be not entirely correct and premature to believe that these countries have managed to fundamentally solve the key economic and, accordingly, social problems they face. As the region's economy develops, it faces quite serious difficulties, which are based on the aggressive strategy of Asian firms importing cheaper, high-quality goods here, with which the goods of local firms cannot compete. As a result, many textile and food industry firms have closed in a number of African countries.
Poverty and misery remain almost intractable for most countries in the region. Research shows that in the middle of the first decade of this century in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of critically poor people who can spend less than $1 a day exceeded 300 million people. The category of people who spend from 1 to 2 dollars on per capita consumption numbers at least 230 million people.
Despite the efforts of the world community, whose economic assistance to the countries of the region amounts to $15-20 billion per goal, they are unable to solve the problem of hunger. From time to time it acquires a particularly dramatic character in countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, etc. Zimbabwe suffers from a fantastic level of inflation and economic devastation.
Most countries suffer from many serious diseases, most notably AIDS. The problem of refugees is very serious on the continent, of which there are almost 50% of the global number, which is more than 7 million people.
In many African countries, heroin and cocaine have replaced the devalued national currency. The proceeds from drug trafficking go to terrorists and anti-government forces. West Africa serves as a transit point for the drug trade (50-55 tons of cocaine per year) between South America and Europe.
Many African countries are burdened with debt obligations to developed and newly developing countries. The total amount of African debt reached by the second half of the 1990s. $322 billion. The scale and complexity of this problem is evidenced, for example, by the fact that servicing external debt absorbs 40% of Côte d'Ivoire's exports, and Mozambique's external debt is 14 times higher than the country's export revenues.
Naturally, creditor states are forced to write off or restructure multibillion-dollar debts, while clearly realizing that they will not get them back anyway. To date, Russia has written off the debt of African states in the amount of more than $20 billion.