By the mid-19th century, British and German missionaries and merchants entered the territory of modern Namibia. The Herero and Nama, wanting to get guns and cartridges, sold them cattle, ivory and ostrich feathers. The Germans gained a stronger foothold in the region and in 1884 declared the coastal region from the Orange River to Kunene a German protectorate. They pursued an aggressive policy of seizing land for white settlement, using as a means the enmity between the Nama and Herero.
The Herero entered into an alliance with the Germans, hoping to get the upper hand over the Nama. The Germans garrisoned the Herero capital and began distributing land to white settlers, including the best pastures of the central plateau. In addition, they established a system of taxation and forced labor. The Herero and Mbandera rebelled, but the Germans suppressed the uprising and executed the leaders.
Rinderpest between 1896 and 1897 destroyed the basis of the Herero and Nama economies and slowed white advances. The Germans continued to turn Namibia into a land of white settlers, seizing land and taking away livestock and even trying to export the Herero to work in South Africa.
In 1904, the Herero rebelled. German General Lothar von Trotha used a policy of genocide against them at the Battle of Waterberg, which forced the Herero to migrate west from the Kalahari Desert. By the end of 1905, only 16 thousand out of 80 Herero survived. Nama resistance was crushed in 1907. All Nama and Herero lands and livestock were confiscated. Due to the decrease in population, labor began to be imported from the Ovambo.
Nguniland
Between 1815 and 1840, southern Africa was in a state of disarray called the Mfecane. The process began in the northern Nguni kingdoms of Mthethwa, Ndwandwe and Swaziland due to lack of resources and famine. When Dingiswayo, the ruler of Mthethwa, died, the Zulu ruler Chaka took over. He established the state of KwaZulu, which subjugated the Ndwandwe and drove the Swazis north. The Ndwandwe and Swazi migration led to the expansion of the Mfecane area. In the 1820s, Chaka expanded the boundaries of his possessions to the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains, and even the areas south of the Tugela River and Umzimkulu were paid tribute to him. He replaced the leaders of the conquered settlements with induna governors who submitted to him. Chaka organized a centralized, disciplined and dedicated army, armed with short spears, the like of which had never been seen in the region.
In 1828, Chaka died at the hands of his half-brother Dingaan, who did not have such military and organizational abilities. In 1938, the Voortrekkers attempted to occupy Zulu lands. At first they were defeated, but then regrouped on the Bloody River and defeated the Zulus. However, the trekkers did not dare to settle in Zulu lands. Dingaan was killed in 1840 during the civil war. Mpande took power into his own hands, and managed to strengthen the Zulu possessions in the north. In 1879, the Zulu lands were invaded by the British, who sought to subjugate all of southern Africa. The Zulus were victorious at the Battle of Isandlwana but were defeated at the Battle of Ulundi.
One of the largest state entities, which formed after the Mfekane, was Lesotho, founded on the Thaba-Bosiu plateau by chief Moshweshwe I between 1821 and 1822. It was a confederation of villages that recognized Moshoeshoe's authority over them. In the 1830s, Lesotho invited missionaries, seeking to obtain firearms and horses from the Cape Province. The Orange Republic gradually reduced the Sotho's holdings, but was unable to completely defeat them. In 1868, Moshweshwe, in an attempt to save the remnants of the country, proposed that the British annex his possessions, which became the British protectorate of Basutoland.
Great track
Read more: Great Trek
On early XIX century, most of the Hottentot lands came under Boer control. The Hottentots lost their economic and political independence and were absorbed into Boer society. The Boers spoke Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch. They began to call themselves not Boers, but Afrikaners. Some Hottentots were used as armed militias in raids against other Hottentots and Xhosa. A mixed population emerged, called "Cape Coloureds". In colonial society they were relegated to lower levels.
A report about Africa will help you prepare for the lesson. Descriptions of the continent of Africa are presented in this article. Brief message You can add interesting facts about Africa.
Africa is the hottest continent on Earth. It is the second largest continent after Eurasia.
Area of Africa- 29.2 million km 2, and together with the islands it is 30.3 million km 2.
The highest peak is Mount Kilimanjaro, and the most deep depression- Lake Assal. Most of the territory is occupied by plateaus and hills. By the way, in Africa there are much fewer mountainous areas, unlike other continents.
The mainland belongs to the group southern continents. It was formed after the split of an ancient continent called Gondwanaland. Africa has the smoothest coastline. The largest bay on the mainland is the Gulf of Guinea. There are also a large number of small bays in the Mediterranean Sea. But the only large peninsula is Somalia. It is worth noting that there are quite a few islands off the mainland - their area is 1.1 million km 2, the largest coastline belongs to the island of Madagascar.
The terrain of Africa is predominantly flat, this is because the base of the continent is represented by an ancient platform. Over time, it slowly rose, which is why high plains were formed: plateaus, plateaus, mountain basins and ridges. In the north and west of Africa, plates predominate, and in the eastern and southern parts, on the contrary, shields. Here the altitudes are above 1000 m. Through eastern part The continental East African Rifts stretch across the continent. Faults led to the formation of grabens, horsts, and highlands. It is here that volcanic eruptions and strong earthquakes constantly occur.
The climate of the continent is determined by its position in tropical and equatorial latitudes, as well as the flatness of the topography. From the equator to the south and north, climate zones successively change from equatorial to subtropical. In areas with a tropical belt, the most high temperatures on the planet. In the mountains, temperatures drop below 0°C. It is paradoxical that on the hottest continent snow falls annually in the Atlas. And there are even glaciers on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. The atmospheric circulation is also special in Africa - the amount of precipitation decreases from the equator, and in the tropics its amount is the smallest. And in the subtropics there are more of them. You can notice a decreasing trend in precipitation from east to west.
The deepest river is the Congo River. The major rivers include the Zambezi, Niger, Limpopo and Orange. Large lakes- Rudolf, Tanganyika and Nyasa.
Africa is characterized by such natural zones - the zone of equatorial forests, the zone of variable-humid forests, the zone of savannas and woodlands, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts, evergreen forests and shrubs. Africa is considered the storehouse of the world. Here are the richest deposits of gold, diamonds, uranium, copper, and rare metals. Deposits of gas, oil, aluminum ores and phosphorites are common in western and northern Africa.
The northern part is inhabited by Arabs, Berbers, who belong to the Indo-Mediterranean race. To the south of the Sahara live the peoples of the Negrillian, Negro and Bushman races. Peoples of the Ethiopian race live in Northeast Africa. South Asian and Negroid races live in the southern territories of Africa.
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“Children, don’t go for a walk in Africa,” Barmaley sang in the cartoon “Doctor Aibolit.” In many ways, Africa still seems like this to us - full of colorful tribes and unsafe, and this has little to do with reality.
website collected and debunked the most popular myths about the Dark Continent.
From our school days we remember that Africa consists of developing countries. But this does not mean that the Dark Continent lives in the Middle Ages - 90% of Africans have Cell phones, there are programmers who create their own applications and gadgets. For example, local developers created a service for farmers with recommendations on livestock breeding and information about natural disasters. In addition, manufacturing is developed in Africa, and large equipment such as cars are produced in some countries.
We say “Africa” - we think about the Sahara. In fact, on the continent, besides the desert, there is a huge, largest area tropical forests, Mount Kilimanjaro and other snowy peaks and savannah. Within Africa alone, all climatic zones are represented, and the average annual temperature, even in the equatorial part of the continent, does not exceed 27 °C.
We are used to thinking that Africa is inhabited exclusively by black people. In fact, the continent is home to more than a billion people and the variety of skin colors here can be astonishing - from blue-black to very pale. This palette was formed from the diversity of skin tones of the original population and large quantity migrants from Europe and Asia who remained in Africa from colonial times or fled to African countries from political persecution.
Popular science programs and cartoons told us about Africa, inhabited by wild animals that roam freely in nature and can even attack people. In fact, most safaris take place in winter months when potentially dangerous snakes and insects are hibernating. As for wild animals, most of them now live in national parks. Cases of attacks on humans are extremely rare and almost always occur only from violations of park rules, when tourists, instead of observing animals, tried to chase them or come into contact with predators.
There is an opinion that tourists in Africa are in constant danger due to high level crime. In fact, tourism on the continent is highly developed: South Africa alone receives up to 1.5 million tourists a year, and African countries are becoming a fashionable and popular tourism destination among Western travelers. At the same time, the level of service on the continent is rising, conditions for tourism are becoming better, but at the same time the feeling of closeness to nature and exoticism is preserved.
When thinking about Africa, we often imagine primitive society without a developed culture or even history. Africa is deservedly called the cradle of civilization - the continent is home to a wide variety of ancient buildings and other cultural monuments that are carefully protected. There are more than 200 architectural monuments in Kenya alone. In addition, many countries have interesting museums that are carefully supported by the government.
When going to Africa, we imagine an ascetic trip with living in tents and prepare to see poverty all around. In fact, there are countries on the continent living below the poverty line, but there are far fewer of them than it seems. In general, the economic level of African states differs little from other developing countries - the middle class is just developing. At the same time, states are investing heavily in tourism, building comfortable hotels and recreation areas.
The media periodically tell us about another outbreak of terrible diseases in Africa, and we are accustomed to thinking that there are many deadly diseases on the continent. In fact, the sensational Ebola fever did not cover the entire continent, but only the country of Sierra Leone and the surrounding area. The second disease that comes to mind most often when talking about Africa is malaria. Of course, malaria mosquitoes exist, but if you follow safety precautions, you don’t have to be afraid of infection. Precautionary measures include repellents, Mosquito nets and preventative medications.
Often photographs of Africans show wild tribes living in huts. In fact, the development of large cities in Africa differs little from other megacities - there are also high-rise residential buildings, and skyscrapers, and business centers. Developed architecture and infrastructure make African cities very progressive. Of course, there are still people who actually live in huts, such as the Bushmen, on the continent, but they are very few.
There is no African language, in fact, and the unique local languages of the tribes are gradually disappearing. During the period of colonization, the population of Africa absorbed European languages - English, French, German and Portuguese, which became more widespread with television and the Internet. In general, hundreds of languages are spoken on the continent different languages, Africa is a godsend for linguists: Namibia alone has 20 official languages.
American films often show us local wars or political strife in African countries. Indeed, in the 90s, the continent was torn apart by local conflicts; more than a dozen wars could be going on at the same time. These wars were a legacy of the colonial era, when the borders of countries were established based on the interests of the colonialists and took little into account the real cultural and historical isolation of the country. Today, the territories of the countries have been determined and the wars over borders have ended.
Documentary photographs and films show us starving people in Africa, and we begin to think that this problem has spread to the entire continent. Hunger does exist in African countries, but not in all of them. About a quarter of the world's total fertile soil, and not all of it is used in agriculture. There are no problems with food in tourist areas, and McDonald's restaurants are common in South Africa and Egypt.
This myth emerged after the era of slavery and colonization, when liberated Africa expelled Europeans and regained its sovereignty. To this day, the division between whites and blacks exists, but light color skin is also common among the local population and does not cause aggression. In countries with developed tourism, they are accustomed to travelers of all stripes and treat them completely calmly. To avoid even potential problems, it is worth limiting yourself to tourist areas and not provoking the local population - as in countries Latin America or in Mexico.
It is in Africa that the remains of the oldest species of the human race have been found, suggesting that the African continent is the home of the first people and civilizations. For this reason, Africa is sometimes called the cradle of humanity.
The most early history continent is connected with the Nile Valley, where the famous civilization of the ancient Egyptians developed. The Egyptians had well-planned cities and a developed culture, in addition, they also invented a writing system - hieroglyphs, through which they recorded their daily life. All this happened around 3000 BC.
For most of the time, the peoples of Africa were represented by kingdoms united by tribes. Each tribe spoke its own language. Even today, a similar social structure persists.
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Islamic warriors repeatedly raided different areas of the continent, capturing most of North Africa by 711 AD. Then followed a series of internal strife over the question of the prophet's successor. These disagreements led to constant battles for power, and in different times different regions of Africa were led by different leaders. By the 11th century, Islam had spread to the southern part of the continent, as a result of which one third of the total population of Africa became Muslim.
Throughout the 19th century, various African kingdoms began to establish contact with Europe. It was during this period that there was a significant increase in the rate of colonization of Africa, and slaves from different regions were sent to work in the colonies and plantations, particularly in America. For the most part, Europeans controlled only the coastal regions of Africa, while in the interior regions of the continent control remained with local rulers and Islamists.
The peoples of Africa took part in both world wars. After World War II, European power weakened and African colonies began to demand freedom. India's successful struggle for independence served as a strong catalyst in this matter. But even after many states achieved freedom, more severe trials awaited them ahead, in the form of mass famine, civil wars, epidemics, and political instability. Even today, many African countries are experiencing the same difficulties.
