Page 60 - Volume 2_CHANGES_merged_with links
P. 60
21 century Africa
st
It’s a different world now!
About Africa
Far too many people still have their own singular image of Africa. It seems to make no
difference whether the image is of primitive peoples, ever present violence, natural
disasters, elderly dictators or whatever.
People all too often have a single ‘pan-African’ image. Such images can be far from
the truth. For example, Africa can reasonably be considered as one of the most habitable
places on earth given the limited occurrence of natural disasters compared to other parts
of the world. And Africa is far too diverse for any singular imagery.
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.Africa is the 2nd largest continent
It has 22% of the earth's land. There are 54 different African nation states. The UN
recognises a total of 193 nation states.
(This figure does not include Taiwan, the Vatican, the Palestine Authority nor entities such as Kosovo
which whilst a separate entity is not recognised by all UN members)
Nowhere else on earth will you find a grouping of 54 countries which people will view as
being homogeneous. Homogenous maybe. But not homogeneous.
Africa is the most tropical of all the continents.
Some four-fifths of its territory rests between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
As a result, the cultures and the physical variations of the peoples reflect adaptation
to both hot, dry climates and hot, wet climates.
There are over two thousand languages spoken in Africa.
Over 25% of all these languages are spoken only in Africa. Arabic is spoken by 170 million
people on the continent, followed in popularity by English (130 million), Swahili (100),
French (115), Berber (50), Hausa (50), Portuguese (20) and Spanish (10).
There are a lot of Africans - and they are young!. 83
By 2050, the continent's population will more than double. Over half of the
population of Africa is under 25 years old, which makes it the youngest population
in the world. These demographic features will play a significant role in the 21st
century..
