Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead of Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, corruption, colonialism, the Cold War, and neocolonialism. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context. Africa has a large quantity of natural resources and food resources, including diamonds, sugar, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum, natural gas, cocoa beans, and tropical fruit.

Some of the key events about Africa

1324
The Mali Empire reached its peak, becoming one of the largest and wealthiest empires in the world
1652
The first permanent European settlement was established in South Africa
1652
Dutch colonists established a settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, beginning European colonization of Africa
1807
The Atlantic slave trade was abolished by the British Empire, but illegal slave trading continued
1822
Liberia was founded as a colony for freed African American slaves
1869
The Suez Canal opened, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
1884
The Berlin Conference initiated the "Scramble for Africa", leading to rapid colonization by European powers
1899
The Second Boer War began, resulting in significant casualties and the use of concentration camps
1914
World War I spread to Africa, involving African soldiers and resources in a European conflict
1960
The "Year of Africa" saw 17 African nations gain independence from European colonial powers
1960
The Congo Crisis erupted, leading to years of instability and violence in the newly independent nation
1967
The Organization of African Unity (now African Union) was established to promote cooperation among African states
1967
The Nigerian Civil War began, resulting in widespread famine and an estimated 1-3 million deaths
1978
Smallpox was declared eradicated in Africa, marking a major public health achievement
1984
A severe famine struck Ethiopia, causing approximately 1 million deaths
1990
Nelson Mandela was released from prison, signaling the end of apartheid in South Africa
1994
The first democratic elections were held in South Africa, ending the apartheid era
1994
The Rwandan genocide occurred, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people
2002
The African Union was officially launched, replacing the Organization of African Unity
2014
The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa began, becoming the largest Ebola outbreak in history

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