Back to Basics: Africa in a Nutshell

Get your pen and pad ready because there just might be a quiz after your read this. As the old adage would have it, you must crawl before you walk. For those of you who know absolutely nothing about Africa, here is an excellent place to start. This is but part one of two so pace yourself: 

What's in a Name? Although there are more than a few theories brewing behind the origin of the name, "Africa", there is one particular ideal that has been circulating about for quite some time. Etymologists, or historians who specialize in the study of linguistics, believe that the name, "Africa", is derived from "Afri". This was the name used to label the tribe of natives, who inhabited the deserts of North Africa near Carthage around the third century B.C. 

El Djem Amphitheater in Tunisia

Both the ancient Greeks and Romans would go on to coin the term, "Africa", to refer to the northern region of what was then thought to be the entirety of the African continent. Semantically-speaking, Africa can be broken down as "land without cold". The root of the Greek word for "Africa" was "Aphrike", which when translated meant "without cold". The suffix, "ca", was Roman and applied to denote country or land mass. 

Considering North Africa is predominantly made up of the Saharan Desert, it really should come as no surprise that when translated from Latin, "Africa" meant "sunny". If there's one thing Africa is not short on, it is most definitely tanning weather.

Did You Know? Africa, the central eastern section specifically, is believed by most scientists to be birth place of humans and great apes. In fact, the earliest remains of modern Homo Sapien were discovered in Ethiopia. The fossils carbon-date over 200,000 years ago. Then in 1974, the skeleton of "Lucy", an erect-walking primate who lived approximately 3.2 million years ago, was discovered by Donald C. Johanson in Hadar, Ethiopia. The hominid named after the Beatles' song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" proved to be a monumental piece to the puzzle linking the humans as we are now with that of prehistoric times.

Five years later, the footprints of more hominids were discovered along the beaten path of a 165-foot trail in the Kibish region of Tanzania. Those two discoveries cemented northeastern Africa as the birthplace of humanity. 

All For One and One For All? Contrary to what some may believe ("Palin Didn't Know Africa Is A Continent, Says Fox News Reporter"| Huffington Post), Africa is not one unified country. Far from it in fact, Africa is a continent divided into 54 total countries with South Sudan being the latest addition back in July of 2011. There are also a number of other disputed territories whose futures are still being decided, namely Western Sahara and Somaliland. 

How Many and How Old? With 54 countries planting their flags in the expanse that is the African continent, should it come as any surprise that there are nearly one billion people that make up the total population? Among the top five most populous countries in Africa, Nigeria is at the top with 155,215,573. Ethiopia, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa follow with none of them breaking the 100 million mark. 

There has been a bit of a population boom over the past 40 years. This sudden surge in births also means that the average age of the general population is relative young when compared to that of other countries with similar numbers. Reportedly, more than half the population in many African countries is under the age of 25.   

Looks Can Be Deceiving. Of the seven continents that once made up Pangaea before the break-up, Africa is the second largest of the lot. Of the Earth's 57,308, 738 square miles in land area, Africa accounts for approximately 22% with 11,608,000 square miles. Oddly enough, due to a very limited number of estuaries and inlets, Africa just so happens to have the shortest coastline of the seven continents.

This just part one of two. Check back in sometime soon for the other half when we reveal some not so well known tidbits about Africa. We're talking factoids that may just win you some bar cash on trivia night or something. There's also the whole impressing girls with your worldly knowledge too. Thanks for reading.