Central Africa. Central African countries

The region is second in area only to North Africa. It accounts for about 1/4 of the territory of the mainland, nine countries are located here, in particular Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cameroon, Congo, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, etc. The states of the region border all African regions and are located in the center of the mainland.

The region is located in equatorial and subequatorial latitudes, covering the large flat depression of the Congo, which in the west is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. The territory is mostly flat, only the Cameroon mountain range rises to a height of more than 4000 m. The region's nadir has not been sufficiently studied. The most famous is the “Copper Belt” (DRC), in which, in addition to copper, cobalt, lead, and zinc are also of industrial importance. The DRC is one of the world's leading miners and exporters of diamonds; there is also gold, platinum, and uranium. The equator has an equatorial climate with constant humid air and autumn and spring maximum precipitation. On both sides of the equator there is a subequatorial climate zone with rainy summers and dry winters. The equatorial regions, especially the Congo Basin, have the densest network of deep rivers in Africa, the largest of which is the Congo (Zaire). The rivers are rapids, with significant hydroelectric potential. Vast areas of the region are covered by swamps.

Africa map

As elsewhere in Africa, the region is characterized by very high natural population growth, low life expectancy and extremely high infant mortality. A significant part of the population belongs to the Negroid race, and there are many mestizos here. The ethnic composition of the inhabitants of the region is extremely diverse; they belong to the Negroid peoples who speak Bantu languages. Pygmies are widely represented. The official languages of all countries in the region are the languages of the former metropolises: French, Portuguese, Spanish. The sparsely populated northern and southern regions bordering the deserts, and especially the center of the region, are covered by equatorial forest. The level of urbanization is low, although there are some areas with a significant concentration of cities and towns, such as the “copper belt” in the DRC. Millionaire cities are Kinshasa (10.1 million people), Luanda (1.8 million), Brazzaville (1.2 million), etc.

Countries in the region differ greatly in their level of economic development. However, traditional occupations - agriculture) and cattle breeding remain the main source of livelihood for 80% of the total population. In the ISPP, the countries of the region are represented by extractive industries (oil, copper, manganese, rare earth metals, diamonds). Among the agricultural sectors, the export direction is the cultivation of oil palm, cotton, cocoa, bananas, sisal, coffee, and rubber. The harvesting and export of tropical timber is of great importance (mat. 208), since Central Africa has the largest forest resources on the mainland. Traditional crafts (black and mahogany wood and bone carving, leather working, basket weaving) are preserved everywhere.

There is still no consensus on the origin of the name Africa. Initially, the word “afri” was used by the inhabitants of Ancient Carthage to refer to people who lived near the city. This name is usually attributed to the Phoenician afar, meaning "dust". When Carthage became a Roman province, the Romans kept the word and added the suffix "ka", which meant "country" or "region". Later, all known regions of this continent, and then the continent itself, began to be called Africa. Another theory is that the name "Afri" comes from the Berber ifri, "cave", referring to cave dwellers. According to other thoughts, the word “Africa” comes from the ancient language of Ta-Kem (Egypt), according to which “Afros” is a foamy country. This was explained by the collision of several currents that form foam when approaching the continent in the Mediterranean Sea.

Central Africa is the subregion that occupies the central part of the continent, from the west coast to the East African Rifts in the east. This African region frames the equator, including not only the equatorial stripe, but also the subequatorial one.

This area is truly the “heart” of the continent, as it is very rich, mineral raw materials from here are distributed throughout the world - copper, iron ores, uranium. Timber is especially valuable, and some countries produce oil.

In this regard, the countries of central Africa have amazing potential, but it has not yet been revealed, which is largely due to history. During the period of colonization, foreign occupiers cared little about the development of the local economy, so its current level is often low. Only locally there are organized and efficient production, which did not exist in those days.

The entire region occupies a quarter of the continent's total area, however, the population in the countries of central Africa is only a seventh of the continent's total population.

Within Central Africa there are, in whole or in part, the following countries:

Nigeria;
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire);
Cameroon;
Central African Republic;
Republic of the Congo;
Gabon;
Equatorial Guinea;
Sao Tome and Principe;
Angola.

The countries of central Africa became independent in the period from 1950 to 1974 from the following European colonialists:

Belgium;
Spain;
Portugal;
France.

The location is positive for further development, since many territories have access to the Atlantic Ocean, through which transport routes leading deep into Africa pass.

All of these states are members of the UN, and Gabon is also a member of OPEC.

Nigeria is the largest in this and its population is the largest on the mainland. Residents belong to various tribes:

Yoruba;
Hausa;
Fulani

There are other ethnic groups, so strife between them periodically occurs, which was the reason for several military coups in independent history.

And yet, economic development did not stop, despite the political situation; this was especially influenced by the presence of oil deposits in these lands.

Tourism also brings great profits, because in the local tropical forests and savannas there are various cultural and historical interesting sites.

Democratic Republic of the Congo is also a large country in central Africa, which has experienced many military clashes on political grounds. It was possible to resume a quiet life here with the help of Europeans who are interested in this state of affairs. And this is due to the presence of diverse and numerous natural resources in Zaire.

St wound Cameroon Compared to its neighbors, it differs in its internal stability. The political system works clearly, coordinating the overall development of the territory.

Cameroon, unlike many other African powers, was able to provide its population with food. This became possible as a result of an orientation towards a market economy and support for private property. And yet the local residents are quite poor due to poorly developed industry.

Chad is still an underdeveloped country where the standard of living is low, as well as the economic one. This is mainly due to constant military coups due to clashes between tribes.

Developed powers have great influence on the country, providing assistance and protection. The development of the oil discovered here ten years ago is considered a particularly profitable investment. There are also other resources exported abroad.

IN CAR There are rare natural resources that are valued in the world:

diamonds;
gold;
Uranus;
oil;
forests.

Yet the population in the central African country of Central Africa is quite poor, since the level of the economy here remains one of the lowest in the world. Many goods are imported, including food.

Republic of the Congo was able to seriously develop the economy, this became possible due to the presence of numerous natural resources, in particular, oil exports made it possible to achieve a fairly high standard of living for local residents.

The modern political system is oriented towards democracy, and the economy is actively and uses a market model.

The remaining countries are small in size. Gabon stands out among them, because it has a very high level of GDP, therefore it is one of the richest countries in Africa, and the situation in it is very stable.

Equatorial Guinea is considered the richest on the continent, which happened after the start of active exploitation of oil and gas fields.

Republic of Sao Tome and Principe is an island state, the smallest in Africa after the Seychelles. Those who seek unity with exotic nature love to come here; you can also admire the ancient buildings of the Portuguese colonialists.

Population in Central African countries

The inhabitants of Central Africa are diverse, and their distribution is not uniform in different countries. The main ones are:

Yoruba;
Bantu;
athara;
Hausa;
Oromo.

Basically, the Negroid race predominates here, whose representatives have similar appearance features (dark skin, eyes and hair, very curly, wide lips and nose, etc.).

However, some peoples near the northern borders of the region have European features:

kanuri;
tuba

There is also a special race in the forests near the equator - the Negril, which includes pygmies who are short in stature and have lighter skin with a yellowish-red tint.

Among the population in the countries of central Africa in the southern regions there are also those belonging to the Khoisan race.

As a result of the colonial period, you can meet Europeans in the subregion, as well as many mestizos, formed after the merging of different races and peoples.

Africa is a part of the world, occupying a fifth of the landmass on planet Earth. There are a total of 60 states in Africa, but only 55 of them are generally recognized, the remaining 5 are self-proclaimed. Each state belongs to one or another region. Traditionally, Africa is divided into five subregions: four according to the cardinal directions (eastern, southern, western, northern) and one central.

Central Africa

The Central African region covers a continental area of 7.3 million square meters. km in an area rich in natural gifts. Geographically, the countries of Central Africa are separated from the rest of the subregions by the East African Continental Rift to the east; the watershed between the Congo rivers - Kwanza and - Kubangu - from the south. The west of the region is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea; The northern border of the region coincides with the state border of the Republic of Chad. The countries of Central Africa are located in the equatorial and subequatorial regions, which are humid and hot.

The region is richest in water resources: the high-water Congo River, the small rivers Ogowe, Sanaga, Kwanza, Kwilu and others. Vegetation consists of dense forests in the center of the region and small strips of savannas in the north and south.

The Central African region includes nine countries: Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon. It is interesting that two states with the same name have different forms of government. Sao Tome and Principe is located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Cameroon, whose coordinates are close to the West African region, is sometimes classified as a West African country.

The uniqueness of Central Africa

Active European penetration into the territory of tropical Central Africa began in the 18th century, when the desire of Europeans to own new territories was especially great. The study of equatorial Africa was facilitated by the discovery of the mouth of the Congo River, along which shipping trips were made deep into the continent. There is very little information about the ancient peoples who inhabited the places where the modern countries of Central Africa are located. Their descendants are known - the Hausa, Yoruba, Athara, Bantu, and Oromo peoples. The predominant indigenous race of this territory is Negroid. In the tropics of the Uele and Congo basins there lives a special race - the pygmies.

Brief descriptions of some states

The Central African Republic is a country located in territory that was long unknown to Europeans due to its location inland. Deciphering ancient Egyptian inscriptions indicates the existence of small people, presumably pygmies, in this territory. The land of the Central African Republic remembers the times of slavery, which ended only in the middle of the 20th century. Now it is a republic with more than five million people. The country is home to several large national parks, home to giraffes, hippos, forest elephants, ostriches, several hundred species of birds and other animals.

The largest country in Africa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population of Congo is about 77 million people. It is also one of the richest states in terms of natural reserves. The countryside of the Republic is so vast that it constitutes about 6% of the world's rainforests.

The People's Republic of the Congo is located in western Africa, washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is approximately 170 km. A significant part of the territory is occupied by the Congo Basin - a swampy area. The toponym "Congo" (which means "hunters") is very common on the African continent: the two states of Congo, the Congo River, the Congo people and language, and other lesser-known points on the map of Africa are named so.

A country with an interesting history, Angola, sent ships with slaves to South America for many centuries. Modern Angola is a major exporter of fruits, sugar cane, and coffee.

The territory of Cameroon has an exceptional topography: almost the entire country is located on the highlands. Here is Cameroon, an active volcano and the highest point in the country.

Far from being the largest, it is one of the most developed and richest states in Africa. The country's nature - lagoons and estuaries - is beautiful and poetic.

The northernmost country in Central Africa is Chad. The nature of this state is very different from that of other Central African countries. There are no forests; the plains of the country are filled with sandy deserts and savannas.

This region is located in the central part of the mainland and consists of nine countries. It includes Angola, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea. In addition, this includes the British possession of St. Helena. In terms of instability and poverty, the countries of this region are second only to the states of East Africa. The regional leader is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

General information. The official name is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital is Kinshasa (more than 5 million people). Area - 2,300,000 km 2 (12th place in the world). Population - more than 55 million people (23rd place). The official language is French. The monetary unit is the Congo franc.

Geographical position. The country is located almost in the very center of Africa in the Congo River basin, hence its name. It has a very narrow exit to the Atlantic coast (37 km). In the west it borders with Congo (Brazzaville), in the north - with the Central African Republic, in the northeast - with Sudan, in the east - with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia, in the south - with Angola. Different parts of this large state have different assessments of their own geographical position.

History of origin and development. In the pre-colonial times of the Middle Ages, several African states existed on the territory of the current state of the DRC (Congo, Cuba, Luba, Lundos, Kakongo). At the end of the 16th century. The Portuguese appeared on the coast of the latter state. Since then, various European states have tried to take over these lands. In the end, the territory of the Congo was taken over by Belgium and from the beginning of the 20th century. until 1960 it was a Belgian colony. In 1960, independence was proclaimed, after which a civil war and a military coup took place. With Mobutu's rise to power, central power was strengthened. Since 1971, the country has been renamed Zaire. Mobutu's more than 30-year one-man rule ended with another war and a victory for the opposition. The country was returned (1997) to its former name.

State structure and form of government. The DRC is a unitary state, a presidential republic. The head of state and government is the president. Legislative power belongs to parliament. It is formed by 300 deputies. The country is divided into 11 regions.

Natural conditions and resources. The topography of most of the Congo is flat and elevated (the valley of the Congo River and its numerous channels). In the east there are mountains with active volcanoes. The highest point is Mount Margarita (5109 m). The climate in the country is equatorial and subequatorial with average monthly temperatures throughout the year from 22 ° C to + 28 ° C. In the equatorial zone, 2500 mm of rain falls per year, in the subequatorial zone - more than 1000. In this zone there are dry and wet periods. In the equatorial belt it rains all year round.

The central equatorial part of the country is covered with dense, mostly swampy forests. In the north and south of the country, where there is less precipitation, dry woodlands predominate. The mountains are covered with dense forests with quite rich flora and fauna, especially the famous mountain gorillas.

Congo is one of the most water-rich countries in the world. The second deep river of the planet Congo flows here. It has many large and small tributaries. The eastern part of the country is adjacent to one of the largest and deepest lakes in the world - Tanganyika.

The DRC has significant natural resource potential. Mineral resources are distinguished: energy carriers and ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The former include oil, natural gas, coal and oil shale, the latter - deposits of iron and manganese ore. Congo ranks first in the world in terms of ore reserves of strategic metals such as tantalum and niobium. The country is home to the famous "copper belt". There are also deposits of bauxite, zinc, nickel, lead, cobalt, tungsten and molybdenum, beryllium and cadmium, etc. No less significant reserves of diamonds, gold, silver, uranium, radium, germanium, as well as potassium salts, asbestos, graphite, sulfur and etc.

Population. The average population density is small and barely exceeds 24 people per 1 km 2. The central and mountainous regions are the least populated, the western ones in total. The birth rate and natural population growth are among the highest on the planet, respectively - 46.5% in and 31.5% in. The share of the urban population is still small (30%), but continues to grow rapidly. The ethnic composition of the population is even more diverse than in Nigeria. No nation exceeds 18% of the total population. The religious composition of the country's inhabitants is also variegated. About 50% are Catholics, 20% are Protestants, 20% are adherents of traditional African beliefs. There are also African Christians and Muslims.

Farming. The basis of the country's economy is agriculture and industries that process its products. More than 80% of the economically active population is employed here. The predominant cultivation of food crops that the population consumes as food (yams, yams, cassava, corn, taro, rice). Cash export crops are also grown - peanuts, coffee, cocoa, bananas, cotton, oil palm, sugar cane, and tea. Livestock plays a supporting role. Fishery is developed. Fish are caught in rivers and on the ocean coast. The Congo is characterized by intensive harvesting of valuable tree species, collection of cinchona bark and hevea juice.

Among the industries, mining predominates, in particular oil and coal production. The exploitation of deposits of gold, silver, diamonds, copper ore, cobalt, zinc, cadmium, etc. is of international importance. On this basis, the oil refining and petrochemical industries, as well as non-ferrous metallurgy, are developing rapidly. Recently, machine-building enterprises have appeared. Traditional development among light industry enterprises, primarily textile factories, wood processing and food production.

The state's transport provision is still insufficient. The length of railways is more than 5 thousand km, roads - 150 thousand km (these are also dirt roads, of which the majority are). At the mouth of the Congo is the main sea and river port of the country - Matadi. The Congo and its tributaries, although very deep, have many rapids that make navigation difficult. Pipeline transport is developing. The DRC has five international airports, the largest of which is in the capital.

Culture and social development. There are no ancient settlements or traces of prehistoric civilizations in Congo. There are 5 sites on the UNESCO list and all of them are national natural parks.

6 years of education is compulsory. About 75% are literate. There are just over 180 students per 100 thousand people. Bad health situation. The number of potential patients per doctor is amazing (24 thousand people). You don't see this often, even in Africa. Very high mortality rate for children under one year of age, which in some regions is almost 100%. Congo is also one of the countries with the lowest average life expectancy in the world for its citizens. For men, the average age is 47 years, for women - 52. Congo has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world. Sleeping sickness, which is spread by the famous tsetse fly, is also common.

Ukraine does not have permanent ties with the DRC. The latter's main foreign economic partners include, in addition to the former metropolis of Belgium, the USA, France and Germany.

Questions and tasks

1. Name and show on the map the countries of Central Africa,

2. In what year was the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared?

3. What do you know about the natural resource potential of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

4. What is the main economic sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?