The second largest continent in the world (after Eurasia) is Africa. Its subregions (their economy, population, nature and states) will be considered in this article.
Variants of the division of the continent
The territory of Africa is the largest geographical region of our planet. Therefore, the desire to divide it into parts is quite natural. The following two major areas stand out: Tropical and North Africa (or North Africa). Between these parts there are quite large natural, ethnic, historical and socio-economic differences.
Tropical Africa is the most backward region of the developing world. And in our time, the share of agriculture in its GDP is higher than the share of industrial production. 28 of the 47 least developed countries in the world are located in tropical Africa. Also here is the maximum number of countries that have no access to the sea (there are 15 such states in this region).
There is another option for dividing Africa into regions. According to him, its parts are South, Tropical and North Africa.
We now turn to the consideration of regionalization proper, that is, the allocation of large macro-regions (sub-regions) of the continent of interest to us. Currently, it is believed that there are only five. Africa subregions has the following: South, East, Central, West and North Africa (on the map above). Moreover, each of them has specific features of the economy, population and nature.
North Africa
North Africa goes to the Red and Mediterranean Sea, as well as to the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to this, since ancient times, its ties with Western Asia and Europe have been established. Its total area is approximately 10 million km 2 , on which about 170 million people live. The Mediterranean “facade” defines the position of this subregion. Thanks to him, North Africa is adjacent to Southwest Asia and Southern Europe. It has access to the main sea route, which runs from Europe to Asia.
The cradle of civilization, Arab colonization
The sparsely populated spaces of the Sahara desert form the "rear" of the region. North Africa is the cradle of the civilization of Ancient Egypt, which made a great contribution to the culture. In ancient times, the Mediterranean part of the continent was considered the breadbasket of Rome. And to this day, among the lifeless sea of stone and sand, you can find the remains of underground drainage galleries, as well as other ancient structures. Many cities located on the coast, originate from the Carthaginian and Roman settlements.
The Arab colonization that took place in the 7th-12th centuries had a huge impact on the culture of the population, its ethnic composition and lifestyle. And in our time, the northern part of Africa is considered Arab: almost the entire local population professes Islam and speaks Arabic.
The economic life and population of North Africa
In the coastal strip, the economic life of this subregion is concentrated. Here are the main manufacturing enterprises, as well as the main areas of agriculture. Naturally, almost the entire population of this subregion lives here. Adobe houses with earthen floors and flat roofs prevail in rural areas. Cities also have a very characteristic appearance. Therefore, ethnographers and geographers distinguish the Arab type of the city as a separate variety. It is characterized by the division into old and new parts. North Africa is sometimes called the Maghreb, but this is not entirely accurate.
Economy
There are currently 15 independent states in this subregion. Republics are 13 of them. Most states of North America are underdeveloped. In Libya and Algeria, the economy is slightly better developed. These countries have a significant supply of natural gas and oil, which today is a hot commodity in the world market. Morocco is engaged in the extraction of phosphate rock used in the production of fertilizers. Niger is a major producer of uranium, but remains one of the poorest states in North Africa.
The southern part of this subregion is very poorly populated. The agricultural population lives in oases, in which the main commodity and consumer culture is the date palm. Only nomadic camel breeders can be found in the rest of the area, and even then not everywhere. There are gas and oil fields in the Libyan and Algerian parts of the Sahara.
A narrow "strip of life" only along the Nile Valley wedges into the desert far to the south. For the development of Upper Egypt, the construction of the Aswan hydroelectric complex on the Nile with the technical and economic assistance of the USSR was very important.
West Africa
The subregions of the continent of interest to us are a rather extensive topic, so we will limit ourselves to their brief description. We move on to the next subregion - West Africa.
There are areas of savannah, tropical deserts and moist equatorial forests that are located between the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahara desert. It is the largest subregion of the continent in terms of population and one of the largest in area. The natural conditions here are very diverse, and the ethnic composition of the local population is the most difficult - various African peoples are represented. This subregion was in the past the main area of the slave trade. Currently, agriculture is developed here, represented by the production of various plantation consumer and cash crops. Available in the subregion and industry. Its most developed industry is mining.
West African population
According to 2006 data, the population of West Africa is 280 million people. In composition, it is multi-ethnic. The largest ethnic groups are Woolof, Mande, Serer, Mossi, Songai, Fulani and Hausa. The indigenous population is divided by language into 3 metagroups - Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo and Afro-Asian. Of the European languages, English and French are common in this subregion. The main religious groups are Muslims, Christians, and animists.
West African Economy
All states located here are developing countries. As we have said, the African subregions differ significantly economically. The table presented above gives a characteristic of such an important economic indicator of the countries of the continent of interest to us as the gold reserve (2015 data). The states of West Africa in this table include Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritania and Cameroon.
The leading role in creating GDP in this subregion is played by agriculture, as well as mining. The minerals found in West Africa are oil, iron ore, bauxite, gold, manganese, phosphates and diamonds.
Central africa
From the very name of this subregion it is clear that it occupies the central part of the continent (equatorial). The total area of the region is 6613 thousand km 2 . A total of 9 countries are located in Central Africa: Gabon, Angola, Cameroon, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (these are two different states), Sao Tome and Principe, Chad, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. Also here is the island of St. Helena, which is an overseas territory of Great Britain.
Central African states are located in the savannah and humid equatorial forests, which greatly influenced their economic development. This subregion is one of the richest regions of mineral resources , not only in Africa, but also in the world. The ethnic composition of the local population, in contrast to the previous region, is homogeneous. Nine-tenths of it are the Bantu peoples of Africa, which are related to each other.
The economy of the subregion
All states of this subregion, according to the UN classification, are developing. The main role in creating GDP is played by agriculture, as well as mining. In this respect, West and Central Africa are similar. The minerals mined here are cobalt, manganese, copper, diamonds, gold, natural gas, oil. The subregion has good hydropower potential. In addition, significant forest reserves are located here.
These are the main features of Central Africa .
East africa
It is located in tropical and subequatorial climate zones. East Africa goes to the Indian Ocean, so it has long maintained trade relations with Arab countries and India. The mineral wealth of this subregion is less significant, but the diversity of natural resources as a whole is very large. It is this that largely determines the various options for their economic use.
East African population
East Africa is a highly mosaic subregion ethnically. The borders of many countries were arbitrarily established by the former colonial powers. At the same time, the cultural and ethnic differences that the population of East Africa have are not taken into account. Due to significant differences in social and cultural terms, this subregion has significant conflict potential. Often there were wars, including civil ones.
South Africa
It is located on the southern part of the continent, which is the most remote from Asia, America and Europe, but it goes to the sea route, enveloping the southern tip of Africa. This subregion is located in the subtropical and tropical latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. There is a significant amount of natural resources, especially those from which are mineral. The Republic of South Africa (South Africa) is the main “core” of this subregion. This is the only economically developed state on the continent.
The population and economy of South Africa
A significant number of the population of South Africa is of European origin. The Bantu peoples make up the vast majority of the inhabitants of this subregion. The local population as a whole is poor, but in South Africa there is a network of roads, efficient air links, and good tourism infrastructure. Mining, as well as deposits of gold, platinum, diamonds and other minerals form the basis of the economy. In addition, southern Africa is increasingly developing technology, tourism and manufacturing.
Finally
As you can see, in general, the mainland is not very developed economically. Its population is unevenly distributed. Currently, about a billion people live on a continent such as Africa. Its subregions were briefly characterized by us. In conclusion, I would like to note that this continent is considered the ancestral home of mankind: the oldest remains of the early hominids, as well as their likely ancestors, were found here. There is a special science of Africanism, which studies the cultural, political, economic and social problems of Africa.