Central Africa

██ Central Africa ██ Middle Africa (UN subregion) ██ Central African Federation (defunct)

Central Africa, sometimes referred to as Middle Africa, defines a portion of the African continent south of the Sahara Desert, east of Western Africa, and west of the Great Rift Valley. The United Nations when categorizing geographic subregions) defines Central Africa as consisting of the following countries:

All of the states in the UN subregion of Middle Africa, plus Burundi and Rwanda, comprise the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

Background

Central Africa, located along the equator, consists primarily of wide plateaus that are smooth in the central areas and more rough along the exterior of the region. The plateaus in the region exhibit a huge range in altitude, reaching up to 16,795 feet at Margherita Peak ( the highest point in Central Africa) and descending into the ground in deep and narrow gorges near the Kouilou and Congo. Most of the terrain in Central Africa was shaped by climactic forces prior to human occupation. For example, the most rugged terrain in Central Africa is found along the eastern fringe of the Congo basin, where the Virunga volcanoes form a mountain range. Glaciers also played a role in shaping the Central African geography, and cut the the Rift Valley into terrain on the border of the Congo.

The most notable geographic feature of Central Africa is the Congo River, which is second only to the Amazon in flow. The river is navigable for much of its length, only becoming inaccesible in a series of rapids in western Congo (Kinshasa) between Kinshasa and Matadi. Also near Matadi, at Inga Falls, the power of the Congo is harnessed in one of the world's largest hydroelectric dams.

Climatically the region is marked by hot and wet temperatures on both sides of the equator. Almost 400,000 square feet of forest line the equator, and three different types of forest are found in Central Africa. The forests are bordered by a band of semi-arid savannah terrain that is speculated to have been created by slash and burn farming techniques.

Culture and Religion

One of Central Africa's most famous national parks, Virunga National Park, exists within the borders of Congo. It is home to an unique assortment of native wildlife, including elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, warthogs, forest hogs, okapis, and mountain gorillas on the volcano slopes of the reserve. The Virunga National Park, however, is only one of many of the reserves found in Central Africa. Another notable national park is the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, which is famous for its mountain gorillas. Other significant national parks include: the Garamba National Park in northeastern Congo, noted for its white rhinoceroses, Upemba National Park in southern Congo, parks in the northern part of the Central African Republic, and Akagera National Park in northeastern Rwanda. Smaller national parks are found along the equatorial forest in Congo, such as Maiko and Salonga national parks.

The national and political borders throughout Central Africa divide many cultural groups along artificial boundaries. Over eleven ethnic groups exist in Central Africa, many of which are spread across multiple countries. A prime example of political borders dividing a cultural group is found in the Twa, whose home forest lands reach from Cameroon to the mountains surrounding Lake Kivu. Despite the fact that most of the languages spoken in Central Africa derive from the Bantu group within the Niger-Congo language family, a wide variety of languages emerged in the region.

Central Africa is plagued by bouts of scarcity that severely hinder forward economic and social growth. The entire region is faced with insufficient funds and resources, and while the shortages are felt throughout the region, in the area of planning organizations it is most acute. These planning organizations, that would otherwise be responsible for creating public policy and developing a coherent social policy are left without the necessary funds for development. Without funds to development and monitor research, Central Africa is unable to articulate a coherent social policy to eradicate the poverty endemic to the region.

History

Central Africa has a long history of human occupation, with the first writing in the region dating back to 3000 B.C.E. The earliest occupants of Central Africa were Dravidians, Egyptians, Sumerians, Niger-Kordofanian-Mande and Elamite speakers who settled the region and began creating a system of community development. The earliest alphabet in the region originally included hundreds of phonetic signs, but this was eventually shortened to between 22 and 30 key sounds that formed the basis of the alphabet. The earliest alphabet system found in Central Africa was used across the continent, including the Egyptians, Meroites, Phonesians and Ethiopians. Populations that existed prior to written history are known only through the physical record of their tools, the most famous of the Paleolithic tools which have been found are Acheulian knives, used by early humans to skin animals and prepare flesh for eating.

Around the sixteenth century the copper and salt industries in Central Africa stepped onto the international scene and became major players in the global commodity market. Salt from the Central African region became a major export, matched only by textiles. Textiles provided an important social role in Central African society by physically demonstrating the differences between social classes. Clothing also served as an important marker of social status, and was kept in the hands of the elder men of society. Young men, in order to secure a wife, were forced to remain obedient to the demands of the wealthy and adhere to the standards of society in order to have access to cloth for marriage.

Political entities in Central Africa remained small and kingdoms failed to develop on a large scale. In this regard Central Africa stood in opposition to West Africa, where kingdoms were the norm and political powers were quite large. The most notable divergence from typical Central African development was found in the Kuba kingdom. A forest kingdom, the Kuba gained eminence based on the export of copper and a mystical exotic origin claimed by the leaders of the kingdom.

In the 1470s, a Portuguese colony was formed at São Tomé, which opened up Central Africa to the global trade markets. The colony also cultivated a cash crop of sugar cane and operated a successful sugar mill. Unable to sustain a plantation without local support, Portuguese settlers reached out to local communities and utilized local populations in their workforces. To augment local workforces, the Portuguese purchased slaves from the mainland. Early attempts to supply the Portuguese with slaves in exchange for valuable good eventually led to heavy involvement with the slave trade. Slaves from Central Africa were sent to three major geographic areas: the gold coast mining towns run by the Akan, to Europe to serve as domestic servants, and to local buyers for use within Central Africa.

The Dutch were the next European power to make considerable inroads into Central Africa. The Dutch did not follow the same economic policies of the Portuguese, however, and eschewed the slave trade in favor of large scale ivory exportation. The commercial interests of the Dutch in Central Africa led to the development of full fledged colonies by the seventeenth century. The Dutch position in Central Africa was cemented by the sale of firearms, a fact which proved detrimental to the political organization of Central Africa.

By far the most active European power in the harsh jungles of Central Africa were the French, who gained complete control of the Congo region in the 18th century and dramatically increased the export of slaves from the region. Hegemonic French rule in the region also solidified language throughout the language and instituted French as the language of commerce in the region. Through a shared language Central Africa made steps towards developing a unified cultural identity. Not all developments under French rule were beneficial to the local environment, and under the French, increasing numbers of slaves were exported to an island called Saint-Domingue, later renamed Haiti. Haiti was one of the richest colonies in the world and was considered the largest exporter of sugar prior to 1791.

Following World War Two, Central Africa was rapidly decolonized. Due to the heavy French involvement in Central African colonialism, the most potent attempts to redefine political organization in the region were led by Charles De Gaulle.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Rothchild, Donald and Robert L. Curry Jr. Scarcity, Choice and Public Policy in Middle Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. ISBN 0520033787
Lewis, Brenda Ralph. Great Civilizations. Bath: Parragon Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0752561413
Costantino, Maria. The Illustrated Flag Handbook. New York: Gramercy Books, 2001. ISBN 0517218100
Ancient Writing in Central Africa Retrieved July 9, 2007.
Mapping Africa Retrieved July 10, 2007.
Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved July 10, 2007.

External Links

Center for Disease Control Website on Central Africa Retrieved July 9, 2007.
Royal Museum for Central Africa Retrieved July 9, 2007.

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