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AFRICA the Mediterranean. The Makua-Welle is a tributary of the Kongo.

Climate.—The rainfall over most of Africa is very scant, with the exception of the W. equatorial area and parts of the S. and S. E. coasts. It reaches 130 inches annually in Monrovia, and varies from 5 inches to nothing in the Sahara and Somaliland.

Fauna.—The continent is rich in animal life, the most common kinds being antelopes, giraffes, zebras, and quaggas. Elephants, once numerous, have been killed for their tusks, and the species has been well-nigh exterminated. Africa is the home of the lion, and the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, crocodile, and hyena are abundant, as are also monkeys and apes, including the gorilla and the chimpanzee. The birds are remarkable for their brilliant plumage, among which the secretary bird, the sun-birds, parrots and bee-eaters are worthy of notice. The ostrich of south Africa is the largest of living birds. Of the insect world, the most remarkable is the south African tsetse, whose bite is fatal to horses and cattle. White ants are known as a destructive plague.

Flora.—In vegetation, the date palm, so useful as food in different ways, is the feature of the N., where a large part of the surface consists of treeless, grassy steppes. In the inland plateaus of the S. are numerous forests of heaths and the plants called Cycadaceæ. Euphorbias, aloes, and similar plants are abundant.

Productions, Industry, and Trade.—Ivory was the principal product of the continent in the past, and it is still brought to the coast in great quantities. The central regions produce palm oil, palm kernels, caoutchouc, rubber, gums, cloves, sesame seeds, skins, and ebony and other woods. In the S., cattle, hides, wool, and grain are produced. In Liberia, coffee, cocoa, and bananas are grown. The Mediterranean coast supplies wines and olive oil, and Egypt is a large producer of cotton and cottonseed. In most parts of Africa, salt is an active object of internal trade. In the Niger territories and the Guinea coast, several of the tribes manufacture cotton and leather goods. The mineral products of Africa are relatively small, with the exception of diamonds at Kimberley, in Cape Colony, and gold in the Transvaal. Copper is mined in Cape Colony and coal in the late Boer republics.

History.—The history of Africa reaches far back into antiquity. In Egypt, civilization is known to have existed as early as 5000 B. C.; 600 B. C., King Necho sent Phœnician ships on a voyage around Africa. Between11100-950 B. C. the Phœnicians founded as many as 300 colonies along the W. coast of Morocco. About 470 B. C. the elder Hanno of Carthage went with a fleet to what is now known as Sierra Leone. Herodotus described "Ægypt" and other parts of Africa; Claudius Ptolemæus wrote the most detailed account of the country that has come down to us. The Roman generals penetrated far into the interior through the Sahara, and, in the time of Nero, Roman officers ascended the Nile. The Romans took possession of the whole of north Africa, including Egypt and Nubia. The conquest by the Arabs of the Roman possessions, as well as of Abyssinia, in the 1st century of the Hegira (7th century, A. D.), stimulated the Arab geographers to write about this great continent. Massudi, Ibn Hankal, Obeid el Bekri, who wrote the first geography of the negro country (1067), Ibn Chaldan, Ibn al Wardi, Abulfeda (1273-1332), Leo Africanus (1492-1526), who went to Timbuktu, Ibn Bakuta, who went to Zanzibar, and many others, visited and described Africa. The Church fathers conceived of the central country as a wilderness uninhabitable on account of the heat, and filled with all manner of mystery; but in the 13th and 14th centuries enterprising Italian merchants did much to make known the Nile Valley and Abyssinia; Marino Sanuto, Giovanni Leardo, Fra Mauro and others drew maps of much of north Africa hitherto unknown. In the 15th century the Portuguese explored the W. coast. By 1434 Cape Bojados had been doubled; in 1456 Cadamosto sailed round Cape Verde and reached Gambia; in 1472 São Thomé, Annobon and Principe were discovered. In 1848 Diego São reached the Kongo and sailed nearly 1,500 miles S. of the equator, and, in 1486, reached the Cape of Good Hope. Early in the 18th century excursions were made to the E. coast. After the discovery of America a great impetus was given to the slave trade, which had hitherto been carried on chiefly by the Arabs, and this led to an acquaintance with Senegambia and the Guinea coast.

Exploration.—Not, however, till the latter part of the 18th century was systematic exploration begun, and since then more than 200 explorers have penetrated the unknown continent. In 1763-1768 James Bruce traveled from Massowah through Sennar to Egypt. In 1788 the African Association was founded in London to undertake the exploration of the Niger. In 1795-1797 Mungo Park reached the upper Niger.