Facts you should already know
Africa is an amazing continent. It is the second largest continent in the world. This is true both from the perspective of its land mass and its population. Africa covers about 20 percent of the world’s land area. Africa is home to approximately one billion people on this earth.
Language and religion
In addition to this, the continent boasts of somewhere between 1000 to 2000 languages. The two main religions are Islam and then Christianity, with a mix of traditional African religion as part of the two major religions. With approximately 54 different countries, it is somewhat amazing that it is mostly these two religions.
Human Origin
The oldest human remains ever to be discovered were in Ethiopia, dated about 200 years old. With the scientific observation that Africa was at one time part of the larger land mass of South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India, it alleged to also be the source of the first humans.
Rivers, Waterfalls, and Mountains
The Nile is the longest river in the world coming in at 4,132 miles, and also boasts of the largest desert, the Sahara. When thinking about the size of the Sahara desert, think about it as being close to the size of the United States. The largest waterfall in Africa is Victoria Falls, at 355 feet high and one mile wide. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain at 10,300 feet. Being by the equator it is unusual that at its summit is snow.
Speaking of the equator, it is the hottest continent on earth and straddles both the northern and southern hemispheres. So these are just a few of the facts you should already know.
Facts about Africa that are Necessary to Know
The Drug Trade
The drug trade in Africa with heroin and cocaine is an important fact to know about Africa, especially West Africa and in Kenya. This is true even if you never travel there for business or tourism. So let’s explore why!
Africa has been in the last decade a transit country to move drugs in and out for distribution to Europe, Asia, and North America. Basically, drugs are moved from South America to Western Africa to countries such as Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. They are then moved north through Mali, Niger and then manage to get to Spain and southern Europe and Italy.
Approximately 30% of the cocaine bound for Europe was a source of the African trade route. West Africa is considered the fifth route of cocaine travel from Columbia to Europe. Because it is impossible to know how much drugs that are actually passing through Africa, except that it is growing, this lends itself to a favorite for the growth of criminal organizations that are global in their reach.
In addition to this, the lives of innocent Africans are jeopardized. The offshoots of this are human trafficking and money laundering. Some insiders within governments of African nations will also participate in creating fake “work/study” programs to countries like the United States. With a promise to young people of a bright future, they are deceived into a scam. They are presented with something like an 18-month work/study program to America, they pay a little for the program and the African government pays the rest(as it is presented to the participants).
When they board the plane, they land in a place like Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. They are then quarantined off and asked to be a “mule”, which is to ingest 40 to 100 cocaine capsules and go through customs in America. Those who refuse are either allowed to go back to their African country and will never have a quality of life there. Those who participate will never be given the promise of a life in America. They will be used and discarded like cattle. It is one of the dark secrets of Africa.
Low per capita income creates scam crime
In looking at Africa, one cannot get a clear picture of the quality of life by simple statistics such as unemployment rate, which varies among the 54 countries. It is also a matter of actual income, which is typically relatively low per capita compared to the rest of the world, especially Europe and North America. The quality of life is just not there still.
As a result, other ways are being sought after to increase one’s income. The use of Cafe Internets and the growing cell phone infrastructure lends itself well to what is known as “Internet Romance Scams”. By using services like “Skype”, Africans target North American and Europeans. They pose as attractive women and set up a long distance romance that involves sending money. This could go on for months. Sometimes even the promise of gold is used.
Although it cannot be explained here in detail, the practice of using Africa as a major world drug route, human trafficking and internet scamming makes it a place that one should visit or connect with cautiously. This does not make Africa a bad place. Africa has many and varied positive attractions both in its land beauty, its culture and its heritage. It is filled with many natural resources.
Africa needs your Help
Africa has the potential to be an awesome and wonderful place but is marred by people who abuse power. Knowing these facts may inspire you to continue your research on this wonderful continent with the hopes that you will participate in making Africa better. The mass of people of Africa yearns for the quality of life you enjoy. Consider ways that you can be a benefit to this amazing continent and the amazing people of Africa.
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