peoples of africa

Africa is home to about 689 million people - one in eight of the world's population. The most densely populated areas are along the northern and western coasts, especially in the fertile valleys of the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Senegal rivers. The population of Africa is growing rapidly, as birth rates in many African countries are extremely high. Families are often large, and about half the population is young, below the age of 15. Although most Africans live in the countryside, a growing number are now found in towns and cities. Many people have moved because of poverty and lack of work in country areas; others have gone to escape civil wars, droughts, and famines.

THE FIRST PEOPLE

The history of human beings would seem to have begun in Africa. The skeletons of people who walked upright and lived up to 2 million years ago have been found in the Rift Valley that runs through Tanzania and Ethiopia. Archaeologists now believe that this region was the birthplace of our human ancestors. From here, these early human beings, known as Homo Erectus, soon moved into other parts of the continent and rapidly spread even farther afield.

morocco

Moroco's warm climate, sandy beaches, and stunning mountain scenery make it a popular destination for vacationers. Tourism, along with agriculture and phosphate production, is vital to the country's economy. In 1956, Morocco gained ils independence from the French, who had governed it since 1912. It is one of the few Arab countries to be ruled by a king. The main issues facing Morocco today are Islande fundamentalism and the undecided fate of the Western Sahara region in the south.

berbers

Since the Arab invasions of the 11th century, the local Berber people have lived in villages high up in the Atlas Mountains. Most Berbers converted to Islam, butkept their own culture and way of life. They call themselves Imazighen, or "people of the land." Today, about a third of Moroccans are Berber-speaking, altough most also speak Arabic and French.

AN ISLAMIC CITY

The ancient Moroccan city of Fez is a good example of a traditional Islamic town. Each part has been designed with a purpose, as set out in the Koran, the Muslim holy book. The streets are narrow to provide shade, but wide enough to let a pair of fully laden camels pass through. Houses have small, high Windows on street walls to guard their owners' privacy. In the city center stands the largest mosque, surrounded by the souks, or markets.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Millions of tourists visit Morocco each year to relax on the beaches along the Atlantic coast or to explore the historical cities of Fez and Marrakesh. The cities' colorful souks, or markets, are a treasure chest of traditional goods and handicrafts, such as Moroccan leather, silve jewelry, and handwoven carpets.

Tunisia

Northwestern africa's smallest country, Tunisia lies between Libya to the south and Algeria to the west. Throughout its history, Tunisia has had close links with Europe. It was at the heart of the ancient empire of Carthage in the 4th century BC, and later became part of the mighty Roman Empire. In the 7th century AD, Tunisia was colonized by Muslim Arabs, and in the early 1880s by French forces. It became independent in 1956. The government has since been restructured and a multi-party System introduced.

TOURISM

Tunisia's warm winter climate and historic sites attract numerous tourists each year. Until 1976, tourism was Tunisia's highest earner of foreign currency. Numbers fell in the early 1980s, but have now risen again to almost 4 million tourists per year. The government has encouraged the building of new hotels and the development of resorts to meet the growing demand. Thousands of Tunisians work in the tourist industry.

Arts and crafts

One of the liveliest parts of a Tunisian city is the souk, or market. The souk is a maze of narrow, winding streets, each crowded with traders and craftsmen selling their wares. Here, you can buy a wide range of traditional arts and crafts, including copper pots and pans, carpets, leather goods, jewelry, and embroidered cloth. Other stalls sell fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables.

AGRICULTURE

About two-thirds of Tunisia is suitable for farming. Many areas suffer from a lack of rainfall and rely on irrigation to water crops. The main crops include cereals, such as wheat and barley, citrus fruits, grapes, figs, dates, and olives. Tunisia is thé world's fourth largest producer of olive oil. Despite efforts to improve output, however, Tunisia still has to import many basic foods.

egypt

It is said that Egypt is the gift of the Nile River. The site of one of the world's fïrst greatt civilizations, Egypt grew up under the rule of the pharaohs along the banks of the Nile more than 5,000 years ago. Most of the country is dry, sandy desert with a narrow, fertile strip that follows the river valley and widens into the delta. This is where the vast majority of Egypt's population lives. Most of the people are Arab and follow the Muslim faith. The economy is dominated by farming, oil, tourism, income from ships passing through the Suez Canal, and money earned by Egyptians working abroad.

cairo

With a population of some 9.5 million, Cairo is the largest city in Africa and one of the fastest growing. The city faces terrible housing problems. New arrivais often have to live in dirty, overcrowded slums. Some live among the graves of the City of the Dead, a huge cemetery on the outskirts of the city. People also live on the roofs of the many high-rise buildings in Cairo.

SUEZ CANAL

The Suez Canal runs from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It is the one of the world's largest and most important artificial waterways, providing a shortcut from Europe to India and East Asia. The canal was built with French and British help and was completed in 1869. It has since been made deeper and wider to allow for the increasing size of ships and tankers. In 1956 the canal came under Egyptian control. Today, the tolls taken from the ships that use the canal are an important source of income for the Egyptian government.

ANCIENT SITES

Egypt is littered with ancient monuments. Every year, millions of tourists flock to Egypt to see the pyramids and other sites, or to take a boat trip on the Nile River. The pyramids, built more than 4,000 years ago as tombs for the pharaohs, are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the only one to survive.

senegal

The mighty Senegal river dominates large areas of this country. Every year the river floods, and seasonal crops are grown on the fertile land that the floodwaters leave behind. Senegal is wealthy compared to other countries in this region. It was once an important part of French West Africa, and still maintains close links with France. Among the mix of ethnie groups, such as the Wolof and Mandinke, there are still many French inhabitants. There is a similar mix of religions - Islam exists side-by-side with traditional beliefs. Senegal's beautiful, palm-fringed coastline makes tourism an important economie force here.

DAKAR

The lively city of Dakar, Senegal's capital, perches on a rocky peninsula that forms the westernmost point of Africa. This major port was once the capital of French West Africa, as can be seen from ils grand colonial buildings. Today great poverty is found alongside the expensive restaurants and modem hotels on the streets of Dakar.

farming and fishing

Nearly three-quarters of Senegal's people work in agriculture. In the north, cereals such as millet and sorghum are the main food crops, and peanuts are a vital cash crop. Rice is common in the wetter southern areas. Peanuts were once grown on nearly half the farmland, but fish is now taking over as the country's main export. A common sight is fishermen setting out in dugout canoes called pirogues, made from local trees.

gambia

The tiny coastal country of Gambia is a long, thin sliver of land carved out of Senegal, which surrounds it on three sides. At its widest point, Gambia measures no more than 50 miles (80 km) from north to south. Like Senegal, Gambia has a wide ethnie mix and Islam is very important. Most of the people work in agriculture, relying heavily on the peanut crop. Women play a major role in agricultural life. Rice growing is their main occupation, but near the coast, large areas of swampy rice land have been ruined by the buildup of sait in the soil. Many women now grow vegetables to sell in local markets.

SOUTH AFRICA

In 1994 SOUTH AFRICA moved from minority rule by its white population to majority government under the multiracial control of the African National Congress (ANC). Since 1948, the South African government had practiced apartheid, keeping the different races apart and restricting power to white people. South Africa became isolated from the rest of theé world and violence between the races grew. Since the election of the ANC leader Nelson Mandela as South Africa's président, the apartheid system is being dismantled and South Africa has resumed full international relations.

Nelson Mandela

Jailed in 1964 as a senior member of the ANC, Nelson Mandela spent 26 years in prison until he was released in 1990. this was a result of President de Klerk's decision to legalize black freedom groups, with a view to ending apartheid. Under Nelson Mandela's leadership, the ANC won political power in 1994, and Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.

the townships

As part of South Africa's apartheid policies, black workers and their families were excluded from the main towns and forced to live in specially built townships a great distance from their work. The biggest and most famous of these townships is Soweto, home to more than 1 million people. Every day, black workers leave Soweto and commute for many hours on overcrowded buses and trains to work in the mines and factories of neighboring Johannesburg.

THE GOLDEN CITY

South Africa has three capital cities, Avith the administration in Pretoria, the law courts in Bloemfontein, and the parliament in Cape Town. However, the financial and industrial heart of South Africa is Johannesburg (shown right), known as "the golden city." Gold mines deep beneath the surface have created enormous wealth, encouraging the development of a sprawling industrial area manufacturing cars, textiles, and high-tech and heavy engineering products.