Rules for the survival of a tourist in Africa. Extreme tourism. South Africa - tourism

Africa is the second most populated continent, more than 1.1 billion people live here: a huge number of peoples, languages and cultures. Among the conflict and poor countries, there are also quite peaceful, safe and interesting for tourists. Many travelers are familiar with countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. And about where you can have a good time south of the Sahara, we will tell in this article.

1.

Perhaps the most unexpected state on this list is Sierra Leone, which not so long ago was torn apart for ten years by Civil War. However, since 2002, Sierra Leone has undergone major changes and today it is already among the peace-loving countries according to the Global Security Index (GPI). Sierra Leone is considered one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world, and life expectancy local population is 57 years old, which is not bad by African standards.

Sierra Leone has many beautiful nature reserves such as the Gala rainforest or the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, clean beaches on the coast of the Atlantic, and its capital Freetown - oldest city in West Africa.

2.

Leader in security on the African continent. Whether this is due to the fact that peace and tranquility is one of the main features of both the Tswana people and the Bushmen, or the fact that the Botswana people understand the economic contribution of tourists, but anyway there is a very low crime rate.

True, no one promises that baboons will not attack you, so during the safari it is recommended not to feed these warlike monkeys and not even smile at them. In general, there are a lot of animals in Botswana; for example, the largest population of elephants in the world lives here.

One of the popular tourist attractions, along with a safari to the Kalahari Desert and a visit to national parks, since the 30s of the last century, it has been considered the search for ancient treasures hidden from the colonialists in the caves of Gchvikhaba. No one has found the treasure yet, but the caves themselves with amazing stalactites up to 10 meters long are worth going to the north of the country for them.

3.

In 2008, Ghana was ranked by the Global Security Index as the most safe country Africa and has since held the top lines in this ranking. The country rarely has internal conflicts and has peaceful relations with its neighbors. Tourists are treated very friendly here and speak English with them - this is the official language of Ghana.

Here you can visit numerous nature reserves with elephants, antelopes, monkeys and other exotic animals, visit the ruins of castles and fortresses of Cape Post and Elmina, listed world heritage UNESCO and spend time on clean, uncrowded beaches.

4.

This country in Southwest Africa is an oasis of stability and security on a troubled black continent. It was discovered quite late (in 1878) by Europeans, quickly got out of all internal and external conflicts and is now one of the richest African countries.

Here is the oldest desert on earth - the Namib, the legendary Skeleton Coast, many national parks, the site of the fall of the largest Hob meteorite, the second largest after the Colorado Canyon and much more.
Do not miss:

Good in Namibia highways, and tourist The train Desert Express runs between the capital Windhoek and resort town Swakopmund, making stops along the way at particularly noteworthy places.

5.

Uganda is considered safe for foreigners by both the GPI and public tourism opinion. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is not accepted here that merchants and barkers pester people, perhaps due to the fact that the share of the urban population in the country is only 13%, and the main attractions are not in the villages.

Tourists in Uganda need to have time to see a lot: one of the oldest in Africa national park queen Elizabeth, Botanical Garden Entebbe, where the first film about Tarzan was filmed, the Rwenzori mountain range - most likely, it was their ancient Egyptians who called Moon mountains. Here are engaged sailing on Lake Victoria and rafting on the Nile, which originates in Uganda.

If the locals here do not cause much trouble to tourists, then you need to be careful with animals, especially if you see an elephant with a baby elephant. By the way, Uganda is located on the main migration route of northern birds: eagles, cuckoos, swallows, kites and many birds familiar to us winter here.

6.

Cape Verde or Islands Green Cape is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa. Tranquility, tranquility, relative cleanliness and an acceptable level of service (European companies invest in local tourism) await tourists here, in the homeland of the famous singer Cesaria Evora.

There are enough picturesque landscapes on the islands: extinct volcanoes, mountain ranges, where you can go trekking, flowering meadows, where you just need to take a walk. But main feature Cape Verde is, of course, the ocean - it is used to its full potential: from beaches with black volcanic sand, continuing with dives to shipwrecks and ending with windsurfing, the schools of which are on every island, but the island of Sal is especially famous for them.

7.

8.

The inhabitants of Tanzania are friendly and smiling, but, as elsewhere, travelers should not lose their vigilance - there are enough robbers here. But there are still many tourists in Tanzania who come here without fear. Here, in the homeland of Freddie Mercury, there is something to see.

Firstly, the Kilimanjaro volcano, to the top of which numerous hiking trails. Secondly, the island of Zanzibar - resort place, where the most beautiful city, founded by the Arabs in the 9th century, is located stone city. From here they go on tours for spices, during which you can chop cinnamon and try unfamiliar spices. Thirdly, the famous Serengeti National Park, which occupies huge area and where more than three million large wild animals live.

Fourth, biosphere reserve Ngorongoro, located in a colossal (21 km in diameter) crater extinct volcano. It is home to about 25,000 different animals and has the highest concentration of predators in all of Africa.

9.

Madagascar is a separate continent in miniature: it is so unlike Africa or any other place on earth. Here are amazing landscapes, and 80% of the living animals and plants are found nowhere else.

There are many on the island natural parks and protected areas. Most big nature reserve Tsingy de Bemaraha, which, like many others, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The country is rich beautiful beaches; Traditionally it is believed that swimming on west coast safer - there are fewer sharks.
Take a look at this:

10.

Zimbabwe is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa: it is here, on the border with Zambia, that famous waterfall Victoria. In Zambia, by the way, there are fewer tourists, so those who prefer a more secluded environment are advised to admire the miracle of nature there.
It's definitely worth seeing:

In Zimbabwe, the conservation structure works very well and there are unusually many animals here even for Africa, so hunting is allowed in some places (it is already prohibited almost everywhere on the continent).

In addition to countless national parks, there is also a unique historical object- stone ruins Greater Zimbabwe: pagan temple complex built over a thousand years ago.

Tourists who are going on a trip to Africa must definitely do all the vaccinations, their list is usually on the website of the embassies. Even in those countries for which vaccination is not required, it is necessary to take antimalarial pills, and start taking them even before the trip. It is strictly forbidden to use raw water even for brushing your teeth.

Are you going on a trip? Don't forget about

What could be more exciting, interesting and extravagant than a trip to Africa! The very name of this country is saturated with exoticism, eclecticism, extreme, mystery, mystery, romance, magic and something else amazing and alluring, which makes Africa a completely different world that reigns only on this continent. And the heart of this wonderful African phenomenon - South Africa - even despite the fact that it is not in the center, but at the very tip of the southern part of the mainland and occupies only 4% of its territory. Yes, South Africa is not only developed, rich, lively and dynamic, but also the most colorful country on the continent. There is nothing here that one could glimpse with indifference. Bright pristine nature, unique flora and fauna, colorful inhabitants, impressive architecture, exotic cuisine and original souvenirs. Even every little thing here is a bright touch that completes the magnificent picture of this country.

As you know, each country has its own symbol, its own original feature, personified with this country. So, South Africa has a huge number of such symbols: these are the famous African diamonds, and the silent deserts and savannahs, and the exotic Zulu tribe, and Table Mountain, which became a beacon for the first European sailors.
South Africa intoxicates with a sense of freedom that overwhelms when you look at the virgin landscapes of endless deserts, savannahs and wine valleys, golden beaches, bizarre kinks of the Cape Mountains, the vast expanse of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans; when you observe the unique neighborhood and interpenetration of three such different cultures - African, Western and Eastern; when you become an eyewitness to the limitless possibilities of life, recreation and entertainment provided by South Africa.

South Africa today is the most popular destination in the field of world tourism. Developed tourism infrastructure allows even in the shortest possible time to get acquainted with the most interesting and exotic aspects of South African life.
Unusual excursions await tourists, such as "" - a route that runs through the most picturesque natural corners of South Africa or - a paradise for gourmets and connoisseurs of fine wines, the quality of which is so famous in South Africa. And of course, exciting safaris in national reserves(one of the largest in the world), which are an integral part of not only the African, but also the global cultural heritage. It is in these reserves that you can see the famous "Big Five" (by the way, immortalized on banknotes national currency) - an elephant, a lion, a rhinoceros, a buffalo, and a leopard, as well as other amazing animals roaming freely on the prairies.
It's no secret that Africa is the most mysterious and mystical country in the world. Therefore, lovers of extraordinary experiences will never miss the chance to see with their own eyes the life, customs and rituals of the rarest tribes on earth - Zulu, Xhosa, Bushmen, etc. during a tour of cultural and ethnographic villages.

The contrasts of South Africa, expressed in the neighborhood of wealth and poverty, modernity and history, technical advances and superstitions are manifested in all kinds of recreation. Only in Africa you can enjoy a luxurious holiday in modern megacities and in their beautiful resorts with all conceivable and unimaginable entertainment and first-class service, and then move several millennia back to the villages of the Bushmen and Zulu and taste all the charms of a solitary life in exotic conditions, forgetting what civilization and the noise of cities are.
Itself similar to a huge diamond, each of whose faces casts its own amazing and unique light, South Africa is a country of gold and the birthplace of the largest diamonds in the world. That's why obligatory excursion is a visit to the old diamond and gold mines, towns of prospectors of the early XIX century, as well as factories for their development.
Well, for those who crave real adventure, extreme and leisure: hunting for wild animals on the prairies, with dinner by the fire and spending the night in tents, whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, surfing, fishing, diving, diving with sharks - all this is possible in South Africa.
And, finally, such a component of the trip as the kitchen will not leave anyone indifferent. South Africa is a paradise for gourmets. Here you can taste the freshest and highest quality seafood in the world, grilled meat of wild animals with a sauce of 40 African plants and even original African pies, washed down with excellent South African wine - one of the best in the world today.

In a word, everything that South Africa offers to its guests is impossible to tell. One can only say that you fall in love with South Africa at first sight, radically changing your perception of the world. And visiting once beautiful country, you will forever remember its wonderful resorts, customs and holidays, traditions, the generous beauty of nature, whose rich colors overshadow the achievements of civilization, and much more.
By the way, it is predicted that over the next two years the number of tourists arriving in South Africa will double. And in 2010, South Africa will host guests from all over the world, hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Africa is hot and distant, the second continent after Eurasia, which is washed by the Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east and south, the Red Sea from the northeast and mediterranean sea from the north, it is on these seas that the main resorts of the mainland are located, a place of attraction for numerous tourists from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Most interesting countries for travel - these are South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, by the way, these countries are more suitable for white people in terms of climate, there is at least a slight change in the seasons of the year, the heat is not so sizzling, but these countries have characteristic and social problems, primarily racial contradictions.

Africa is the place where the first people appeared, remember how geography or history teachers told us about this back in school and, in confirmation of their words, they showed the profile of Africa on the atlas, which exactly looked like a rough-hewn stone, and each of us thought that it was very slaughter stone to hammer something with them. For us, Africa is primarily Egypt, Morocco, Seychelles, Tunisia and South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe are even more exotic.

About one billion people live on the African continent, which is less than in Asia, but it was here that life on earth originated. Africa is located on both sides of the equator from the northern subtropical climatic zone to the southern subtropical and thus is unique place on the planet, which is limited by the extreme eastern wheelbarrow at Cape Ras Hafun and the western - Cape Almadi, southern extreme point- Cape Agulhas (Agulyas) and the northern outskirts - Cape Blanco (Ben Secca, Ras Engela, El Abyad).

The name of the continent comes from the nickname Afri, which was given by the citizens of Carthage to people who lived in the neighborhood, afar, which means "dust", another option is the word ifri, "cave" in Berber, because the ancient inhabitants were cave people.

Europeans first came to Africa only from the 15th century, but by the end of the 15th century the Portuguese captured the west coast of Africa, cashing in on the slave trade, a little later Germany, England, France, Denmark, Spain, Holland became addicted to this business, dividing almost all countries among themselves Africa, this happened in the era of colonization by the 1900s, then only Liberia and Ethiopia remained independent.

Europe fully exploited the natural and human resources of Africa, the decolonization of Africa began after the Second World War, which liberated almost all African countries with the exception of Portuguese Madeira, French Isles Eparse and Mayotte, Reunion, the UK left the islands of St. Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and the Chagos Archipelago, Spain left the Canary Islands, as well as Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco. It would seem that after gaining independence, happy and joyful days will come, but no, try to write the words Africans in the search, and you will not like the result in the form of half-naked people with Kalashnikovs, horror and nothing more. The locals are somewhat exotic, it's hard to imagine where these canons of beauty came from, it seems that the paintings of the Italian Renaissance in Africa were out of fashion. Africa is the place that scared us in action, it was it that was not recommended as a place for walking for children. Do not go to Africa for a walk! Sharks in Africa, Gorillas in Africa, Large crocodiles in Africa. They will bite you! Now AIDS, Embola and other incomprehensible misfortunes have been added to this list, and where it all comes from, how viruses can live in such a dry and hot place as Africa, is not clear.

Weather and climate in Africa

All Africa is located in warm climatic zones between the equator. In the north of Africa is the terrible Sahara desert, which affects even Europe, and in the south of the continent is the Kalahari, in the southwest namib desert. To the north and south of the subequatorial belts are the northern and southern tropical belts. with high temperatures without rain, which leads to the appearance of deserts. It is interesting that in Central Africa there is no change of seasons; heavy rainfall occurs throughout the year. To the north and south of the equatorial belt are subequatorial belts, in summer in such places there is a rainy season, and in winter there is a tropical trade wind and a dry season.

The flora and fauna of Africa is probably the main thing that attracts foreign travelers, except for the above-mentioned horrors in the form of crocodiles and gorillas, tigers, lions and everything they are chasing live here. To the article, civilized mankind came up with cars protected by glass and nets, tourists can go on safari and with close range consider dangerous and seemingly safe animals in their natural habitat.

Resorts of Africa

It is difficult to describe the portrait of a traveler heading to Africa, we mean real Africa, not Egypt with all-inclusive hotels. A trip to Africa is very expensive, a couple of weeks with a hotel with views of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or national parks Kenya or Rwanda will cost thousands of dollars, a separate layer of tourists goes to see the Victoria Falls and the picturesque coast of South Africa, I want to visit the desert or admire unearthly landscapes in the hottest place on Earth, it is interesting to visit hot Namibia and Algeria. It's good to get a tan without the risk of being eaten in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, but do not forget that the Red Sea is also fraught with dangers in the form of sharks and jellyfish.

Separately, we can talk about African islands, meaning the Canaries, Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles. IN last years even previously closed countries can boast of the development of tourism infrastructure, luxury hotels for the rich with the appropriate service can be found in different parts of Africa, the only point here is the security that only proven tourism destinations can guarantee, amateur and wild tourism in Africa is not welcome.

Africa is the second most populous continent with over 1.1 billion people. This is a huge number of nationalities, languages and cultures. Among the conflict and poor countries, there are also quite peaceful, safe and interesting for tourists. Many travelers are familiar with countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. And about where you can have a good time south of the Sahara edition of Onetwotrip.com.

Sierra Leone

Perhaps the most unexpected state on this list is Sierra Leone, which not so long ago was torn apart by a civil war for ten years. However, since 2002, Sierra Leone has undergone major changes and today it is already among the peace-loving countries according to the Global Security Index (GPI). Sierra Leone is considered one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world, and the life expectancy of the local population is 57 years, which is not bad by African standards.

There are many beautiful natural reserves, such as the Gala rainforest or the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, clean beaches on the Atlantic coast, and its capital, Freetown, is the oldest city in West Africa.

Botswana

One of the popular tourist attractions, along with a safari to the Kalahari desert and visiting national parks, since the 30s of the last century, is the search for ancient treasures hidden from the colonialists in the caves of Gchvikhaba. No one has found the treasure yet, but the caves themselves with amazing stalactites up to 10 meters long are worth going to the north of the country for them.

Ghana

In 2008, Ghana was ranked as the safest country in Africa by the Global Safety Index and has been at the top of the ranking ever since. The country rarely has internal conflicts and has peaceful relations with its neighbors. Tourists are treated very friendly here and speak English with them - this is the official language of Ghana.

Here you can visit numerous nature reserves with elephants, antelopes, monkeys and other exotic animals, visit the ruins of castles and fortresses of Cape Post and Elmina, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and spend time on clean, uncrowded beaches.

Namibia

This country in Southwest Africa is an oasis of stability and security on the troubled black continent. It was discovered quite late (in 1878) by Europeans, quickly got out of all internal and external conflicts and is now one of the richest African countries.

Namibia has good highways, and The Desert Express tourist train runs between the capital Windhoek and the resort town of Swakopmund, making stops at especially noteworthy places along the way.

Uganda

Tourists in Uganda need to have time to see a lot: one of the oldest in Africa, the Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Entebbe Botanical Garden, where the first film about Tarzan was filmed, the Rwenzori mountain range - most likely, it was them that the ancient Egyptians called the Moon Mountains. Here they are engaged in sailing on Lake Victoria and rafting on the Nile, which originates in Uganda.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde or the Cape Verde Islands is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa. Tranquility, tranquility, relative cleanliness and an acceptable level of service (European companies invest in local tourism) await tourists here, in the homeland of the famous singer Cesaria Evora.

There are enough picturesque landscapes on the islands: extinct volcanoes, mountain ranges where you can go trekking, flowering meadows where you just need to take a walk. But the main feature of Cape Verde is, of course, the ocean - it is used to its full capacity: from beaches with black volcanic sand, continuing diving to shipwrecks and ending with windsurfing, which schools are on every island, but the island of Sal is especially famous for them.

Kenya

Kenya, country of the Maasai tribe and business card real African nature, very beautiful, friendly and tourist developed. Mount Kenya is the second highest on the continent after Kilimanjaro. Schools of migrating birds can be observed throughout the country, and views of highest mountain Africa (Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania) from Kenya's Ambosseli Park, perhaps even better than the view from the mountain itself.

Tanzania

Firstly, Mount Kilimanjaro, to the top of which numerous hiking trails lead. Secondly, the island of Zanzibar is a resort place where the beautiful Stone Town founded by the Arabs in the 9th century is located. From here they go on tours for spices, during which you can chop cinnamon and try unfamiliar spices. Thirdly, the famous Serengeti National Park, which occupies a huge area and is home to more than three million large wild animals.

Fourthly, the Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve, located in a colossal (21 km in diameter) crater of an extinct volcano. It is home to about 25,000 different animals and has the highest concentration of predators in all of Africa.

Madagascar

Madagascar is a separate continent in miniature: it is so unlike Africa or any other place on earth. Here are amazing landscapes, and 80% of the living animals and plants are found nowhere else.

The island has many natural parks and protected areas. The largest reserve of Tsingy de Bemaraha, which, like many others, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The country is rich in beautiful beaches; It is traditionally believed that swimming on the west coast is safer - there are fewer sharks.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa: it is here, on the border with Zambia, that the famous Victoria Falls is located. In Zambia, by the way, there are fewer tourists, so those who prefer a more secluded environment are advised to admire the miracle of nature there.

In addition to countless national parks, there is also a unique historical site - the stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe: a pagan temple complex built over a thousand years ago.

Tourism resources of Africa

The historical value of such countries as Egypt, Morocco and others attracts tourists from all over the world.

The continent has the largest desert on Earth - the Sahara, the second largest waterfall in the world - Victoria, as well as famous sights from the "seven wonders of the world".

Africa - extremely interesting, very promising, but the most poorly developed tourist region. Among the factors favoring the development of tourism on this continent are the following:

Proximity to Europe and Asia;

Warm weather and plenty of sun all year round;

The presence of beautiful beaches in many coastal areas of Africa, on the basis of which sea resorts can be created;

Diverse exotic nature, including unique wild fauna;

Variety of cultural and historical attractions in North Africa.

Factors that hinder the development of tourism in Africa include the following:

The low economic level of most African countries;

Weakly developed tourist infrastructure and transport network;

Unstable domestic political situation in a number of countries on the continent;

Lack of developed domestic tourism, which “paves the way” for international tourism;

The governments of a number of countries pay insufficient attention to the development of tourism;

Some areas of the continent are characterized by unfavorable climatic conditions (heatwave, dry winds, a long period of heavy precipitation).

The rapid development of tourism in Africa is due to the fact that visitors receive good conditions, namely:

Rich local flora

diversity and exoticism of the fauna;

· good service in hotels;

mild climate throughout the year;

coastlines with excellent beaches;

good location of the mainland;

· a large number of cultural monuments;

Lots of historical sights.

African countries:

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Cape Verde

Mauritius

Madagascar

Mozambique

Sao Tome and Principe

Seychelles

Tanzania

Republic of South Africa.

Africa covers an area of 30.3 million km². The length from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east in the northern part - 7.5 thousand km.

For the most part - flat, in the north-west are the Atlas Mountains, in the Sahara - the highlands of Ahaggar and Tibesti. In the east - the Ethiopian Highlands, to the south of it the East African Plateau, where the volcano Kilimanjaro (5895 m) is located - highest point mainland. To the south are the Cape and dragon mountains. The most low point(157 meters below sea level) is located in Djibouti, this salt Lake Assal. most deep cave is Anu Ifflis, located in northern Algeria in the Tel Atlass mountains.

Minerals

Africa is known primarily for its richest deposits of diamonds and gold. There are large oil fields in Nigeria and Algeria. Bauxites are mined in Guinea and Ghana. The resources of phosphorites, as well as manganese, iron and lead-zinc ores are concentrated in the zone north coast Africa.

Inland waters

Africa has one of the longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from south to north. Other major rivers are the Niger in the west, the Congo in central Africa, and the Zambezi River, on which the Victoria Falls are located. Limpopo and Orange in the south.

largest Lake-- Victoria (average depth 40 m, the largest 80 m). Other large lakes-- Nyasa and Tanganyika, located in lithospheric faults. One of the largest salt lakes- Lake Chad, located on the territory of the state of the same name.

Africa is the hottest continent on the planet. The reason for this is in geographical location mainland: the entire territory of Africa is in hot climatic zones and the mainland is crossed by the equator line. It is in Africa that the hottest place on Earth is located - Dallol.

Central Africa and coastal areas The Gulf of Guinea belongs to the equatorial zone, there is abundant rainfall throughout the year and there is no change of seasons. To the north and south of the equatorial belt are subequatorial belts. Here, humid equatorial air masses dominate in summer (rainy season), and in winter - dry air of tropical trade winds (dry season). To the north and south of the subequatorial belts are the northern and southern tropical belts. They are characterized by high temperatures with low rainfall, which leads to the formation of deserts.

In the north is the Sahara Desert, the largest on Earth, in the south - the Kalahari Desert, in the southwest the Namib Desert. The northern and southern extremities of the mainland are included in the corresponding subtropical belts.

Population

The population of Africa is about 1 billion people. The population growth on the continent is the highest in the world: in 2004 it was 2.3%. Over the past 50 years, the average life expectancy has increased from 39 to 54 years.

The population consists mainly of representatives of two races: Negroid south of the Sahara, and Caucasoid in North Africa(Arabs) and South Africa (Boers and Anglo-South Africans). The most numerous people are the Arabs of North Africa.

The autochthonous languages of Africa are divided into 32 families, of which 3 (Semitic, Indo-European and Austronesian) "penetrated" to the continent from other regions.

There are also 7 isolated and 9 unclassified languages. The most popular native African languages are the Bantu and Fula languages.

Indo-European languages became widespread due to the era of colonial rule: English, Portuguese, French are official in many countries. In Namibia, since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a compact community that speaks German as the main one. The only language related to Indo-European family originating on the continent is Afrikaans, one of 11 official languages SOUTH AFRICA. Also, communities of Afrikaans speakers live in other countries of South Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia. However, it is worth noting that after the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the Afrikaans language is being replaced by other languages (English and local African). The number of its carriers and scope is declining.

The North African province is inhabited by peoples who speak Semitic (Arabs) and Berber (Berbers) languages. The Coptic language, now used only for liturgical purposes, belongs to a separate family.

3/4 of the population of Tropical Africa speaks Niger-Congo languages, among them special place occupy the Bantu languages, which are spoken by the majority of the population of Equatorial, Eastern and Southern Africa. The largest Bantu-speaking peoples (more than 3 million people) include Rwanda, Rundi, Makua, Kongo, Shona, Malawi, Zulu, Xhosa, Luba, Tsonga, Nyamwezi, Kikuyu, Tswana, Sutho, Luhya, Ovimbundu, Ganda, Pedi, Fang, bemba, swahili. Other Bantu languages are spoken by Tiv, Bamileke, Bamum, Tikar, Ekoi.

Almost 15% of the population of Tropical Africa, primarily in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, in Central and Eastern Sudan, speaks Afroasian languages. These are the Ethio-Semitic peoples (Amhara, Tigre, Tigray, Gurage, Harari, etc.), Kushites (Oromo, Somalis, Beja, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, Iraqi, etc.), peoples who speak Omotian languages (Ometo, Gimirra etc.) and Chadian (Hausa and the peoples of Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad close to them in language: bura, angas, ankwe, sura, bade, bole, mandara, kotoko, matakam, margi, mubi, somrai, karekare, musgum, masa , marba, etc.) families.

About 6% of the inhabitants of Tropical Africa, mainly in Central and Eastern Sudan, Interlake and East Africa, speak Nilo-Saharan languages, among them - Songhai, Kanuri, Kanembu, Zagawa, Tubu, Maba, Fur, Sarah, Bagirmi, Murle, Nubians, Moru-Mangbetu peoples, Nilotic peoples (Nuer, Dinka, Shilluk, Bari, Karamojong, Luo, Masai, Kalenjin, etc.), as well as Berta, Koma, Gumuz, Kunama, Kulyak, Tumtum, Kadugli and Krongo.

Finally, the Bushmen and Hottentots in South Africa and the Sandawe and Hadza in East Africa-- remnants of the ancient substrate population -- speak Khoisan languages.

A significant part of the population of Africa is made up of representatives of European peoples (English, Germans, Dutch, Flemings, French, Portuguese, Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, Armenians, Poles, etc.) and immigrants from South Asia who speak Indo-European languages. In South Africa, there are also representatives of the Dravidian-speaking peoples of South India. In the colonial era, on the previously uninhabited islands of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, based on the mixing of African and European population Creole peoples were formed: Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Cape Verdians, Guineans, Santomians, Annobons, Fernandino, Crioles (Sierra Leone Creoles), Liberians, etc. In South Africa, two peoples speaking Germanic languages - South Africans and Afrikaners.

Plants and animals

Africa is one of the few places left on Earth where you can see huge herds of wild animals migrating by the thousands across the vast plains. In the savanna, you can still hear the deafening roar of the male elephant and the roar of the lion. In the depths of the humid equatorial forests live families of huge monkeys, gorillas - incredibly strong, but affectionate animals. Dangerous predators - crocodiles lurk in rivers and lakes.

The flora of Africa is rich and diverse. Stonecrops ("stone plants"), resembling cobblestones, and an unusual velvichia, a plant that can be up to a thousand years old, grow in arid, bushy regions of South Africa. In the desert sands, on a mass of tangled stems, the bright fruits of the gourd (bottle gourd) grow, swelling and swelling. In hot and humid tropical forests grow bamboo, oil palms, tall and majestic broad-leaved trees. Unfortunately, throughout the African continent, wildlife is under threat.

Many animals were completely exterminated as a result of hunting. Habitats of other animals are being destroyed, and migration routes are being cut off by roads and new cities. Valuable forests are cut down for timber and to clear the land for farmland. But without tree root bonding, soils are blown out and washed away by tropical downpours. As a result, the land gradually turns into a desert. These problems do not lend themselves to simple solutions. Conservation activities are costly and often conflict with needs. local residents living by cattle breeding and agriculture. However, in many African countries, national reserves have been opened to protect wild animals. In some countries, fish stocks in lakes are being restored and new forest plantations are emerging. The wild nature of Africa is one of the most beautiful pearls of the Earth.

Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia. Washed by the Atlantic Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Guinea, etc. Her geographical position very attractive for tourism. The mainland covers zones of equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical climate. Average monthly temperatures summer around 20-25C.

The flora and fauna of Africa is amazing with its diversity and variety of rare, exotic species animals and plants. There are many national parks, zoos and nature reserves on the mainland.

tourism africa climate hotel