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Africa, the Dark Continent. A romantic name for an unknown and under explored region of the world to the Europeans of the 19th century.

In the late 1700's and early 1800's many early explorers set off to chart and discover the unknown continent. At that time most of the coast line of the continent was know and mapped, but very few (Europeans) had any idea what lay much further and a few kilometers inland.

Early explorations of the continent centered around issues such as the source if the Nile River, people knew that it was a great river and had given birth to the ancient Egyptian civilization, but very little else. The other obvious issue was where the local (coastal) traders obtained their supplies of ivory, gold, minerals and slaves that they bartered at the major sea ports along the coast. Added to that were stories of fabulosly rich and lost mines and lost civilizations.

Many (mostly English) explorers set off to explore the "Dark Continent", people like Livingstone and Stanley were funded privately, as well as by newspapers and societies (such as the Geographical Society of London) who then used their exploits to sell newspapers and increase the storehouse of geographical knowledge of an expanding world.

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9y ago
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14y ago

Africa is considered a dark continent because not cause they have dark people there (half of the people are light skin) it was actually called the dark continent because Europeans knew very little about Africa so they called it the dark continent. There are many different reasons on why it is called the dark continent because when Europeans went there, they noticed that the natives had not much modern equipment, or when artist wanted to draw the continent they colored it black because they knew close to nothing about it. Another reason is that since the forest that were part of Africa were so dense, that they weren't able to pass through the thick forest.

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12y ago

africa is called the dark continent because it has the largest black or African people on the entire continent. The word is sometimes used to portray Africa as basket of war, diseases , famine and poverty. This of course is the perception that has been advanced by the western countries after most of the African countries started winning their independence.

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12y ago

Africa's was known as the dark continent because it was unexplored for a long time .

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13y ago

nope, because it used to have so much unexplored/unmapped land.

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Q: Why is Africa considered a dark continent?
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Related questions

Which continent is called the black continent?

Africa was called the "Dark Continent."Africa was called the "Dark Continent."Africa was called the "Dark Continent."Africa was called the "Dark Continent."Africa was called the "Dark Continent."Africa was called the "Dark Continent."


Where continent was referred to as the 'Dark Continent'?

Africa.


Which continent is know as dark continent?

Africa is often referred to as the "Dark Continent" due to its historical lack of exploration and knowledge by outsiders, leading to misconceptions and stereotypes about the region. However, this term is considered outdated and perpetuates negative stereotypes about Africa.


Which continent is known as 'dark continent'?

Africa.


Which country is called the dark continent?

Africa is sometimes referred to as the "dark continent" due to its history of being misunderstood or unknown to outsiders, particularly during the period of European colonization. The term can be seen as outdated and carries negative connotations, so it is important to approach it with sensitivity.


What nicknames became attached to Africa?

The Dark Continent


Which continen is known as the dark continent?

Africa is often referred to as the "Dark Continent" due to its relatively lesser-known history and cultures compared to other continents during the era of European colonization. This term carries a colonial connotation and is not reflective of the richness and diversity of African cultures and societies.


Why is Australia known as the dark continent?

Australia is not known as the "Dark Continent", that would be Africa.


Africa is referred to as what?

The Dark Continent


What is ment by 'dark continent'?

Africa


What was Africa nicknamed?

The Dark Continent


Africa is know as the continent?

It was known as the Dark Continent in the past.