Africa is a continent located in the Southern hemisphere covering about 30 million km2 of land or 20% of the total land area of the earth’s surface.
With a population of about 1.3 billion people according to the United Nations estimation, Africa is the second-largest continent by both population and land size, just after Asia. Africa also has a significant number of off-coast islands which include Madagascar (the largest island in the world), Seychelles, Socotra, Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion, Ascension, and tens of others.
The African continent is divided into two halves by the line of the equator, bringing most of Africa into the tropical region. The Prime meridian crosses the continent at Accra, Ghana due to the bulge caused by Western Africa.
Is Africa west of Europe?
Notably, Western European countries such a France, Germany, Belgium, etc. do not share land or sea borders with any African country. The Northern part of Africa is closer to Spain, Italy, and Greece, which are located in southwestern Europe.
Morocco in northern Africa is considered the gateway to Europe. In recent years, the Mediterranean sea region has become a hotbed of illegal migration into Europe.
Spain is the closest European country to Africa; in fact, you can walk into Europe from Morocco because the Spanish cities of Cueto and Milla are located within the Africa continent.
Is West Africa part of Europe
Although the Western part of Africa has a vast history of European contact including years of colonization, the Western part of Africa is not European. The first West African contact with Europe was when the Portuguese first visited the region in 1413 and established several settlements.
West African countries established strong diplomatic and business relations with the Portuguese in those periods, however, the coming of other European powers such as the Dutch, French, English, Germain, and Swedish traders brought to halt the Portuguese hay day in western Africa, and ushered in the dark years of colonization and slavery, which remade the history, and culture of most West African countries, with Anglophone on one side and the francophone on the other end.
Is Africa in western Europe?
No. Africa is not Western Europe. Western European countries include:
- Belgium.
- France.
- Ireland.
- Luxembourg.
- Monaco.
- Netherlands.
- United Kingdom.
Is Africa near Europe?
Spain which is a European country is very close to Africa. In fact, from Gibraltar in Morocco, you can view the southern part of Spain. Other African countries close to Europe include Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Libya
It is projected that Africa and Europe will someday meet at the Strait of Gibraltar, which will pave way for an African connection to mainland Europe by land. In the past, the Mediterranean was said to have evaporated but was filled up again during a great flood that occurred 5.3 million years ago.
As a bonus, you can get into Spain directly by foot from Morocco without crossing any sea or canal. The Spanish cities of Cruella and Malila share a direct land border with Morocco.
Is Africa connected to Europe?
Yes, Africa and Europe are connected. The Connections between Europe and Africa are marked by several elements; Early years of Trade and Diplomacy, Colonization and Slavery, Geographic connections, and post-colonial connections.
Immigrants Crossing into Europe from Morocco.
Early Years of trade and diplomatic contacts
Africa had trade and diplomatic relations with Europe and indeed the rest of the world long before colonization. The Dutch are believed to be the first set of Europeans to establish contact with Africa in 1431. Soon, the Portuguese, Spanish, Germans, British, etc. began making moves to establish relations with Africa. In essence, the Dutch were the pioneers of the Euro-Africa connections.
Geographic connections
Africa’s Geographic connections with Europe
Geographically, Africa is connected to Europe by both land and sea. Northern African countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco share a significant borderline with Europe.
Apart from land and sea connections, some European territories are located in mainland Africa. For example, Gibraltar is an European territories located in Africa.
Colonization and Slavery
Colonization and years of slavery established a significant connection between much of Africa and Europe. For example, there is a significant number of African populations in France, and Britain due to the years of slavery and immigration.
Post-colonial connections
Post-colonial Africa refers to the African society after years of colonization and slavery. Most Africans countries still maintain significant colonial legacies like language, the system of governance, the educational system, and other notable colonial legacies.
Most of Africa still depend on financial aids from Europe and America to run basics public infrastructures and public health system. During the Covid 19 pandemic, most African countries had to rely on the Covax vaccine alliance donations to get the Covid 19 vaccine.
Is Africa south of Europe?
Africa is located at the southwestern end of Europe sharing land and sea borders with Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. European countries located in Southwestern Europe are; Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Portugal.
Author
Abbey Johnson has a Masters degree as an engineer and has over 3 years of teaching and research experience. He is happiest when on a bike and is also interested in electric energy and computer Science.