Dr. F. Jeffress Ramsay's book Africa includes much information about the political divisions in Africa today, the different countries that have emerged from the colonial period, the problems they face together and individually, and some of the assets on which they can draw in the future. The books by Vincent B. Khapoya and John Iliffe offer more of African history to show how the current situation developed. A number of facts emerge from a reading of these three works regarding how Africa is viewed by the world, how Africa views itself, and the reality of the African situation.
People of the West tend to know little about Africa and African history, including the history of the colonial era when the West had the greatest involvement in that part of the world. Modern Africa is said to begin around 1800, while the colonial era ended only since about 1960. Africa is generally considered in terms of its division into two parts by the equator, and there are climatic, geographic, and historical distinctions to be made between the northern and southern areas of Africa. Distinctions can also be made, as does Ramsay, for Eastern, Central, and Western regions of the continent. The northern region is marked by desert, which has always been a formidable obstacle to outside forces. For the last 2,000 years, the horse and the camel have served as the means for crossing this vast area. In ancient times, the northern part of Africa was in touch with the Roman and Greek worlds to a much greater extent than people might imagine. Islam was a major influence on this part of the world 1,000 years ago, and this influence has continued to this day.
The southern frontier of northern Africa has moved at different times in history, but the desert has been a demarcation point. Northern Africa has been more and more encircled by Europe since the eighteenth century, with trade increasing. It was also at that time that the balance of power in t...