ANSWERS: 7
  • At one time it was unknown to outsiders.
  • For the same reason that we have the dark ages there is/was so much unknown about it.
  • The name was widely used in the 19th and early 20th century, to indicate that the continent was mysterious and unknown (at least, to the European colonialists who coined the term). Henry M. Stanley was probably the first to use the term in his 1878 account Through the Dark Continent.
  • lot's of black people?
  • Because when they first named it that they didn't have flash photography for their satellite photos. So it was all dark and stuff...
  • Henry Stanley named Africa “The Dark Continent” in his 1878 travelogue, remarking that it was poorly known and mysterious. Only seven years later, the Congress of Berlin felt obliged to carve up the darkness into convenient chunks for the European powers’ pleasure and profit. Naturally, at that time, Europeans did not invite Africans to the party. Thus, country boundaries reflected European whims, not natural tribal boundaries, or ecological niceties, such as coasts or rivers—an issue of some importance for conservation today. Best regards.
  • the history there was unknown. Jared Diamond talks about this a lot in his book Guns Germs and Steel.

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy