|
Shop for Portal Africa at ml-shopping.com
|
 |
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. At about 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including its adjacent islands, it covers 20.3 percent of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants in 54 countries, it accounts for about one eighth of the world human population. Modern human evolutionary theory recognizes Africa as the cradle of humankind, with early hominids migrating out of the continent into Europe and Asia. By about 5,000,000 years ago the Sahara had become nearly as dry as it is today, and, with travel difficult, the history of the northern and southern portions of the continent split. The area south of the Sahara was opened up to European exploration and colonization following the development of the caravel in the 15th century.
The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music, some of which are known worldwide. Styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments and songs. Little is known about the country's music history prior to European contact, although bronze carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments. Nigeria has been called "the heart of African music" because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo, Brazil, Cuba and elsewhere. Highlife was an important foundation for the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, like apala, fuji, jùjú and Yo-pop. (more...)
Previously featured: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – Flag of South Africa – Lord's Resistance Army
| | |
