This always amazes me

[BillN_33]

Not really taught in School - anyway not when I went which I must admit was some 60 years ago

The true size of Africa

 

[Box Brownie]

A sobering thought....... especially when you take into account the periods of colonisation by the UK & European nations!

Now AFAIK the single nation that has used/is still using the most 'soft power' & economic influence in Africa is China.......when compared to the Western nations.

 

[BillN_33]

A sobering thought....... especially when you take into account the periods of colonisation by the UK & European nations!

Now AFAIK the single nation that has used/is still using the most 'soft power' & economic influence in Africa is China.......when compared to the Western nations.

We have tended to go every year for a couple of months - and I keep regular contact with friends in South Africa - obviously the major worry is COVID - and when it really hits the continent, (it has already but it's just not reported in Europe)...........

 

[Box Brownie]

We have tended to go every year for a couple of months - and I keep regular contact with friends in South Africa - obviously the major worry is COVID - and when it really hits the continent, (it has already but it's just not reported in Europe)...........

Yes, Covid19 by all reports has yet to show its full impact on the African nations.

As for SA, a beautiful country.....or at least the coastal area that we visited 3 times in the early to mid 2000's.

But oh still such a long road they still have to "travel" but they do seem that be doing so.

 

[sirch]

Our misconceptions about the size of Africa are largely because of map projections that make land masses closer to the poles look much larger than they are

Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

The world map you know is totally wrong. Check out this clever graphic, which helps put into perspective the true size of countries.

www.visualcapitalist.com

 

[BillN_33]

Our misconceptions about the size of Africa are largely because of map projections that make land masses closer to the poles look much larger than they are

Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

The world map you know is totally wrong. Check out this clever graphic, which helps put into perspective the true size of countries.

www.visualcapitalist.com

That's was I was indicating, Mercator projection was/is always taught/assumed in Schools, well most of them anyway

 

[Box Brownie]

Our misconceptions about the size of Africa are largely because of map projections that make land masses closer to the poles look much larger than they are

Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

The world map you know is totally wrong. Check out this clever graphic, which helps put into perspective the true size of countries.

www.visualcapitalist.com

That's was I was indicating, Mercator projection was/is always taught/assumed in Schools, well most of them anyway

Yes, and how huge in actuality that Russia is.........................though I think that there are vast tracts of land with ultra low populations across that country!

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

though I think that there are vast tracts of land with ultra low populations across that country!

I've seen a claim that a British diplomat, on hearing of John Seeley's claim that "we {the British} seem, as it were, to have conquered half the world in a fit of absence of mind." responded that the Tsars had done something similar but were far less careful about what they chose.

I've never been able to authenticate the story.

 

[Cagey75]

Add Russia and things would change swiftly though

 

[THIRTYFIVEMILL]

It's a strange one as we seem to see "Africa" as a country. It's not. It's effectively a continent which contains many countries.

 

[Cagey75]

It's a strange one as we seem to see "Africa" as a country. It's not. It's effectively a continent which contains many countries.

Yup, same as South America but for some reason throughout the centuries we've always just refered to 'Africa' as if it's a country with 'states' or counties. This is a very selective map, I mean if you started with Russia and Canada there wouldn't be much room left

 

[ancient_mariner]

Africa is like Europe, South or North America: a continent with separate countries (and often with diverse multiple ethnic groups within those countries. Who thinks of Africa as being a country, even though some of the nations within Africa have things in common with each other?

 

[Jelster]

Yes, and how huge in actuality that Russia is.........................though I think that there are vast tracts of land with ultra low populations across that country!

Australia is similar, isn't it something like 85% of the population live within 200km of the coast? Or something like that....

 

[Jelster]

Africa is like Europe, South or North America: a continent with separate countries (and often with diverse multiple ethnic groups within those countries. Who thinks of Africa as being a country, even though some of the nations within Africa have things in common with each other?

Big diversity of land types too, huge deserts, tropical & sup tropical rain forest, open savannah, mountain ranges, it has the lot...