The African continent
Africa, covering an area of 30.3 million square kilometers, is after Asia the second largest continent in the world and is about 3 times the size of Europe. Up to the middle of the 19th century vast areas of Africa were still to be discovered. Today it is a composite of innumerable peoples and cultures.
Once the cradle of modern man, Africa has been exploited again and again. First as an inexhaustible source of slaves for US plantations and in the palaces of the European 
and Arabic world, later in colonial times for its rich mineral resources. The foundations of today`s problems of corruption, abuse of power and war were laid in the colonial era through the constant humiliation, forced resettlement and the arbitrary fixation of borders. So, even today, a hundred years after discovery by European adventurers, many think of Africa as a sinister and dangerous place. The ambiguous term "the black continent" doesn`t just refer to the dark forests of central Africa and the colour of the people.
But Africa has so much more to offer. In the north the wonderful reminders of ancient cultures, the fascinating desert 
and the fantastic underwater world. In the south, the unique animal world and breathtaking scenery.
For those who have experienced the peace of a sunrise over the Nile, the colours of the Namibian desert or the suspense of hearing lions roaring outside their tent somewhere in Botswana, Africa will never let them go.
