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African peoples, who
account for over 12% of the world's population, are distributed
among 55 nations and are further distinguishable in terms of
linguistic and cultural groups, which number around 1,000. The
Sahara forms a great ethnic divide. North of it, mostly Arabs
predominate along the coast and Berbers (including the Tuareg) and
Tibbu in the interior regions. Sub-Saharan Africa is occupied by a
diverse variety of peoples including, among others, the Amhara,
Mossi, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Zulu, Akan, Ewe, Oromo, Masai,
and Hausa. Europeans are concentrated in areas with subtropical
climates or tropical climates modified by altitude; in the south are
persons of Dutch and British descent, and in the northwest are
persons of French, Italian, and Spanish descent. |
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Lebanese make up an
important minority community throughout West Africa, as do Indians
in many coastal towns of South and East Africa. There are also
significant Arab populations both in East Africa and more
recently in West Africa. The highest densities can be found in
Nigeria, the Ethiopian highlands, the Nile valley, and around the
Great Lakes (which include Victoria and Tanganyika). The principal
cities of Africa are usually the national capitals and the major
ports, and they usually contain a disproportionately large
percentage of the national populations; Cairo, Lagos (Nigeria),
Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Alexandria (Egypt), and
Casablanca (Morocco) are the largest cities of Africa |
