Africa, a continent full of mysteries, has been one of the cradles of human civilization since ancient times. From the pyramids of Egypt to the Nok culture of Nigeria, Africa's long history has given birth to many treasures of civilization.
However, it is puzzling that despite its rich cultural and natural resources, and the strength of its Africans, there has never been a empire as powerful as Persia, Rome or Mongolia in history. What's going on here?
We have to be clear about a concept: what is a strong empire? In simple terms, it refers to countries with strong military forces, vast territories, and long history of rule. They often possess a formidable military force, are able to conquer the surrounding area, and have a profound impact on future generations politically, economically, and culturally.
For example, United Kingdom, known as the empire on which the sun never sets, at the peak of its colonies, had a territory of about 35.5 million square kilometers, and a quarter of the world's land was under the jurisdiction of United Kingdom.
Why, then, did Africa not give birth to such an empire? The reasons for this are complex, but geography is undoubtedly a key factor. The continent's topography is extremely diverse, from vast deserts to dense rainforests to rugged mountains, each of which presents unique challenges to human survival and development.
In North Africa, the Sahara Desert acts as a natural barrier separating the land from the thriving civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Although the ancient Egypt civilization once shone here, the harsh environment of the desert limited the possibility of its external expansion. The ancient Egyptians may have had great architectural skills and deep cultural heritage, but they could not overcome the barriers of the desert to conquer a wider territory.
Central Africa is dominated by tropical rainforests. There is abundant rain and lush vegetation, but it also comes with unfavorable factors such as heat, humidity and disease. In such an environment, it is difficult for human beings to carry out large-scale agricultural production and urban construction, let alone raise a strong army to fight in all directions. As a result, the process of civilizational development in Central Africa has been relatively slow, and there have been few decent powers or empires.
The situation in Southern Africa is different. The climate here is relatively pleasant, the land is fertile, and it should have excellent conditions for the development of civilization. However, Southern Africa is geographically closed and has very limited communication with the outside world. Before the colonial era, the tribal society here was self-sufficient for a long time, lacking the motivation and strength to expand abroad.
And when the Western colonizers arrived, they brought not the seeds of civilization and progress, but the disaster of plunder and oppression. Under the iron heel of the colonizers, the peoples and cultures of southern Africa were severely devastated, let alone built a powerful empire.
In addition to its geographical environment, Africa's historical destiny has also been influenced by multiple factors such as ethnicity, religion and culture. Africa has a large number of ethnic groups and complex languages, which to a certain extent weakens the sense of cohesion and identity among the various ethnic groups.
At the same time, Africa's religious beliefs are also extremely diverse, from primitive tribal beliefs to world religions such as Islam and Christianity, and various belief systems are intertwined and collided on the continent of Africa, which not only brings opportunities for civilization exchanges, but also triggers countless conflicts and wars.
In addition, we need to correct a common misconception that Africans are inherently stronger than people in other regions. In fact, whether a person is strong or not is not completely determined by race, but is affected by various factors such as living environment, diet and nutrition.
In ancient times, because of poverty and backwardness, Africans did not have enough to eat all year round, were malnourished, and were very thin. Nowadays, we see that Africans are strong because after the black slave trade, blacks went to Europe and the United States, and the environment changed, the climate changed, the diet changed, and the physique changed.
It can be seen that the reasons for Africa's failure to give birth to a strong empire are multifaceted and complex. However, this does not mean that Africa's history is bleak. On the contrary, from the mysterious ancient Egypt civilization to the brave Maasai warriors, from the passionate African drumming to the colorful tribal art, Africa interprets the diversity and richness of human civilization in its own unique way.