Africa is called the “Cradle of Humankind” as it is the place that gave rise to homo sapiens at least 200,000 years ago. Human history begins here.

The earliest known recorded history is from Ancient Egypt around 3150 BC. However, most of the rest of Africa had been cut off from Egypt at this time by the Sahara Desert. In about 30 BC, the majority of North Africa came under Roman rule. Still cut off by the Sahara Desert, the rest of Africa would be safe from the Roman Empire.

In the 7th century AD, the Arabs conquered most of North Africa and most of the area was converted to Islam. Around 800 AD, kingdoms began to emerge in North Africa and they flourished until about the 16th century.

In the 19th century, Europeans began to colonize most of Africa. By the mid to late 20th century, the movement for African independence was in full swing and by the beginning of the 21st century most African countries were independent of European rule.

There are approximately 2,000 languages spoken and more than 3,000 different indigenous groups living in Africa. Each of these indigenous groups have their own language and culture.