The development of human civilization can never be separated from communication and competition. Even war will promote the upgrading of civilization to a certain extent. For thousands of years, Eurasia has been the cradle of human civilization. No matter Europe, Central Asia, India or China, the communication between them has never been interrupted, even if it only relies on a Silk Road full of obstacles and mountains.
The Indians in the American continent and the aborigines in Australia are isolated from the world, and there is no motive force for civilization and progress, which leads to the invincible European there.
Sub-Saharan Africa is not bad. After all, in the early days of human society, it was easier to cross the Sahara desert than the ocean. From the perspective of human evolution, early humans lived in the jungle and made a living by hunting and gathering fruits. If you want to choose a place that is most suitable for primitive people to live in, there is no doubt that it is a tropical rain forest, where there are many fruits, rich species and a wide variety of wild animals, which is just the object of hunting.
But when conditions are good, people will lose the motivation to move forward and civilization will stagnate. We can see that the ancient civilizations of human beings were all produced in temperate zones. Temperate conditions are not good, so it is necessary to plow in spring and harvest in autumn, draw water for irrigation, and organize teams to overcome the difficulties under natural conditions, otherwise it will be difficult to survive. But all these can be done through hard work, unlike in cold areas, even if you work hard, the harvest is limited. It is in this planning, organization and thinking that civilization was born.
Africa's backwardness is not due to poor natural conditions, but precisely because natural conditions are too good.
The climate of the African continent is centered on the equator, and the north-south direction is perfectly symmetrical: the Mediterranean climate at both ends, the tropical desert climate in the south and the Tropic of Cancer, and the tropical rain forest climate near the equator. Elsewhere, except for the Ethiopian Plateau, most of the African continent has a tropical sparse grassland climate (Madagascar is far from the mainland, and the climate is different from the mainland due to the influence of trade winds and topography).
Most early Africans lived in tropical rain forests and sparse grasslands. Needless to say, the tropical rain forest is very suitable for early human survival. The tropical sparse grassland is also a paradise for species. Most of the scenes of China's TV documentary Animal World were shot in the sparse tropical grasslands of Africa.
I am familiar with temperate grasslands, such as those in Inner Mongolia. Even in rainy summer, the grass here only reaches my ankles. The grass in the savanna is more than one meter high, accompanied by sparse trees, where herbivores flock together. As a link in the ecological chain, there are more herbivores, and carnivores will naturally come. There are many kinds of animals, so people who live here will have nothing to eat.
In the sports arena, we often hear a sentence: "West African blacks are good at sprinting, while East African blacks are good at long-distance running. This statement is not unreasonable. In the rainforest, Africans hunt by explosive force, while chasing wild animals on the grassland requires long-term endurance.
After all, chasing wild animals is risky. Only mature men can do such a thing. What about the old, weak, women and children? There are not so many fruits in grassland as in rainforest. If there is nothing to eat, what will they eat? Don't worry about this, there is also a bread tree on the grassland. The fruit of this magical tree tastes like bread and is baked to eat.
Because it is close to the equator, the African continent has no spring, summer, autumn and winter, only dry season and rainy season. When the rainy season comes, everything wakes up; When the dry season comes, plants will dry up. In fact, it replaced the alternation of seasons in disguise, otherwise the African continent would be all forests.
Because African aborigines are all black, we often have a misunderstanding that Africa is very hot. In fact, Africa is not as hot as expected. The average annual temperature of tropical rain forests in Africa is 25 ~ 28 degrees Celsius, usually not more than 34 degrees Celsius. The average temperature of tropical grassland climate is 20 ~ 30 degrees in rainy season and 20 ~ 25 degrees in dry season.
The really hot place in Africa is the Sahara desert, with a large temperature difference between day and night. You can die of heat during the day and freeze to death at night, but the desert is not where Africans often live.
Generally speaking, the areas where most Africans live are much cooler than expected. Some people may wonder why Africa is not close to the equator and where the solar radiation is strong, it is not hot. This is because of the topography of Africa, the whole African continent is highland, and most places are between 500 meters and 1000 meters above sea level. Generally speaking, the temperature will drop by 0.6 degrees for every elevation increase of 100 meters, so the temperature in Africa is not hot.
Therefore, in this magical land of Africa, there is no motivation for human evolution.
Black skin of Africans is related to solar radiation. The closer to the equator, the stronger the solar radiation, and the higher the place, the less shielding the atmosphere, the stronger the ultraviolet rays.
Africa has it, and the intensity of ultraviolet rays can be imagined. Ultraviolet rays can cause harm to human skin and cause cancer, while dark skin can effectively block ultraviolet rays and protect subcutaneous tissue. In the evolutionary history of tens of thousands of years, only dark-skinned people survived, while light-skinned people were naturally eliminated.
In fact, there is not only one kind of black people in sub-Saharan Africa. Their skin color is deep and light, and their bodies are different. Generally speaking, African blacks can be divided into four types: Sudanese blacks, Bantu blacks, Pygmies blacks and Koisan blacks. Nigro means "black" in Spanish. Sudan, Bantu, Pygmies and Khoisan for short.
The word Sudan comes from * * *, which means "power". Later, the leader who ruled a certain area was called Sudan, which generally referred to the land ruled by Sudan, that is, the country. Many heads of state are called Sudan, and this country is also called Sultanate. For example, the Otto Empire was ruled by the Sultan rather than the emperor. In the eyes of * *, Sudan is a sacred word.
The Negro people in Sudan have this name, which is why it was later popularized here. Sudanese have three origins, namely Niger River, Lake Chad and Nile River from west to east, so they can be divided into West Sudan, Middle Sudan and East Sudan.
East Sudanese are the blackest Sudanese, with slender figure, and most of them appear in basketball games. The birthplace of the East Sudanese is in the middle and upper reaches of the Nile, which is the inter-river zone where the Blue Nile meets the White Nile. Some East Sudanese came down the Nile to Egypt and participated in the construction of ancient Egyptian civilization. The Nile River runs through the Sahara Desert, so Egypt is the region most closely connected with Black Africa (sub-Saharan Africa).
There were white people, black people and yellow people from Asia in ancient Egypt, and all kinds of people were mixed together, so mixed blood was produced. Perhaps it is this inclusiveness that produced the splendid ancient Egyptian civilization.