INTRODUCTION OF AFRICA

Throughout history, many

nations tried conquering

and colonizing African

countries. Many succeeded

as well, and in time, many

of our western influences

left their mark on the

continent. One of those is

in the name of the continent itself. Africa is not the original

name of the continent. According to experts that research the

history of the African continent, the original ancient name of

Africa was Alkebulan. This name translates to “mother of

mankind,” or according to other sources, “the garden of

Eden.” Alkebulan is an extremely old word, and its origins are

indigenous. Many nations in Africa used this word, including the

Ethiopians, Nubians, Moors, and Numidians.

The name Africa was given to this continent by the ancient Romans

and Greeks. However, Alkebulan was not the only name used for the

continent. There were many others used throughout history by the

people living there, including Corphye, Ortigia, Libya, and

Ethiopia. However, Alkebulan is the most common one.

So how exactly did the continent get the name “Africa”? The most

commonly accepted theory states that the name came from Romans
when they discovered land on the opposite side of the

Mediterranean. They called this land after a Berber tribe that

was living in the Carthage area at the time. According to many

sources, the name of that tribe was Afri. Originally, the Romans

supposedly called the continent Afri-terra, which was later

transformed into Africa.

Several other theories aim to discover how the continent of

Africa got its name. Many experts believe that the name actually

came from two Phoenician words. These words were “friqi” and

“pharika,” which would translate corn and fruit, respectively.

According to this theory, the Phoenicians called Africa the land

of corn and fruit, which actually makes sense. The Phoenicians

inhabited cities along the coast of the Mediterranean, and it is

quite possible that they managed to discover Africa.

Other theories about the name of the continent also deal with its

climate. Many people believe that the name Africa derived from

the Greek word “aphrikē,” which denotes a land that is free

from the cold weather. Another word that is often mentioned is

the Roman word “aprica,” which translates into sunny.

Whatever that may be, it is not hard to imagine why the weather

could play a major factor in the name chosen for this continent.

Although generalizing the weather of an entire continent is not

that easy, the people that ''found'' Africa have probably only

seen a small part of it before giving it a name.