Despite the wide coverage of the continent in the international media – most of it focusing on the poverty, corruption, HIV/AIDS, conflicts, malaria and other poverty-related diseases in Africa – several potential travelers to Africa, still have little knowledge about the continent especially the positive aspects of Africa.
For those who might be well informed about the continent, their perceptions about Africa are informed by the stories in the western media. Consequently, perceptions of Africa among Westerners are generally negative.
For some people, the desperation for an African trip is influenced by a conviction that visiting Africa affords one the opportunity to personally witness the most devastating circumstance under which some people live, or better still, an opportunity to see the realities of the horrific events that are reported in the international media. There are also others who visit or plan to travel to Africa just for vacations, for tourism or for business transactions.
African Countries, Tourism and Cultures
Whatever the reasons for traveling to Africa may be, it is important to learn about the continent and its countries as well as Africa’s rich cultural heritage and tourist sites in the various countries. It is when one learns about the continent that one get to realsise that Africa is a continent just like Europe, Asia and the Americas and actually has over 50 countries.
For lack of basic knowledge about the continent, people continue conceive of Africa as a country. It is therefore common in the Western World to hear people say, “oh he has been to Africa before” or “I want to travel to Africa.” When one decides to be a bit inquisitive and asks, “Which country do you want to visit or travel to and for what,” they then expose their limited knowledge about the continent by making pronouncements that suggest their thinking of Africa as a country rather than a continent.
Various African Countries, Tourism and Natural Resources
The various countries in Africa have different tourism sites, different cultures and different natural resources. Eastern African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Somalia have their own attractions. Central African Countries like Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo also have their peculiar attractions. Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and others in the West; Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and others in Southern Africa and Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia in the North, all have their unique characteristics.
A better understanding of the continent will make one appreciate the vast tourist sites of Kenya, Ethiopia and Zambia; the massive oil deposits in Nigeria, Angola and Libya as well as the vast diamond deposits of Central Africa Republic, DR Congo and Sierra Leone.
Even a much better knowledge of the continent should reveal to a potential traveler that for scenes of good landscapes and mountains, one has to visit East Africa; for scenes of water bodies, Central Africa may be the best; and for real tropical environments one has to be in West Africa.
Africa's Natural Resources
Africa is endowed with all kinds of natural resuorces. For business people who may want to explore opportunities in the minerals sector in Africa, having knowledge about these resources and the countries in which they can be found is very paramount.
Knowledge of the various natural resources in Africa would for example, make one aware that while it is possible and profitable to set up gold, diamond, bauxite and timber firms in the West African Countries of Ghana because of the abundance of these resources in that country, doing similar business in Sahel Burkina Faso or Mali which are also both in West Africa may not be as viable because they do not have much of these resources. For oil exploration, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Libya may serve the purpose.
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