Africa, India and its Neighbors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Africa, India and its Neighbors - Essay Example The Sahel covers a vast territory of land from west to east and passes through various prominent countries of Africa including Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The Sahel is situated 5, 400 km away from Atlantic Ocean in the west of Africa to the Red Sea which is situated in the east. The belt or the boundary is about 620 miles in width and covers an area of about 3, 053, 200 square km. the area of Sahel is composed of semi arid grassland, steppers, savannas and thorny shrubs that are lying between Sahara desert and Sudanian Savannas. As far as the topography of Sahel is concerned, it is flat having just 200 to 400 meters elevations. Here it is interesting to note that several mountain ranges and plateaus rise from this boundary commonly known as Sahel. However, these plateaus and mountain ranges are regarded as separate eco- regions because of the distinction in flora and fauna present there (Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2012). Source: (Caritas.Org, 2012) Answer 2: Niger River is the primary river as well as the exotic stream of West Africa with a length of about 4, 200km.Niger River ranks third in Africa just after the River Nile and the River Congo. It is believed that the name ‘Niger’ has its origin with Greeks. It is very interesting to note that Niger River is known by several other names based on its courses. The upper course is known as Joliba, central track is known as Isa Rghirren and Mayo Balleo while the lower stretch is called Quorra. The exotic streams of Niger River have significant impact on the settlements and ongoing trade activities in the region of Africa. Basically, Africa is an agricultural civilization. So, water from these streams is a need for crops’ cultivation. Moreover, this region does not have well developed road network to allow trade activities so trade activities are mostly carried through water ways. Agricultural as well as other commodities are transferred from one place to another thro ugh waterways. So exotic streams originate through River Niger offer transportation routes and in this way facilitate the trade. Last but not the least; the water of these streams is also used in washing, bathing and drinking purposes. Source: (Wikipedia, 2012) Answer 3: TAN- ZAM railways pass which is also known as Tazara or Uhuru Railway connects Kapiri Mposhi town in Zambia with Tanzanian seaport of Dar es Salaam. This railway pass was built in 1970 to 1975 and financed by China. This railway network was especially designed for trade purposes for Zambian productions, particularly copper products. It runs for 1,860 kilometers. So, this network offered economic incentive to the region. However, it is important to note that this railway network is just for trade purposes and definitely, it is not a tourist train. Moreover, railroads have significant value in the economic development of a country. Railways, as in case of TAN- ZAM pass and surely many others round the globe, provides great market for different goods that might be agricultural as well as industrial. Railways connect far going areas of the country and allow widespread business activities that directly contribute in the economic development of a country. Here it is also important to note that before the invention of automobiles, highways and planes, the only way to travel was railroads. Railroads were used to travel goods from one place to another. So, this sort of communication paved the way for unprecedented growth for a country especially at industrial level. Moreover, with the help of train networks people can also travel with great ease, comparatively, at an inexpensive rate. Answer 4: Kenya Tanzania Uganda Capital