Peoples inhabiting East Africa. Peoples of africa

Bantu is called one of the many peoples of Central Africa, but it must be understood that these terms unite a large number (more than 400) nationalities. Thus, the Bantu is a group of ethnic groups, among which there are:

You can meet them in many places, south of the Sahara Desert. In addition to Central Africa, there are also Bantu representatives in the Southern and Eastern subregions. The total number is about 200 million people.

What Bantu has in common is its language and traditions. Some of them use several languages ​​at once, but Swahili is most often heard.

Many scholars call the Bantu tribes, together with the Hottentot and Bushmen peoples, the progenitors of the South African race. However, even now science does not possess all the most accurate data about the Bantu, and their whole history is not known either.

The appearance of a standard Bantu representative can be described as follows:

dark skin tone;

tight curls, curled in a spiral;

low nose bridge;

wide nose;

mouth with massive lips;

large growth, sometimes more than 180 cm.

People from the Bantu tribes are very contactable, they easily communicate with tourists, providing them with the opportunity to take unique photographs, and excursions are organized for them. All this allows Africans to make good money.

The religions of the Bantu peoples are different, these are not only ancient animistic beliefs, but also brought by Christianity, as well as Islam. All these religious canons have great importance, are revered both in rituals and in everyday life.

Once upon a time, these peoples used only small bandages on the hips as clothing, which they made themselves from herbs and animal skins. However, now many traditions have been lost, so even the appearance of modern Bantu is similar to any European.

And yet, the Bantu peoples managed to preserve their own folklore, which survived many centuries, and this - African fairy tales telling about nature, specific local dances, kind-hearted songs, epic legends and legends.

Equatorial (Western Tropical) IEO [edit | edit wiki text]

Territory: central and southern regions of Cameroon, southern Chad, South Sudan, CAR, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola, Zambia.

Inhabited primarily by Bantu-speaking peoples: Douala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandians), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Como, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Congo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Lozi, Tonga, Bemba, Luba, etc. Other Bantoid languages ​​are spoken Bamileke, Bamum, Tikar; Adamawa-Ubangi - Zande, Banda, Ngbandi and Gbaya; Central Sudanese - Moru-Mangbetu peoples. Pygmies speak the languages ​​of their neighbors, that is, all the families listed, but mainly Bantu languages. Santomians and Annobonians - Creoles with languages ​​based on Portuguese and Bantu languages, Fernandino - Creoles with languages ​​based on English and Yoruba.

The material culture is typical for the tropical forest zone and is close to the culture of the Guinean subregion of the West African IEO. The culture of pygmies stands out, preserving a lifestyle based on mobile hunting and gathering.

South African IEO [edit | edit wiki text]

Territory: southern Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern and central Mozambique.

It is inhabited by the Bantu-speaking peoples of the Kosa, Zulu, Swazi, Ndebele and Matabele, Suto, Tswana, Pedi, Tsonga, Venda, Shona, Herero, Ovambo, etc., as well as by peoples speaking the Khoisan languages ​​(Bushmen and Hottentots). Afrikaans and colored people in South Africa speak Afrikaans, while South Africans speak local English. Immigrants from Europe and South Asia (Hindustans, Biharts, Gujarati, etc.) speak Indo-Aryan, some Indians (Tamils, Telugu, etc.) -Dravidian languages.

Within the territory of South Africa migration processes took place constantly, starting with the resettlement of the Bantu-speaking peoples from East Africa in the second half of the 1st millennium AD. e., pushed the Khoisan peoples to less favorable areas (the Kalahari and Namib deserts). In the first half of the 19th century, part of the Narodovnguni moved to the north of modern South Africa (Ndebele), to the territory of modern Zimbabwe (Matabele) and to the south of Tanzania (Ngoni). Finally, the last major migration was the Great Track - the resettlement of Afrikaners to mid XIX century from the Cape Colony, captured by the British, to the northeast, beyond the Orange and Vaal rivers (the creation of the Boer republics - the Orange Free State and the Transvaal).

Traditional occupations Bantu-speaking peoples - manual farming of the slash-and-burn type with fallow (sorghum, millet, corn, legumes, vegetables) and semi-nomadic cattle breeding (cattle and small ruminants). Hottentots are engaged in distant pasture (cattle and small ruminants), with the exception of the toponar-nama group in the area of ​​the Whale Bay (Namibia), which until recently was engaged in marine hunting. Traditional food of farmers and pastoralists is sorghum and corn stews and porridge, seasoned with vegetables, milk; the main drink is millet beer. Traditional settlement - a circular layout of hemispherical huts ( kraal). Unlike most African peoples, who have an open hearth (as a rule, outside the dwelling, in the yard), adobe stoves are common among the mountain inhabitants of Tswana and Suto. Traditional clothing- unstitched (loincloth and apron, leather cloak- caross).

Bushmen (San) are roving hunters and gatherers. As a dwelling, wind screens are used from branches tied from above and covered with grass or skins. Clothes - loincloth and cloak.

Methods and sources of ethnography. Conceptual stage of ethnographic science

Peoples of africa

Africa is 1/5 of the land mass of our planet. In terms of size, Africa is second only to Eurasia. The equator bisects the continent almost in half. The relief of the mainland as a whole is varied. This is a vast plateau. Africa has neither extensive lowlands nor large mountain ranges. Its highest part is the eastern one, where the Abyssinian plateau is located, indented by mountains and gorges. This area is called the "roof of the continent". The largest rivers are the Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi. The rivers are rapids, low-navigable, most in summer time dries up.

Africa is the hottest continent. On both sides of the equator, there is a strip of tropics that occupies ¾ of the entire continent. The zones of the savannah - African steppes (Sahel) follow the stripes of the tropics to the north and south. Deserts are symmetrically located behind the savanna belts: the world's greatest Sahara with an average annual temperature of +35 and in the south - the Kalahari and Namib. Narrow coastal stripes in the north and south of the continent there are subtropical zones. In much of Africa, the year is divided into two distinct seasons: dry - summer and rainy - winter. The farther from the equator, the shorter the rainy period, the less precipitation. Droughts are common in savannah zones.

Now the nature of Africa is a huge area of ​​acute ecological crisis. It is caused by the objective action of the forces of nature themselves and the vigorous activity of people.

Africa is geographically divided into North, East, South, Central and Western Tropical. The population of Africa is a complex conglomerate of different sizes of ethnic groups and ethnic groups formed as a result of constant migrations of the indigenous population and contacts between its individual groups.

Migrations were especially widespread in the past, when shepherding was widespread. Migrations were also caused by natural factors: droughts, epidemics, outbreaks of tsetse flies, locusts, etc., which forced the sedentary population to move to more favorable areas for life. tribal wars also led to migrations. In the process of migrations, tribes and ethnic groups were united, some were absorbed by others, integration and adaptation at different levels took place.

Nowadays, almost a third of the entire African population is made up of the Bantu peoples known from antiquity. They moved across a vast territory from the borders of the Sudan to the south. Probably, their ancestral home is the northern part of the Congo basin, on the border of the tropical zone and the savannah. The Bantu was driven south by the tribes of the Pygmies, Bushmen and Hottentots. Already by the U111 - 1X century, Arab travelers discovered Bantu along the entire coast of East Africa. Part of the Bantu mixed with the natives, the Hottentot tribes were absorbed by the Bantu peoples.

Many peoples migrated from the north to East Africa under the general name "Nilots". They were distinguished from their neighbors by their linguistic and anthropological affiliation. The Nilots pushed the Bantu southward and settled in the Mezhozerie region, where they mixed with the local Negroid population, while retaining a number of anthropological features of their ancestors - high growth, long limbs, long-headed. They lost their language, having mastered the languages ​​of the Bantu peoples they had absorbed.

A significant part of the population of North-East Africa belongs to the Semitic group, which is peculiar in linguistic and anthropological terms. Their origin is connected, possibly, with the migration of groups of southern Arab tribes on the Somali coast. Their descendants mingled with the local Negroid population, but at the same time retained the main features of the structure of their language. The Galla (Oromo) and Somali peoples were a significant factor in the formation of the population of this region.

The ethnic composition of the population of West Africa is variegated and has a complex history of formation. It is more or less clear that the Bantu peoples who migrated here took part in this process, as well as the shepherd tribes of the Fulbe ancestors who came from Western Sahara or North Africa and belonged to the Mediterranean race. In the process of migration, they mixed with the local population, acquired Negroid features and lost their language.

Nowadays, the population of the continent is characterized by extreme ethnic diversity and consists of many tribes and peoples, the level of development of which is very different. At present, it is customary to distinguish about 500 peoples on the ethnic map of Africa.

Historical paths The development of Africa makes it possible, with a certain degree of convention, to single out as independent parts of the Northern, North-Western and huge areas of "black Africa" ​​south of the Sahara. The cultures of the population of North Africa combine the traditions of ancient North Africa and Egypt with Christian and Islamic cultures. The peoples inhabiting the regions of Africa south of the Sahara never knew a wheel, a potter's wheel, did not build bridges, did not use a plow. The most characteristic and common subject material culture of the peoples inhabiting black Africa, is the drum. This item is not just a musical and entertaining, but also a ritual and combat instrument. In addition, since ancient times, the drum has served as the most important means of transmitting information over any distance, from one point of transmission to another along the chain. The drum is rightfully the material symbol of Black Africa.

Peoples of North Africa.

The North African region includes the population of Algeria, Egypt, Western Sahara, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia. Historically and ethnoculturally, the western part of the region stands out - this is the Maghreb. It includes Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania, Western Sahara.

The majority of the population of the Maghreb belongs to the Mediterranean branch Caucasian race... The peoples of the Maghreb speak the languages ​​of the Afro-Asian seven, the majority of the population speaks Arabic. These areas from the U11 - U111 centuries were part of the Arab Caliphate and since that time have entered the Arab-Islamic civilization. The Tuaregs have preserved the ancient letter - tifinagh -, its keepers are women, all the rest use the Arabic alphabet.

As in the whole of Africa, state borders, like the borders of regions, do not coincide with ethnic ones. For example, Tuaregs live not only in Algeria, but also in Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

In the north and west, coastal residents are fishing. Farmers sow grain here, cultivate grapes, tobacco, citrus fruits. The inhabitants of the mountains are sedentary tillers or pasture pasture breeders. Small artificially irrigated fields are located on terraces located in tiers on the slopes of the mountains. In the foothills and on the plains, the population is engaged in irrigated agriculture. The main tools are plow, sickle, wooden pitchfork. Further south, the agricultural population is concentrated only in oases or around wells. The main crop grown here is the date palm, whose wood and leaves are used for buildings, and the fruits serve as the basis for the nutrition of the inhabitants of the deserts. The majority of the population in these parts are nomads. They are engaged in camel breeding, sheep and goat breeding. Herds of camels are the main wealth and content of all economic activities: the camel provides wool, milk, meat, transports belongings and the entire family of the nomad. The population roams in spring and autumn, and at the beginning of winter gathers near palm groves, where they stock up on dates and cultivate small arable lands. They also wait out the greatest heat in the middle of summer.

Food African peoples has some general features... Its important part is porridge and flat cakes (millet, corn, wheat). Vegetable protein is provided by beans, peas, peanuts; animal protein - fish and meat (goat meat, lamb, much less often - beef and camel meat). Used as fats vegetable oils- palm, peanut, olive; nomadic pastoralists have mutton fat. The most common dish is couscous - balls of rice or wheat porridge that are eaten with hot sauces and seasonings. The main drink is water, alcoholic drinks are millet or barley beer and palm wine. Only in the very north are they engaged in viticulture and winemaking. Throughout Africa, traditionally, two meals a day - in the morning and after sunset.

The dwellings of the peoples of North Africa are diverse. Cities, as a rule, remain divided into two parts - Arab (Medina) and European. V countryside the dwellings of the mountaineers, agricultural and pastoral peoples differ. Highlanders engaged in pasture cattle breeding usually have two types of settlements - permanent - a fortified village with four towers at the corners - and temporary - a group of tents or light dwellings in mountain pastures. The sedentary population of the plains lives in villages that stretch along the road. In some places the ancient dwelling "gurbi" is preserved - a hut covered with reeds or thatch with walls made of wood, stone or clay mixed with straw. Nomad dwellings are easily portable tent or marquee. The coverings are made of woolen or carpets, the Tuaregs are made of pieces of leather. One family lives in one tent. Men occupy the eastern half, women - the western half.

Most of the inhabitants of North Africa wear general Arab clothing. This is a long white shirt, over it a warm burnus, often of a dark color, a turban. Shoes are mules. An indispensable accessory for a man's suit is "shukara" - a bag with red braided cords and "kumiya" - a double-edged dagger bent upwards. The boy receives them from his father at the age of 7-8. Women wear light harem pants, long dresses made of white, pink, pale green fabric. The townspeople cover their faces with a special veil. Rural women walk with open faces.

Almost all the peoples of North Africa are patrilineal, family relationships they are governed by Sharia law. Religiously, the population of North Africa is fairly homogeneous. Muslims are the overwhelming majority. There are many "folk" traits in Maghreb Islam, in particular, wearing amulets, worshiping the graves of saints, belief in "baraka" (grace), etc. they retain faith in spirits, ghosts, are engaged in fortune-telling, witchcraft, magic.

Original, standing out against the background of the rest of the peoples of North Africa - Tuaregs... These are the people of the Berber group living in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Algeria, Libya. Tuaregs are descendants of the ancient indigenous Berebrian population of North Africa. They form several tribal associations.

Dwellings of sedentary and semi-sedentary Tuaregs are hemispherical huts made of palm leaves or straw. During the nomadic days, the Tuaregs live in tents covered with leather or rough cloth.

Society is divided into several classes - castes. The main ones are the Imajegan, noble, in the past the formal owners of the land, and by their main occupation - the warriors; imgad, i.e. goat herders, the bulk of pastoralists and farmers, iklan, i.e. blacks, formerly negro slaves, now freedmen. At the head of the tribes is the chiefdom, headed by the ruler - amenukal. The symbol of the power of the amenukal is the sacred drum. A feature of the Tuareg is the preservation, along with the patriarchal-clan, strong remnants of the maternal-clan organization. The position of their women is much higher than that of other Muslim peoples: the property of the spouses is separate, divorce is possible at the initiative of each of the parties. Women have the right to property and inheritance. One of the remnants of matrilocality is the obligatory wearing of a face veil by free men who have reached marriageable age. This analogue of a woman's face cover is not found anywhere else in the world. Hence the second self-name of the Tuaregs - the people of the veil. The fine art of the Tuareg is very original. The motif of the cross is widespread in it, therefore, in the past, the Tuaregs were considered the descendants of the crusaders. The main guardians of the traditional spiritual culture among the Tuaregs are women. In particular, they are guardians ancient writing tifinagh, preserved only by this people, the rest have the Arabic alphabet. Women - keepers of musical heritage and historical epics, singers and poetesses

Peoples of East Africa .

In East Africa, the population of Burundi, Djibouti, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia live.

The population of the northern half of the region belongs to the Ethiopian race, which occupies an intermediate position between Negroids and Caucasians. Most of the population of southern East Africa belongs to the Negroid race, even further south is the population belonging to the Bushman type. According to the ethnolinguistic classification accepted in science, the population of the region represents Afrasian family, Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Kordofan (the so-called Bantu peoples).

East Africa is a special natural zone .. it is the most elevated part of the continent, all natural zones of Africa are represented here. The main occupations of the population of East Africa are agriculture and animal husbandry. In comparison with other natural areas, East Africa is the most favorable for livestock farming, which is widespread here and is represented by several HCPs.

Cattle breeding is presented in the forms of nomadic (nomadic and semi-nomadic) and distant pasture maintenance. In distant pasture cattle breeding, the most widely represented form is "transhumans herding", in the literature often referred to as semi-nomadic or semi-sedentary cattle breeding. This CCT combines pastoralism with agriculture, temporary or permanent settlement of a part of the population with the mobility of another. This does not violate social cohesion. public organization, the entire population, both mobile and sedentary, belongs to a single social system. This way of life is explained by the differences in natural conditions in which one and the same people live, when one part of it is engaged in agriculture, and the other migrates with herds sometimes over long distances from settled settlements. Typical representatives of shepherding transhumans - peoples nuer and dinka... Their habitats (savannahs of southern Sudan) dry up so much during the dry season that the population is forced to move with herds far to the river banks in marshy areas. In the wet season, the tributaries of the Nile overflow into huge areas. In wetlands, it becomes possible to live only in villages on the hills. The change of seasons therefore also means a change of place of residence and occupation.

HKT nomadism (nomadism) has two subtypes - nomadic and semi-nomadic. Nomadism is a special mode of production based on extensive pastoralism, in which animal breeding is the main occupation of the mobile population and is the main means of livelihood. Another important feature of nomadism is that it is not only a special economic, but also a special social system. Nomads are special, independent social organisms. Their social relations are characteristic only of nomadism and are patriarchal nomad-communal. The social organization is made up of a tribal structure based on patriarchal and genealogical ties that cover the entire nomadic society.

Among the pastoralists - transnumans, the sedentary part of society, engaged in agriculture, together with the mobile shepherds, constitutes a single social organism, the character of which is determined primarily by the conditions of the sedentary agricultural way of life. The nomads do not have a fixed place of residence, it is not a part of society that wanders, but the whole people. There is little or no primitive hoe farming.

Comparative analysis of nomadism in Asia and Africa revealed significant differences in them. First of all, they are determined by the natural environment. Asia has vast steppe territories and deserts. In Africa, they are much smaller and scattered. Environmental conditions similar to those of Asia are found only in the Afar Desert, where the nomads of northern Somalia live. They roam in communities divided by animal species: men graze camels, sheep and goats - women, old people and children. Nomads live in nomadic dwellings consisting of a frame of branches covered with skins. In parking lots, aggal is installed by women. It is transported on a disassembled cargo camel. Young men and adult men who roam with herds of camels lead a harsh life: they sleep on the ground, they don't put up any tents, the food is only milk.

Semi-nomadic nomadism is much more widely represented in Africa. They roam more slowly, the paths are shorter, and the workbenches are more frequent than those of the nomadic nomads. In addition to economic differences, there are differences in social structure between nomadic and semi-nomadic nomadism. Among nomadic nomads, the basis of the tribal organization is a system of patriarchal and genealogical ties. The semi-nomadic nomads of Africa have two systems of ties at the heart of their social organization: patriarchal-genealogical (horizontal) and social-age (vertical). Each member of society has a dual affiliation: to a certain genealogical line of origin, which is traced from the ancestor-progenitor, and to a certain age class. Overlapping, these two systems of ties stratify society into social subdivisions that can be quickly mobilized when needed.

The system of age classes is an archaic social institution bearing the features of a primitive communal era. The nomadic nomads either passed its phase in their development, or long ago lost this institution. Nomadic nomadism, similar to nomadism in Asia, is defined as an Asian form of nomadism, semi-nomadic - as an African form.

These two features characterize East Africa most vividly. First, in the field of HKT, the most widespread distribution of mobile forms of cattle breeding here: transhumans shepherding and nomadism in Asian and African forms. Secondly, in the sphere of social organization, there is the widest existence of the archaic social institution of the system of age classes, which affects all spheres. social life, including the current political situation.

Peoples of South Africa.

South Africa includes the population of the states: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa.

A significant part of the autochthonous population of the region is made up of the peoples of the Benue-Congo linguistic subgroup, known as the Bantu peoples (Congo, Ganda, Zulu, Swazi, Tswana, etc.). racially, the population of South Africa is represented by the Negro, Khoisan, Caucasian, and mixed population groups. The climate and nature are diverse and include areas of rainforest, savannah, deserts, mountain strips on the coast of the coastal subtropics. The dominant position in the region has long belonged to South Africa, where half of the world's gold, a significant part of diamonds and uranium are mined. In terms of industrial development, South Africa is much higher than other African countries.

Historically, two main CCTs have developed in South Africa: tropical hoe farming and nomadic and pasture cattle breeding. Most of the Bushmen and Hottentots continue to lead nomadic pastoralism.

Hottentots formerly inhabited the entire southern tip of Africa and constituted a large group of tribes of nomadic pastoralists. They raised cattle, lived in temporary settlements; when the cattle around the camp ate up all the grass, the population migrated to new pastures. The Hottentots lived in large patriarchal families. Their social organization was tribal, led by an elected leader and a council of elders. The main occupation of the surviving Hottentot tribes is mobile pastoralism of the distant pasture type, which replaced their traditional HKT nomads.

Bushmen were hunters and gatherers. Stone-tipped small bows and arrows are their primary weapons dating back to the era Upper Paleolithic... With the advent of Europeans, the Bushmen began to make arrowheads from bottle glass, upholstering it in the same way as a stone, sometimes exchanging iron arrowheads from their neighbors, the Hottentots and Bantu. The only clothing the Bushmen wear is a loincloth. They had almost no utensils, they kept water in the shell of ostrich eggs, and made beads from it. The main occupation of men is hunting. The only domestic animal was a dog that accompanied the hunters. Bushmen are very hardy and skillful in hunting, they were sometimes able to pursue the victim for days. The women were gathering. The Bushmen had no houses or settlements. They lived in huts or hid in the bush for the night. They led constant wars with Hottentots and Bantu. In the end, they were pushed into the waterless sands of the Kalahari, where they now live in groups of 50-150 people, uniting relatives in the male line. The hunting cult was the basis of the spiritual beliefs of the Bushmen. In their picture of the world, the main places were occupied by the forces of nature - the sun, moon, stars.

In the rainforest zone, small groups of scattered low-growing population pygmies, they also live in Central Africa. They are distinguished by their short stature (on average 145 cm), relatively light skin of a yellowish or reddish hue, and narrow lips. This is a culturally backward population, speaking the languages ​​of their tall neighbors. Pygmies do not know how to process metal, do not engage in agriculture or cattle breeding, and are hunters and gatherers of the tropics. They exchange with neighbors, receiving agricultural products, iron products in exchange for hunting and gathering. Pygmies are semi-nomadic. The basis of the economic and public life- a group of 6-7 small families wandering together. It can disintegrate and arise in a different composition, depending on the provision of the territory with game. The main food of the pygmies is hunting and gathering products. The meat of the killed animal is immediately eaten by the entire hunting group. It is fried over a fire or baked in the ashes of the hearth. Smaller products: termites, grasshoppers, caterpillars - are wrapped in large leaves, such a bag is fastened with cuttings, it is laid near a smoldering fire and fried. Instead of salt, plant ash is used. The only drink known to pygmies is water. Inheritance and counting of kinship is in the male line, the settlements are virilocal. Pygmies know only collective property. Their customary law is environmentally friendly: the most serious offenses are considered to be unjustified killing of animals without the need for meat food, felling trees, and pollution of running water. The most severe punishment is exile, the prohibition to hunt with the group. At the heart of the beliefs of the pygmies is the cult of the hunt. The veneration of totemic progenitors - animals and plants - is also developed. The primitive nature of the culture of the pygmies sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. Attempts to endow the pygmies with land, to involve them in work for hire, as a rule, did not succeed. Most pygmies prefer to lead a traditional lifestyle. Nowadays, the situation of the pygmies is complicated by the fact that in almost all countries the territories of their habitat have fallen into National parks where hunting for large animals is prohibited. The pygmies in the Ituri river basin (Zaire) will remain the most isolated. In Cameroon and Congo, there are attempts to involve pygmies in modern life The origin and anthropological type of this group of the African population still remain a mystery to science.

Many scholars consider Africa to be the birthplace of man. Archaeologists, having carried out excavations in East Africa, in the second half of the XX century, discovered the remains of a "Homo habilis", which are about 2.7 million years old. In Ethiopia, even more ancient human remains were found, about 4 million years old.

In terms of population, as well as in area, Africa ranks third (after Eurasia) among the continents. The mainland's population consists of indigenous and newcomers, with a total population of about 600 million people. There are representatives of all major races here.

North Africa is inhabited by representatives of the southern branch of the Caucasian race (distinctive features are dark skin, narrow nose, dark eyes). These are indigenous peoples - Berbers and Arabs. To the south of the Sahara live negroids belonging to the equatorial race, which includes subraces and numerous groups of peoples. The most diverse is the Negroid population living south of the Sahara and on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Hundreds of tribes and peoples, differing in skin color, height, facial features, language, way of life, occupy these territories.

The Congo Basin, East and South Africa are inhabited by peoples who belong to the Bantu group. In the equatorial forests, pygmies live, which stand out among the Negroids by their small stature (up to 150 cm), more light color skin, thin lips. The deserts and semi-deserts of South Africa are inhabited by the Hottentots and Bushmen, with signs of both Mongoloids and Negroids.

Part of the mainland's population is of mixed origin, as it was formed from the mixing of two or more races, these are the inhabitants of the Nile Delta, the Ethiopian Highlands, the island of Madagascar. A significant part of the population is made up of alien peoples. Europeans live in almost all countries - former colonies: on the Mediterranean coast - the French, and in the south of the mainland - the Boers (descendants of the Dutch settlers), the British, the French, the Germans, etc. The population is distributed extremely unevenly across the mainland.

Political map. Many peoples in Africa have the oldest civilization: Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, Benin, Dahomey and others. European colonization of the slave trade adversely affected the development of the economy and culture of the peoples of Africa. By the beginning of the 20th century, almost the entire territory of the mainland was divided by the capitalist countries among themselves. Before World War II, there were only four independent states on the continent - Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia and South Africa. At the beginning of the 60s of the 20th century, an active liberation struggle of peoples for independence unfolded in Africa. In 1990, the last colony, Namibia, gained independence.

In total, there are 55 states on the continent. With the exception of South Africa, an economically developed country, the rest of the countries are developing countries. Countries of North Africa. The territory of North Africa includes the region of the Atlas Mountains, sandy and rocky expanses of the hot Sahara and the savannah of Sudan. Sudan is a natural area stretching from the Sahara Desert (in the north) to the Congo Basin (in the south), from the Atlantic (in the west) to the foothills of the Ethiopian Highlands (in the east). Geographers often consider this area as part of Central Africa. The countries of North Africa include Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and others. All countries have a convenient geographical position, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The population of these countries has developed long-standing economic and cultural connections with the countries of Europe and South-West Asia. The northern territories of many countries of North Africa are located in the subtropics, and most of them are in the tropical desert zone. The most densely populated are the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the northern slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the Nile Valley.

In the Sahara, life is concentrated mainly in oases, of which there are quite a few. Most of them were created by man in places of close occurrence of underground waters, on the outskirts of sandy deserts and along dry channels. The population of the countries is fairly homogeneous. In the past, this part of the continent was inhabited by the Berbers, in the 8th century AD. the Arabs came, there was a mixture of peoples. The Berbers converted to Islam and the writing of the Arabs. In the countries of North Africa (in comparison with other countries of the mainland) there are many cities and towns in which a significant part of the population lives. One of the largest cities in Africa - Cairo - the capital of Egypt.

The bowels of the countries of North Africa are rich mineral resources... In the Atlas Mountains, iron, manganese and polymetallic ores, phosphorites are mined, deposits of the latter are also found in Egypt. Near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in the Sahara, there are large reserves of oil and natural gas... Pipelines stretch from oil fields to port cities.

Countries of Sudan and Central Africa. Zaire is located in this part of the mainland. Angola, Sudan, Chad. Nigeria and many small countries. The landscapes are very diverse - from dry low-grass to wet high-grass savannas and equatorial forests. Part of the forests has been cleared, in their place, plantations of tropical crops have been created.

Countries of East Africa. The largest countries in terms of area are Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia. They are located within the highest and most mobile part of the continent, which is characterized by deep faults in the earth's crust, faults, volcanoes, and large lakes.

The Nile River originates on the East African Plateau. the nature of the countries of eastern Africa, despite the fact that almost the entire territory is located in one subequatorial zone, is extremely diverse: tropical deserts, various types of savannahs and humid equatorial forests. On the highlands, on the slopes high volcanoes the altitudinal zonality is clearly expressed.

Modern population East Africa is the result of a mixture of different races. Representatives of the Ethiopian minor race profess mainly Christianity. Another part of the population belongs to the Negroids - the Bantu peoples who speak the Swahili language. There is also a newcomer population - Europeans, Arabs and Indians.

Countries of southern Africa. On the territory of this narrowest, most southern part of the mainland, there are 10 countries, both large (South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, etc.) and very small in area (Lesotho, etc.). Nature is rich and varied - from deserts to tropical rainforests. The relief is dominated by high plains, raised along the edges. The climate changes from north to south and from east to west.

The largest deposits of diamonds, uranium ores, gold, and non-ferrous metal ores are located on the territory of South Africa, not only on the continent, but also in the world. The indigenous population is made up of the Bantu peoples, Bushmen and Hottentots; Malgash live in Madagascar. The first of the Europeans to settle in South Africa were the Dutch, and later the British appeared. From the mixed marriages of Europeans with Africans, a group of people was formed, which is called colored. The modern population of the countries of South Africa, in addition to the indigenous, consists of Europeans, mainly the descendants of the Dutch settlers (Boers) and the British, the colored population, as well as immigrants from Asia.

There are not so many places on our planet where you can see communities of people living in everyday conditions that have practically not changed over the centuries. One of these places is Africa, where people have survived who live by hunting, fishing and gathering. These tribal communities lead a largely secluded life, rarely coming into contact with the surrounding population.

Although recently the traditional way of life of many nationalities and tribes has undergone significant changes, and they are increasingly integrated into modern commodity-money relations, many continue to engage in subsistence farming. These communities are characterized by low productivity Agriculture... Their main economic task is self-sufficiency in basic foodstuffs in order to prevent prolonged hunger. The weakness of economic interaction and the complete absence of trade often become the cause of interethnic contradictions and even armed conflicts.

Other tribes reached more high level economic development, gradually assimilating with the larger state-forming peoples, and at the same time losing their distinctive features. The rejection of natural forms of management, and the increasing involvement in modern economic relations, contributes to an increase in cultural and technological development... Which is expressed in increased productivity, and a general rise in material well-being.

For example, the introduction of the plow among some agricultural peoples and tribes in West Africa, led to significant increases in yields and increased cash, which in turn led to the creation of favorable conditions for further modernization of agricultural work, and the beginning of mechanization.

List of largest African tribes and peoples

• Makonde
• Mbuti
• Mursi
• Kalenjin
• Oromo
• Pygmies
• Samburu
• Swazi
• Tuareg
• Hamer
• Himba
• Bushmen
• Gourmet
• Bambara
• Fulbe
• Wolof
• Malawi
• Dinka
• Bongo

More than 1 billion people live on the African continent, or 34 people per square kilometer. In fact, the population of Africa is unevenly distributed. Scorched by the heat, waterless deserts, where there is no rain for years, are almost deserted. In the impenetrable forests of Equatorial Africa, only a few tribes of hunters have cut paths. And in the lower reaches of large rivers, every piece of land is cultivated. Here, the population density increases dramatically.

Over three thousand people live in the Nile oasis per square kilometer. The northern and eastern coasts of the mainland, the shores of the Gulf of Guinea are also densely populated. V large cities concentrated international trade and modern industry, banks and research centers.

North Africa is inhabited by Arabs and Berbers, who belong to the southern branch of the Caucasian race. 12 centuries ago, the Arabs came to the Mediterranean coast. They mixed with the local population and passed on their language, culture, religion to it. Ancient buildings testify to high art Arab architects, about the taste and skill of the people. The ancient Arab cities have still retained their unique appearance. Narrow streets sheltered from the sun, merchants' shops at every corner, artisan workshops.

Sub-Saharan Africa stretches across the vast territory of Central Africa. Numerous black peoples live here: Sudanese peoples, pygmies, Bantu peoples, Nilots. They all belong to the equatorial race. Distinctive features of the race: dark skin color, curly hair - evolved for a long time under the influence of natural conditions. Among Negroids there are hundreds of different tribes and nationalities with unique facial features, head shape, and skin tone. Nilotic peoples, for example, are the most tall people on the mainland. The average height of a male Nilot is 182 cm, and the growth of a pygmy is 145 cm. In the forests of Equatorial Africa live the shortest people on earth, skilled trackers and hunters.

The appearance of African huts has remained unchanged for centuries. Most of the population of Central Africa lives in such villages. The source of food is agriculture. The main instrument of labor is the hoe. In the savannah and woodlands with rich grass cover, nomadic herders graze cattle. In addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, the inhabitants of the coast are engaged in fishing. And some peoples have completely linked their lives with the water element.

In the east of Africa, on the territory of Ethiopia and Somalia, there are peoples of a mixed race (the peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia, the Nilots, the Bantu peoples). The ancient ancestors of the Somalis and Ethiopians probably evolved from a mixture of Caucasians and Negroids. Thin facial features like those of Caucasians, dark hair color and curly hair like those of Negroids. Excavations in Ethiopia have shown that a man lived there 4 million years ago.

The indigenous population of South Africa is Bushmen, Hottentots, Boers. South Africa is the most developed part of the black continent due to the South African industry.

The island of Madakascar is located off the east coast of the mainland. Malgash, representatives of the Mongoloid race, live here. 2000 years ago, the Malgash sailed to Madagascar from Indonesia.

There are not so many places on our planet where you can see communities of people living in everyday conditions that have practically not changed over the centuries. One of these places is Africa, where people have survived who live by hunting, fishing and gathering. These tribal communities lead a largely secluded life, rarely coming into contact with the surrounding population.

Although recently the traditional way of life of many nationalities and tribes has undergone significant changes, and they are increasingly integrated into modern commodity-money relations, many continue to engage in subsistence farming.

These communities are characterized by low-productivity agriculture. Their main economic task is self-sufficiency in basic foodstuffs in order to prevent prolonged hunger. The weakness of economic interaction and the complete absence of trade often become the cause of interethnic contradictions and even armed conflicts.

Other tribes reached a higher level of economic development, gradually assimilating with the larger state-forming peoples, and at the same time losing their distinctive features.

The abandonment of natural forms of management, and the increasing involvement in modern economic relations, contributes to an increase in cultural and technological development. Which is expressed in increased productivity, and a general rise in material well-being.

For example, the introduction of the plow among some agricultural peoples and tribes in West Africa, led to significant increases in yields and increased cash, which in turn led to the creation of favorable conditions for further modernization of agricultural work, and the beginning of mechanization.

List of largest African tribes and peoples

• Maasai
• Makonde
• Mbuti
• Mursi
• Kalenjin
• Oromo
• Pygmies
• Samburu
• Swazi
• Tuareg
• Hamer
• Himba
• Bushmen
• Gourmet
• Bambara
• Fulbe
• Wolof
• Malawi
• Dinka
• Bongo

More than 1 billion

a person lives on the African continent or 34 people per square kilometer. In fact, the population of Africa is unevenly distributed. Scorched by the heat, waterless deserts, where there is no rain for years, are almost deserted.

What peoples inhabit Africa and how are they distributed on the mainland? (Only briefly pzhl)

In the impenetrable forests of Equatorial Africa, only a few tribes of hunters have cut paths. And in the lower reaches of large rivers, every piece of land is cultivated. Here, the population density increases dramatically.

Over three thousand people live in the Nile oasis per square kilometer.

The northern and eastern coasts of the mainland, the shores of the Gulf of Guinea are also densely populated. International trade and modern industry, banks and research centers are concentrated in large cities.

North Africa is inhabited by Arabs and Berbers, who belong to the southern branch of the Caucasian race.

12 centuries ago, the Arabs came to the Mediterranean coast. They mixed with the local population and passed on their language, culture, religion to it. Ancient buildings testify to the high art of Arab architects, to the taste and skill of the people.

The ancient Arab cities have still retained their unique appearance. Narrow streets sheltered from the sun, merchants' shops at every corner, artisan workshops.

Sub-Saharan Africa stretches across the vast territory of Central Africa.

Numerous black peoples live here: Sudanese peoples, pygmies, Bantu peoples, Nilots. They all belong to the equatorial race. Distinctive features of the race: dark skin color, curly hair - evolved for a long time under the influence of natural conditions. Among Negroids there are hundreds of different tribes and nationalities with unique facial features, head shape, and skin tone.

The Nilotic peoples, for example, are the tallest people on the mainland. The average height of a male Nilot is 182 cm, and the growth of a pygmy is 145 cm. In the forests of Equatorial Africa live the shortest people on earth, skilled trackers and hunters.

The appearance of African huts has remained unchanged for centuries. Most of the population of Central Africa lives in such villages. The source of food is agriculture. The main instrument of labor is the hoe.

In the savannah and woodlands with rich grass cover, nomadic herders graze cattle. In addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, the inhabitants of the coast are engaged in fishing.

And some peoples have completely linked their lives with the water element.

In the east of Africa, on the territory of Ethiopia and Somalia, there are peoples of a mixed race (the peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia, the Nilots, the Bantu peoples). The ancient ancestors of the Somalis and Ethiopians probably evolved from a mixture of Caucasians and Negroids.

Thin facial features like those of Caucasians, dark hair color and curly hair like those of Negroids. Excavations in Ethiopia showed that 4 million people lived there.

years ago.

The indigenous population of South Africa is Bushmen, Hottentots, Boers. South Africa is the most developed part of the black continent due to the South African industry.

The island of Madakascar is located off the east coast of the mainland.

Malgash, representatives of the Mongoloid race, live here. 2000 years ago, the Malgash sailed to Madagascar from Indonesia.

Many scholars believe that Africa represents the emergence of man. Archaeologists who excavated in East Africa in the second half of the 20th century have found the remains of a "smart man" that is about 2.7 million years old.

Older human remains have been found in Ethiopia for about 4 million years.

Africa by region, as well as by region, ranks third (after Eurasia) between continents.

The population of the continent is made up of national and foreign residents, with a population of about 600 million. Representatives of all major races are represented here.

Representatives of the southern branch of the Caucasian racial group (characterized by dark skin, narrow nose, dark eyes) live in North Africa. These are indigenous peoples - Berbers and Arabs. Sub-Saharan Africa is inhabited by black people belonging to the equatorial race, which includes the underground and numerous groups of nations.

The most diverse non-native population living in the south of the Sahara and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Hundreds of tribes and peoples differ in color, height, facial features, language, lifestyle, and occupy these territories.

The war zones, East and South Africa, are inhabited by people belonging to the Bantu group. In the equatorial forests there are pygmies that stand out among blacks, small stature (up to 150 cm), lighter skin color, thin lips.

The deserts and semi-deserts of South Africa are inhabited by the Hottentots and Bushmen, bearing the characteristics of the Mongoloids and Negaroids.

Part of the inhabitants of the continent is of mixed origin, since it was formed by mixing two or more races, the inhabitants of the Nile Delta, the Ethiopian Highlands, the island of Madagascar. An important part of the population is made up of newcomers. Former European colonies live in almost all countries: on the Mediterranean coast - on the French and southern continents - for Boers (descendants of Dutch settlers), British, French, Germans and others.

The continent's population is extremely uneven.

Political map. Many African countries are ancient civilizations. Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, Benin, Dahomey, etc. The European colonization of the slave trade negatively affected the development of the economy and culture of nations in Africa.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all of the continent was divided by capitalist states. Before World War II, there were only four independent states on the continent - Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia and South Africa. Early sixties XX. Centuries in Africa have developed an active liberation struggle of peoples for independence.

In 1990, the last colony of Namibia gained independence.

There are 55 countries on the continent. With the exception of South Africa, which is economically developed, the rest of the countries are developing. Countries of North Africa. The territory of North Africa includes the territory of the Atlas Mountains, sandy and rocky expanses of the hot Sahara and savannah in Sudan.

Sudan is a natural region stretching from the Sahara (north) in the Congo Basin (in the south), from the Atlantic (in the west) to the foothills of the Ethiopian Highlands (in the east). Geographers often look at this area as part of Central Africa.

North African countries include Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and others. All countries have a corresponding geographic location, reach Atlantic Ocean and flow into the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

The population of these countries has long-term economic and cultural ties with the countries of Europe and South-West Asia. The northern territories of many North African countries are located in subtropical regions, mainly in the tropical desert zone.

The most populous coastline of the Mediterranean, the northern slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the Nile Valley.

In the Sahara, life is concentrated mainly in oases, of which there are quite a few.

Most people created them in places close to groundwater, on the outskirts of sandy deserts and on dry canals. The populations of the countries are fairly homogeneous. In the past, this part of the continent was inhabited by Berber in the 8th century. Century.

People living in Africa

the Arabs came, there was a mixture of peoples. Hairdressers converted to Islam and the spelling of the Arabs. In the countries of North Africa (in comparison with other countries of the continent) there are many cities and towns in which a significant part of the population lives. One of the largest cities in Africa - Cairo - the capital of Egypt.

The underground countries of North Africa are rich in mineral resources.

In the Atlas Mountains there are minerals, manganese and polymetallic ores, phosphorites, and in Egypt there are traces. Near Mediterranean Sea and Sahara has large reserves of oil and natural gas. The pipelines are stretched from the fields to the ports of the city.

Countries of Sudan and Central Africa.

Zaire is located in this part of the continent. Angola, Sudan, Chad. Nigeria and many small countries. The lands are very diverse - from dry low grassy to wet high meadow savannas and equatorial forests. Part of the forest has been reduced and tropical plants have been built in their place.

Countries of East Africa. The largest countries the region are Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia. They are located in the highest and most mobile part of the continent, characterized by deep faults in the earth's crust, defects, volcanoes, and large lakes.

The Nile River begins on the East African plateau.

The nature of the countries of East Africa, despite the fact that almost the entire territory is located in the same subequatorial zone, is very diverse: tropical deserts, various types of saunas and humid equatorial forests. At a height, on the slopes of high volcanoes, the height is clearly expressed.

The modern population of East Africa is the result of a mixture of different races. Representatives of the Ethiopian small race are primarily in favor of Christianity. Another part of the population belongs to the Negroid people - Bantu, who speak Swahili.

Here and the previous population - Europeans, Arabs and Indians.

Countries of South Africa. There are ten countries in this narrow, southernmost part of the continent (South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, etc.), and many of them are very small (Lesotho, etc.). Nature is rich and varied - from deserts to tropical rainforests. The relief is dominated by high plains, raised along the edges. The climate varies from north to south and from east to west.

In South Africa the largest number diamonds, uranium ores, gold, non-ferrous metal ores not only on the continent, but also in the world.

The indigenous peoples are the Bantu, Bushmen and Hottentots, and Madagascar lives in Madagascar. The first Europeans to migrate to South Africa were the Dutch, and later they also appeared in English language... From the mixed marriages of Europeans with Africans, a group of people called people of color arose.

The modern population of South Africa, in addition to being autochthonous, is made up of Europeans, especially the descendants of the Dutch settlers (Boers) and the British, people of color, as well as Asians.

Peoples of africa

Peoples of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa

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A significant part of the African continent to the south is inhabited by numerous peoples of the Benue-Congo linguistic subgroup, some of which are united under the common name Bantu. The Bantu knew well hoe farming, and some peoples even agriculture with artificial irrigation.

The farmers are the Bantu tropical zone in the Congo Basin. The Bantu were engaged in smelting iron and copper, mined gold, possessed a high technique of laying stone buildings from blocks. They created a number of independent state entities: Bakongo, Baluba, Butanda, Monomotapa. The Bantu has two main economic and cultural types: agricultural and cattle breeding. For all of Africa, a slash-and-burn farming system with hoe tillage is characteristic.

On the slopes of the hills - terraced farming. Due to the lack of suitable land, the Bantu peasants extend the life of their field plots by alternating crops of different crops, applying fertilizers and using an irrigation system. Cattle breeding has its own characteristics: there are few domestic animals in the Congo Basin, and the lack of meat is covered by hunting and fishing products. With regard to the Eastern Tropical Africa(BTA), cattle breeding is more developed here. The main transport here is donkey and horses.

As for the South African pastoralism, it was and remains grazing. The mass death of cattle from the plague in the 19th century, the seizure of land by European colonialists, the expulsion of the Bantu to inconvenient reserves undermined their cattle-breeding economy.

The Bantu peoples are familiar with the metallurgy of iron and copper. The blacksmith's craft took artistic forms here, i.e. weapons differed in quality and finish. Bantu settlements are large and small villages surrounded by high hedges. The dwellings are based on a wicker frame, on the sides and on top there are reeds, palm leaves or straw.

Each village has a special house or shed for public gatherings of men. Among the peoples of South Africa, the main form of settlement is the kraal, in which a large patriarchal family lives. Near each house there is a building for cooking. Clothing: In hot conditions, a minimum of clothing is used: both men's and women's loincloths woven from grass or animal skins.

Weaving was unknown to most Bantu. Recently, imported textile fabrics and clothing of European cut have begun to spread. The head of the village was the eldest maternal uncle. He distributed the land and directed the religious rituals of the community. In the last century, most of the peoples of the CTA retained a patriarch.

The land is jointly owned by the village-community.

Each member is endowed with a field plot (which cannot be bought, sold or donated). The clan and tribal leaders, with the support of the colonial administration, became the operational elite. The tribal system of East Africa is in the process of decomposition. The main economic unit is the individual family. All government of the country is in the hands of the nobility, who from among their midst chooses a "king", first along the female line, and then they began to choose on the paternal side. The state of the Congo lasted until the end of the 19th century.

The penetration of capitalism into C, V and South Africa hastened the disintegration of tribal relations and contributed to the development of commodity-money relations.

The unification of the previously scattered tribes into large ethnic communities began.

Each family worshiped its male ancestor, and the tribe as a whole worshiped the ancestors of the leader.

The Bantu is characterized by vague ideas about the local god:

1. God was endowed with the features of his creator - man.

2. God is an "anthropomorphic" being who sends rain.

3. God for Bantu is simply the personification of the sky.

Peoples of Western Asia

Western Asia occupies vast areas of the Eurasian continent (peninsula Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Arabian Peninsula, Iranian Highlands, Levant).

There are a number of states here: the Republic of Turkey, the Islamic Republic, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and many others). Natural conditions - the dominance of arid landscapes with widespread deserts.

The major rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates.

The first evidence of the ethnic composition of the ZA appears at the turn of 4-3 thousand BC, when the Sumerians created the most ancient state in southern Mesopotamia and invented cuneiform writing.

A significant number of languages ​​are widespread in WA, which belong to different branches of 3 language families: Indo-European (Iranian branch: Farsi, Pashto, Tajik, Kurdish, etc.); Semitic-Hamitic (Arabic literary language with its own dialects and dialects) and Altai (Turkic languages ​​included in different branches: Turkish branch, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Turkmen, etc.).

According to anthropological characteristics, almost the entire population of ZA belongs to various racial types large Caucasian race.

The modern ethnic composition is complex and most of it is multinational. Establishing the ethnic composition of Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan is connected with difficulties. Official language and writing: Arabic (common in Arab countries), and, for example, in Israel - the Hebrew language, and the writing is based on the Hebrew alphabet.

The economy employs most of the ZA (with the exception of industry).

2 economic and cultural types: plow farming and nomadic cattle breeding (nomadism). The fields are irrigated in two ways: by gravity (arable land lies below the river level), water pumping (when the level is below the cultivated fields). "Kyariz irrigation" is a system of drainage galleries, through which subsoil waters are brought to the day surface (a chain of wells).

In desert and arid areas, small fields are irrigated from artificial reservoirs in which rain or melt snow water accumulates, as well as from wells. In some countries, especially Iran and Afghanistan, "rainfed" agriculture takes place in the mountains, in which the fields are not watered, relying on natural rainfall. The land is cultivated with a wooden plow with an iron opener, hoes, shovels, and only prosperous farms have modern mechanized agricultural implements.

Farmers breed domesticated animals as a draft force and for obtaining milk, meat, wool.

In most of the Arab countries, the main crops are: wheat, barley, date palms, in some areas industrial crops, rice, citrus and vegetable crops, in Yemen - coffee. A lot of cotton, grapes, tobacco, fruit trees are grown in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan.

Especially high-quality rice varieties are sown in Iran. There are opium poppy plantations.

Livestock raising is carried out by farmers in stall and distant forms.

In the deserts and mountains of ZA, there is a nomadic economic culture type: nomadic, semi-nomadic and semi-settled cattle breeding.

Crafts and home production were highly developed, there are craftsmen in the smelting and processing of metals (the famous Damascus weapon steel was invented). Carvers of stone, bone, and expensive sorts of wood have achieved great perfection. The world's finest carpets are weaved here.

Rural settlements significantly predominate over urban ones and their appearance differs depending on natural conditions and local traditions (for example, Turkey - settlements located on sea ​​coast, in Iran - in the foothills, in Afghanistan - in the mountain valleys).

Farmers' settlements are large, in mountainous areas they are small. In the center of a large settlement there is a market square, a mosque (church), a coffee shop and administrative buildings.

Curved streets branch out from the center, and water pipes are located mainly in the city center. The settlements of nomads and semi-nomads are temporary and seasonal.

Most durable in summer. The types of dwellings of the agricultural and pastoralist population are diverse. These are agricultural structures (plains and foothills) rectangular, square, in the form of a mud brick house with a flat roof.

The poor live in single-cell residential buildings, the wealthy in multi-cell. Interior: bedding-carpets on the floors, trestle beds, chests with property. Others (Turkey and Iran) have low-rise furniture, while the wealthy population has factory furniture.

Nomadic dwellings (for example, among the Turkmens) are wagons made of a collapsible wooden frame, covered with felt. All others have tents made of woolen fabric or tarpaulin stretched over poles.

Traditional utensils: for the farmer and herders - earthenware. Food is cooked in cauldrons. Food ration: wheat cakes, dishes from plant and dairy foods, wealthy people eat meat. Drinks: tea with mint, coffee. Traditional vehicles consist of horse, pack, wheeled and water transport.

The costume of most of the population is similar in type, and the variety is observed in headdresses. Men's suit consists of a wide (knee-length) shirt with sleeves, pants with a wide step, a cloak-robe.

In winter - a sheepskin coat. The traditional costume was preserved mainly by the nomads. Womens clothing- a long shirt-dress and tight long pants, caftans, raincoats, robes.

Family and family relations are based on the norms of religious and customary law (Muslims - polygamy, marriage-purchase, ortho-cousin marriages, among nomads - tribal endogamy and levirate).

The position of women is unequal. V public relations variegatedness is observed today, and feudal remnants (Turkey) remain in them.

Spiritual culture.

The nomadic peoples are especially developed oral creativity, and sedentary farmers have developed a folk musical culture. Musical instruments plucked, percussion, wind. V folk medicine natural remedies are used in conjunction with religious and magical beliefs.

Folklore genres: fairy tales, legends, satirical works. Popular street folk theater puppets and shadows and sports. There is illiteracy in villages and poor urban areas.

By religious affiliation, most of the population belongs to different denominations of Islam (a monotheistic religion that developed in Arabia on the basis of ancient beliefs).

The holy book is the Koran. Islam has currents: Sunni and Shi'ism. In ZA there are syncretic religions - this is the result of a mixture of Christianity, Islam and ancient pagan beliefs. Religion holds a very strong position in this region.

Peoples of South Asia

This region occupies the territory of the Indian subcontinent, the island of Sri Lanka, the Lykkodiv, Amindiv, Andaman and Nicobar islands.

States: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Republic of Maldives.

There are about 200 peoples in South Africa. The population speaks the languages ​​of the Indian, Iranian and Dardic branches of the Indo-European family, as well as the languages ​​of the Dravidian, Auto-Asian and Sino-Tibesian families.

In South Africa, intensive linguistic processes are taking place, which are expressed in the transition of small peoples to the languages ​​of their more numerous neighbors. Anthropologically, the population of the north of South Africa belongs to the southern Caucasians.

In 3-2 thousand BC. tribes that spoke the Dravidian and Munda languages ​​began to penetrate.

Anthropological Dravidians, Southern Caucasians were the creators of civilization in the Indus Valley. During the migrations, the Dravidians and Munda encountered the Veddoids and were assimilated. Groups and populations speaking Indo-European languages ​​came to South Africa from the north. In the northeast, anthropological-type Mongoloid groups were formed.

The production economy began to emerge early. Most of the BA peoples are farmers, using plow farming with livestock raising and handicraft production (economic culture type).

Rice and wheat (little), millet and legumes, cotton, sugar cane, coffee, tobacco, tea are grown in India. Livestock is sacred, therefore the number of unproductive animals is large, which in turn complicates the development of agriculture. Farming is carried out in an irrigated form. They use a plow, reap with sickles. Other economic and cultural types are gradually taking shape:

1. Nomadic and semi-nomadic cattle breeding (Pashtuns, Baluchis).

They were subordinate to the states on whose lands they lived, developed class relations began to emerge after settled and the transition to agriculture.

2. Hoe farmers: hoe farming using artificial irrigation and more archaic farming on parched forest areas.

3. Intermediate economic culture type: the complex economy of the backward forest peoples, which was based on primitive hoes and on hunting, gathering, and fishing.

A significant part of the population lives in rural areas.

The layout, types of their dwellings are different: street-type settlements, according to the tradition of castes (in different quarters), large settlements, nomadic settlements and villages on the hills. In peasant houses there are low trestle beds on which they sit and sleep, low stools, tables.

The clothes are colorful, sewn and unstitched. For men: dhoti (unstitched loincloth), pants, shirts, jackets, turban hats (no leather shoes), go barefoot or rag shoes.

Women - saris (a long piece of unstitched fabric), blouses, shawls, a lot of jewelry.

Utensils are mainly made of metal, earthenware, wooden dishes. Food - vegetable and dairy. Transport - a cart with a team of oxen, zebu, pack.

Family and social order differ according to the level of socio-economic development and belonging to a Hindu, Muslim or other religion.

The Hindu and Muslim families had large patriarchal families. Parents agreed on marriages (marriages only between members of the same caste). Maternal name and inheritance. Women had equal rights with men. In family and marriage relations of small peoples, there is a pairing family and family forms that are transitional to monogamy. lass relations arose thousands of years ago, but some peoples have vestiges. There is a caste system, i.e.

professional castes or castes by origin. There are 4 main castes (varnas):

1. Brahmanas (priests).

2. Kshatriyas (warriors).

3. Vaishya (farmers).

4. Shudra (servants).

Epic works "Mahabharata", "Ramayana" and others. They are read, chanted and recited. The representations of magicians (fakirs) are popular. Musical instruments - plucked, bowed, drums. The fine arts and architecture (the architectural complex of Agra, Taj Mahal) reached high development, woodcarving and miniatures were developed.

The people are famous for medicine - natural medicines, impact on the human psyche, yoga.

Who inhabits Africa

Various religious beliefs: the largest number of believers is Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Hinduism is rooted in the religions of the ancient Aryans - a polytheistic religion, the deities Vishna and Shiva, Lakshmi. There is also a cult of ancestors.

Buddhism originated in North India in the 6th and 5th centuries. BC. Buddhism recognizes everyone as equal. Jainism emerged around the 6th and 5th centuries. BC. Also does not recognize caste systems.

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