Africa

2nd most-populous continent (15% of world)
6% of Earth’s total surface area
20.4% of total land area
55 countries

Origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes)= Central Eastern Africa

Evidence–
7 million years ago– discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis,
Australopithecus africanus,
A. afarensis,
Homo erectus,
H. habilis
H. ergaster
Earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 200,000 years ago

https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/interesting-facts-about-africa/

https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/important-geographical-facts-about-africa-1522750410-1

Mediterranean sea in the North= METAL= Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,Libya and Egypt

Red Sea in the northeast= SEED =Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti = Horn of Afria

Indian Ocean in the east = Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa

Atlantic Ocean in the west= Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana. Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, equatorial guinea, Congo, Zaire, Angola, Namibia, South Africa

Mozambique Channe = Mozambique (west) and Madagascar (east)

Ever Given

A container ship called the ‘Ever Given’ was stuck in Suez Canal from 23 March – March 29, 2021.

The maritime traffic jam holding up at least $9.5 billion daily and the canal generates a major share of the revenue for the Egyptian government. Forcing a growing backlog of vessels carrying oil, consumer goods and livestock.

India affected

Suez Canal route is used for Indian exports/imports worth USD 200 billion to/from North America, South America and Europe.
It includes petroleum goods, organic chemicals, iron and steel, automobile, machinery, textiles and carpets, handicrafts including furniture, leather goods, etc.
Main hit– could be seen on the import and export of ethane with the US, and the imports of crude from Latin America, the uptake of which was recently increased.

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway running north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
The canal separates the African continent from Asia.
Completed the buid- 1869
Egyptian president= Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal – 1956
Canal was closed five times; the last time was the most serious one since it lasted for 8 years. The Canal was then reopened for navigation in June 1975

Morroco

Europe (Spain) in Africa (Morocco)..

Melilla
Cueta

Casablanca-•Country’s largest and most important city and port
•Known as chemical industrial centre

Marrakesh-•Religious capital of Morocco is the chief town in the south
•Known as the ‘red city’ because of its red clay building
•An important trading centre for the Atlas and Sahara regions.