AFRICA from 16th to 21st century

Africa is a continent that boasts a rich and diverse history, which is not surprising given that it is the second largest continent after Asia and presently has the largest number of countries. The northern coast of Africa, which touches the Mediterranean Sea, is characterized by mountainous terrain, while just south of this lies the Sahara, the largest non-polar desert on the planet. The Sahara has played a significant role in shaping the history of Africa, as it has acted as a division between the North and sub-Saharan Africa. The civilizations that formed around the Nile River Valley came to dominate the North, while the sub-Saharan region is characterized by a variety of terrain, including grasslands, which slowly develop as one heads south, and tropical rainforests. The Niger River, which flows through the sub-Saharan region, has been an important river valley in African history, and the Congo Basin, which is home to the rainforests of the Congo Basin and the mighty Congo River, is also of great significance. In East Africa, which touches the Indian Ocean, the terrain is more mountainous, with plateaus and large lakes. It is believed that the Cradle of humankind is located in this region, in modern-day Kenya. In the south of Africa, there are dry deserts like in Namibia, but also hills and plateaus, which are home to some of the most valuable mineral resources in the world. While it is not certain where agriculture first began in Africa, it is believed to have been about 7,000 years ago in the Sahel, the area between the Sahara and the Savannah. While cultivation was easy in this region, the suboptimal soil and scarce rainfall made more intensive farming impossible, so populations remained relatively stable. This was not a problem, as they relied mainly on hunting and gathering. It was only after the Sahara became drier, turning into a desert, that some populations migrated south, deeper into the grasslands, spreading their farming techniques and leading to more diverse crops, such as tropical fruits, which are only able to grow in wetter climates. Other populations also migrated, leading to the diverse history of Africa that we see today.

The woman, known to history as Hatshepsut, who wore a shop suit, was born in ancient Egypt around 1507 BC. Her father was Thutmose I, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty who primarily ruled from Thebes, now located in the modern city of Luxor on the River Nile, 500 miles south of the Mediterranean Sea. Thutmose I was a renowned military leader who oversaw the vast expansion of the ancient Egyptian empire eastwards into the Levant and southwards into Nubia, now Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt. He was likely the son of the previous Pharaoh, Amenhotep I, and a secondary wife, but the Egyptians did not create family trees, making it difficult to identify blood relations. Hatshepsut's mother was Ahmose, the principal wife of Thutmose I, but it is unknown who Ahmose's parents were, although it is highly likely that she was born into the royal family. Egyptologists have argued that she was the daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep I, making her the sister and wife of Thutmose I, something that was common within the royal family. However, she was never given the title of King's Daughter; instead, she was referred to as the King's sister, suggesting she was the sister of either Amenhotep, Orthod, or Ahmose. Hatshepsut's husband, Thutmose I, had two daughters, the eldest of whom was Hatshepsut, and no surviving sons, which would become a problem for the dynasty. Hatshepsut was only the second historically confirmed woman to rule Egypt with the full titles and power of a pharaoh. She belonged to the 18th Dynasty, which ran from 1507 BC to 1458 BC, and she ruled for over two decades, from 1478 BC to 1458 BC. Hatshepsut lived over 3500 years ago, and to put into perspective how long the period of ancient Egyptian history is, Hatshepsut lived over one thousand years after the building of the Pyramids of Giza and 100 years before Tutankhamun, 200 years before Ramesses, and 1400 years before the most famous female pharaoh, Cleopatra. Little is known about Hatshepsut's childhood, but her name, which means "foremost of noble ladies," highlighted her status.