Evening star., 1941-12-28
Natures Part in Creating Vital REGIONS of the World New
XII
XII
Northwest Africa
Nearest Atlantic
New World Neighbor


informative articles and maps on
the fascinating geographic back
ground OF WoTld areas in the
ne,uS OF today. At the request OF
The Sunday Star the Ma
tional Geographic Society as
part of its many educational ac-
tiUitieS has prepared the basic
data and accompanying maps
from its rich resources OF geo.
graphic knowledge and surveys.
By clipping this series from Ueek
to lCeek ADULTS and school pupils
may acquire gazetteer for per-
manent reference and interpre-
tation OF ne,Cs dispatches.
(copyright, National Geographic Society
Dark continent" is getting out of
date as a description of Africa, for
most of its mysteries have been dis
closed Airplanes and autos have
helped in exploring the interior;
many of the natives are becoming
civilized; the ivory and rubber of
the jungle no longer are the fore
most products.
One of the regions of Africa show
ing amazing progress is the bulging
northwest hump, along which lie
important sea routes between Eu-
rope and South Africa, South Amer
lea and Australia.
Study a map of the Atlantic. You
will note that the western coast OF
the hump is closer to the New World
than is Europe. Natal. Brazil. is only
1870 miles across the South Atlantic
from Dakar, Africa's westernmost
port. That is scarcely a breakfast
to-dinner airplane flight!
Geographically. Northwest Africa
presents some strange contrasts.
Snowy mountains overlook the burn
ing desert. and productive grass
lands adjoin tangled tropical forests
where big game abounds.
In the northernmost region, op-
posite the coast of Spain, life resem-
bles the Near East more than Africa.
The Arabs and Berbers and many Of
the native Negroes Of Morocco are
Mohammedans the areas history
goes back to the founding OF Garth
age by the Phoenicians thousand
years before the birth of Christ.
The Atlas Mountains, which cross
Morocco and Northern Algeria,
reach a maximum height Of nearly
3 miles. Some of the peaks are COW
cred with snow during much OF the
year, but in the lowlands grow the
olives, citrus fruits and grapes which
are typical Of the Mediterranean re-
gion. A considerable amount of
wheat, barley and other grain also is
raised.
South and east of this productive
region stretches mile after mile OF
sand and barren rocks which form
the Sahara, the worlds greatest
desert. The Sahara is as large as
the United States, but what diff
ference there Is in the two lands!
Except for its infrequent oases
where a we'll or a pool of water en-
ables date palms and grass to grow,
the desert has no rivers. no vegeta-
ton. The sun is almost unbearably
hot. but at night the temperature
may go below freezing.
For centuries camel caravans were
the only desert transportation, but
in recent years automobiles and
buses have been used to penetrate
some portions. In the west, the
French are trying to construct a
trans-Sahara railroad.
Contrast this expanse of waste
with the grasslands. sometimes
called savannas, which extend across
the southern part of French West
Africa. The desert merges grad
ually into this open country. The
savannas are fine farm and pasture
land. even though the home of lions,
giraffes and many of the other ami
mails which have helped make Africa
a place of adventure. The native
tribes have reached higher state Of
civilization than their brothers Of
the jungle Living in well-kept huts
and wearing clothes of fiber or cot
ton. they have shown that they can
be good farmers.
What do they raise in this trop-
ical climate?
The most valuable commercial
product is peanuts! The light sandy
soil is especially good for the
groundnuts, as the natives and
Europeans call them. a/1 French
West Africa is one of the world S
largest producers. Few of these pea
nuts, however, are roasted for chill
dren to eat at circuses. Most of the
crop is pressed to obtain the oil,
which is widely used as a substitute
for olive oil.
Other important oil produced in
Northwest Africa comes from the