Europe

[doodab]

But one thing is clear, the more we meddle in Africa the more people starve. Thanks Bob.

He sure causes a lot of trouble...

[Troll]

How will that help you when you don't have a river to dam?

Look at the dawn of Civilisation, it mostly occurred around rivers. The industrial heartland of Europe and many of the main cities are on rivers. This is because, as well as irrigation and drinking water they provide an easy way to move goods and people around and to the coast, and because a river crossing provides a pinch point for travellers to congregate. It's a very strong link, I'd argue that it's almost impossible for a civilisation to have flourished without a river. Nearly all capital cities are either on a river or coastal.

Now, large swathes of Africa either don't have enough rainfall or it's too seasonal for rivers to run all year round, so there are no proper rivers and no civilisations developed on their banks. Where you do have a river (the Nile) you have one of the great civilisations.

There is some serious academic research backing this up, I read about it in a science magazine years ago. I'll try and find a link.

Can you name a sub-Saharan country that has no rivers?

[escapeUK]

Can you name a sub-Saharan country that has no rivers?

Denial is a big problem in Africa.

[DodgyAgent]

The primary cause of poverty in Africa is a lack of access to water. By which I mean rivers and coastline, not wells. Most of it is landlocked or unnavigable. This slows societal evolution, the growth of the local economy and the growth of trade and the transfer of ideas that accompanies it.

How does Australia survive?

[DodgyAgent]

Denial is a big problem in Africa.

Africa has one of the biggest rivers in the world it is called

"De Nile"

[escapeUK]

Africa has one of the biggest rivers in the world it is called

"De Nile"

I made that joke, but thanks for spelling it out for the less intelligent posters.

[doodab]

How does Australia survive?

Civilisation didn't evolve there, it was exported and clings on round the coast.

[doodab]

Can you name a sub-Saharan country that has no rivers?

The mainrivers congo, niger, zambezi have massive waterfalls that make navigation difficult.

As an aside, i'm pretty sure the bloke in the cubicle next to me is having a wank. Rather disturbing...

[Troll]

The mainrivers congo, niger, zambezi have massive waterfalls that make navigation difficult.

As an aside, i'm pretty sure the bloke in the cubicle next to me is having a wank. Rather disturbing...

You're posting while having a dump

[KaiserWilly]

What are in your opinion the chief causes of poverty in Africa?

They are both cultural (African societies have a very low level of trust) and biological (Africans are in average dumber than Caucasians and Asians).