Why Africa Is Poor

According to a 2013 report from the World Bank, the world’s sixteen poorest countries, as measured by per capital GDP, are all located in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Africa has large territory, so why is it so poor? If this question was asked before I took this course, I will have no clue at all. I know nothing about Africa, except that it is hot. However at this point, I can give a brief answer to this question. Land, colonization, education, disease, and nature resource are the primary causes which make Africa so poor. Africa not only has large land area, but it also has the largest desert, Saharan. As I mention in the introduction, the sixteenth poorest countries surround Sahara desert. It is hot, and the soil is not plentiful. As we know that if a land is not plentiful, then, there will not be many natural resources that they can use to make money. Furthermore, they also have to import many materials to make a living. This would be the internal effect, but there are also external effects of land. During 19th century, European came to Africa and colonized a lot of land. These land was under the control of …show more content…
If we assume colonial rule ends at 1990s, Africa as a continent have 20 years to improve their economy. If something was done to improve their economy, I believe that the Africa today will be different. According to the news, huge numbers of death in Africa is due to diseases. The role for international community to play should be a doctor. Africans need treatment for the different diseases. International community should also lend some money to them. These money are not only for food or medicine. They should also give them the knowledge and technology. The international community can also provide them better condition of education. After Africans get better education, they can go back to Africa and use what they learnt to help more people and build up their