Geographical Background of Asia

Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It covers 8.8% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of
its land area), and has the largest coastline, at 62,800 kilometres (39,022 mi). Asia is generally
defined as comprising the eastern four-fifths of Eurasia. It is located to the east of the Suez
Canal and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains (or the KumaManych
Depression) and the Caspian and Black Seas It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on
the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Asia is subdivided into 48
countries, two of them (Russia and Turkey) having part of their land in Europe.
Asia has extremely diverse climates and geographic features. Climates range from arctic and
subarctic in Siberia to tropical in southern India and Southeast Asia. It is moist across southeast
sections, and dry across much of the interior. Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on
Earth occur in western sections of Asia. The monsoon circulation dominates across southern
and eastern sections, due to the presence of the Himalayas forcing the formation of a thermal
low which draws in moisture during the summer. Southwestern sections of the continent are
hot. Siberia is one of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere, and can act as a source of
arctic air masses for North America. The most active place on Earth for tropical cyclone activity
lies northeast of the Philippines and south of Japan. The Gobi Desert is in Mongolia and
the Arabian Desertstretches across much of the Middle East. The Yangtze River in China is the
longest river in the continent. The Himalayas between Nepal and China is the tallest mountain
range in the world. Tropical rainforests stretch across much of southern Asia and coniferous
and deciduous forests lie farther north.

Cultural Backgroud of Asia
The culture of Asia is human civilization in Asia. It features different kinds of cultural heritage of
many nationalities, societies, and ethnic groups in the region, traditionally called a continent
from a Western-centric perspective, of Asia. The region or "continent" is more commonly
divided into more natural geographic and cultural subregions, including Central Asia, East Asia,
North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia. Geographically, Asia is not a distinct
continent; culturally, there has been little unity or common history for many of the cultures and
peoples of Asia. Asian art, music, and cuisine, as well as literature, are important parts of Asian
culture. Eastern philosophy and religion also plays a major role, with Hinduism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam all playing major roles. One of the most complex
parts of Asian culture is the relationship between traditional cultures and the Western world.


Geographical Background of Africa
Africa is a continent comprising 62 political territories, representing the largest of the great
southward projections from the main mass of Earth's surface. Within its regular outline, it
comprises an area of 30,368,609 km
2
(11,725,385 sq mi), including adjacent islands.
Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea and from much of Asia by the Red Sea, Africa
is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez (which is transected by
the Suez Canal), 130 km (81 mi) wide. For geopolitical purposes, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt
east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa. From the most northerly point, Ras
ben Sakka in Tunisia, in 3721 N, to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa,
345115 S, is a distance approximately of 8,000 km (5,000 mi); from Cap-Vert, 173113W,
the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 512752 E, the most easterly projection, is a
distance (also approximately) of 7,400 km (4,600 mi). The length of coastline is 26,000 km
(16,000 mi) and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is shown by the fact that Europe,
which covers only 10,400,000 km
2
(4,000,000 sq mi), has a coastline of 32,000 km (20,000 mi).
The main structural lines of the continent show both the east-to-west direction characteristic,
at least in the eastern hemisphere, of the more northern parts of the world, and the north-to-
south direction seen in the southern peninsulas. Africa is thus mainly composed of two
segments at right angles, the northern running from east to west, and the southern from north
to south.

Cultural Background of Africa
The culture of Africa is varied and manifold. It is a product of the diverse populations that today
inhabit the continent of Africa and the African Diaspora. Like much of the world, it has been
impacted upon by both internal and external forces.
Like all human cultures, African folklore and religion represents a variety of social facets of the
various cultures in Africa.
[8]
Like almost all civilizations and cultures, flood myths have been
circulating in different parts of Africa. Culture and religion share space and are deeply
intertwined in African cultures. In Ethiopia, Christianity and Islam form the core aspects of
Ethiopian culture and inform dietary customs as well as rituals and rites.
[1][9]
According to
a Pygmy myth, Chameleon, hearing a strange noise in a tree, cut open its trunk and water came
out in a great flood that spread all over the land.
Folktales also play an important role in many African cultures. Stories reflect a group cultural
identity and preserving the stories of Africa will help preserve an entire culture. Storytelling
affirms pride and identity in a culture. In Africa, stories are created by and for the ethnic group
telling them. Different ethnic groups in Africa have different rituals or ceremonies for
storytelling, which creates a sense of belonging to a cultural group. To outsiders hearing an
ethnic group's stories, it provides an insight into the community's beliefs, views, and customs.
For people within the community, it allows them to encompass their group's uniqueness. They
show the human desires and fears of a group, such as love, marriage, and death. Folktales are
also seen as a tool for education and entertainment. They provide a way for children to
understand the material and social environment. Every story has a moral to teach people, such
as good will prevail over evil. For entertainment, stories are set in fantastic, non-human worlds.
Often, the main character of the story would be a talking animal or something unnatural would
happen to human character. Even though folktales are for entertainment, they bring a sense of
belonging and pride to communities in Africa.
[10]

There are different types of African stories: animal tales and day-to-day tales. Animal tales
more oriented towards entertainment, but still have morals and lessons to them. Animal tales
are normally divided into trickster tales and ogre tales. In the animal tales, a certain animal
would always have the same personality or role in each story so the audience does not have to
worry about characterization. The Hare was always the trickster, clever and cunning, while the
Hyena was always being tricked by the Hare. Ogres are always cruel, greedy monsters. The
messengers in all the stories were the Birds. Day-to-Day tales are the most serious tales, never
including humor that explained the everyday life and struggles of an African community. These
tales take on matters such as famine, escape from death, courtship, and family matters, using a
song form when the climax of the story was being told.
African stories all have a certain structure to them. Villagers would gather around a common
meeting place at the end of the day to listen and tell their stories. Storytellers had certain
commands to start and end the stories, "Ugai Itha" to get the audience's attention and begin
the story, and "Rukirika" to signal the end of a tale. Each scene of a story is depicted with two
characters at a time, so the audience does not get overwhelmed. In each story, victims are able
to overcome their predators and take justice out on the culprit. Certain tools were used in
African folktales. For example, idiophones, such as drums, were used to make the sounds of
different animals. Repetition and call-back techniques in the form of prose or poem were also
used to get the audience involved in the stories








African Child by Eku Mcgreed

I am an African child
Born with a skin the colour of chocolate
Bright, brilliant and articulate
Strong and bold; I'm gifted
Talented enough to be the best
I am an African child

Often the target of pity
My future is not confined to charity
Give me the gift of a lifetime;
Give me a dream, a door of opportunity;
I will thrive
I am an African child

Do not hide my fault
show me my wrong
I am like any other;
Teach me to dream
And I will become
I am an African child

I am the son, daughter of the soil
Rich in texture and content
Full of potential for a better tomorrow
Teach me discipline, teach me character, teach me hard work
Teach me to think like the star within me
I am an African child

I can be extra-ordinary
call me William Kamkwamba the Inventor;
Give me a library with books
Give me a scrap yard and discarded electronics
Give me a broken bicycle;
Plus the freedom to be me
And I will build you a wind mill
I am an African child

We are the new generation
Not afraid to be us
Uniquely gifted, black and talented
Shining like the stars we are
We are the children of Africa
Making the best of us
Yes! I am an African child