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Show 'Front7 in Africa Would Bring War Close to America While America eyes events in the Pacific, someuhat forgotten is the tier-Itn-Kome end of the Axis. But, as the special release below points out, it is only 1 ,H70 miles from Africa's western lip to !utnl, Brazil. Perhaps here then is a "front" that requires study. Copyrighted Copy-righted by the National Geographic society, this article explains some of the less known features of this reason that may play an important role in world affairs should either the Axis or the Allies try to occupy or develop it in a military way for strategic reasons.) Nearer to the New world than any part of Europe is the bulging shoulder of northwest Africa, a thinly thin-ly settled region ranging from desert des-ert to tropical jungle. From Dakar, French colonial port on Africa's western tip, it is only 1,870 miles across the Atlantic ocean to Natal, Brazil. Busy sea lanes have paralleled this part of the African coast ever since the early Portuguese explorers explor-ers rounded the Cape of Good Hope to trade with India, China and the East Indies. Ships to and from South Africa, South America, and Australia often stop to refuel at the scattered northwest African ports or at near-by islands. Only in comparatively recent years, however, has the region been developing from an agricultural and economic standpoint. With the exception ex-ception of the Republic of Liberia, the territory is divided into British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies. Those nations have been doing much to increase the productiveness produc-tiveness of the land. There are several geographic reasons rea-sons for the delay in exploring and developing not only this section but the whole continent. Topography, climate, and the primitive character charac-ter of the Negro savages must be taken into account. Sahara Is Unexplored. In the north, the vast, desolate sand and rock expanse of the Sahara Sa-hara covers an area the size of the United States. Much of the desert never has been explored; its oases are few and far between. The dry heat of the Sahara is in contrast to the hot humidity of the jungles and forests farther south, but neither climate cli-mate is very suitable for white men. Hindering exploration and transportation, trans-portation, too, have been the falls and rapids of the African rivers. These unfortunately are found near the mouths of the streams, at points where the continent's vast plateau dips toward the coastal lowlands. Furthermore, the coastline is so regular that there are few good harbors. har-bors. Despite these natural disadvantages, disadvan-tages, some parts of northwest Africa Af-rica are becoming highly productive. produc-tive. In the north, the fertile lowlands low-lands of the Atlas mountains in Morocco Mo-rocco and Algeria yield not only the olives, grapes, and citrus fruits of the Mediterranean basin but wheat and other grains. Farther south, French West Africa Afri-ca is an important source of peanuts and palm oil. Peanuts, called "ground nuts" by the natives and Europeans, supply a valuable Vegetable Vege-table oil. They do not require irrigation. irri-gation. In the grasslands of French West Africa, many experts believe there can be developed one of the most important farming areas of the future. fu-ture. In portions where there is sufficient suf-ficient rainfall, experiments have indicated in-dicated that cotton can be grown. In the drier areas, sheep and cattle already are being raised in quantities. quanti-ties. If insects and livestock diseases dis-eases can be brought under control, con-trol, the herds may show marked improvement. The grasslands merge into heavy tropical forests along the southern portion of the northwest African hump. There, as in French West Africa, the natives are proving adaptable to farm work. In Liberia, Americans are supervising the development de-velopment of rubber plantations. In British colonies, production of cocoa co-coa has become a leading business. The cacao trees, from which cocoa is obtained, grow well in the hot, damp regions, where there is no wind to blow down their heavy pods. |
