| Region | |
| Key Features | Persistence of indigenous African empires, kingdoms, and states • Limited European colonial incursions and exploitation • Diverse political landscape with independent nations, colonial holdings, and regional powers • Different trajectory of economic and social progress |
| Significance | The distinct history of Africa in this timeline, marked by the endurance of indigenous political structures, has led to a more diverse and self-determined political landscape on the continent, with implications for its economic and social development. |
| Historical Period | Modern era |
Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, known for its rich cultural diversity, abundance of natural resources, and complex political history. Unlike the timeline of our world, Africa in this alternate reality has avoided the extensive colonial subjugation that defined much of its past, allowing for a more varied and autonomous development of indigenous African societies.
Prior to the era of European exploration and expansion, Africa was home to a vibrant array of civilizations, kingdoms, and empires that rose and fell over millennia. Prominent examples include the Aksum Empire of the Horn of Africa, the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, the Benin Empire, the Ashanti Empire, and the Kingdom of Kongo - all of which maintained a high degree of political, economic, and cultural independence.
These African polities were engaged in extensive trade networks, both within the continent and with the Middle East, India, and China. They developed sophisticated systems of agriculture, metallurgy, architecture, and administration, while also boasting rich cultural traditions in areas like religion, the arts, and philosophy.
The advent of European exploration and colonization in the 15th century did lead to some incursions and exploitation of African territories. However, the extent of colonial control was far more limited and fragmented compared to our timeline.
The Portuguese, Dutch, British, French, and German empires established footholds in coastal regions, creating trading posts, outposts, and a few larger colonial holdings. But they struggled to penetrate the interior of the continent, where powerful African states often succeeded in repelling or limiting the advance of European forces.
Key events that illustrate this pattern include the Luso-Zanzibar War, the Anglo-Ashanti Wars, and the Abyssinian victory over the Italians in the First Italo-Abyssinian War. These conflicts demonstrated the resilience and military capabilities of indigenous African powers, which often leveraged their geographic, numerical, and technological advantages to resist colonial domination.
The 20th century saw a gradual, piecemeal process of decolonization across Africa, as various European powers relinquished control of their territories in response to nationalist movements and economic pressures. This was a less cataclysmic transition compared to the often-violent independence struggles of our timeline.
Newly independent African states emerged with a greater degree of political, economic, and cultural autonomy. While some continued to face internal conflicts, coups, and struggles for power, the overall trajectory was towards the consolidation of stable national identities and institutions, rather than the prolonged civil wars and authoritarian rule seen in parts of our world.
In the present day, Africa is a complex tapestry of independent nations, colonial holdovers, and regional powers vying for influence. The continent's countries exhibit a wide range of political systems, economic models, and cultural orientations - from democratic republics to monarchies to military regimes.
Major powers like the Empire of Ethiopia, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Union of South Africa, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria play outsized roles in shaping African geopolitics, often in competition with lingering European and American interests. The continent's abundant natural resources, growing economies, and youthful populations also make it an arena of increasing global strategic importance.
Despite the challenges of poverty, disease, climate change, and political instability that still plague parts of Africa, the continent's unique history of limited colonialism has allowed for a more diverse and self-determined development path. The legacies of precolonial African civilizations, combined with the more gradual process of decolonization, have left an indelible mark on the modern African landscape.
