Some people know the continent of Africa to be a land of ancient civilization, as the second largest continent globally, and a place with greed and undemocratic leaders. Nevertheless, do you know why the continent was called Africa? Apart from the fact that this continent has rich cultures and traditions, many theories explain how it got its name. Read on…
The Romans are believed to popularize the Africa name in Europe. It was during their encounter in the continent, which ended 146 BC during the destruction of the current day Tunisia in the Romans three Punic wars. They used the word “ Afri terra’’ to refer to a tribe that resided on the upper part of Africa. Latter they added the Suffix “ica’’ which refers to land in Romans to the root word Afri leading to the name Africa. The Romans as well used the Greek word aprica in referring to this sunny continent. The misinterpretation of the latter words by Africa was the origin of the name Africa, which was popularized by the Romans encounter in Europe.
The name Africa is also said to have emancipated from the Egyptians name “ Afru-I –eka ’’, which refers to a birthplace, motherland, or womb. The Egyptians, who were the pioneers of ancient civilizations, picked up the latter word in writing as Africa.
Just as plenty of names draws their origin from the Greek language, so does Africa. And according to Greek historian (Leo Africanus) the name “Africa’’ was derived from two similar Greek names “ aprike’’ & “aphrike’. The word Phrike means horror and cold.
African origin is also traced to the Arabic name “ Ifriqiya’’ which means a place of hot sun. The name re-renders the Latin version, and the area called “I friqiya’’ is current day Tunisia, Libya, and some Algeria parts, which are close neighbors.
Lastly, it’s believed that the continent of Africa was named after the famous Yemenite Chieftain referred to as Africus. He invaded North Africa, in the second millennium. The person founded settlements and named it Africa. Many people believe that Africus was amazed by the sunny weather in the continent, and this relates to the word aphrike, which is a Greek word meaning free from cold and horror.
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