. Physical and commercial geography; a study of certain controlling conditions of commerce. ngshore is lashed by a surf whichrenders it necessary for shipsto anchor in the open oceantwo miles from land and de-pend upon the native lightersto deliver cargoes. In additionto these drawbacks to com-munication must be reckonedseveral others. Most of theimportant rivers have cata-racts or falls not far from theirmouths, owing to the factthat they must needs descendabruptly from the great pla-teau which forms the interior of the continent. These, or otherobstacles, effectively impede penetration and o
. Physical and commercial geography; a study of certain controlling conditions of commerce. ngshore is lashed by a surf whichrenders it necessary for shipsto anchor in the open oceantwo miles from land and de-pend upon the native lightersto deliver cargoes. In additionto these drawbacks to com-munication must be reckonedseveral others. Most of theimportant rivers have cata-racts or falls not far from theirmouths, owing to the factthat they must needs descendabruptly from the great pla-teau which forms the interior of the continent. These, or otherobstacles, effectively impede penetration and opening up of the in-terior. For instance, the Congo River is navigable only to Matadi(about 150 miles); then occur 200 miles of cataracts; the fact thatabove the falls there stretch over 1000 miles of splendid water way hadnaturally no advantageous bearing upon the opening of the interioruntil a railroad (the great conqueror of geographical barriers) couldbe built around the obstruction. Again, land communication in theheart of Africa is extremely arduous. The jungle or the tall grasses. Southern Limit of oW EgyptianCulture Southern Limit of the use of the plow Southern Limit of the Extensionof Mohammedanism Natural Limits of Penetrationby Rive r Fig. 20. Isolation of Africa. (After Ratzel) ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES 177 are so luxuriant that the natives have never developed roads; theirpaths, worn by the bare feet of generations, are only two or three feetwide, and are not infrequently mere tunnels through the tropical un-dergrowth. Taking all these things into consideration, — and thereare many other minor details, ^ — it is no wonder that Africa, thoughknown long before the Americas and Australia, has remained the Dark Continent through the ages. What penetration there wascame from the direction of Egypt and Arabia; the lines indicatingthe limits of Egyptian influence, the southern limit of the plow, andof Mohammedanism (fig. 20) clearly indicate the waves of foreigninflue
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