Africa was called the ‘Dark Continent’ during the medieval period. Why?

Africa was called the ‘Dark Continent’ during the medieval period due to the following reasons:

• Africans lived a primitive and underdeveloped life. They were ignorant people. So the continent was known as ‘Dark Continent’.
• The world was unaware of the resources of African continent. There are a lot of natural resources in Africa.
• African land was full of surprises. Europeans and colonials migrated to Africa.
• The varied culture and traditions were explored by tourists and visitors to this land.Name a few navigators who threw light on their discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries.
• The three famous navigators in the 15th and 16th centuries were Columbus, Vasco-da- Gama and Magellan. They made a lot of contribution in the following fields:
1. Columbus: Columbus was a famous Italian navigator. He wanted to discover the route to India. Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492 AD during the course of his voyage to the west.
2. Vasco-da-Gama: Vasco-da-Gama was a famous Portuguese navigator. He arrived India in 1498 C.E through the Cape of Good Hope. Thus, he discovered a sea-route to India.
3. Magellan: Magellan was also a Portuguese navigator. In 1519 C.E., he discovered the Philippine Islands and South America.