Question

Which is called the Dark Continent?
A. Africa
B. Australia
C. Greenland
D. South America

Answer 1

Hint:The term Dark in the Dark Continent is used to mean mysterious. The Dark Continent was named so because it was unexplored by the Europeans and because of the savagery that was expected to be found on the continent.

Complete answer:The term Dark Continent was used to refer to Africa by a British explorer Henry M. Stanley in his book. He used the term in order to build a mysterious allure about his book in order to sell more books. However, the term entered the European culture as a way to refer to Africa as an untamed, wild, and savage land. This way by dehumanizing the continent, the colonial rulers justified their brutal actions over the people of the continent. Thus, the term changed its meaning to rather referring to the African people as wicked or unenlightened. This phrase is also used in a racist context and has just stuck around into common use.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

Note:Africa is the second-largest and the second-most populous continent in the world, after Asia. With an area of about $30.3$ million sq. km ($11.7$ million square miles) including the adjacent islands, it covers $6\mathrm{\%}$ of the Earth's total surface area and $20\mathrm{\%}$ of the land area of the Earth. With a population of $1.3$ billion people, it contains a total of $16\mathrm{\%}$ of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest population of all the continents. The median age in Africa in 2012 was around 19.7, whereas the worldwide median age was $30.4$. Despite having a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita all over the globe.