An Imagined Map of Africa in 1844 Without Colonization

[Ssendam]

the reason for a north-south orientation in cartography is the use of a magnetic compass for course plotting on a map. Everything else is arbitrary. Since the navigation today works with GPS satellites, you can turn the map whichever way you like. Coordinate projections with N-S orientation make sense for the exact same reason. they are an approximation anyway, and otherwise arbitrary as well

But ... if there was a Southern Hemisphere dominance over these matters would not the Poles be reversed, or rather what we now call the South Pole would just have been North?

[former user]

for cartography it is irrelevant which one is up, the note was only about the magnetic field. You could also call them Adam and Eve too

[Brummie]

My understanding of 'decline' in large parts of Africa was not down to warfare, but actually sudden environmental disasters which led to, or were accompanied by, diseases and crop pests.

The Gikuyu were often being raided by the Masai, but their decline came about after both their crops and their cattle were wiped out by various pests and diseases, and this was made worse by drought. From what I understand, an entire region (Kiambu) was effectively emptied, and anywhere between 25-50% of the indigenous population died off.

Unfortunately not too long after this cataclysmic event, Europeans showed up and thought the areas devoid of people hadn't been claimed (of course not like it would have mattered otherwise) and started to set up shop.

I've read of a few instances where tribes were discovered to have had an advanced political system, but they, similar to the Gikuyu, had suffered similar problems, with Europeans arriving to finish the job.

Interestingly on the subject of the Islamic conquests of large chunks of Africa, and the Arab Slave Trade, its estimated that just as many Africans were enslaved and shipped East, as had been enslaved by Europeans and shipped West. However its not difficult to see why the European Slave Trade generates far more interest.

[Brummie]

Brummie your last paragraph actually dovetails nicely with the inverse map topic.

A view becomes the conventional one and accepted as common wisdom despite there being no empirical reason or evidence (or in fact contrary evidence). Challenges to this view may then be deemed heretical and dismissed. However we may be straying from the OP and I will pontificate no more.

Agreed Mr Bezzo. It should all get its fair share of interest and study.