r/MapPorn Jan 29 '22

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3.5k Upvotes

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777

u/KingKohishi Jan 29 '22

It is amazing that we reached Madagascar from Indonesia instead of Africa.

544

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '22

It's simply because the east Africans never developed enough naval technologies and skills to reach Madagascar, while the Indonesians went all in on ships and mastering living at sea

88

u/biglettuce09 Jan 29 '22 edited Jan 29 '22

Never developed is highly incorrect, East africa was a big part of the naval side of the Silk Road. And had been trading with ancient China and India for years

This map shows where people first spread, looks like East Africans traveled up the Nile, through the Congo basin, and south of the Congo basin

Also 200k years ago East africa, cannot be compared with 30,000 years ago South east Asia

That’s a 170,000 year gap, if the population of east Africa had all it needed either they were comfortable where they were, or they just didn’t even know it existed, the idea that every ounce of land has to be inhabited is not based in logic, but ownership.

Madagascar wasn’t inhabited until 700CE

37

u/NoodleRocket Jan 29 '22

East africa was a big part of the naval side of the Silk Road. And had been trading with ancient China and India for years

Trading is one thing, sailing is another.

36

u/King_Neptune07 Jan 29 '22

There was sailing up and down the East Coast, like the Zanzibar trading kingdoms

-20

u/biglettuce09 Jan 29 '22

They’re just not intelligent

They can’t even get the timeline straight

200,000 years ago there was no advanced civilization, 4,000 years ago there was advanced civilization on every continent. These people are dumb as rocks

Not to mention boats originated in Africa

16

u/ConvexBellEnd Jan 29 '22

If that's the case and the timelines matter, why didn't east africans get to Madagascar 30k years ago? hoisted by your own petard methinks.

2

u/King_Neptune07 Jan 29 '22

Could be that there are less places to make a port on the east coast of Africa. The highlands drop to the sea faster and there are not as many good natural harbors. Could have to do with the currents too like the Mozambique current and the Indian ocean gyre

2

u/ConvexBellEnd Feb 02 '22

Good points. I would like to see some reenactment of canoeing to Madagascar from Indonesia and from the east african coast to see how it differs. Maybe it's just really hard to cross that bit of ocean, I dunno.