ICSE Class 6 Answered

Africa remained unexplored for a long period of time because of the following reasons:

1. The largest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert, acted as a natural barrier for the European explorers.
2. Africa had only few good natural harbours making it difficult for the Europeans to sail into the country.
3. Most of Africa is made up of plateaus which rise steeply from the coasts. This made it difficult for the foreigners to reach the interior parts of the continent.
4. African rivers form high waterfalls as they approach the sea. As a result, they could not be used for travelling into the continent.
5. Further, the hot and humid climate and the dense forests made the climate of Africa inhospitable.