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African history

The pre-history of Africa begins with the first emergence of Homo sapiens in East Africa, continuing into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states. Agriculture began about 10,000 BCE and metallurgy in about 4000 BCE. Early civilization arose in Egypt and later in the Maghreb and the Horn of Africa. Islam spread through the Maghreb and the Sahel, with a major centre of Moslem culture at Timbuktu. States and polities subsequently formed throughout the continent.