Long ago Africa attracted the attention of people from Europe and Asia.

Ancient Greeks The first were ancient Greeks who tried to explore the continent and settled on the northern coasts of it.

Ancient Egyptians Ancient Egyptians also explored Africa and reached Somaliland, but they couldn’t enter the central part of the continent because of the deserts.

Vasco da Gama ( ) In 1498 Vasco da Gama ( ) and his sailors reached the southern coasts of Africa. Since the 16-th century the Europeans began to take away slaves from Africa.

David Livingstone ( ) In the middle of the 19- th century the English traveler David Livingstone ( ) explored the Zambezi River. He discovered the great waterfall called Victoria. He described his trips to the Congo River, Lake Nyasa and others. He wanted to find the souse of the Nile but he died of an unknown tropical disease.

Henry Stanley (1842 – 1904) Almost at the end of the 19-th century an American journalist Henry Stanley (1842 – 1904) came to Africa. He swam along the river Congo three years and watched the flow of it. Then he explored Lake Victoria and found the beginning of the Nile. He also explored Lake Tanganyika and some cavities on the River Congo.

Vasily Younker ( ) One of the Russian explorers of Africa was Vasily Younker ( ). He travelled to the central and eastern parts of the continent in the second half of the 19- th century. He explored the Nile and the Congo and found a lot of interesting facts about the nature and the life of people in these parts of the continent.

Name of the explorer Life years CountryContribution to the exploration of the continent Ancient Greeks Ancient Egyptians Vasco da Gama David Livingstone Henry Stanley Vasily Younker Task: Complete the table.