Africa (Earth-8573)

Africa is one of the seven continents of Earth, and the second biggest overall in terms of population. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos.

Africa, particularly central Eastern Africa, is widely accepted as the place of origin of humanity and the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors as well as later ones that have been dated to around 7 million years ago, including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster—the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human), found in Ethiopia, date to circa 200,000 years ago. Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

Prehistory
Africa has a long history into the development of humans, likely being the birthplace of the species. Migration from the continent led to several species of modern humans to spread across the planet, which included Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. During the Forerunner-Xenomorph War, the forerunner Lifeworkers and Builders conducted their operations for the Conservation Measure on Africa, and later where they constructed the Excession, a massive portal in what would become Voi and Mombasa. Once humans were returned to Earth through Keyships, the Excession kept dormant, until it was completely covered by the surface as millenia passed.

Human development
While Africa remained a continent under subpar conditions for most of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, the 22nd century onward saw a huge rise in African economic growth. Cities such as New Mombasa saw a huge growth, as well as a large influx of trades, job changes, and citizens, which came to drastically alter the appearance and landscape of the entire city, something which spread to the country and the African continent. The older buildings that still occupied the sights were replaced with large buildings and entire industrial complexes.

By 2430, New Mombasa had grown to the point of absorbing the entire Mombasa island, as well as nearby settlements and towns, which became unofficially a part of Mombasa. Not long after, it was decided that all municipalities within a 74-kilometer radius of Mombasa were referred to as "Old Mombasa". By the 26th century, New Mombasa was known for its cosmopolitan features and dynamic landscape, featuring mile-long suspension bridges, highly efficient maglev systems, automated highway networks, a well-equipped, and well-organized police department, massive recreational areas, natural reserves, and parks. The city was organized into numerous symmetrical and numbered sectors, with districts of old still existing, such as Kizingo and Kikowani, Tangana, and Mbaraki.

Battle of Earth
On October 20th, 2552, the Covenant Fleet of Sacred Consecration, under the command of the Prophet of Regret arrived on Earth from slipspace, and a battle soon ensued. During the engagement, Regret's flagship, the CAS-class assault carrier Solemn Penance, breached Earth's orbital defenses and moved to New Mombasa, sending warriors and vehicles to occupy the city in the search of a forerunner location the fleet had previously discovered through a Luminary on Meridian following its glassing months before. During the battle, the Solemn Penance unexpectedly jumped into slipspace, and the resulting EMP destroyed the surrounding buildings, heavily damaging the city.

Not all of New Mombasa was consumed in the explosion, while those that did were sucked into slipspace; the rupture created a gigantic crater in the mainland of the island, where the Covenant later arrived to start digging the Excession. Following this event, the jiralhanae that remained on the city were ordered by the Prophet of Truth to carry out his secretly plotted genocide against the sangheili who were also left behind, leading to massive civil battles. The jiralhanae, who were at their most numerous, gained the upper hand, and killed all present sangheili, alongside those who decided to remain loyal to them. These jiralhanae troops also continued carrying Regret's excavation of the Excession, being ordered to capture Vergil and Quick to Adjust, the huragok who was able to free from its slavery and fuse the artificial intelligence's data with its own. This led the UNSC and the NMPD to fight together against the Covenant for the rest of the day. In the next day, the Fleet of Certain Fulfillment, led by Truth himself, arrived on Earth and started to glass the city in search of the hidden portal.

Notable locations

 * Egypt
 * East African Protectorate
 * Kenya
 * Mombasa
 * New Mombasa
 * Old Mombasa
 * Nairobi
 * Voi
 * Tsavo
 * Tsavo Highway
 * Excession
 * Tanzania
 * Arusha
 * Mount Kilimanjaro
 * Zanzibar
 * Diego Garcia

Trivia

 * Africa at Wikipedia.