It is widely believed in scientific circles that ————- is the birthplace of humans. Select the correct answer? a. East Africa b. West Africa c. Central Africa d. Southern Africa
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is a. East Africa.
East Africa is widely recognized by scientists as the birthplace of humans. This region, particularly the area around the Great Rift Valley, has provided the most significant fossil evidence of early hominins — our ancient human ancestors. The discovery of fossils such as Australopithecus afarensis (like the famous “Lucy”) and early Homo species has been primarily concentrated in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The Great Rift Valley in East Africa is a unique geological formation that has preserved a rich fossil record spanning millions of years. This has allowed researchers to trace human evolution more thoroughly than in any other region. The climate and environmental changes in East Africa are thought to have played a key role in shaping human evolution, encouraging traits such as bipedalism (walking on two legs) and larger brain size.
Genetic studies also support the idea that modern humans originated in East Africa before migrating to other parts of the world. The “Out of Africa” theory suggests that Homo sapiens evolved in East Africa about 200,000 to 300,000 years ago and then spread across the globe. This migration led to the diverse human populations seen today.
While other regions in Africa, such as West, Central, and Southern Africa, have important fossil and archaeological sites, the concentration of early human fossils and genetic evidence strongly favors East Africa as the original homeland of modern humans. This makes East Africa a key focus for anthropology, archaeology, and evolutionary biology.