A former name for Africa, so used because its hinterland was largely unknown and therefore mysterious to Europeans until the 19th century. Henry M. Stanley was probably the first to use the term in his 1878 account Through the Dark Continent. the Dark Continent a name given to Africa by Europeans in the 19th century. The name meant that Africa was then an unknown area to Europeans, but it is now considered an offensive name
{i} Africa; term used in the 19th century referring to Africa before its large areas had been explored