Meanings
- datedinformaloffensivesometimesAfrica.
Africa is still the Dark Continent, the land of the unknown, the remarkable.
1903 November 10, The Advertiser Adelaide1 more example
De Lesseps, the engineer, has been visiting the Bey of Tunis, and trying to get his consent to the scheme for piercing the isthmus of Zaber, and opening up communication with the interior of the Dark Continent by water.
1879 March 12, The Sydney Morning Herald
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
A Victorian nickname, referring to the fact that little was known in the West about the interior of the continent.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish musta maanosa
- musta maanosaAfrica
French continent noir
- continent noirAfrica
German Schwarzer Kontinent
- Schwarzer KontinentAfrica
Japanese 暗黒大陸
- 暗黒大陸 (ankoku tairiku)Africa
Russian Чёрный континент
- Чёрный континент (Čórnyj kontinent)Africa
Cite this entry
Dark Continent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dark%20Continent
“Dark Continent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dark%20Continent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dark Continent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dark%20Continent.
Source: Dark Continent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.