Population of the continents: the stages of the dispersal of humans

The settlement of the continents occurred through the migrations carried out by the species produced gradually until they inhabit all possible regions on the planet Earth.

The most accepted theory is that which states that the first Australopithecus inhabited Africa, as well as also the Homo Sapiens and from that continent they left to the rest of the continents until they populated them everybody.

In this article it will be done a brief review of the settlement of the continents by the different human species that have evolved until only the Homo sapiens.

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Dispersion by the Containers of Human Species

The settlement of the continents began more than 2.5 million years ago, when beings belonging to a species very similar to that of modern humans, better known as australopithecus (southern ape), whose physical characteristics were very similar to those of the apes we know today.

However, Australopithecus were differentiated by their ability to walk with a more upright posture, becoming a bipedal species, and also developed a remarkable growth in the size of its brain (approximately 600 cubic centimeters, which could be up to 3 times that of an ape), which made it easier for acquire

the ability to make small stone tools, which despite being very rudimentary facilitated its evolution.

Australopithecus, after acquiring a series of skills, went on to become a more evolved species, the Homo habilis, being considered as the first species of human beings.

The Homo habilis It was the first human species to leave Africa, reaching territories in Asia and Europe, and it is on the European continent where it evolves into a new species, the Neanderthal men; while in Asia they came to evolve into the species of the Homo erectus (standing man).

On the other hand, Homo habilis that lived in Africa also managed to evolve and, according to various investigations in this regard, it is on the African continent where The first beings emerge with an anatomy similar to that of human beings today, this species being baptized with the name of Homo Sapiens. This is the one that has managed to survive to this day and to which we belong, and whose brain has an average of 1,200 to 1,400 cubic centimeters, more than double that of an australopithecus.

The Homo neanderthalensis, also known as Neanderthals, were shorter than the Homo sapiens, but more robust. On the other hand the Homo sapiens He developed a somewhat larger brain, which allowed him to acquire more sophisticated skills, thanks to which he could better adapt to the environment and its changes.

More than 100,000 years ago there was a period known as the “last ice age” during which the Homo sapiens left the african continent. The settlement of the continents by the Homo sapiens It continued when it moved to Asia and later it was colonizing territories until it inhabited 5 continents, as we will explain in greater detail below. At the same time that it colonized territories, the sapiens coexisted with other species of Homo that had arrived previously; However, the other species ended up becoming extinct and, therefore, only the Homo sapiens managed to survive.

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The settlement of the continents by the Homo sapiens

Although the predecessor species to Homo Sapiens had managed to reach various areas of the planet, only Homo Sapiens has achieved the population of the continents in their whole.

1. Africa

Although Australopithecus spread to other continents, in Africa, in addition to occupying the entire continent, those who lived there also evolved. The human species that existed on this continent shortly before the Homo sapiens were the following: Homo Rudolfensis (man from Lake Rodolfo), and Homo Ergaster (working man).

There are many theories that consider that in evolution there was a direct line of descent. However, there are others that assure that during the 2 million years since the first humans appeared until just over 10,000 years ago, when only the Homo sapiens, different human species lived together for many years.

Scientists who are experts in the field are mostly in agreement about the hypotheses that he states that 150,000 years ago, the eastern part of Africa was mostly populated by sapiens with a very similar appearance to those we inhabit today. It also states that 70,000 years ago these sapiens from the African continent spread throughout the Eurasian territory.

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2. Expansion in Asia

In the easternmost regions of the Asian continent, the species of the Homo erectus managed to continue the settlement of the continents and also, managed to survive for 2 million years on this continent, being the longest lasting human species that has ever existed.

In Indonesia, more specifically on the island of Java, another hominid species lived, known by the name of Homo soloensis (Man from the Solo Valley), which was the species that managed to adapt to the climate and life in the tropics. Studies carried out with remains of this species yielded data about its antiquity (between 40,000 and 60,000 years).

The humans They managed to reach the island of Flores for the first time taking advantage of a time when the sea level had dropped significantly, which facilitated access to the island. But when the sea level rose again, many were trapped on the island due to a shortage of resources that were there, the larger members dying earlier because they needed more food.

For this reason, on that island the inhabitants who managed to survive were the smallest and the members of the subsequent generations were even smaller (estimated to be 1 meter tall and weighed less than 25 Kg), coming to form a species called by scientists as Homo floresiensis. This species, despite being small, had a great ability to create stone tools that they could use to hunt; however, they disappeared more than 50,000 years ago. On the other hand, the first Homo sapiens reached Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 70,000 ago, so perhaps they came into contact with the floresiensis.

With regard to the western territory of Asia, there are two theories about its settlement. One of them claims that there was an interbreeding between the species recently arrived from Africa and the one that lived there. The other theory tells that the sapiens did not have offspring with the species that inhabited that territory when they arrived (the Neanderthals), so that according to this theory the sapiens ended up replacing all the ancestor human species without mixing with them. There are investigations that have revealed data in favor of both, so there is not one that is absolutely right.

Notably Some 40,000-year-old remains of Homo sapiens appeared in southern Siberia and also in China..

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3. Expansion across Europe

Neanderthals lived in Europe before the Homo sapiens, expanding the population of the continents more than 500,000 years ago. However, they did not survive as long as the Homo erectus who lived in Asia.

The remains of Homo sapiens oldest that have appeared in Europe are about 45,000 years old. In addition, in England and in Romania remains with 43,000 and 40,000 years respectively appeared. Curiously, our species reached the islands of Southeast Asia earlier than the Iberian Peninsula, since the latter was only populated by sapiens 44,000 years ago.

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4. Expansion in Australia

It is calculated that 45,000 years ago, humans managed to cross the open sea until landing in the territory that is now known as Australia, a territory that until then had never been trodden by the human species, thus continuing with the settlement of the continents. And it is that in the period that elapsed from 70,000 years ago to 30,000 years, man achieved great discoveries (invention of the boat, bows and arrows, oil lamps and needles with which they could sew dresses that they sheltered). The first jewels and also the first drawings date from this period.

That stage constituted a whole cognitive revolution where new ways of communicating and thinking emerged. There is a highly validated theory that states that it is at this stage that the human brain developed numerous internal connections that facilitated a way of thinking more complex than any other. to date, allowing humans to communicate through a kind of language that was completely innovative, despite the fact that a language type already existed among humans.

This language not only made it possible to notify other members when they saw a “dangerous” animal approaching, but it also made it easier to share information about other humans., and in this way transmit to other members that someone in the group could become dangerous, this hypothesis being known under the name of "gossip theory."

Other great advances produced thanks to the cognitive revolution were the following: the ability to transmit a greater amount of information to other humans about the environment that surrounds them, planning and carrying out more complex actions, forming groups with a greater number of members and that at the same time are more cohesive.

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5. Expansion in America

Among the scientific community, the hypothesis according to which humans accessed the American continent through the Bering Strait, with a length of 82 km, which united Asia and America in winter, by a layer of ice that formed, so that humans could cross it and thus access for the first time in its history to a new continent about 12,000 years ago (late settlement theory), thus completing the settlement of the continents habitable.

However, there is another theory that states that humans had managed to reach the American continent before based on a series of archaeological findings (early settlement theory).