The role of missionary stations for Christianity expansion in North-Western Africa
The article attempts to trace the initial stage of Christianity’s geospace formation in North-West Africa following from the expansion of Protestant and Catholic missions’ network in 1880-1950. Established that the expansion of the Christian missions’ network in the region kept pace with the seizure of the territory. This process corresponds to the Taaffe model of the transport expansion in underdeveloped countries. Identified five types of Christian missions’ network expansion: coastal, river, inland, caravan and Sahel. By 1950, the activities of Protestant and Catholic missionary in North-West Africa initiated the development of Christianity’s geospace. Its outlines covered the territory of the relatively high concentration of Christian missions which were located along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, rivers Niger, Benue and the line of the railroad from Conakry to Kankan. Within this outline the highest density of the Christian missions were peculiar to modern territory of Ghana and Nigeria.