Sub-Saharan Africa is a region hostile to human development. Steep-sided plateaus, jungle-covered mountains, swampy coasts, rugged uplands and barren deserts dominate most of its terrain. These pervasive barriers impede almost every type of meaningful economic expansion in almost every part of the continent aside from South Africa's coastal strip . Without arable plains, agricultural surpluses cannot be created easily. Without navigable rivers, goods cannot be transported to potential markets cheaply. Most of sub-Saharan Africa's geography is antithetical to capital generation, yet the region needs large volumes of capital to compensate for its shortcomings. As a result, the region — similar to other places where capital is in high demand but low supply — is beset by widespread poverty. Political disunity is another product of Africa's terrain. The same geographic barriers to capital generation also inhibit human interaction.