The Africa of Tarzan as envisioned by Edgar Rice Burroughs is unlike any vistas we might find in the area once known as The Dark Continent. Magicial, mystical, even empheral might more closely describe these dense jungles abounding with goregous orchids, thick undergrowth, and twisting animal trails below a majestic canopy. The beasts which inhabit the savage, yet poetically-related jungle appear familiar in physical description but are endowed with emotional traits that are more pure and directed than any human's.

Tarzan's Africa is the Africa before the first World War, largely unknown and unexplored. This is a colonial Africa controlled by European nations with colonies such as French West-Africa, The Belgian Congo, and British East-Africa. This is a land filled with jungles unexplorable by any but the savage ape-man. These jungles team with strange lost civilizations and cities, lost lands filled with prehistoric creatures. The natives of Tarzan's Africa are mostly superstitious and cannibalistic, but occasionally a proud race of noble native warriors can be found within the jungle such as Tarzan's friends the Waziri.

In this place of great beauty lies great danger. Incusions by safaris of greedy men out to loot the jungle for gold, rubber, and ivory must be stopped. The great lost cities must be protected from those who would destroy them for their riches. Slavers abound looking for native labor. Beautiful women are a target to be kidnapped and sold into the harems of Arab sheiks to the north. Tarzan, operating from his vast estate in British East-Africa and aided by his jungle friends Tantor the elephant, Jad-bal-ja the Golden Lion, his native friends of the Waziri tribe, and his little monkey N'Kima, is the protector and lord of the jungle.

The greatest of the lost cities is the lost outpost of Atlantis, Opar. Opar is ruled by La high priestess of the Flaming God. The women of Opar are exceedingly beautiful but the men of Opar are little better than brutish savages now more more ape than human. Opar makes its frist appearance in Return of Tarzan and is the subject of the later novel Tarzan and Jewels of Opar. Opar we learn, is the source of Tarzan's great wealth as Lord Greystoke. Opar and La make their final appearance in Tarzan the Invincible.

Other lost lands and civilizations include the Pal-ul-don where men have tails and dinosaurs still roam, A city of English speaking gorillas, the lands of the dimmunitive antmen, Roman cities still at war, and a medieval city of crusading knights. We gladly join Tarzan with each excursion into the lost cities and strange worlds of his Africa where we find beautiful women, dangerous creatures, good and evil men, wrongs to be righted, and honor to be upheld.