Sub Saharan Africa

1. Sub Saharan Africa East, West, Central, and South

2. West Africa In what ways do major rivers contribute to the economies of West African countries?

3. Air Massif Tibesti Mountains Sengal River Ennedi Jos Plateau Fouta Djallon Lake Chad Lake Volta Niger River Benue River Black Volta River White Volta River

4. The region has no major mountain ranges • Air Massif – group of mountains in central Niger where the Tuareg people graze their livestock • Tibesti Mountains – highest elevations in West Africa • Ennedi – desert plateau region Landforms and Bodies of Water

5. Jos Plateau – mostly open grassland and farmland • Fouta Djallon – highland region of savanna and deciduous forest • Guinea Highlands – densely forested region Landforms and Bodies of Water

6. Sengal River marks the border between the countries of Mauritania and Senegal • Black Volta River and the White Volta River originate in Burkina Fasso. • Akosomo Dam located where the two rivers meet. Create Lake Volta • Provides irrigation and electrical needs • Lake Chad is also used for irrigation and electrical needs. Landforms and Bodies of Water

7. The Niger river – longest and most important river • During the rainy season it floods leaving fertile farmland • Benue River – joins the Niger and doubles its water volume • These two rivers provide water for irrigation and hydroelectric power • Main source of Mali’s fishing industry • Important transportation route Landforms and Bodies of Water

8. The climate of the region is diverse • Ranges from harsh, arid Sahara in the north to lush costal rain forests in the south • Between are vast stretches of grasslands • Key feature of the region is its distinct wet and dry seasons • From late November until mid-March, the Harmattan blows through the Sahara. Climate

9. Rainfall in the region can range from 200 inches in some areas to as little as 20 inches a year. This make life in the region difficult. Climate

10. Nigeria – regions biggest producer of petroleum and natural gas • Chad – oil fields • Benin and Ghana have offshore oil fields • Ghana’s main source of electricity are two dams on the Volta River • Senegal River provides half the energy used in Mauritania • Toto and Nigeria also depend on hydroelectric power. Resources

11. History of the Region

12. 10,000 years ago the Sahara looked more like a savannah than a desert. • Lakes, forests, large animals such as ostriches, giraffes, elephants, antelope, and rhinoceroses roamed the area. • As the area grew drier, people moved south. • Camels became important to the survival of the people. They can carry heavy loads for long distances and can go for long periods without water. • They became the perfect domesticated animals for desert dwellers. History of the Region

13. The Bantu people inhabited West Africa in Ancient times • 2,000 BC developed farming • 1000 BC a vast migration of Bantu people began • Wherever they moved to, they brought their culture. History of the Region

14. For 1,000s of years, the Sahara was a barrier between West and North Africa. • 700 AD, Arabs controlled trade in the North. They soon realized that West Africa offered opportunities for conversion to Islam. • The Berber People of North Africa, Almoravids – Fierce fighters that wanted to spread their faith. History Continued . . .

15. Ghana was a powerful west African kingdom • Controlled gold-for-salt trade in the region • 1,000 AD the Almoravids conquered Ghana • Their rule brought about a decline in this kingdom • Desertification, lack of trade, and famine ruined the once thriving area. History Continued . . .

16. Mali grew rich from the gold-for-salt trade after the decline of Ghana • It reached its height under the emperor Mansa Musa • Became a center for Islamic culture. • During the emperors pilgrimage to mecca the world learned of the powerful Mali empire. History Continued . . .

17. Songhai replace Mali • A strong army and navy controlled the Niger River and trade in the region. • It also became a center for Islamic learning • It fell to the Moroccans by the end of the 1500s History Continued . . .

18. Slavery had been practiced in Africa for centuries. • Muslims from North Africa and Asia had bought enslaved people from south of the Sahara. • European colonists began to buy slaves to do the work in their colonies in the Western Hemisphere. • Small African kingdoms along the Atlantic coast became highly profitable in these kingdoms. • When Europeans outlawed the slave trade, the kingdom’s economies began to fail. Slavery in the Region

19. What were some of the factors that aroused European interest in exploring and colonizing Africa? • 1807 – the British outlawed the slave trade • 1787 – Sierra Leone – a safe haven for runaway or freed enslaved persons. • 1822 – Liberia – founded by Americans as a home for freed American slaves. • To make up for the loss of revenue from the slave trade, Britain started to develop and then profit from the palm oil trade. • 1869 – Suez Canal opened and Diamonds found in South Africa • These two events increased European interest in the area. European Domination

20. Imperialism – the practice of seizing control of other places to create an empire. • 1884-1885 Berlin Conference to divide up Africa • Some colonies were ruled more harshly than others. • Settlers could force Africans off the best lands • Africans resisted violently, but to no avail. Imperialism

21. 1957 • Ghana became and independent states. Was the Gold Boast under British Rule. • For many years it was troubled by conflict. • 1992 – adopted a new constitution. • Has become a model of political reform in West Africa Independence

22. 1960 • Mauritania • Niger • Cote D’lvoire • Gamiba • Burkina Faso • Declared independence from France Independence

23. 1914 – British combined the Igbo – Christian tribes in the south, and the Hausa – Muslim tribe in the North, into one country under the Nigerian Protectorate. • When Nigeria gained independence in 1960, tensions flared. • Thousands of Igbo in northern Nigeria were massacred. • 1967 – The eastern region became the republic of Baifra (they seceded, or withdrew formally) Independence

24. Military forces invaded and reclaimed the region. • Millions of people were killed and the area was left in ruins. • Since then, Nigeria has been mostly under military rule. • 1978-consitution was written • 1999 – the first democratically elected president ruled the region. Independence

25. Liberia and Sierra Leone have also been plagued by civil war and military coups. • Ethnic conflict in the region has been rampart. • 50,000 people lost their lives and 2 million people lost their homes in civil war and destruction. Independence

26. Independence from colonial rule did not lead to peace. • Most countries maintained their colonial borders after independence. • This lead to ethnic strife in the region. • People in this region tend to identify more with their ethnic background than their national background. • Members of the same ethnic group may live in multiple countries. Life in West Africa

27. Most independent countries continue to use the languages brought in by the colonist to this day for business and government. • Arabic is often a national language. • Most ethnic groups use their traditional African languages in the region. • This has created a pidgin language. A simplified language used by people who cannot speak each other’s languages but need to communicate. • When two or more languages combine to create a new language it is called a creole language. Languages

28. Islam was established in many parts of western Africa • In some parts, Christianity is also a prevalent religion. • Many other people continue to practice traditional African religions. • Animasts – people who believe a supreme creator or god created all things. They believe in spirits – the spirits of their ancestors, the air, the earth, and rivers. Religion

29. The air is traditionally made up of scattered villages. • They are homesteads of extended families – families made up of parents, children, and other close relatives. • Population density is dependent on land sustainability. • In the north, density is low due to water shortages. • Most large cities are capital cities. • The largest city in West Africa is Lago, Nigeria with 10.5million people. Settlement

30. The are is cultural diverse. • Mali, Mauritania, and Niger are influenced by North Africa • People in cities are influenced by western culture • Village life is traditional to African culture. • Cities are ethnically diverse • Ethnic pride still causes conflict in rural areas. • Dance is used for healing • Music blends many sounds and combines traditional and modern instruments. Cultures and Art

31. Infrastructure – underlying framework of an area • Europeans did not invest in infrastructure in the area. • They also concentrated their development of the colonial economies around minimal resources. • Therefore the area needs to develop additional resources and develop infrastructure in order for their economies to be successful. Challenges Facing the Region

32. Foreign investments in the area did not help. • They lead to corruption and mismanagement of funds and increased debt in the area. • Debt relief provided by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have been very important to the stabilization of the region. Challenges Cont. . .

33. Sub-Saharan Africa holds 22.9 million of the 34 million people in the world living with HIV or Aids. • People dealing with the disease have several challenges. • West Africa’s population is growing quickly. • The educational system must also grow to meet the needs of new generations. • A lack of funding for education means that some countries cannot afford to make update or improvements to their schools. HIV/AIDS and Education