AFRICA

2. AFRICA

3. GEOGRAPHY • 2nd largest continent (behind Asia) • 3 times larger than the United States • Contains a plethora of geographic features & wildlife • population = 1,030,500,000 (2012 estimate); about 14% of the world’s population

4. 5 GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS NORTH AFRICA • Features: Thin coastal plain & inland desert (Sahara) • Location: Borders the Mediterranean Sea • Coastal N.A. – mild temperature and frequent rainfall

5. REGIONS cont. EAST AFRICA • Sahel – great plateau w/ moderate rainfall and large savannas (treeless plains) • Savannas south of the Sahara constitute about 40% of Africa’s land • Great Rift Valley – 40 m. wide; 2,000 ft. deep; 3,000 m. long (Red Sea to S. Africa) • Mts. – Kenya and Kilimanjaro

6. REGIONS cont. WEST AFRICA • narrow coastal plain • Rivers – Niger and Zaire (Congo) • Few natural harbors and limited river travel isolated early civilizations in this area (made conquest by foreigners difficult as well)

7. REGIONS cont. CENTRAL AFRICA • Tropical forests so thick sunlight does not reach the floor • Climate is hot & humid but turns into desert in the south/central Africa

8. REGIONS cont. SOUTH AFRICA • Far south has cool, fertile highlands

9. Deserts • Sahara and the Kalahari make up about 1/3 of Africa’s land • Sahara mostly wasteland of rocks and pebbles • About 90 inhabited oases in Sahara

10. Dry Grasslands • Semiarid climate: less than 20 inches of rainfall per year • Nomads live here with herds • Suitable for grazing, but not for farming

11. RIFT VALLEYS • Earth’s crust pulls apart • Block of crust sinks

12. GREAT RIFT VALLEY • 4,000 miles long • The Great Rift Valley is rich in minerals and metals • Good soil for farming • Largest lakes in Africa are along the Great Rift Valley

13. GRV

14. HIGHLANDS • The most fertile land in Africa • Found mostly in the southern region

15. TROPICAL FORESTS • Constant Rainfall • Heavy vegetation • Mostly in the central regions, along the equator

16. Savanna • Grassy plains that cover 2/5 of the continent • Difficult for farming, but has always supported the most life

17. AFRICA’S LAND - FORMS MAJOR

18. SAHARA • Largest desert in the world (N. Africa) • 3”- 5” of rain or less per year (some areas go years without rain) • Temperatures get as high as 130 and as low as freezing

19. NILE RIVER • Northeast Africa • Longest river in the world (about 4,000 miles long) • Source - Lake Victoria • Mouth – Mediterranean Sea

21. LAKE VICTORIA • Largest African lake • Source of the Nile River • Many isles and prehistoric remains

22. MT. KILIMANJARO • Highest African mountain (19,340 ft) • Located in Tanzania

24. SERENGETI NAT’L PARK

25. EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS KUSH AXUM 1. When 2. Where 3. Source of power/wealth 4. Religion 5.Downfall • When 2. Where 3. Source of power/wealth 4. Religion 5. Downfall

26. EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS KUSH AXUM When – take over the Kush in the A.D. 300s Where – modern day Ethiopia Source of power/wealth – trade Characteristics – wealthy, lot of trade, Christian Downfall – overtaken by Muslims by about the 15th century When – emerge around 1000 b.c. and conquered Egypt in 750 b.c. Where – Egypt Source of power/wealth – trade Characteristics - wealthy, urban, lot of trade Downfall – taken over by Axum in the A.D. 300s

27. AFRICAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE

28. TOWNS • Began as fortified villages and grew into larger communities • Centers of gov’t and trade • Home to skilled artisans and diverse markets • Most of what we know comes from descriptions of travelers

29. KINGS AND SUBJECTS • Gulf was not as great between ruler and ruled as in other areas (ruler would hold audiences) • King was held in high regard • Both sides tried to benefit (relationship with merchants)

30. FAMILY AND LINEAGE • Basic structure of society was the extended family (parents, children, grandparents…) • Extended families were combined into larger communities known as lineage groups • Members of a LG could claim to be descendants of a real or legendary common ancestor

31. ROLE OF WOMEN • Usually subordinate to men • Some valued for work they could do or children they could produce • Often worked in fields (some merchants) • Many societies are matrilineal– lineage is passed on through the mother, not the father

32. COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION • Different villages had different methods of raising and educating children • Congo – boys and girls were raised by mom until age 6. Learned language, family history, songs… • After that they were separated, girls to the “house of women” and boys to the “house of men”

33. GIRLS Working in the fields Taking care of the home How to be a good mother How to be a good wife

34. H U N T I N G BOYS fishing Clearing fields for planting Growing plants

35. SLAVERY • Europeans started using African slaves on a large scale basis around 1500 • Slavery in Africa had actually been practiced for centuries before the Europeans arrived • Berber groups in NA captured slaves from sub-Saharan Africa and sold them throughout the Mediterranean world

36. SLAVERY cont. • Slaves included: • Prisoners of war • Debtors • Criminals • They were not necessarily seen as inferior (major difference between slavery in the colonies) • Some were respected for their skills and could win their freedom

37. ROLES OF SLAVES working the land soldiers servants

38. TRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADE