Africa Notes

1. Africa Notes

2. Geography…. • About 50 countries • 1/3 of all the world’s countries • 2nd largest continent in land area

4. Continent of Plateaus…. • Africa is a giant plateau • Plateau - flat landmass higher than the surrounding land with at least one steep side • Narrow coastal plains extend inland less than 20 miles • One plateau follows the other as the land rises from west to east in a series of steps

5. Continent of Plateaus… • Escarpment – steep cliffs or slopes, separate the plateaus • The highest and broadest plateaus and escarpments lie in the south and east • Rivers turn into cataracts – waterfalls, as they flow over the escarpments • Because of plateaus, Africa has the highest overall elevation of any other continent • The average elevation is 2000 feet above sea level

6. Mountains & Highlands… • Not many mountains • Atlas Mountains • Drakensberg Mountains • Mount Kenya • Mount Kilimanjaro • Africa’s highest mountain

7. Great Rift Valley… • Great Rift Valley - valley that creates a Y shaped trench 3500 miles long • Series of faults • Mt. Kilimanjaro – famous of the rift’s volcanoes • Steep escarpments over a mile high

8. Pangaea…. • Pangaea • Theory that all the continents were connected to form one large continent • Scientists believe the Great Rift Valley was created during violent movements that separated the continents and caused them to drift apart 180 million years ago

9. Deserts…. • Kalahari Desert • Located in south-central Africa • Grasses & palm trees • Biodiversity – many different types of plant & animal life • Namib Desert • Some of the world’s highest sand dunes • As little as ½ inch rain per year • Beetles, lizards, snakes

10. Lake Victoria • Source of the White Nile River • 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world • Lake Tanganyika • Stretches 420 miles • World’s longest freshwater lake • Lake Malawi • Many species of fish found in Lake Malawi that are not found anywhere else on earth • Lake Volta • Formed due to a dam on the Volta River • Lake Chad • No outlets to the sea

11. Rivers…. • Nile • World’s longest river • Zaire River • 2700 miles long • Crosses the equator twice • Congo River • Flows northward from Zambia & then southwest into Atlantic Ocean • Niger River • Empties into the Atlantic Ocean • Zambezi River • Empties into the Indian Ocean • Forms Victoria Falls • Explorer, David Livingstone, name this after the British Queen Victoria • Twice the height of Niagara Falls

12. Western Africa Lies within the tropics Warm temperatures throughout the year Areas around the equator have arid climate Sahel – region of semiarid climate extending below the Sahara Desert Major droughts can occur & causes widespread famine Climate….

13. Climate cont… • Southern Africa • Tropical wet and dry • Winds from Sahara bring hot, dry conditions in winter • Winds from the ocean bring rain in summer • Grasslands & grazing animals • Drakensberg Mountains • Causes rain shadow effect • Central Africa • Rainfall year round • Dense tropical rainforest • Home to many endangered species

14. Natural Resources…. • Diamonds • Found in South Africa and Zaire • Gold • Geologists believe ½ the world’s gold comes from South Africa and the Great Rift Valley • Oil • Found in Nigeria - member of OPEC • Cacao Beans (coco) • West Africa is world’s major source

16. Population…. • 967 million • World’s youngest population • About half of the people are less than 15 years old • World’s highest birthrate - statistic that tells the # of babies born in a population

17. Population… • World’s shortest life expectancy - average age people are expected to live • World’s lowest economic growth rate • High infant mortality rate - the # of babies that die in a population • World’s highest population growth rate

18. Population Distribution…. • Uneven population distribution due to physical geography • Sparsely populated: • Deserts • Mountains • Densely populated: • Around lakes and rivers • Fertile soil • Good climates

19. Problems Facing the Population… • Due to a growing population, many regions in Africa are struggling to feed their population • Food production has declined due to: • Loss of soil fertility • Droughts • Famine and malnutrition kill many Africans • Famine - severe food shortage for an extended period of time • Only about 40% have clean drinking water

20. Problems…. • Many diseases • AIDS has become an epidemic - a disease affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a location • Poor medical care due to: • Lack of doctors • Lack of medical supplies and equipment

21. Very low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - total amount of goods and services produced in a county in a year • Low per capita income - average amount a person earns in a year • Varies from region to region • Sierra Leone - $530 • South Africa - $10, 270

22. Urbanization…. • Urbanization - the movement of people from rural to urban areas • Africa is the least urbanized continent but it is urbanizing at the fastest rate • Most cities are located along rivers or near natural resources • People often move to cities in search of jobs • Housing shortages • No electricity or running water

23. History…. • Great kingdoms ruled areas of West & Central Africa • Trading sites • Gold, cloth, slaves • Islam spread to region • 1400s – Europeans began trading with Africans • Trying to find route to East Asia • Tropical disease, few navigable rivers, and thick forests kept Europeans out

24. History…. • European Colonization • 1500s to 1800s the Europeans began trading with African societies for slaves • Europeans sold enslaved Africans to American colonists • The slave trade existed for a long time • Disrupted families & societies • Coastal states became more powerful than inner savanna

25. The triangular slave trade: • Europeans traded with Africans for slaves in exchange for goods like weapons • Slaves were taken from Africa to the colonies in the Americas • Raw materials grown in the Americas were taken to Europe to the manufacturing plants • Millions died during the “Middle Passage”- ocean journey from Africa to the Americas

26. History cont…. • David Livingstone • Scottish doctor and missionary • One of the first Europeans to explore the interior of Africa • For 30 years, he explored and set up Christian missions • Sent detailed reports back to Great Britain of the exotic wildlife and people • The stories from Africa made people very curious

27. European Colonization • Mid-1800s – slave trade was ending • Europe was industrializing and needed resources • Europeans sought control of fertile African territories and resources

28. Scramble for Africa…. • European nations scrambled to make their claims in Africa • By the 1800s, European nations divided up Africa and colonized it • In 1885, 14 nations met in Berlin to partition- or divide, Africa • By 1914, European nations controlled 90% of Africa • Europeans controlled most of Africa until the mid to late 1900s

29. History cont…. • Liberia • The only free independent state in west Africa • Established in 1822 by freed Africans who were once enslaved • Received support from the U.S. • This discouraged European powers from seizing it as a colony • Only other free country was Ethiopia

30. History…. • Boer War – 1899 to 1902 • Dutch vs British • British were victorious • White minorities controlled South Africa • Held political power • Controlled the economy & owned most of the land

31. Post-Colonialism…. • Colonialism lasted less than 100 years • 1976 – all African countries were independent • Effects: • Many ethnic conflicts • Workers shifted from agriculture to industry

32. History… • Apartheid – official policies that forced black South Africans to live in separate areas and use separate facilities from white South Africans • African National Congress pushed for end to apartheid • 1990 – apartheid ended • 1994 – Nelson Mandela elected first black president

34. Culture…. • Language • Over 800 languages and dialects • Some originated in Africa • Some were brought by foreigners • Some are a mixture of languages • Lingua franca- universal language that trade and business is conducted in • Swahili is the lingua franca of East Africa • Many countries still have the language of the European country that colonized them

35. Culture cont…. • Religion • Many ethnic groups have their own traditional religions • Traditional religions, Islam and Christianity each consist of about 1/3 of the religions practiced in Africa • African religions • Believe spirits of ancestors are important • Spirits are honored in ceremonies • Animists believe in sprits of the natural world • Islam • Religion of the Sahel • Christianity • Atlantic coast

36. Housing

37. Housing South African slums

38. Market in West Africa selling fruits • Farmer and his laid-out field (needs to be located near water for irrigation • Farmer plowing his field to grow crops (lack of technology) • Typical business woman in South Africa where opportunities are greater • Copper mining in Central Africa

39. Agriculture…. • Most Africans still rely on agriculture to make a living • Cash crops - grown to make a profit • Millet & sorghum are staple crops – drought resistant • Other staple crops – cassava, yams, corn • Dual economies – some goods produced for exportation while others are produced for local people

42. Agriculture cont… • Farming methods • Commercial farming- farming organized as a business produce cash crops • Shifting farming- farmers move every one to three years to find better soil • Sedentary farming- farming conducted on permanent settlements • Problems • Most people cannot afford the machinery, technology and fertilizers to increase food production • Food shortages are a constant problem

43. Mining…. • Important economic activity • Very dangerous • Work long hours • Many poor Africans work in the mines to support their families • Mineral wealth has made South Africa one of the richest regions in the area • Most black South Africans do not benefit from this because the mines are owned by white South Africans or foreign companies

44. Industrialization…. • Manufacturing is not a big part of the economy • Obstacles to industrialization • Lack of capital - tools and equipment used in factories • Political conflict (within countries and between neighboring ones) • Not enough skilled workers

45. Environment…. • Famine is caused by: • Rapidly growing populations • Lack of capital (tools and equipment) • Overdependence on cash crops • Desertification- transformation of arable (fertile) land into desert • Using land too much for grazing and farming causes erosion • Droughts have impacted this too • Civil War is the biggest cause of famine • Used food as a weapon by burning the fields of their enemies • Relief agencies like the Red Cross would send food but it was often stolen by rebels or warlords • Example - the movie Black Hawk Down was set in Somalia

46. Deforestation… • The destruction of forests for: • Wood to export • Burn forests to clear land for farming or grazing • Fuel • Results of deforestation: • Deforestation may make the earth hotter • Carbon dioxide holds in more heat than oxygen • Increase in carbon dioxide (since plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen) • Plants and animals are at risk for extinction- disappearance from the earth

47. Deforestation cont…. • Protecting rain forests and endangered wildlife • As the population grows, farmers need more land for farming • Taking land from grasslands and forests where animals live • Many animals are becoming endangered because: • Humans have pushed into the animals’ natural habitats – living areas • Increase in hunting: • Poaching – illegal hunting • Elephants and rhinos (Tusks and horns are very profitable) • Some countries have made huge game preserves to protect animals • Ecotourism- tourism based on the environment • Ecotourism has increased visits to preserves • Some Africans object to preserves because they need the land and often don’t profit from ecotourism

48. Current Issues…. • Slow economic development • Rapid population growth • Internal war & conflict • Deforestation • Extinction of plants & animals • Malaria & HIV/AIDS • Genocide – intentional destruction of people • Rwanda (1994) • Hutu vs Tutsi