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Africa
Chapters 18, 19, and 20
Landforms and Resources
 Africa’s Plateau – huge plateau covers most
of Africa. (Rises inland from narrow lowlands
along the coast)
 Basins – deep depressions that collect water
(Chad Basin, Sudan Basin, Congo Basin, Djouf
Basin).http://kim.uing.net/files/media_file_11458.jpg
 Rivers
 Nile – longest in world. 95% of Egyptians depend
on it.
 Congo – flows through center of Africa. Empties
into the Atlantic
 Niger – begins in West Africa, empties into the Gulf
of Guinea.
Rift Valleys and Lakes
 Rift Valleys – millions of years ago
continental plates pulled apart forming huge
cracks in the earth. Stretch over 4,000 miles.
(East Africa) a.k.a. The Great Rift Valley
http://www.uoguelph.ca/geology/geol2250/glossary/HTML%20files/DRC%20Great%20Rift%20Valley.jpg
 Lakes
 Lake Tanganyika – world’s longest freshwater
lake
 Lake Victoria – world’s second largest
freshwater lake.
Other Landforms
 Mountains
 Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest peak
(Tanzania)
 Mount Kenya – volcanic mountain
 Deserts
 Sahara – world’s largest (North Africa)
 Kalahari – Southern Africa
 Other
 The Sahel – narrow band of dry grassland on the
southern edge of the Sahara. Used for farming and
herding
 The Great Escarpment – marks the edge of the
continent’s plateau in Southern Africa.
http://www.calflora.net/southafrica/images/greatescarpment.gif
Resources
 Africa has a huge amount of the world’s resources.

 Diamonds, Platinum, and Gold – South and Central
Africa
 Cobalt – high grade steel used in aircrafts –
Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.) and
Zambia
 Oil – Libya, Nigeria, and Algeria
 Lumber – Nigeria
 Coffee, sugar, palm oil, and cocoa beans.
 However, many countries lack the industrial
base and money to develop these resources.

Climate
 Desert – (mostly north) can reach as high as
136.4° in the summer. Underground water can
be found in aquifers. When it reaches the
surface this is an oasis.
 The Tropics – largest tropical area of any
continent. Warm year long.
 Central Africa – rains year long
 Middle Africa – two seasons – wet and dry.
 West Africa – mostly wet
 Southern Tip – Marine west coast – moderate
climate; warm summers/cool rainy winters.
Other Features
 The Serengeti Plain – huge grasslands in
northern Tanzania. Ideal place for wildebeests,
gazelles, and zebras.
http://www.go2safari.com/image2/serengeti_national_park.jpg
 The Rain Forest – major rain forest sit on the
equator in the area of the Congo Basin. Home
to thousands of bird, plant, insect, and animal
species. Most animals live in the canopy, or
uppermost layer.
 Mangrove Trees – found in West Africa.
Spouts up along river banks and swamps.
http://alex.tsd.net.au/images/timor/atauro_beach_mangrove_tree.jpg
Human/Environment
Interaction
 Desertification – expansion of the Sahara into
the Sahel regions. http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/userS/11351743463Dune_stabilization_chinese.jpg
 Causes
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1. Overgrazing of animals
2. Farming – clearing land and overusing soil
3. Cutting down trees
4. Overpopulation – more people = more food and more
land.
 Solutions
 1. Increase tree planting
 2. Better farming techniques
 3. Restrictions on grazing
Nigeria, Oil, and the
Environment
 ***6th leading oil producer in the world.
 Problems
 Corrupt government and
mismanagement of $$$$ have left it poor.
 Over 4,000 oil spills have occurred in the
past 40 years.
 Pipeline explosions killed over 2,000
people from 1998-2000. (caused by
thieves)
The Aswan High Dam (Egypt)
 Built in 1970 – created Lake Nasser
 Benefits
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Gives farmers a regular supply of water
Increased farmable land by 50%
Avoid droughts and floods
Hydroelectricity
 Problems
 People had to be relocated to build the dam.
 Decreased the fertility of the soil around the Nile.
(must use expensive fertilizers.
 Increase in Malaria.
 Loss of millions of gallons of fresh water per year.
The Regions of Africa
East Africa
 “The cradle of civilization” – first humans
discovered by Louis and Mary Leakey
(1979) in the Olduvai Gorge (part of the
Great Rift Valley).
 Aksum was an important trading empire
located in present day Ethiopia. (100’s
ad.)
 East Africa depends largely on cash
crops and tourism. Coffee, tea, and
sugar are all grown for the purpose of
making $$$.
East Africa continued
 Culture – Two major ethnic groups are the
Masai and the Kikuyu. (read pages 434-435 for
more info).
 1990’s – Ethnic conflict between the Hutu and
the Tutsi (genocide).
 Health Care – AIDS is the most critical disease
of East Africa.
 It is a pandemic or uncontrollable outbreak of a
disease affecting a large population over a wide
geographic area.
 ***Roughly 22 million people living in sub-Saharan
Africa are living with HIV. Of those, over 1.5 million
will die this year. AIDS & HIV information from AVERT.org
North Africa
 Home to great empires like Egypt and
Carthage.
 Carthage – founded around 814 B.C. Its ideal
location off the Mediterranean Sea made it a great
trading city.
 Egypt – began living farms and villages along the
Nile as early as 3,300 B.C. Around 3,100 B.C. a
strong king united the Egyptian empire (King
Menes).
 Islam was introduced in Africa in the 700’s A.D.
by the Muslim empire. Today many North
Africans are still Muslim.
North Africa continued
 Economy – largely based on oil (ex: oil
makes up about 99% of Libya’s exports)
 Culture – Souks, or market places, are
typically found in the old districts
(medina)
 Rai – music originally founded by poor
Algerians in the 1920’s. Later became
protest music against the French.
 Women’s Roles – Male dominated
society. Women stay at home. Eat, pray
separately. Only now beginning to
change.
West Africa
 The Trading Empires
 1. Ghana (800 -1100 A.D.)– farmed by the
Sonike people. Taxed traders who passed
through the territory. Exchanged gold and salt.
 2. Mali – (1235-1400 A.D.) 1st great leader,
Sudiata, conquered Ghana. Promoted
agriculture and reestablished gold and salt
trade. (1350 – supplied 2/3 of the world’s
gold).
 3. Songhai – (1400-1591 A.D.) – Led by
Sunni Ali for 28 years. Conquered by the
Moroccan army in 1591.
Stateless Societies
 Before colonialism many cultures relied
on family lineages (descendants) to
govern themselves.
 Example - the Igbo of southeast Nigeria
 During and after colonialism it was expected
that one ruler would govern society.
West Africa’s Economy
 Positives
 Ghana – based on gold, diamonds,
magnesium, and bauxite. 2nd highest per
capita income in West Africa $1900
 Negatives
 Sierra Leone – years of political instability
and civil wars have left the economy in
shambles. 31% literacy rate. (1 out of 3 can
read). Few roads and little industry.
Culture
 The Ashanti – ethnic group living in
present day Ghana. Known for weaving
colorful clothing known as asasia (kente
cloth). Also carve mask and wooden
stools (symbolize the unity between the
dead and the living)
 Benin – Once the great kingdom of
Benin. Known for Benin “bronzes”
(masks, statues, and jewelry)
Central Africa
 The Bantu – In 2000 B.C. The people
living in what is now Southeastern
Nigeria moved southward throughout
Africa. On the way they spread their
languages (Bantu languages) and
cultures. This mass migration was called
the Bantu migrations.
 Why its important? Produced a great
diversity of cultures and helped link
various areas of the continent. (Today
120 million Africans speak some form of
Bantu language).
The Slave Trade
 15th century – The Portuguese
established the island of Sao Tome on
the coast of present day Gabon. (Initial
slave trade base)
 Africans traded other Africans into
slavery in exchange for guns and other
goods.
 By 1870, millions of Africans had been
taken captive and sent to the Americas
King Leopold II
 King Leopold of Belgium wanted to open
the interior of Africa to Europe.
 By 1884, he controlled the Congo. This
paved the way for the Berlin
Conference.
 Used forced labor to gather rubber, palm
oil, ivory, and other resources.
Effects of Colonialism
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Loss of Resources
Weak/Corrupt governments
Cultural and Ethnic oppression
Civil Wars
 Example: The D.R.C
1967 – Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power
Begins taking kickbacks (bribes)
Economy, Education, and Social System all
suffer
People rise up against his army (civil war)
1997 - Cycle starts over again with Laurent
Kabila
Culture
 Fang Sculptures – carved boxes containing
the skulls and bones of deceased ancestors.
Created by the Fang who live in Gabon,
Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.
Other
 Education
 Problems – shortage of teachers, high drop
out rate (age 12), shortage of secondary
schools, over 700 languages spoken.
 Disease
 AIDS
 Ebola – fever, blood clots, bleeding from
eyes and ears. (death from 2-21 days)
 Cholera – infection of small intestine that
causes severe diarrhea
Southern Africa
 Mostly Bantu speaking people
 1000 A.D. – the Shona people
established the stone city called Great
Zimbabwe a gold trading center.
 1400’s – The Mutapa Empire replaced
the Great Zimbabwe. Extended
throughout all of present day Zimbabwe.
Ethnic Clashes
 Zulu – Great warrior tribe in South Africa.
1800’s fought and were defeated by the
British.
 1890’s – British defeated Dutch farmers
known as the Boers (Boer War).
 1902 – British formed the Union of South
Africa.
Apartheid in South Africa
 Apartheid – separation of the races in
South Africa
 white only restaurants, bathrooms, train
cars, ect
 Blacks and other people of color were forced
to carry passports.
 Whites were given the best jobs.
 (this was much like segregation in the United
States)
Nelson Mandela
 Leader of the African National Congress
(A.N.C.) – a political group aimed at
ending apartheid.
 Spent almost 30 years in jail for speaking
out against apartheid.
 1994 – Became the 1st
black president of
South Africa
The Economy of South Africa
 South Africa
 blacks poorly educated.
 Posses great cities with huge industrial
complexes, such as Johannesburg and
Cape Town.
 Botswana
 Rich diamond industry. However, miners
make very little $$$.
 80% of people are farmers