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Africa Introduction

Africa Introduction. Physical Geography . Fun Facts: Africa is VERY diverse. There are 700 different cultures 2,000 different languages North Africa is very different from the southern part of Africa (known as Sub-Saharan Africa). Plateaus. High plateaus drop off to narrow coasts

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Africa Introduction

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  1. Africa Introduction

  2. Physical Geography • Fun Facts: • Africa is VERY diverse. • There are 700 different cultures • 2,000 different languages • North Africa is very different from the southern part of Africa (known as Sub-Saharan Africa).

  3. Plateaus High plateaus drop off to narrow coasts Elevation of much of land is high—lots of cliffs

  4. Rivers Nile and Congo Even large Rivers have rapids and waterfalls near coast, which affects development and trade.

  5. High escarpments drop off to narrow coasts resulting in high elevation in many parts of Africa. Cliffs and Escarpments

  6. Mount Kilimanjaro Highest mountains are found in East Africa. The highest is Mt. Kilimanjaro

  7. Great Rift Valley Deep trench that cuts through East Africa and is 4,000 miles long is the Great Rift Valley. Great Rift Valley is a geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends 4,000 miles from N. Syria to central Mozambique.

  8. Rain Forest In West Africa we find Monsoon rainforests which are tropical moist or seasonal rainforests In Central Africa we find Equatorial Rainforests which are often considered the "real rainforest," are characterized by more than 80 inches (2,000 mm) of rain annually spread evenly throughout the year. Most of Africa’s rainforests are found in West Africa. Sadly they are slowly disappearing: 5,400 square miles or 26% have disappeared.

  9. Savannahs are found where trees are spaced out enough that there is no canopy. These range from dense forests to grassy plains.

  10. Deserts The two main deserts in Africa are the Sahara in the North and the Kalahari in the South. Together they make up 1/3 of the Continent!

  11. Sahel • Buffer between deserts and fertile lands • It is becoming a desert itself because of farming and weather. • Desertification: degradation of land in arid and semi-arid areas-from overuse, grazing and over cutting.

  12. Diversity • RACISM: led European explorers to think of all blacks as homogenous (the same). • However Africa is VERY diverse! It makes up: • 1/7th of the world’s area • 1/10th of the world’s population • 1/3rd of the world’s languages • Madagascar not even African at all! It was settled by Malaysian traders. • Swahili is another example of the diversity of Africa—it is a mixture of Arabic, Portuguese, and Bantu.

  13. Islam and Africa >The huge Islamic influence in Africa. is an example of Cultural diffusion. >There are many religions in Africa including: Christianity, Islam, and Animism. >Animism is the belief that inanimate objects and natural disasters have spirits.

  14. Health Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and kills 1 million children per year. Spread by the tsetse fly, sleeping sickness, also kills cattle. Other diseases such as river blindness, diphtheria, and AIDS are a problem due to the lack of health care and sanitation facilities.

  15. Women Work 10-15 hours a day—raising kids, grinding millet for food, fetching water, etc. Men can often have many wives, called polygamy. “Bride Wealth” = older husband pays for younger wife-expensive.

  16. History • Bantu people moved into southern Africa 2500 years ago—movement of people into new lands is called MIGRATION. • Great Zimbabwe—1000 AD—large stone ruins were discovered by European explorers. • Showed that a powerful kingdom was there • Slave Trade: 1500’s-1800’s • LIBERIA (US) and SIERRA LEONE (GB)—countries that were established for freed slaves

  17. Bantu People

  18. Great Zimbabwe

  19. European Imperialism Colonialism: when one nation seeks to dominate another Guns allowed Europeans to conquer Africa in a 20 year period ( 1870-1890) Reason for Colonilization of Africa: $$, power, religion, wealth. Berlin Conference divided up Africa—no Africans were invited—French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and Belgians. Pan-Africanism—promote African unity—united Africa to end colonialism—some were peaceful, some violent. Nonalignment-noninvolvement with either Communist bloc nations or Western bloc nations.

  20. The Berlin Conference Blue: France Pink: GB Yellow: Belgium Orange: Spain Green: Italy Brown: Germany Light Green: Portugal Grey: Independent

  21. The Four G’sOf Imperialism

  22. Effects of European Rule in Africa • Negative • Downgraded traditional African culture and weakened family ties • Led to forced labor and abuses of human rights • Created artificial colonial boundaries that cut across historical, ethnic and cultural boundaries • Positive • Improved medical care, sanitation, and nutrition • Expanded transportation and communications • Increased agricultural production with new seeds and fertilizers • Created new education and career opportunities

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