Chapter 21

1. Chapter 21 Cultural Geography of Africa South of the Sahara

2. The Sahel • Centuries of alternating drought and rain • Steppe climate • Endured conquest and drought by holding on to their traditions

3. Population Patterns • Changing physical environment, many diverse ethnic groups have shaped population patterns in the Sahel • Ethnic group – people which share common ancestry, language, religion, customs

4. The People • Sahel region includes Chad, Niger, Mali and Mauritania • Find Sahel region on p. 498 map • Sahel made up by diverse populations • Influenced by native Africans, European immigrants and Arab immigrants • More than 100 ethnic groups in Chad alone • Major ethnic groups: Mande – Senegal and Mali Wolof – Senegal Hausa – Niger Fulani and Berber – live throughout Sahel

5. The People • Hausa – Niger, practice settled agriculture • Fulani – throughout Sahel, raise dairy cattle, worlds largest ethnic group of nomadic herders, one of first African ethnic groups to adopt Islam • Berbers – throughout Sahel, maintain traditional religious customs • Majority of people in Sahel have adopted Islam

6. Density and Distribution • Sparse population in Sahel region • Only 103 ppl/square mile • Populations not evenly distributed • Population density in Sudan highest along Nile River • Urbanization is prevalent in Sahel, due to desertification, deforestations, economic need • People have migrated to cities • Senegal – most urbanized country, 43 percent of people live in urban areas • Average urbanization in Sahel – 32%

7. First Civilizations • 2000 BC, dramatic shift in climate brought immigrants from Middle East/SWA to Sahel • Immigrants brought with them knowledge of agriculture and animal domestication • Nile area very fertile, created great Egyptian civilization • 2000 BC-1000BC, Egyptians moved south, taking over various cultures/peoples • When Egyptian culture faded, cultures under their control rose to power • Kingdom of Kush – today Sudan, extended rule north into Egyptian territory, flourished until 300 AD

8. Empires and Colonization • Mali Empire – grew rich from gold – for – salt trade • Timbuktu – wealthy city, center of Mali Empire • Trade with Europe began in 1200s, gold in particular, slave trade began in 1600s • Europe saw region as source of raw materials, potential market for exports • All Sahel under European control by 1914 • Detriment of European colonization – geometric borders cut through ethnic groups • Benefits – improved education • Mid 1900s, educated Africans launch independence movements

9. Sudan Today • North – mostly Arab, live mostly in cities, favor Islamic governments • South – native people, live mostly rurally, farming, favor secular government • Darfur – holds 1.8 million native, black African people displaced by government militias

10. Language and Religion • Languages spoken from several language families • Common: Afro-Asiatic, Nilo – Saharan, Congo-Kordofanian • French, widely spoken, due to French colonization • Islam - dominant religion of the Sahel

11. Education and Health Care • School participation, literacy rates in Sahel are low • Niger and Mali – only third of children go to school • Parents often too poor to send children to school • Rural areas, children provide farm labor • Major health concerns – high female and infant mortality rates due to lack of care during pregnancy • Low numbers have access to clean water, proper sanitation, disposal of waste

12. 2. East Africa • Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti • Indian Ocean, has served as gateway between major trading ports in Africa, Asia and Arabian Peninsula • Swahili people, live along East African coast, descendents of East African, Arab and Persian traders

13. Population Patterns • East Africa shaped by location along coastline of Indian Ocean • East Africans live along coasts, in desert, steppe, and in highlands along Great Rift Valley

14. Density and Distribution • East Africa density varies greatly due to climate and land characteristics • E. Africa made up by desert, steppe and highlands (GRV) • Tanzania – varies from 3 ppsm (arid areas) to 133 ppsm in highlands • Most cities lie along the coast or along major rivers • Somalia – nearly 60 percent nomadic • Soaring populations, farmers struggling with poor farmland dried out from poor farm practices, leads to shortages of food

15. Early Peoples and Kingdoms • Place of origin for all mankind • Human bones 3.2 million years old discovered in Ethiopia • 2.6 million yr old bones in Kenya • Civilizations here have traded with Arabs, Asians and Mediterranean peoples

16. European Colonization • David Livingstone, early European explorer, doctor, missionary • Wanted to spread Christianity, commerce, civilization through Africa • Britain, France, Portugal, German – carved up continent to protect trade routes • Less than 40 yrs, created more than 40 countries out of Africa

17. Colonies to Countries • Many African countries win independence in 1950s and 60s • Independence sometimes created internal problems • Uganda – dictatorship during 1970’s • Rwanda – • Tutsi (min.) favored over Hutu (maj.) by government • given positions of power • created resentment • violence between two groups for decades • in 1994 genocide, Hutu kill hundreds of thousands of Tutsi

18. Language and Religion • Numerous languages spoken in E. Africa • English and French serve as lingua franca, or common language • Arab settlers brought Arabic, Islam to region • Most people are Christian or Muslim

19. Education/Health Care • Range widely • 35 percent in Ethiopia • 70 percent in Uganda • Only small percentage completes secondary education • Poor nutrition, famine, overpopulation and disease • AIDs, spread person to person, epidemic here

20. 3. West Africa • Diverse peoples • Maintained native cultures through colonization, adopted many outside customs • Limited economic means • Cope with climate change, overpopulation, ethnic conflict

21. Population Patterns • Problems: climate change and deforestation, food shortages • Many W. Africans moving from rural to urban areas in search of work and education

22. The People • Diverse ethnic groups • Some native, some have come through migration, Arab, European • Two of largest ethnic groups: Hausa, Yoruba

23. Density and Distribution • Nigeria, rapid pop growth • 2005- 137 mill, 2025 projection – 190 mill • Most people in SSA region live along coast and river plains • Live here do to access to water, fertile soil, mild climates • Africa – fastest rate of urbanization in world • Still, most W. Africans live rurally • Gambia – 60 % live rurally • Senegal – 50% live rurally • Nigeria – 56 % live rurally

24. History and Government • Historical Sequence: • WA empires • Colonial rule • Independent African countries

25. Early Empires • Trading empires strong in W. Africa around 700 AD • Ghana and Mali named after ancient empires • Ghana – traded gold for salt, used for food preservative, gold was plentiful • Ghana empire flourished for 500 years

26. The Colonial Era • 1400s, Portuguese set up trading posts along W. Africa coast • Timbuktu, Kano, Gao, Wangara • History of slave trade in Africa • Africans had enslaved each other for centuries • Arabs had brought African slaves to Middle East since 800’s • Europeans begin African slave trade with Americas in 1600’s

27. Nigeria: A Colonial Legacy • 1914, British form colony of Nigeria • Group several smaller ethnic territories • North – Islamic culture • South – African religions, Christianity • Independence in 1960 led to civil war • Continues today

28. Language and Religion • Hundreds of languages spoken in W. Africa • English, French are widespread • Native Yoruba, widely spoken, many dialects • Religions include Islam, Christianity, native African religions • Has caused conflict

29. Education/Health Care • 18 percent literacy in Niger • 75 percent in Ghana • Ghana spent heavily on education, since 1960 • Access to health care uneven • Niger: infant mortality of 248 per 1000 children from 1-4 • Due to poor health, poor nutrition

30. 4. Central Africa • Rainforests cover more than half of the region • Unique growing environment

31. The People • Mostly rural • Dense rainforest makes large-scale agriculture difficult • Most are subsistence farmers, cattle raisers • Home to hundreds of ethnic groups • Mbuti, live in the forests, hunter gatherer, short, under 59 inches (5 ft) tall on average

32. Density and Distribution • CA- one of least densely populated regions on continent • Gabon – labor shortages • Republic of Congo – most populated in region • Kinshasa, capital, economic hub of region

33. History and Government • When the Europeans landed on the shores of Central Africa, they found large trading empires

34. Early Settlement • CA not settled in large numbers until AD 600-700s • Settled by Bantu speakers • Bantu spread across one third of continent • Bantu founded kingdoms of Kongo (Congo), Luba, Luanda

35. Slavery • Europeans, land in late 1400s • Interested in trade • Region became center of European slave trade • Enslaved Africans faced terrible trip across Atlantic Ocean to Americas • Millions died on these trips • Loss of young Africans a major setback to societies in Africa

36. European Colonization • Occurred during 1800s • Malaria slowed colonization in CA • France and Belgium competed for power in region • Changed economies into resource extraction, growing cash crops • By 1960, all French colonies became independent

37. Instability After Independence • Man people in CA experienced ethnic clash, harsh rule, human rights abuses after independence • Example: DR of Congo – dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (late 60s until 90s)

38. Language • 700 local languages in DR of C • French widely spoken throughout CA • Pidgin – simplified speech used among people who speak different languages, helps people from different language groups communicate

39. Education/Health Care • Historical conflicts, strained education systems • Literacy – • 50 percent in Central African Republic • 85 percent in Equatorial Guinea • Most areas lack safe drinking water, short on vaccines for curable diseases, rising AIDs victims

40. 5. Southern Africa

41. The People • Most live rurally • Many moving to urban centers • Primary native ethnic groups: • Bantu – throughout Southern Africa • Swazi - Swaziland • Zulu – South Africa • San – Namibia, best known hunter-gatherers in world

42. The People • Since colonial rule, tensions have existed between whites and blacks • South Africa - minority white government, Afrikaners, separated whites and blacks, denied blacks voting rights

43. Density and Distribution • Densities vary widely • Namibia – 6 people per sq. mile • Lesotho – 154 people per sq. mile • Rapid urbanization • Predictions – more than half of SSA population will live in cities by 2030 • In Southern Africa, many move to cities, such as Johannesburg, to work in gold and diamond mines • 70 % of world's AIDS sufferers live in in Africa South of the Sahara • 2 million AIDS related deaths in region in 2005

44. Early Cultures • Archaeologists find cultural remnants dating back 1 million years in Southern Africa • “Great Zimbabwe” – stone ruins dated between 800 and 1200 AD • Zulu, Bantu descendents, fixtures in South Africa since stone age • Kraals – Zulu homes

45. European Colonization • Native people exploited for resources, slavery • Led to conflict and movements for independence • Europeans looking for land, resources, settled in South Africa in 1600s • Portuguese, controlled Angola, 1500s, sent slaves to Americas • Europeans switched local economies to mining, cash crop plantations • Extraction of wealth

46. Challenges after Independence • South Africa – minority white government holds policy of apartheid, or separation of the races, denial of rights (political, economic, social) to blacks • Blacks forced to live with poor housing, denied opportunities for jobs, education, etc. • Internal unrest, international sanctions end Apartheid in early 90s • Nelson Mandela, anti-Apartheid leader, freed after 27 years in prison, elected president in 1994 (universal suffrage) • Black population still struggles with poverty due to legacy of inequality

47. Culture • Languages – African, English, French, Dutch • Christianity, most common religion in Southern Africa • AIDS epidemic having terrible effects • Urban dwells wear western-style clothing, use cell phones, watch television