Transcript Africa and the International Community

Chapter 10
Africa and the International
Community
Introduction
• Modern day Africa faces many political and
economic challenges
– Illegitimate and corrupt rule has plagued most of the
country
– The continent struggles to find the recipe for
economic development and growth but have made
strides in the last few years
• The continent still suffers from the legacy of
colonialism
• Africa owns about one-third of the world’s
primary commodities
African Geography
• Size
– Second largest continent
– Stretches five thousand miles from North to South
– Just under five thousand miles West to East
– More than three times the size of the United States
• Thought of in terms of North of the Saharan
desert or Sub-Saharan
– 45 countries make up sub-Saharan Africa
– Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria make up the
transition between North and Sub-Saharan
Climate and Land Mass
• Africa is rich in various topographies and climates
• Home to some of the world’s largest and driest
deserts, highest mountain peaks, and densest rain
forests
• The Congo River dominates the west central rain
forests of equatorial Africa
• The Nile River is the lifeblood of northeast Africa
• East African landscape includes mountains, lakes,
upland plateaus, and rich grasslands
• The southern regions of Africa are a mix of
deserts, hills, and plateaus
Geographic Disadvantages
• Africa has few natural harbors and navigable
rivers to the interior making resource
movement tough
• Africa is generally very dry and the dry seasons
last for six to seven months
– Makes sustainable agriculture production difficult
• Recurrent drought has plagued some of the
central and eastern countries since the 1970’s
making life difficult in these regions
African Demography
• Population Density
– Africa is home to about 1 billion people, of which 750
million live in sub-Saharan Africa
– Population density in much of the continent is low,
people tend to cluster around large cities, coastlines,
and areas of arable land
– The World Bank estimates that 65% of Africans are
employed in the agricultural sector
• Low Life Expectancy and High Birth Rates
– High infant mortality rates
• ¼ of children in Sierra Leone die before the age of one
– Despite high infant mortality rates, birth rates in most
African countries are high
Contested Borders
• Most borders in Africa are the constructions of
European imperialists of the 19th Century
• Only 1/5 of Africa’s borders run across sparsely
populated deserts, while many other boundaries
divide ethnic groups
– These divisions have been the reason for many
disputes
• Many historical lands and landmarks are not
contained in present day states of nations as laid
out by the imperial borders
Cultural Diversity in Africa
• No country has just one culture
– Ethiopia has 76 ethnic groups and 286 languages
• About 1500 identified African languages
divided into five major groups:
– Afro-Asiatic (from Sahara north to Mediteranean)
– Niger-Congo (sub-Saharan)
– Khoisan (southern)
– Nilo-Saharan (North-Central)
– Malagasy
Africa in World History
• African history is dominated by Western accounts
– Until recently, historical accounts of the region before
Europeans was left out of history
• Ghana and Mali were of the great West African
commercial states in the pre-modern period
• Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in the south were
flourishing agricultural and trading societies
• Much history has been lost due to the slave trade
The Slave Trade
• Originally the Portuguese and Dutch were
interested in gold and ivory
• By the 18th century, the focus switched to slave
trade
– Over 12 million Africans enslaved and taken to the
Western Hemisphere
– More than 1 million more died
• The slave trade coincided with the decline in
African societies
– Made it easier for the Europeans to invade
The Slave Trade
• By the 20th century, European nations had
established formal control over the entire
continent with the exception of Liberia and
Ethiopia
• The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) finalized
imperial borders
– Most of these borders exist today
• Europeans improved many aspects of African
life, but very few Africans reaped the benefits
African Independence
• The end of colonial rule began in the late 1950’s
when Ghana became the first to gain
independence in 1957
• By 1975 the era of European rule in Africa was
over
• The independence movement was peaceful
except in countries with large amounts of
Europeans
– Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya (1952 to 1959)
• Corruption of leaders has become a problem in
many African states and was a problem during
the Cold War
– kleptocracy
Political and Economic Development
• In the 1980’s many African countries seemed to
becoming democratic governments and growing
economies
• Ethnic conflict and civil war became a bigger
priority
• Freedom House ratings of the 48 countries in
sub-Saharan Africa
– 10 “free”
– 23 “partly free”
– 15 “not free”
World Integration
• World trade and technology has come a long
way in the last several decades
• Africa needs political stability before it can
fully integrate into this improving global
economy
• Inequities in education levels and the
distribution of wealth left by imperialists have
left Africa with a stunted economy
Africa in the Global Economy
• Less connected than any other continent
• Accounts for 1% of the world’s economic
output and 2% of world trade
• By the end of the 1950’s Ghana’s per capita
GDP was equivalent to South Korea’s
– Today, Ghana’s per capita GDP is $2500 while
South Korea’s is $28,300
• 90% of people in Mozambique, Malawi, and
Tanzania live on less than $2 per day
Resources in Africa
• Africa owns a large portion of the world’s raw
minerals
– 54% of world’s cobalt, 32% of its bauxite, 52% of
its manganese, 81% of its chromium, and 84% of
its platinum
• This mineral wealth has been a main cause of
conflict as civil wars occur to gain ownership
of these materials
Economic Aid to Africa
• In the last 60 years, Africa has received about $1
trillion dollars in aid
• Results:
– Reduces incentives to reform economic and political
policies
– Budget deficits and debt increase
– Decline in per capita GDP
• Corrupt officials are a large problem
– The African Union (AU) estimates that $150 billion lost
annually due to corruption
Explanations for Poor Economic
Growth
• Low education levels throughout the
continent
– 63% of African population is literate
– 50% of sub-Saharan African women are literate
• Somalia is worst at 25%
• Damage done by colonial rule
– Economic and political systems put in place not
conducive to African way of life
• Lack of infrastructure
Demographic Issues
• Very high average birthrates in African
countries
– 6.5 children per woman in Somalia
– 4.9 children per woman in Rwanda
• Very low average life expectancies in African
countries
– Average life expectancy in Africa is 56 years
– AIDS, malaria, lack of clean water all reasons
Nigeria
• 6th largest oil producer in the world
• Largest population in sub-Sahara
• Very ethnically diverse, over 250 ethnic groups
– Muslim Hausa and Fulani groups make up much of
the north, Igbo make up the southeast, and
Christian Yoruba make up the southwest
• Civil unrest due to religious and ethnic
differences
• Life expectancy in Nigeria is only 47.6 years
Democratic Republic of Congo
• Comprises 1/13 of Africa’s landmass and
possesses some of Africa’s most valuable natural
resources
– Gold, oil, diamonds, rubber, copper, zinc
• Historically corrupt state
– King Leopold II
– Mobutu
• Culturally diverse with over 200 ethnic groups
and 75 different languages
• GDP per capita of $300 and 70% live below the
poverty line
The Horn of Africa
• These countries exemplify the struggles of
many African countries in building nations
inside imperial borders
• Inconsistent support by the US left many
countries unstable and unable to establish a
political identity
• Somalia is a prime example of the crippling
effects of corruption and has become a
breeding ground for terrorists
Globalization in Africa
• The US and Canada import 33% of sub-Saharan
crude oil, China imports 33%, and Europe imports
about 20%
• Increased trade opportunities with US, Europe,
India, and China
– African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) gave 38
African countries duty-free access to US markets
– Preferential trade agreements between Africa and
Europe
– China overtook US as largest trade partner in 2009
• AIDS and terrorist activity in East Africa has
drawn the attention of the US