Transcript Boundaries: Africa * 1914 and 1990*s Desertification Political

Africa
Countries as ranked by GDP
South Africa
Countries as ranked by Land Size
• Democratic Republic of
Congo
• Sudan
• Chad
• Mozambique
• Madagascar
Countries as ranked by population
• Nigeria
• Ethiopia
• Democratic Republic of
Congo
• Tanzania
• Kenya
Physical Characteristics
• Continent composed of a huge
plateau and escarpments
• River transportation impeded by
waterfalls and rapids
• Location of equator through the
middle of the region;
• similar climate patterns north and
south of the equator.
• Smooth coastline; few harbors
Large number of landlocked
states: Chad-ZimbabweBotswana
Storehouse of mineral wealth
Limited fertility of rainforest
soils
Deserts: Kalahari, Namib, and
Sahara
Mount Kilimanjaro
• A volcanic mountain
• Africa’s highest
•Africa’s rivers contain
many waterfalls,
rapids, and gorges.
•These features make
the rivers less useful
for transportation.
• Cataracts: waterfalls
Why is so much of Africa tropical?
90% of
Africa is
located
within the
tropics.
Aquifers:
•Huge stores of
underground water
Oasis:
• Springs and aquifers feed
these spots of vegetation
and wildlife amidst the
desert.
What region of Africa receives the
most rain?
•Central Africa
What vegetation covers most of
Africa?
•Grasslands
Bodies of Water
Nile river:
longest river
in the world.
The Blue and
White Nile
Rivers flow
from central
Africa,
converging at
Khartoum and
flowing to the
Mediterranean
Sea.
Zambezi river: flows to the Indian Ocean and
contains the world’s biggest waterfall
•Zambezi River – waterpower-fast flowing rivers
are excellent to harness for hydroelectricity
Victoria Falls: Constant rainbow from the spray
Niger river: principal river in Western Africaflows away from the sea through the Sahara
Desert then boomerangs towards the Gulf of
Guinea.
Congo river: largest river in central
Africa - starts in the highlands of the
East African rift and flows to the Atlantic
Ocean
Red Sea: an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia- helps create the
Arabian and Sinai Peninsulas- at the northern
end is the Suez canal that connects to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Lake Victoria: feeds the White Nile and lies on
an elevated plateau in the western part of
Africa's Great Rift Valley - subject to territorial
administration by Tanzania, Uganda and
Kenya.
Lake Tanganyika: divided between four
countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia water
flows into the Congo River system - Atlantic
Ocean.
Oceans: Atlantic and Indian
Confluence sites: two rivers come together
to form a third river
o Khartoum, Sudan: the Blue Nile and the
White Nile come together to form the Nile
Boundaries: Africa – 1914 and 1990’s
Desertification: expanding
deserts
• This man attempts to repair barriers that will
hold back advancing sand dunes in Niger.
Political: Organization of African Unity
• to promote the unity and
solidarity of the African Statesact as a collective voice for the
continent. Also dedicated to the
ending colonialism and to aid
independence movements.
headquarters were established
at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
Economic Characteristics
• Large percentage of population
engaged in agricultural activity
• Subsistence farming: just enough for
family or tribe
• Nomadic Herding: grazing animals in
grasslands
• Slash and burn agriculture: see Latin
America
• Plantation agriculture: see Latin
America
• Cash crops and food crops: see Latin
America
Economic Characteristics
• Poorly developed infrastructure: few good
roads, etc.
• Large number of landlocked states
• Substantial mineral wealth: diamonds,
gold, alloys
• Major exporters of raw materials
• Wide range of per capita income: very poor
or fairly rich
• Productivity that lags behind population
growth
• Desertification: expanding deserts.
Demographics that are typical of
developing countries
1. Low per capita GDP
2. Low life expectancy
3. High population growth rate
4. High infant mortality
5. Large percentage of the
population under the age of 15
6. Low literacy rates
Why does oil rich Angola have such
a poor public infrastructure?
• Oil money has been spent on
a protracted civil war.
What are two profitable commodities
besides oil?
• Coffee and lumber
Cities as centers of culture and trade
• Lagos: port city on the Atlantic
coast of Nigeria
• Dakar: capital city of Senegallocated on the Cape Verde
Peninsula along the West
African coast.
• Johannesburg; largest and
most populous city in South
Africa - center of world
diamond and gold trade.
Cultural Characteristics
Uneven population distribution
Many ethnic groups, languages and
customs
Large numbers of refugees
Few cities with population over one
million
Knowledge of history through oral
tradition
Ethnic differences:
oRwanda and Burundi: Hutus
and Tutsis Tribes have
been in conflict for a long
time.
Country names related to historical
empires:
o Mali, Timbuktu was a key city in these
empires as an outpost for transSaharan trade and a center for
scholarship. The Songhai Empire
declined after a Moroccan invasion in
1591.
oGhana, Upon achieving
independence from the United
Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana
was chosen for the new nation to
reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana
that once extended throughout
much of west of Africa.
• The name Zimbabwe derives from
"Zimba Remabwe" meaning "big
house of stone" in the Shona
language. The name Zimbabwe is a
tribute to Great Zimbabwe, site of
the capital of the Munhumutapa
Empire.
Diversity of Africans reflected in
cultural heritage
Masks:
represent spirits.
Sculpture
Dance
• African style dancing encompasses heavy
drum beats, frisky, energetic movement.
• Much of these elements have influenced
Hip-hop and is still evident in modern times
Music
• Sub-Saharan music has as its special
feature a rhythmic music that has spread to
other regions, especially to the Americas.
Contributed to salsa, jazz, and rock-n-roll.
Colorful dress
Can often identify tribal or ancestral roots.
Jewelry
Cultural Landscape
• Markets
• Churches
• Mosques, minarets: reflect the growth of
Islam in Africa
• Villages
• Modern city cores
Cote d’ Ivoire: the Ivory Coast
• limited natural resources,
• cash crops in exchange for
manufactured goods.
Examples of Spatial division:
o Organization of African Unity: see
previous definition
Reasons for conflict:
oSudan: For years conflicts
have erupted between rival
tribes and sometimes
between religious factions.
Currently, the Muslims in
Darfur are being persecuted.
Examples of situation (regional/global
connections)
• Timbuktu, Mali: prospered in the 15th and
16th centuries from Trans-Saharan trade and
helped to spread Islam.
Trans-Sahara trade: early caravan trade
routes through Western Africa.
Cape town, South Africa: Supply Station
for ships sailing around Africa.
THE END