Transcript West Africa and Central Africa

WEST AFRICA AND
CENTRAL AFRICA
Chapter 26, Page 540
Overview of Chapter 26

Section 1 – The Sahel
 Answer
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assessment Q’s 1-3
Section 2 – The Coastal Countries
Section 3 – Nigeria
Section 4 – Central Africa
It’s Map Time!
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3.
Using the map on page 540, label the
countries of West Africa and Central Africa.
You have 5 minutes.
Now turn to page 513. What are the three
main ecosystems in West and Central
Africa?
Go to page 517 and list the natural
resources of the Atlantic coast nations.
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What do
you notice?
The Sahel Today
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The Sahel separates the
Sahara to the north from the
wetter regions to the south
Sahel is the Arab word for
“shore” or “border”
The Sahel includes:
 Mauritania, Mali, Niger,
Burkina Faso, Chad
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Region is dry, so farmers
practice shifting agriculture,
meaning they farm an area for
a while and then move on
Herding is also common.
Overgrazing is a common
concern in the Sahel.
Deforestation is also a
concern.
Desertification is also a
concern as its turning the
savanna into desert.
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Aside from Mauritania, all
Sahel nations are
landlocked… meaning cut off
from the sea.
Important Rivers
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The Senegal and the Niger
run through the region.
The Niger begins in the
mountains of Guinea near the
Atlantic and fans out into an
inland delta, which is an area
of lakes, creeks, and swamps.
Region also has some mineral
wealth.
Assessment Questions
1. Shifting agriculture, forage, deforestation,
desertification, refugee, landlocked, inland delta
2. The Sahel was a crossroads and an important
meeting point for various cultures. In particular,
Mediterranean and African cultures
3. a) Deforestation and overgrazing have contributed
to desertification.
3. b) During times of drought people flock to cities or
simply leave their land.
Random Stuff
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Mauritania and beauty
 Force
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feeding young girls
Music and Mali
 Festival
au Desert in Mali
 Ali Farka Toure – bluesman of the desert
 Connect
 Toumani
West African music to American blues
Diabate – Griot (storyteller) and Kora
(instrument)
West Africa
The Coastal Countries
Let’s begin with the 2014 Ebola outbreak in
West Africa.
Ebola Outbreak
How does ebola spread?
Bodily fluids
Outbreak and Spread
Ebola Outside West Africa
The Coastal Countries of West Africa
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Made up of 11 countries
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Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierre Leone,
Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Cape Verde
(little island)
Three advantages over Sahel nations
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Wetter climate which means better farming
Access to the sea which means more economic opportunity
More natural resources…like minerals or oil
Europeans have been coming here to trade (or steal)
since the 1400s.
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Ex. Who came up with the name Gold Coast or Ivory
Coast?
Economic Activities
A very general overview
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Agriculture
 Tropical
stuff like cocoa, coffee, rice, peanuts,
pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (manioc, tapioca),
bananas, shea nuts, sugar, cotton, rubber, sweet
potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber
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Mining
 Bauxite
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(used to make aluminum), gold, diamonds, iron
Oil
Fishing
 Fish
(ask Leo)
Struggles for Power
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European colonial powers ruled most of Africa until
the1960s.
New independent countries often had weak
economies and unstable governments.
Coups (sudden political takeovers) and military
coups were and are still all too common.
Civil wars too!
Liberia
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Founded in 1822 by freed
American slaves.
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According to BBC News,
“Liberia is mostly inhabited by
indigenous Africans, with the
slaves' descendants comprising
5% of the population.”
Established a republic by
1847...oldest republic in Africa!
Had a horrible civil war in the
1980s and 1990s.
Shall we watch an episode of
you know who?
We can also watch the Ghana
episode.
Sierra Leone
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Name means “Mountains of the
Lions”
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Portuguese sailors first thought the
sound of thunder rolling through the
mountains sounded like the roar of
lions.
Emerged from a decade of civil
war in 2002.
Most famous export, aside from
the infamous “blood diamond”, is
probably the Sierra Leone
Refugee All-Star band
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Formed in West African refugee
camps.
Pretty good documentary made
about them in 2005 I believe