Geograph y and the Early History of Africa

Creation Story of the Kikuyu People from the land of Kenya –Called the Kikuyu Used to explain how they are connected to the land –“This land I hand over to you. O man and woman it’s yours to rule and farm in peace, sacrificing only to me, your God, under my sacred tree.” ?? Why do cultures have creation stories ??

Vast Continent Africa is the world’s second (2 nd ) largest continent Location on the Earth: –Africa is located on the Equator (1/2 of the country is above and ½ below) –Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean –Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea border it as well

Explain the importance of being surrounded by oceans and seas.

Regions of Africa Main Regions of Africa are: –North Africa- from Morocco to Egypt. –West Africa- south of the Sahara Desert. –East Africa- Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, etc… –Central Africa- Democratic Republic of the Congo (On the Equator). –Southern Africa- from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Look at page 62 in your textbook (Map of Africa) Geography helps to determine lifestyle and culture

Landforms of Africa Most of Africa is plateau region –Plateau- large area of high flat, or gently rolling land These plateaus are at different elevations throughout Africa –Escarpments- steep cliffs that divide the plateau from the coastal plain –Cataracts- large waterfalls and rapids Changes in elevation cause the rivers to change course and direction Explain how these cataracts would have made passage on the rivers problematic.

What do you see?

Great Rift Valley Goes through the Eastern part of Africa –See page 61 in your textbook It is a giant fault (break in the Earth’s crust) –From the Red Sea to the Zambezi River High cliffs surround the valley and deposit rich soil into the valley Many minerals and metals are also here Costly and dangerous to mine these areas

Rivers Rivers provide: –Fish, Irrigation, and transportation –Hydroelectric Power- energy produced from moving water This is how the power of water is used to make electricity What is important about this method ??

Rivers The Nile- flows for 4,160 miles (largest in the world) –Played a major role in human development –Deposits rich soil onto the land for farming –Aswan Dam created in 1970 for hydroelectric power –Begins in the highlands of East Africa and flows northward across Africa

Rivers Congo River- drains the area of Central Africa –Major source of hydroelectric power –Large parts are unable to be navigated Niger River- starts in Sierra Leone and Guinea –Forms a large swamp by the Sahara –Major transportation route for ships and barges Zambezi River- flows in Southern Africa –Flows over Victoria Falls

Natural Resources Africa’s rivers provide many precious metals and minerals –Gold and Diamonds Vast resources of precious minerals were the reason that European powers carved up Africa Examples: –Oil, diamonds, gold, cobalt, copper Resources are distributed unevenly through the country What problems would this have caused?