Africa – Physical Geography

Landforms and Resources Angola diamonds = weapons = 500,000 dead and 4,000,000 homeless Present day Africa moved very little as Pangaea split up Most of Africa is a plateau 1,000 feet above sea level

Landforms and Resources Huge basins – depressions – 625 miles x 5,000 feet deep Nile River – 4,000 miles long, 95% of Egyptian life Google earth Many waterfalls, rapids and gorges make river travel difficult

Landforms and Resources Rift valleys – long thin valleys in East Africa over 4,000 mile long Long deep lakes Lake Tanganyika – 420 miles long and 4,700’ deep Lake Victoria Mountains – mostly volcanic mountains Mount Kilimanjaro – Great Escarpment – steep slope with a flat plateau – S. Africa

Landforms and Resources Many minerals on continent and oil Economic activity map on page 419 Many diverse resources Oil #1, coffee #2, lumber, sugar, cocoa beans, palm oil 66% make living in agriculture

Climate and Vegetation Warm tropical temperatures Deserts – Sahara Aquifers – oasis Variations in rainfall from one extreme to the other 120” to less than 20” N. and S Africa have Mediterranean climates – can be cooler

Climate and Vegetation Grasslands – tropical grassland cover most of continent – Serengeti Plain – dry with hard soil – supports grazing animals Rainforests – leave 6 weeks vs. year in Europe to decompose Canopy – uppermost layer of branches in rainforest 150’ in the air Slash and burn agriculture – 90% of Madagascar and ½ of African rainforests

Climate and Vegetation

Climate and Vegetation

Climate and Vegetation

Climate and Vegetation

Human-Environment Interaction 300 dead in Nigeria from pipeline explosion 1000s of lives and a lot of environmental disaster Desertification – change of moist areas to desert – human activity is speeding up the process (farming, grazing and population) Rain forest is disappearing

Human-Environment Interaction Nigeria – 6th largest oil producer – 2M BBL per day – 80% to 90% of income Mismanagement, corruption, poor planning and dropping prices hurt Nigeria 4,000 oil spills, soot and air pollution, fires and explosions Oil stolen and resold

Human-Environment Interaction Nile – Aswan High Dam – Lake Nasser 300 miles and was built in 1970 Controls flooding and irrigation water Increased farmland by 50% People were relocated and artifacts were covered in water Decreased fertility and lessened silt deposits while increasing salt in soil Malaria and water evaporation

Human Geography East Africa Cradle of humanity Ethiopia = trading center 19th century Africa colonized for resources Berlin Conference 1884-1885 divides Africa among 14 nations to avoid war – no Africans invited Liberia and Ethiopia remain free Divided with no respect to language or culture Groups put together that hated each other Conflicts today in Africa took root during colonization

Human Geography East Africa Gained independence by 1970 Many internal disputes and civil wars Cultural divisions cause internal conflicts Farming and tourism Coffee, tea and sugar Many moving to cities Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have wildlife parks that people want to farm

Human Geography East Africa 160 different ethnic groups Health care is bad AIDS pandemic – uncontrollable outbreak of disease Famine in Somalia- drought and political violence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y53Kx9z0Qak

Human Geography

Human Geography

Human Geography North Africa Carthage in Tunisia is a trading post Egypt Invaded throughout history Islam dominates – monotheistic based on teachings of Muhammad Quran, Sunni, Shia, god, women, jihad, marriage, Jesus Testimony, prayer, giving, fasting, & pilgrimmage

Human Geography North Africa Black gold, 99% of Libyan exports Many unemployed especially young Souk = marketplace Women – few women work, eat separately, moving towards one wife, less abuse, preteen arranged marriages lessened, women in cities getting jobs

Human Geography West Africa 300 years over 20 million slaves exported 20% died on voyage Effects still felt today Gold and salt were early products Many cultures and peoples Stateless societies governed by families

Human Geography West Africa Ghana $1900 – minerals Sierra Leone – 800 miles of road and 30% literacy Carving, weaving, art and music

Human Geography Central Africa Bantu are the largest group and culture Slave trade was assisted by African rulers King Leopold II of Belgium in 1870s wanted to develop trade in the Congo Borders during colonialism hurt systems of trade and government By 1960s most areas were free Inexperienced and corrupt leaders

Human Geography Central Africa Little money for roads, airports or education Lack stable political systems Art and sculpture Education in short supply Less than half of 16-20 year olds attend school Few teachers, school buildings and high dropout rate Over 700 languages – most education in French Few universities

Human Geography South Africa Blacks greatly outnumber whites but own little land Gold trade Zimbabwe was a gold trading empire from 1200s to 1400s then ended suddenly?? British defeat the Zulus in late 1800s to control S. Africa British fought Dutch in Boer War

Human Geography South Africa 1948 apartheid – complete separation of races No social contact with segregated schools, hospitals and neighborhoods 25% white Nelson Mandela ANC Apartheid ends 1994

Human Geography

Human Geography South Africa Economies are advanced for Africa, but black poverty is a big problem Many young uneducated people Unequal land distribution and severe housing shortages Botswana has mineral wealth, but an uneven distribution of money

Human Geography South Africa Rich buy land for cattle which cause food shortages Dance is important Johannesburg has 6M people with rich in N and poor in S

African Issues Poor government Poor economies Poor education Few trading relationships

African Issues Little manufacturing – raw materials Debt Many educated Africans leave Health care is limited – Aids, cholera, malaria and tuberculosis