Africa Physical Geography

Africa’s Resources  Oil is the number 1 commodity. –Commodity  an economic good.  Coffee is the number 2 commodity. –20% of the world’s supply  Logging for lumber is depleting the forests.

 Sugar, palm oil, cocoa beans are major industries.  66% of the people live an agrarian (farming) lifestyle.

 Africa’s natural resources made it appealing to European colonizers. –Colonize  To control the land, resources, and or, people of a territory.  European countries lacked resources so they had to get them from colonies.

Resources to Riches…  In order to have factories countries need to be industrialized.  Industrialized countries need a stable government!  Some African countries are not industrialized. They sell their resources to other countries who make the big money! Resources  Factory  Product  Sold $$$

Example  Coco beans  chocolate factory  candy  sold for $  African coco beans sold to Hershey factory in the United States.  Hershey makes the product and sells it for more money.

Climate and Vegetation  Africa is dry and hot with both deserts and warm tropics.  African vegetation includes thick rainforests, grasslands and the desert.

African Vegetation

Human-Environment Interaction  Nigerian oil industry has caused serious environmental damage in the Niger Delta. –6 th largest exporter in the world.  Mismanagement, poor planning, and corruption has left Nigeria poorer than before oil.

 Desertification is the shift of the land to the desert. It is destroying the rain forest and farming. –Caused by mismanaged farming.

 Nile River  Longest river in the world. –Aswan dam built on the river.  Impact of a dam: –Positive  clean electricity production and irrigating (watering) of crops. –Negative effects  forced migration, disease increase, loss of wildlife and habitat.