East Africa From Human Beginnings to New Nations

East Africa  One of the Subregions of Africa  Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania  East Africa is called the “cradle of humanity” because of the large number of prehistoric remains found in the region  Tanzania is known for the records of human remains (hominids)

Continental Crossroads Map. 430  Crossroad is a road that crosses a main road or runs cross-country between main roads  Scientist believe the first human lived there

A Trading Coast  Aksum was an early civilization of East Africa  It has origins in Ethiopia in the B.C.E  People from Aksum traded with people from Egypt and the eastern Roman Empire  There was a movement coming from Asia through the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean

Obelisk: Tumbs and Treasures

Gold, ivory, and spices

A Trading Coast  During the 6 th century, Aksum declined because the traders were passing through the Persian Gulf rather than the Red Sea  Around the 7 th century, Arab, Persian, Indian traders once made East Africa an international trading center  Kilwa was one of the most important cities

Colonization Disrupts Africa  In the 19 th century, Europe’s industrialized nations became interested in Africa’s raw materials ( natural resources )  These nations wanted to colonize Africans countries to obtain their resources  Europeans did not wanted to fight for Africa, so 14 European nations convened the Berlin Conference in to lay down rules for dividing Africa

Colonization Disrupts Africa  By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained free  Europeans divided Africa without regard to where African ethnic or linguistic groups lived  Europeans combined enemies and divided friends  Many people blamed the European division as one of the root causes of political violence and ethnic conflicts

Ethiopia Avoids Colonization  Ethiopia Emperor Menelik II protected his country from Italian invasion with weapons from France and Russia  Knowledge of the land was an advantage in favor of the Ethiopians  Ethiopia defeated Italy in 1896

Conflict in East Africa  By 1970’s, most of East Africa has regained its independence  Civil wars became a problem  Colonialism inflamed the people of Rwanda and helped to cause a bloody conflict in the 1990’s  Ethnic boundaries created cultural divisions among native groups

Farming and Tourism Economies  Agriculture and wildlife parks are the foundation of East Africa

Farming and Tourism Economies  East Africa is 70% rural (no big cities)  cash crops such as coffee, tea, and sugar  Relying on cash crops can be risky because the price of crops depends on the world market (demand and supply)  More people are looking for new job opportunities in cities

Tourism Creates Wealth and Problems  One of the main economic activities is tourism  Europeans created game reserves – killing animals for a sport  Africans hunt only for survival  Wildlife parks make lots of money in profits

Traditional Cultures  Two major ethnic groups  Masai  Kikuyu  Masai lives in the Africa grasslands in Kenya and Tanzania  Masai herd livestock (raise animals for pleasure) and farm the land  Masai dresses with animal skins and wear long skirt-like robes

Traditional Cultures  Kikuyu are the largest group in Kenya  Kikuyu live close to the Mount Kenya  Kikuyu traditionally are herders

Health Care in Modern Africa  Many people face health problems  AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome)  AIDS has become pandemic  AIDS is caused by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

AIDS is killing East Africa