1. THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

2. FACTS AFRICA WAS ONCE THE CENTER OF EARTH’S ONLY CONTINENT – PANGEA
ABOUT 3 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE U.S.A.
PANGEA BROKE UP, AND OTHER CONTINENTS DRIFTED AWAY
AFRICA CONSISTS OF 2 MAJOR LANDFORMS; LOWLANDS IN THE NORTH AND WEST, AND HIGHLANDS IN THE SOUTH AND EAST

3. MAJOR PHYSICAL FEATURES
HIGHEST MOUNTAIN – KILIMANJARO “SHINING MOUNTAIN” FROM SWAHILI
LONGEST RIVER – NILE (LONGEST IN THE WORLD FLOWING STRAIGHT NORTH)
LARGEST DESERT – SAHARA (LARGEST IN THE WORLD)
GREAT RIFT VALLEY – PULLING APART FOR 50 MILLION YEARS WILL SOMEDAY TURN EAST AFRICA INTO AN ISLAND.
ATLAS MOUNTAINS – NORTHWEST CORNER OF AFRICA ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE SAHARA
LAKE VICTORIA – SOURCE OF THE NILE; SECOND LARGEST FRESH WATER LAKE IN THE WORLD.
KALAHARI DESERT – SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICAN DESERT; WETTER THAN THE SAHARA
AFRICAN RAIN FOREST – AFRICA IS SPLIT IN HALF BY THE EQUATOR DRAINING FROM EAST TO WEST SOUTH OF THE SAHARA.

5. WATERWAYS OF AFRICA NILE RIVER CONGO RIVER OKAVANGO RIVER NIGER RIVER
ZAMBEZI RIVER
VICTORIA FALLS (ON THE ZAMBEZI RIVER)
LAKE VICTORIA
LAKE TANGANYIKA

7. CLIMATE ZONES DESERT (ARID) SEMI ARID TROPICAL EQUATORIAL
RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND TEMPERATURE MAKE EACH UNIQUE

9. DESERT AND SEMI ARID REGIONS
FOUND IN SAHARA TO THE NORTH;AND NAMIB AND KALAHARI TO THE SOUTH
THE SAHEL IS SEMI ARID AND EXPERIENCING DESERTIFICATION
DESERTIFICATION IS CAUSED BY DROUGHT AND OVER GRAZING AND OVER FARMING
DESERTIFICATION CAN AND HAS LED TO FAMINE IN AFRICA

11. TROPICAL AND EQUATORIAL REGIONS
Extends both north and south from the equator to the semi-arid regions
2 seasons; wet season lasts 6 months, and dry season
This is an area of savannas and rain forest
Savannas make up 4.5. million square miles of Africa
Closest to the equator there are 2 rainy seasons and 2 dry seasons
Annual rainfall here is 50 to 60 inches per year
Trees grow as tall as 195 feet

13. RESOURCES
GOLD, DIAMONDS, COPPER, TIN, CHROME, NICKEL, AND IRON ORE ARE AMONG AFRICA’S NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
TREES, COCOA BEANS, CASHEW NUTS, PEANUTS, VANILLA BEANS, COFEE, BANANAS,RUBBER, SUGAR, AND TEA ARE AMONG AFRICA’S RENEWABLE RESOURCES
AFRICA’S WILDLIFE RESOURCES DRAW VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

14. AFRICAN CULTURES AND EMPIRES
HUMANS HAVE LIVED IN AFRICA FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS
AMONG THESE EARLIEST HUMANS IN AFRICA WERE THE BANTU
THE BANTU SPREAD ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA STARTING AROUND 1,000 B.C.
THIS MOVEMENT WAS KNOWN AS THE BANTU MIGRATION
FROM THE BANTU SPLINTERED MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS WHO TOOK ON THEIR OWN IDENTITY SUCH AS THE SWAHILI, ZULU, AND OTHERS

16. TRADE NETWORKS TRADE NETWORKS GREW BETWEEN PERMANENT BANTU VILLAGES
SALT WAS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD!!!
IT WAS NEEDED FOR LIFE AND FOOD PRESERVATION
SALT WAS TRADED FOR WITH GOLD, SLAVES, IVORY, AND KOLA NUTS

18. CAMELS AND CARAVANS
CAMELS EXPANDED AFRICAN TRADE WHEN THEY CAME TO AFRICA IN THE A.D. 600’S
THEY WERE UNIQUELY SUITED TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE DESERTS
CAMEL CARAVANS TRADED ACROSS THE SAHARA FOR PRODUCTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

19. AN EMPIRE BUILT BY TRADE
300A.D. TO 400A.D. TRADE EMPIRE OF GHANA AROSE
NIGER RIVER VALLEY
LOCATION ALLOWED GHANA TO CONTROL TRADE BETWEEN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA
TRADERS WERE TAXED IN GOLD FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE KINGDOM
THE KINGDOM WAS LITERALLY CALLED THE KINGDOM OF GOLD
GOLD WAS TRADED FOR SALT, SLAVES, COOKING UTENSILS, CLOTH, JEWELRY, COPPER, AND WEAPONS.

21. THE MALI EMPIRE MUSLIM ARMIES CONQUERED GHANA IN 1235 A.D.
SUNDIATA BROUGHT WARRING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN A NEW EMPIRE CALLED THE MALI EMPIRE
ISLAM WAS INTERWOVEN INTO THIS NEW EMPIRE’S RELIGION
MANSA MUSA WAS MALI’S GREATEST RULER FROM 1312 TO 1332.
1324, MUSA WENT TO MECCA. MUSLIM ARTISANS AND SCHOLARS CAME BACK WITH HIM
TIMBUKTU, MALI’S CAPITAL BECAME A MAJOR CULTURAL CENTER
NATIVE WEST AFRICANS BENEFITTED FROM THIS COLLABORATION OF CULTURES IN EDUCATION, ARCHITECTURE, LAW, MEDICINE, MATHEMATICS, AND ASTRONOMY.

23. THE SONGHAI EMPIRE CONQUERED MALI AFTER MANSA MUSA’S DEATH IN 1337
FELL TO THE MOROCCANS IN 1597