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Sub-Saharan Africa
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Newest country South Sudan
Capital: Juba
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Geography The worlds second largest continent
Most nations of any continent Newest country South Sudan Location and Effects Between two oceans; Atlantic & Indian – linked and isolated Part of major trade routes since ancient times
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Regions North Africa – above the Sahara Desert Sub-Saharan Africa
Linked to the Middle East culturally Sub-Saharan Africa West Africa – extends into Atlantic Part of major slave trade routes to new world Central Africa – home to Africa’s tropical rain forests Southern Africa – crucial to trade b/w oceans East Africa – Great Rift Valley, fertile land
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Landforms The land made exploration difficult for Europeans = natural barriers Africa is a continent of Plateaus Escarpments: steep cliffs & basins, swamps, lakes Mountains: edges – Atlas Mts, Drakensberg Range, Mt. Kilimanjaro – highest mountain in Africa Great Rift Valley – a giant fault – Red Sea to Zambezi River Series of mountain, valleys, lakes Rich in natural resources, fertile soil Hard to mine and transport because of the rough terrain Olduvai Gorge: bone that belonged to the ancestors of modern people Deserts: Sahara (largest), Kalahari Coastal Plains
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Nile, Congo (Zaire), Niger, Zambezi
Rivers Provide food, transportation, irrigation and hydroelectric power Cataracts: waterfalls; river rapids Major Rivers Nile, Congo (Zaire), Niger, Zambezi
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Nile River – East Africa
Longest flowing river in the world 4,160 miles – flows north Home to early civilizations Predictable floods supported huge population Aswan High Dam Pros – Hydroelectric Power, Irrigation Cons – Farmers upstream now need to purchase fertilizers
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Nile River Route and its tributaries
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Zaire (Congo) River Niger River West Africa Central Africa
Provides hydroelectric power Cannot be navigated with boats Poor for trade Niger River West Africa Provides water for irrigation Floods predictably
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Zaire (Congo) River
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Niger River
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Zambezi River Southern Africa
Creates Victoria Falls, 1 mile wide and 420 ft. high, between Zambia and Zimbabwe The Kariba Dam provides hydroelectric power
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Victoria Falls (Zambezi River)
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Africa’s Natural Resources
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Rich source of resources
Mineral Resources (see map) Gold and Diamonds Europeans mined much of their gold from west Africa beginning in the Age of Discovery Power-Wealth-Trade
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Africa’s Resources Today
Gold and Diamonds – South Africa, D.R. Congo Copper – Zaire and Zambia Platinum and Cobalt – S. Africa, Zaire, and Botswana Oil – Nigeria, Botswana, Libya, Algeria, and Gabon Profits from African nations often end up in foreign countries
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Adapting to the Land Societies developed near sources of water
hunting and gathering farming herding fishing urban Major urban areas developed on the Mediterranean Coast, western savannas, and East Coast
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Language More than 1,000 languages
Groups only a few miles apart often speak different languages Small tribes migrated constantly and used their own language Scholars group African Languages into large families Trade and diffusion created new languages Swahili: Bantu and Arabic
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Section 1 Quiz Answers E Hydroelectric Power D cataract A escarpment
C Nile B Aswan Dam 6. B the Pacific Ocean 7. A mountains 8. C 4,000 mile fault line that splits the continent 9. B halted annual flooding of the Nile 10. B seize a share of Africa’s gold and diamonds
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