1. West Africa and Central Africa
Chapter 26, Page 540

2. Overview of Chapter 26 Section 1 – The Sahel
Answer assessment Q’s 1-3
Section 2 – The Coastal Countries
Section 3 – Nigeria
Section 4 – Central Africa

3. It’s Map Time!
Using the map on page 540, label the countries of West Africa and Central Africa. You have 5 minutes.
Now turn to page What are the three main ecosystems in West and Central Africa?
Go to page 517 and list the natural resources of the Atlantic coast nations.

4. What do you notice?

5. The Sahel Today
The Sahel separates the Sahara to the north from the wetter regions to the south
Sahel is the Arab word for “shore” or “border”
The Sahel includes:
Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad

6. Region is dry, so farmers practice shifting agriculture, meaning they farm an area for a while and then move on
Herding is also common.
Overgrazing is a common concern in the Sahel.
Deforestation is also a concern.
Desertification is also a concern as its turning the savanna into desert.

7. Aside from Mauritania, all Sahel nations are landlocked… meaning cut off from the sea.
Important Rivers
The Senegal and the Niger run through the region.
The Niger begins in the mountains of Guinea near the Atlantic and fans out into an inland delta, which is an area of lakes, creeks, and swamps.
Region also has some mineral wealth.

8. Assessment Questions
1. Shifting agriculture, forage, deforestation, desertification, refugee, landlocked, inland delta
2. The Sahel was a crossroads and an important meeting point for various cultures. In particular, Mediterranean and African cultures
3. a) Deforestation and overgrazing have contributed to desertification.
3. b) During times of drought people flock to cities or simply leave their land.

9. Random Stuff Mauritania and beauty Music and Mali
Force feeding young girls
Music and Mali
Festival au Desert in Mali
Ali Farka Toure – bluesman of the desert
Connect West African music to American blues
Toumani Diabate – Griot (storyteller) and Kora (instrument)

10. West Africa The Coastal Countries
Let’s begin with the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

11. Ebola Outbreak
How does ebola spread?
Bodily fluids

12. Outbreak and Spread

13. Ebola Outside West Africa

14. The Coastal Countries of West Africa
Made up of 11 countries
Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierre Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Cape Verde (little island)
Three advantages over Sahel nations
Wetter climate which means better farming
Access to the sea which means more economic opportunity
More natural resources…like minerals or oil
Europeans have been coming here to trade (or steal) since the 1400s.
Ex. Who came up with the name Gold Coast or Ivory Coast?

15. Economic Activities A very general overview
Agriculture
Tropical stuff like cocoa, coffee, rice, peanuts, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (manioc, tapioca), bananas, shea nuts, sugar, cotton, rubber, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber
Mining
Bauxite (used to make aluminum), gold, diamonds, iron
Oil
Fishing
Fish (ask Leo)

16. Struggles for Power
European colonial powers ruled most of Africa until the1960s.
New independent countries often had weak economies and unstable governments.
Coups (sudden political takeovers) and military coups were and are still all too common.
Civil wars too!

17. Liberia Founded in 1822 by freed American slaves.
According to BBC News, “Liberia is mostly inhabited by indigenous Africans, with the slaves' descendants comprising 5% of the population.”
Established a republic by oldest republic in Africa!
Had a horrible civil war in the 1980s and 1990s.
Shall we watch an episode of you know who?
We can also watch the Ghana episode.

18. Sierra Leone Name means “Mountains of the Lions”
Portuguese sailors first thought the sound of thunder rolling through the mountains sounded like the roar of lions.
Emerged from a decade of civil war in 2002.
Most famous export, aside from the infamous “blood diamond”, is probably the Sierra Leone Refugee All-Star band
Formed in West African refugee camps.
Pretty good documentary made about them in 2005 I believe