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Bell Ringer
List three thing that you know about Africa:
•
One about the physical geography of Africa
•
One about the people of Africa
•
One about Africa’s history
Physical Geography of Africa
Welcome to Africa
•
Second largest
continent 11,700,000
sq. mi.
•
17% of the world’s
population.
•
2 ½ times the size of
the U. S.
• Huginormungantic.
• Larger than: China,
USA, Western Europe,
India, Argentina &
British Isles combined
Climate





Desert
Tropical Wet
Tropical Wet and
Dry
Semiarid
Marine West
Coast
How much of Africa is
covered with
rainforests or jungles?
Vegetation

Desert
 Savannah
– grasslands

Rain Forest
– Rains up to 17 ft. per year
– Covers 37 countries.
– 15% of the land surface of
Africa.
What internal forces are shaping Africa?
• Seismic Activity & Plate Tectonics
Ups and Downs
Africa’s Plateaus
 Lowlands along the coast.
 Most of Africa is at least
1,000 ft. above sea level.
 Reno = 4000 ft above sea
level
 Africa = Plateau Continent
Basins and Rivers

Basin = depression
 Basins collect water which
feed rivers.
 Africa’s rivers are bad for
transportation.
– Waterfalls
– Rapids
– Gorges
Victoria Falls straddles the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi river in south central
Africa. Victoria Falls has the sixth largest flow rate of all the water
falls in the world and water plummets 355 feet before reaching the
bottom.
Sahara Desert
North Africa
•3,500,000 square miles, bigger than
“Lower 48 States”
•Temperatures can range from 25*F
to 130*F or more on the same day!
•Only 20% is sand dunes. The rest is
ordinary desert.
-- A sand dune is an accumulation of sand formed by
the wind, by waves and by eroding sandstone.
•Major aquifers lie deep beneath the
surface in several areas.
•Limits Transportation and
communication between northern
and southern Africa
What is the Sahel?

Narrow band of dry grassland used
for farming and ranching –
separates Desert from Tropical
 Desertification – ruining of land due
to human activities and climate
changes
 Caused by
– Farming
– Overgrazing of livestock
– Cutting down too many trees for
wood
What is the Sahel? Cont.
Q: What is “slash and burn”?
 A: Slash and burn is a farming technique in which people cut
down and burn trees to create farmland. While it quickly clears
land, it can destroy some plant species.
Question: What is the result of the above?
creation of more desert!

The Sahel covers 14.9 billion hectares of the earth’s surface.. The
landscape varies from flat terrain to lofty sand dunes and
mountains.
How much land makes up a hectare? 1 hectare is
100m x 100m = 10,000 square meter or 2.47105381
Acres
With
Kalahari Desert
Southern Africa
 Name means “Great
Thirst” in Tswana (a
local language)
 Home to the African
people known as the San
or “Bushmen.”
They were the first known human inhabitants of
the Kalahari.

Habitat of Meerkats and
many other unique
species.
The Kalahari is one of Africa’s last wildlife
paradises. Animals that live in the region include
hyenas, lions, meerkats, several species of
antelope, and many types of birds and reptiles.
Vegetation in the Kalahari consists of
dry grassland and scrubby acacias.
Grasses thrive during the summer
rainy season.
Nile River

North and East Africa

Longest river in world, 4180 miles
(Amazon is 3969, Mississippi is
3896 miles).

Two rivers, Blue Nile and White
Nile, feed the river, which drains
from Lake Victoria.

About 160 million people live in the
Nile River basin, in ten countries.

Aswan Dam in Egypt, provides
power and water.
What are the Blue Nile and
the White Nile?
The two major tributaries of the Nile River are the Blue Nile and
White Nile. The striking difference between them is their color and
origin. The Blue Nile, which begins in the mountains of Ethiopia,
starts off with a bright blue color. As it passes through Sudan,
however, it picks up black sediment that gives it a darker hue. The
White Nile, which begins in the forests of Rwanda and flows through
Lake Victoria, is a whitish-gray color, due to the light gray sediment it
carries. Although the White Nile is longer than the Blue Nile, the Blue
Nile carries around two-thirds of the Nile's water supply.
Aswan Dam

Lake Nasser created
by this dam

Control floods on
the Nile River, but
sunk ancient ruins.

Provides water and
power for Egypt
Congo River Basin
•Central Africa
•Covered in dense jungle
•2nd Longest in Africa, 2900 miles long.
The Congo Rainforest
The Congo Rainforest is the 2nd largest rainforest on Earth, next to the Amazon, and stretches across
the Democratic Republic of Congo (as well as other countries) with the Congo River running
through it. Being in a tropical wet climate, the rainforest experiences over 60 inches of rainfall.
Crops such as bananas, pineapples, cocoa, tea, and coffee are grown here.
“Killer Lakes”
Africa has three lakes that are
situated atop pockets of magma.
These pockets keep the lake water
filled with CO2 (Carbon Dioxide).
Lake Nyos, Camaroon
Lake Monoun, Camaroon
Lake Kivu: on the border of
Rwanda and Democratic
Republic of Congo in East
Africa.
How did Lake Nyos suddenly kill 1,700 people?
Lake Nyos had long been quiet before it happened. Farmers and migratory herders in the West African country of
Cameroon knew the lake as large, still and blue.
But on the evening of Aug. 21, 1986, farmers living near the lake heard rumbling. At the same time, a frothy spray
shot hundreds of feet out of the lake, and a white cloud collected over the water. From the ground, the cloud grew
to 328 feet (100 meters) tall and flowed across the land. When farmers near the lake left their houses to investigate
the noise, they lost consciousness.
The heavy cloud sunk into a valley, which channeled it into settlements. People in the affected areas collapsed in
their tracks -- at home, on roads or in the field -- losing consciousness or dying in a few breaths. In Nyos and Kam,
the first villages hit by the cloud, everyone but four inhabitants on high ground died.
The valley split, and the cloud followed, killing people up to 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) away from the lake. Over the
next two days, people from surrounding areas entered the valley to find the bodies of humans and cows lying on the
ground.
By Aug. 23, the cloud had mostly blown away, and the silence had lifted. After being unconscious for up to 36
hours, some people revived to find, horrifically, that their family members, neighbors and livestock were dead.
What Happened?
Scientists reasoned that CO2 had been trapped in the bottom of Lake Nyos for a long time, held down by 682 feet (208
meters) of water. On the day of the eruption, however, something external triggered the release of gas. Most likely, it
was a rockslide from one of the lake's walls. When the falling rocks sunk to the bottom of the lake, they pushed up
some gas. Then most of the gas bubbled up.
When the CO2 concentration was 15 percent or less, people lost consciousness and later revived. Individuals who
inhaled more than 15 percent CO2 stopped breathing in minutes and died.
Result
Under the right circumstances, this gas could explode out
like a Coke bottle fizzing out.
This gas has killed thousands in the past, and will do so again in the future.
Serengeti Plain
East Africa, between Kenya and Tanzania
Most of Africa is flat grasslands, home to
many wild animals (elephants, giraffes,
antelope, rhinos). The most famous is the
African Lion.
The Serengeti Plain is one of the world’s largest savanna’s (tropical grassland), and can support millions of
different animals such as zebras, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, gazelles, and many more. Rainfall in this region is
seasonal and alternates between a wet and dry season. Along with the seasonal rains are dueling winds. The hot,
dry harmattan comes from the Sahara and is welcomed after the wet season as it dries up the moisture in the air.
Cool, humid air is also brought from the southwest. When these two winds collide tornadoes are common
through the Serengeti.
Mt. Kilimanjaro

East Africa, on Serengeti Plain
 Inactive volcano, 19,000 ft tall.
 Has glaciers on its peak.
 Popular tourist destination.
The volcanic summit of Kilimanjaro is located along the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley. Rising to 19,341 feet
Kilimanjaro it is the tallest peak in Africa. Shifting tectonic plates millions of years ago formed not only the Great
Rift Valley, but also Kilimanjaro. The plate movements created a series of faults where Kilimanjaro and the Great
Rift Valley lie. Volcanic eruptions from Kilimanjaro helped form what is currently the Great Rift Valley.
Great Rift Valley
•East Africa
•“Horn of Africa” slowly pulling away
from Africa
•The Great Rift Valley pulled apart
over millions of years, faults (cracks)
appeared in the earth –the land sank to
form many long steep slopes called
escarpments.
Escarpments separate two level land surfaces and are
formed by one of two processes: erosion and faulting.
•Tectonically very active, many
volcanos and frequent earthquakes
Lake Victoria





Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the source for the White Nile River.
It is located between the east and west branches of the Great Rift Valley.
Lake Victoria is located in three different countries including Uganda, Kenya, and
Tanzania.
It is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world with only Lake Superior in the
United States surpassing it (sq. meters).
Lake Victoria is relatively shallow at only a depth of 270 feet.
Rift Lake System
Several major lakes along the Great Rift
Valley, including:
Lake Victoria – one source of the Nile
River, very shallow (84m)
Lake Tanganikya – deepest lake in
Africa, 2nd largest in world by volume
Lake Nyasa – largest number of
freshwater fish species anywhere.
Ample water supplies, so large
populations in this part of Africa.
Political Map of Africa
Human Geography of Africa
HISTORY OF AFRICA
African Empires

During pre-modern era,
Africa had some bigger cities
and kingdoms than Europe

Includes Mali, Songhai
Empire, Aksum, and
Zimbabwe

Empires traded with Europe,
China, and the Islamic world
– Were considered equals at the
time.
Early Exploration and Slavery in Africa

Africa explored and mapped by
Portuguese in 1400’s

Colonization of the Americas created
new market for slave labor

Slavery already existed in Africa –
Islamic world used African slave labor

Slaves were purchased from African
slave traders
–
usually war captives, prisoners, and
others
Colonization of Africa

Colonized, divided up by competing countries of
Europe in the 1800’s.

Called the “African Scramble”.

European leaders gathered in Berlin to divide up
Africa for colonization and trade, for the 1884
Berlin Conference.

King Leopold II of Belgium convinced much of
Europe that common trade was in their best interest.
Post-WWII Independence

After World War II, Africa slowly gained
independence from Europe (1950’s-1970’s)

Because the national boundaries were created by
Europeans, they did not match where people actually
lived

African leaders included people like Mobutu Sese
Seko, leader of the Dem. Rep. of Congo, who ruled as
a dictator for decades. “One Man, One Vote, One
Time” was common.
Mobutu Sésé Seko was president of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, which was also known as
Zaire for much of his reign, from 1965 to 1997.


Mobutu reigned during the Rwandan genocide and
formed an authoritarian regime. He died in exile in
1997
Modern Africa




1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Fewer dictators these days, still lots of problems.
900 million people in 57 countries*. ( *CIA World Factbook )
Over 1000 different languages spoken in Africa.
Rich in resources, but still poorest part of world due
to:
Diseases (Malaria and AIDS/HIV)
Famine and starvation
Effects of colonialism and slavery
Warfare and Terrorism
Unstable and corrupt governments
Difficulty of climate and terrain
Poor infrastructure
Africa
NorthAFRICA
Africa
NORTH
WESTWest
AFRICA
Africa
EAST
AFRICA
East Africa
CENTRAL
Central
AFRICA
Africa
SOUTH
South
Africa
AFRICA
West Africa

Three empires in the region, Ghana, Mali,
and Songhai – supported by gold and salt
exports.

Cultural Hearth – Parts of West African
culture have spread throughout the world,
due to slavery.

Many “one commodity countries” here –
growing one “cash crop”.

Extremely diverse population – thousands
of languages and ethnic groups
Using
Thematic
Maps:
Ethnic
Groups
of
Nigeria

Using
Thematic
Maps:
Linguistic
Groups of
Benin,
Nigeria,
and
Cameroo
n
East Africa

Mainly rural and agricultural

Region depends heavily on
tourism (in Serengeti and
Kilimanjaro)

Crossroads for many trade routes
with Middle East, India, and
Asia

Cash Crops such as coffee, tea,
sugar

Persistent problems with piracy,
warfare and famine in “Horn of
Africa”
Instability in the Horn of Africa

Sudan recently had a civil war in a place called Darfur,
where Arabs in the north fought Blacks in the south. The
northern side tried to ethnically cleanse the south. War was
ended by an agreement to split Sudan into two countries.

Somalia has no government, and is ruled by warlords. These
are leaders who control armies and territory by force. Some
are Islamic Fundamentalists who want to impose Sharia on
Somalia.

Many Somali fishermen have turned to piracy to support
themselves or to help warlords, attacking ships in the Indian
Ocean. They take small boats and raid freighters, yachts, and
crui


Piracy and Terrorism in Somalia – 8 min.
or go to: http://www.c-span.org/video/?317995-1/book-

discussion-somali-piracy-terrorism-horn-africa
se ships.
Central Africa

Region centered on the Congo River Basin.

Originally home to the Bantu people, who migrated
across Africa and spread their culture. They lived in
“stateless societies” before colonization.

Region colonized by France and Belgium. King
Leopold II of Belgium ran the Congo as his private
property, destroying much of it. After independence,
the region fell into civil war.

King Leopold II of Belgium was responsible for the
deaths and mutilation of 10 million Congolese Africans
during the late 1800’s. The spoils of modern day
Belgium owes much to the people of the Congo River
Basin.

Post-colonial Central Africa has not recovered – still in
chaos, with collapsed economies and a terrible war that
has killed millions.
Conflict Diamonds

Conflict Diamond/Blood Diamond –
money from diamonds used to fund wars:
buy weapons, hire mercenaries.

Southern, Central and West Africa,
especially Sierra Leone, Congo, Angola.

Forces in diamond areas may use slave
labor to get more diamonds, more
quickly.

Diamonds regulated by Kimberley
Process since 2003
Rwanda Genocide

Region centered on the Congo River Basin.

Originally home to the Bantu people, who migrated
across Africa and spread their culture. They lived in
“stateless societies” before colonization

Rwanda was split between minority Tutsi and
majority Hutu. Constant political conflict over power
sharing. Frequent civil wars were fought between the
two.

In 1994, a Hutu president was assassinated, triggering
a massacre of Tutsis by Hutu militias, mostly armed
with axes and machetes. The genocide was apparently
pre-planned.

Between 500,000 and 1 million people were murdered
in April of 1994. Europe and the USA largely stood by
and did nothing.
Southern
Africa
• Vast amounts of natural resources:
gold, diamonds, metals, uranium, and
others.
• South Africa once under Apartheid –
whites ruled, blacks as 2nd class citizens.
Ended in 1994, due in part to Nelson
Mandela
• Region faces huge problem with
AIDS/HIV, 25% infection rate and
higher.
South Africa and the Anti-Apartheid
Struggle

From 1948 to 1990, Apartheid System
separated blacks and whites.

Political power held by whites – 5% of
population.

Homelands – blacks pushed into small areas,
then made “independent”.

South Africa isolated from international
community.

Resistance led by Nelson Mandela and ANC,
despite imprisonment from 1962-1990.