AFRICA

GEOGRAPHY

• 2nd largest continent (behind Asia)

• 3 times larger than the United States

• Contains a plethora of geographic features & wildlife

• population = 1,030,500,000 (2012 estimate); about 14% of the world’s population

5 GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

NORTH AFRICA

• Features: Thin coastal plain & inland desert (Sahara)

• Location: Borders the Mediterranean Sea

• Coastal N.A. – mild temperature and frequent rainfall

REGIONS cont.

EAST AFRICA

• Sahel – great plateau w/ moderate rainfall and large savannas (treeless plains)

• Savannas south of the Sahara constitute about 40% of Africa’s land

• Great Rift Valley – 40 m. wide; 2,000 ft. deep; 3,000 m. long (Red Sea to S. Africa)

• Mts. – Kenya and Kilimanjaro

REGIONS cont.

WEST AFRICA

• narrow coastal plain

• Rivers – Niger and Zaire (Congo)

• Few natural harbors and limited river travel isolated early civilizations in this area (made conquest by foreigners difficult as well)

REGIONS cont.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Tropical forests so thick sunlight does not reach the floor

• Climate is hot & humid but turns into desert in the south/central Africa

REGIONS cont.

SOUTH AFRICA

• Far south has cool, fertile highlands

Deserts

• Sahara and the Kalahari make up about 1/3 of Africa’s land• Sahara mostly wasteland of rocks and pebbles• About 90 inhabited oases in Sahara

Dry Grasslands

• Semiarid climate: less than 20 inches of rainfall per year• Nomads live here with herds• Suitable for grazing, but not for farming

RIFT VALLEYS

• Earth’s crust pulls apart

• Block of crust sinks

GREAT RIFT VALLEY

• 4,000 miles long

• The Great Rift Valley is rich in minerals and metals

• Good soil for farming

• Largest lakes in Africa are along the Great Rift Valley

GRV

HIGHLANDS

• The most fertile land in Africa• Found mostly in the southern region

TROPICAL FORESTS

• Constant Rainfall

• Heavy vegetation

• Mostly in the central regions, along the equator

Savanna

• Grassy plains that cover 2/5 of the continent• Difficult for farming, but has always supported the most life

AFRICA’S

MAJOR LAND - FORMS

SAHARA• Largest desert in the

world (N. Africa)

• 3”- 5” of rain or less per year (some areas go years without rain)

• Temperatures get as high as 130 and as low as freezing

NILE RIVER

• Northeast Africa

• Longest river in the world (about 4,000 miles long)

• Source - Lake Victoria

• Mouth – Mediterranean Sea

LAKE VICTORIA

• Largest African lake

• Source of the Nile River

• Many isles and prehistoric remains

MT. KILIMANJARO

• Highest African mountain (19,340 ft)

• Located in Tanzania

SERENGETI NAT’L PARK

EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS

KUSH1. When

2. Where

3. Source of power/wealth

4. Religion

5. Downfall

AXUM1. When

2. Where

3. Source of power/wealth

4. Religion

5.Downfall

EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS

KUSHWhen – emerge around 1000 b.c.

and conquered Egypt in 750 b.c.Where – EgyptSource of power/wealth – tradeCharacteristics - wealthy, urban,

lot of tradeDownfall – taken over by Axum in

the A.D. 300s

AXUMWhen – take over the Kush in the

A.D. 300sWhere – modern day EthiopiaSource of power/wealth – tradeCharacteristics – wealthy, lot of

trade, ChristianDownfall – overtaken by Muslims

by about the 15th century

AFRICAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE

TOWNS• Began as fortified villages

and grew into larger communities

• Centers of gov’t and trade

• Home to skilled artisans and diverse markets

• Most of what we know comes from descriptions of travelers

KINGS AND SUBJECTS

• Gulf was not as great between ruler and ruled as in other areas (ruler would hold audiences)

• King was held in high regard

• Both sides tried to benefit (relationship with merchants)

FAMILY AND LINEAGE• Basic structure of society was the

extended family (parents, children, grandparents…)

• Extended families were combined into larger communities known as lineage groups

• Members of a LG could claim to be descendants of a real or legendary common ancestor

ROLE OF WOMEN

• Usually subordinate to men

• Some valued for work they could do or children they could produce

• Often worked in fields (some merchants)

• Many societies are matrilineal – lineage is passed on through the mother, not the father

COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION

• Different villages had different methods of raising and educating children

• Congo – boys and girls were raised by mom until age 6. Learned language, family history, songs…

• After that they were separated, girls to the “house of women” and boys to the “house of men”

GIRLS

Taking care of the home

Working in the fields

How to be a good mother

How to be a good wife

BOYSHUNTING

fishing

Growing plants

Clearing fields for planting

SLAVERY• Europeans started using African

slaves on a large scale basis around 1500

• Slavery in Africa had actually been practiced for centuries before the Europeans arrived

• Berber groups in NA captured slaves from sub-Saharan Africa and sold them throughout the Mediterranean world

SLAVERY cont.• Slaves included:• Prisoners of war• Debtors• Criminals

• They were not necessarily seen as inferior (major difference between slavery in the colonies)

• Some were respected for their skills and could win their freedom

ROLES OF SLAVES

working the land

soldiers

servants

TRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADE