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• Continent surrounded by Mediterranean Sea to north, Suez Canal & Red Sea to northeast, Indian Ocean to southeast and Atlantic Ocean to west • Consists of 47 countries including Madagascar; 53 including all island groups
• Geography includes lakes, rivers, mountains, savannas, deserts and architecture• Rivers: Congo, Niger, & Nile • Mountains: Kilimanjaro, Ras Dashen, Margherita• Lakes: Albert, Chad, Nasser, Nyasa, Victoria• Deserts: Sahara, Kalahari. Libyan, Nubian, Namib, Owami• Architecture: pyramids, tombs, mosques, temples,; most notable are Pyramids at Giza, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut & Ramses statues at Abu Simbel
• City that was the center of trade and Islamic education in Western Africa• City thrived during the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires
Timbuktu has experienced desertification, in which sand dunes swallow greener land, a problem on the southern fringe of the Sahara. Several projects are under way to try to “re-green” the land with tree plantings , but some parts of the city are already half buried in sand
• Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade lasted from early 1500s - 1800s
• Slave trade influenced entire African continent in a negative way; millions of Africans taken to the New World from Africa
• Slave traders and sellers tore apart African Society
• Impact of slave trade disrupted cultural progress for future generations of Africans
• European nations fought to carve up parts of Africa for natural resources• Berlin Conference 1884: regulated European colonization and trade in African • Africans lose control of continent• Europeans create social classes; turn Africans against one another
• Nationalism grew in Africa, early 1900s, as a result of European rule; natives fought to end imperialism
• Civil Rights issues emerged between natives and foreigners; African National Congress established in South Africa
• Pan-Africanism: movement that called for unity and the idea of “Africa for Africans”
• Few African nations gained independence immediately but these movements changed European attitudes towards colonialism
• World Wars weakened colonial powers; some European nations willingly let go of African colonies
• England believed decolonization was inevitable-Ghana: let go 1960; Kenya: independence through civil disobedience
• France resisted decolonization-Algeria: brutal force used to keep under control
• Decolonization led to independence movements and Africans asserting control of their own nations once again
• Majority of African nations less than 60 years old; leaders lacked experience to successfully govern effectively• Some African nations were run militarily, some democracies, dictatorships, and anarchies
• Africa was source of raw materials not industry; struggling nations have not improved economically with industrialization• Seventy-five percent of African nations have specialized economies; diversified economies needed to feed people• Leaders live luxurious lifestyles while common people suffer• African nations still struggle to compete in global economy; slight progress has been made in recent years
• Apartheid (1948 – 1994) in South Africa• Ethnic Cleansing & Genocide (1966 –Present) in numerous nations-Congo, Zanzibar, Uganda, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Botswana, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Niger, Somalia, Sudan (Darfur)• Civil war has contributed to millions of deaths • These issues have led to millions of refugees across Africa
• Conflict (Blood) Diamonds impacted Western Africa-Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire; global awareness has stifled issue• Racial challenges still exist but policies of reconciliation and reconstruction assist in rebuilding trust and unity among African people• AIDS infects 22.5 million people in Africa • Poverty contributes to spread of disease, malnutrition, lack of medical care & food crisis• “Arab Spring” has inspired some African nations to pursue democratic movements
• Hosting of World Cup has brought international recognition to region• Inspired peace across African continent; united many groups of people
