Sub-Saharan

Africa

Geography• The worlds second largest

continent

• most nations of any continent–Newest country South Sudan

• Location and Effects– Above and below equator– Between two oceans; Atlantic & Indian –

linked and isolated– Part of major trade routes since ancient times

Newest country South Sudan

Capital: Juba

Regions

• North Africa – above the Sahara Desert– 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

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• Great Rift Valley – a giant fault – Red Sea to

Zambizi 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

First discovered by anthropologist Mary Leakey on July 17, 1959

Rivers

• Provide food, transportation, irrigation and hydroelectric power– Cataracts: waterfalls; river rapids

• Major Rivers

–Nile, Congo (Zaire), Niger, Zambezi

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

• Nile River Route and its tributaries

• Zaire (Congo) River– Central Africa

– Provides hydroelectric power

– Cannot be navigated with boats

– Poor for trade

• Niger River– West Africa

– Provides water for irrigation

– Floods predictably

Zaire (Congo) River

Niger River

Zambezi River

• Southern Africa

• Creates Victoria Falls, 1 mile wide and 420 ft. high, between Zambia and Zimbabwe

• The Kariba Dam provides hydroelectric power

Victoria Falls (Zambezi River)

"The smoke that thunders" is a local name for Africa's most famous waterfall thundering over a 100m-high cliff.

Mosi-O-Tunya

Africa’s Natural Resources

Rich source of resources

• Mineral Resources (see map)• Resources unevenly distributed• Gold and Diamonds

• Profits from African nations often end up in foreign countries

• 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

• 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

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

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

Section 1 Quiz Answers

1. E Hydroelectric Power

2. D cataract

3. A escarpment

4. C Nile

5. 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

Climate and Diversity

Climate Facts• Latitude and Elevation = climate

– Most tropics = area between Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn of all the continents

– Temperature is warm to hot– Colder temperatures seen in higher elevations

• Therefore, rainfall distinguishes the climate in Africa not temperature

• Precipitation – Less than an inch to more than 80 inches

Climate Zones

• Tropical Wet

• Tropical Wet and Dry

• Desert

• Mediterranean

• Climate Map of Africa

Tropical Wet – 8% of Africa

• Narrow strip along equator• Home of the rainforests• Average Temp – 80 F• Average Rain – 60-120 inches per year• Hard to settle

– Leaching: rain washes away nutrients and destroys soil, unsuitable for farming

– Moisture feeds disease and destroys daily items– Concrete and steel are expensive fixes– Disease from insects; sleeping sickness, malaria

(Nothing But Nets)

Tropical Wet and Dry – 50% of Africa• Either side of tropical wet climate to the tropics• Rainfall varies by season

– Summer – Hot temps & Rainy Season– Winter – Warm temps & Dry Season

• Major Feature– Savanna – most people - grasslands that cover half

the continent. More rain near the equator support plant and wild life

– Sahel: semi-arid; separates Sahara from savanna– Unpredictable rainfall makes daily life difficult– Drought– Desertification – land turning into deserts; causes

over grazing and drought

Deserts and Desertification

Deserts – 40% of Africa• Sahara – Means ‘desert’ in Arabic – Northern

Africa– Larger than the continental United States

– Rain rarely falls, less than 10 inches a year

– Temperatures reach as high as 130 F

– Traders traveled across the Sahara

• Diffusion of European, Asian, and African cultures

• Kalahari – Southern Africa– More rain than the Sahara allows food to grow

• Namib – Southern Africa

• The Sahara Desert

• Kalahari Desert

Deserts – 40% of Africa

• Namib Desert – one of the driest places on Earth– One of the oldest deserts in the world: 80

million years– Averages less than .4 inches of rain a year– Dune 7: the highest sand dune in the world,

383 meters ~ 1200 feet

• Namib

Desert

Mediterranean - ~2%

• The Southern Tip and the Northern Coast

• Climate similar to LA– Hot, Dry Summer– Cool, Wet Winter

• Fertile soil good for farming

• Major travel destination

• Mediterranean Zones are in Purple

Answers to Section 2 Quiz

1. C Kalahari

2. E Sahel

3. A Sahara

4. D Tropic of Capricorn

5. B Tropic of Cancer

6. C-Desert

7. A-Tropical wet zone

8. D- in the savanna

9. D- all languages belong to one language family

10. B- they carry diseases that are fatal to humans

Early Civilizations of the Nile Valley

Egypt

I. Religion

-played a major role in daily life

-polytheistic

-God’s controlled forces of nature

-life after death

-priests and pyramids

-pharaoh

ruler of Ancient Egypt considered a god

II. Economic Activities

-farming

-trade

III. Achievements

-hieroglyphics

-365 day calendar

-math

-medicine

-art

Kush

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Kush

I. Achievements

- 750BC

- King Kastha conquers Nile Valley for short time

-Meroe: capital city

-adapted hieroglyphics

II. Historical Importance

-Egyptian Influence

-polytheistic

-grew rich and powerful from iron industry (learned from Assyrians)

-traded with Egypt and Mediterranean world

-weakened by invasion and internal rivalries

Meroe Pyramids

Axum

I. Achievements

- 350 AD

-King Ezana conquered Kush

-sacred writing (geez)

-controlled port cities (ivory trade)

II. Historical Importance

-present day Ethiopia

-center of trade

-Ethiopic Church (one of the oldest forms of Christianity)

-lost power to Muslim empires

Closure

What were the results of the interaction between civilization?

•exchange of knowledge and ideas– diffusion

Africa: Geography and Early History

Open-Ended Questions

What is a key factor in differentiating between Africa’s

climates because temperatures do not vary greatly from place to

place?

• Amount of Rainfall

List 5 types of societies of Africa

• Hunting and gathering

• Farming

• Fishing

• Herding

• Urban

Factors that influences where people live in Africa.

• Environment

• Climate

• Geography

• Availability of water and resources

• Tropical Wet– Hard to settle because of leaching, insects,

disease, mold and rot• Tropical Wet and Dry

– Unpredictable/unreliable rainfall difficult on farmers/herders, desertification caused by people but still home to most Africans

• Desert– Few areas have grasses to support herding, not

enough rain for farming• Mediterranean

– Supports farming and herding=large population

Identify Africa’s climate regions and describe ways in which that climate has affected the ways of life

of the African people.

Describe ancient Egypt in terms in terms of religion, economy

activities, and achievements.• Religion

– polytheistic, connected to nature, life after death, Pharaoh

• Economic Activities– trade, farming

• Achievements – hieroglyphics, 365 day calendar, math,

medicine, art, architecture

Bonus Info:Civilization of the Nile Valley

• Kush– Rich from iron industry– Meroe: capital city, center of trade

• Axum– King Ezana convert to Christianity– Ethiopic Church – Center for trade