CENTRAL AFRICA

Climate Tropical rainforest & savanna

Religion Mostly Christian A picture of Christ from Cameroon

Congo River is a highway for trade & travel Lake Tanganyika- Longest freshwater lake in the world; 2nd deepest; found in Dem. Rep. of the Congo Congo River is a highway for trade & travel The Congo provides lots of hydroelectric power in Dem. Rep. of Congo

Products/industries Diamonds, oil, cocoa, lumber

Central Africa has a wide variety of ethnic groups. One of the most interesting groups is the Pygmies. Pygmies are hunter-gatherers that live in the rainforests that rarely grow over 5’ in height. They are known for their ability to hunt with poisoned arrows and blowguns.

Diseases that threaten Africa Malaria & Yellow Fever These diseases are transmitted by mosquito bites. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, and nausea, and if untreated can lead to coma and death. Combating these illnesses requires draining swamps and drying up areas of standing water where mosquitoes breed Approximately 90% of all cases of malaria worldwide occur in Africa, accounting for 24% of all child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sleeping Sickness This disease is transmitted by the tse tse fly. It causes your body to become weak and drowsy and eventually fall into a coma. Untreated, the victim will eventually die of heart failure.

AIDS Destroys the immune system Each day, 6,000 Africans die from AIDS That’s around 2 million a year

Ebola A virus that causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and can lead to death. Has been a growing threat throughout Central Africa since its discovery in 1976

Dem. Rep of Congo Controlled by Belgium in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s Known as the Belgian Congo, the people were treated like slaves Eventually became independent in 1960, but suffered for 30 years under a dictator named Mobutu Sese Seko The country fell into civil war after Mobutu was overthrown. The Congo War (1996-2003) devastated the country. 5.4 million people have died (the deadliest war since World War II) Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country. This war is part of why almost half of the people in the DRC are younger than 15!