North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia

CHAPTER 15: NORTH AFRICA

ATLAS MOUNTAINS 4 Tectonic Plates interacting: African, Arabian, Anatolian, and Eurasian Atlas Mts. is Africa’s longest range From SW Morocco to NE Tunisia

DESERTS Northern edge of Sahara Desert Ergs: sandy dune covered areas Regs: stony plains with rocky gravel (“desert pavement”) Hamadas: flat, sandstone plateaus

AHAGGAR A large, mountainous plateau region in northcentral Sahara Highest mt: Mt. Tahat (9,573 ft) in SE Algeria Extend into Niger (S) and Libya (N)

TIBESTI MOUNTAINS NE Niger and S Libya Range is 300 miles long Highest summit in the Sahara: Emi Koussi (Chad)---11,204 ft.

NILE RIVER Nile: world’s longest river (4,160 mi.); flows north from Ethiopia/Uganda Nile Delta: very fertile; home to ancient Egypt Regular flooding spreads ALLUVIAL SOIL: sand and mud deposited by flowing water

ASWAN HIGH DAM Built in the 1950s to control flow and flooding of Nile Also provide irrigation and hydroelectric power Prevents spread of alluvial soil thus diminishing soil fertility WADIS: streambeds that remain dry until heavy rains

WATER BOUNDARIES Mediterranean Sea separates Africa from Europe Sinai Peninsula, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden separate N. Africa from the Arabian Peninsula

CLIMATE Desert (arid)and Steppe (semi-arid) Plant life: cacti and shrubs; olive trees, date palms Small-level farming around oases

SAHEL Flat plain stretching for 3,300 miles across south Sahara Semi-arid (steppe) Forms the transition zone from desert to savanna

NATURAL RESOURCES PHOSPHATES: natural mineral with chem compounds used in fertilizers Natural gas and petroleum as well

SECTION 2: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA

EARLY PEOPLES Settled around 10,000 yrs ago by hunter/gatherers First to domesticate plants and animals

EGYPT Developed 6,000 yrs ago around the Nile River valley Used sophisticated irrigation Created a 365-day calendar Developed HIEROGLYPHICS: writing system in which pictures and symbols represent words or sounds Brilliant in mathematics and engineering

ARAB INFLUENCE A.D. 600s: Arab armies move in from Arabian Peninsula Bring Islam Maintain control of region until 1500s Ottoman Empire takes over Ottoman control ends in 1918

EUROPEAN INFLUENCE Mid-1800s: French invade Algeria Italy colonizes Libya Disagreements over who ruled North Africa European colonials drew GEOMETRIC BOUNDARIES: fixed limit that follows straight lines No consideration for natural or cultural features

INDEPENDENCE Mid-1800s: educated middle class develops in Africa Nationalist feelings arise Demand for self-rule Egypt gains in 1922 Algeria in 1962

LIBYA Gained independence from Italy in 1951 Ruled by Western-friendly monarchy 1969: Overthrown by a coup, led by Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi 2010: violent protests overthrow and kill Qaddafi This sets off the “Arab Spring”--- movements in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia against oppressive, nondemocratic govts

POPULATION PATTERNS

Berbers Indigenous people of N. Africa 15 million today Mostly farmers Had been NOMADS: groups of people who move from place to place, following herds

BEDOUINS Def: member of the nomadic desert peoples of N. Africa and SW Asia Came with Arab invasions of 600s Arabic speaking Vast majority are Sunni Muslim

NEED FOR WATER Availability of water has biggest influence on settlement Major population centers arise around water sources

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

RELIGION Islam is predominant Prayer 5 times a day Muezzin (crier) calls for prayer from local mosque Imam (prayer leader) leads prayer Bow and kneel before Mecca

LANGUAGE Arabic Different dialects and accents Algeria speaks French

ECONOMICS Oil and natural gas are main exports Tourism Small level farming High rates of unemployment leads to civil unrest