Human Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa

5 Regions 1. North 2. East 3. Central 4. Western 5. Southern

Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light. - Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist

4,000,000 BCE – 1,000,000 BCE  Hominids --> any member of the family of two-legged primates that walk upright…includes humans.  Gets an opposable thumb!

 Homo Habilis (“Man of skills”)  Found in East Africa  Created stone tools

Are we all Africans under the skin???

 There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families Language in Africa

Language Families There are far fewer MAJOR languages in the large continent of Africa than in Europe which is much smaller, but has many more MAJOR languages. What conclusions can you draw? Only 8 African languages are spoken by more than 10 million people Fig. 5-14: The 1,000 or more languages of Africa are divided among five main language families, including Austronesian languages in Madagascar.

Bantu Migrations  The term ‘Bantu’ refers to group of people who speak the same or similar language with common word “NTU” which means a person.  In 2000 B.C. beginning in Nigeria, the Bantu people moved southward throughout Africa. On the way they spread their language and cultures.  There are about 250 Bantu languages, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear  Today about 120 MILLION Africans speak a Bantu language *Part of the Niger-Congo language family

14 Cultural Coherence and Diversity:  Language Patterns  Mixtures of local, African trade partners, and European and Asian influences  African Language Families  Three largest families: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afro- Asiatic  Khoisan: clicking languages  Language and Identity  Tribes: consist of a group of families or clans with a common kinship, language, and definable territory watch?v=W6WO5XabD-s Hear a Khoisan click languages!

15 Cultural Coherence and Diversity:  European Languages  Francophone (French influence), Anglophone (English influence, Afrikaans (Dutch-based)  Arabic Influences  Swahili (a Bantu language): language created as a common communication between natives and Arabian traders 3GU7vFNuUI LEARN SWAHILI!!!!

16 Language Groups and Official Languages

 South Africa has eleven official languages:  Afrikaans  English  Ndebele (un de bele)  Northern Sotho (sutu)  Sotho (sutu)  Swazi  Tswana  Tsonga  Venda (bin da)  Xhosa (cosa)  Zulu  Most South Africans can speak more than one language.

19 Cultural Coherence and Diversity:  Religion  Indigenous religions tend to be animistic  What is animism?  The Introduction and Spread of Christianity  Entered northeast Africa around 300 C.E.  Strengthened during 19 th century colonialism  Syncretism : native religions mixed with new religions

Traditional Animism in Africa Belief in one supreme being (god) A world of spirits, good & bad, in all things Ancestor worship and leadership Belief in magic, charms, and relic worship Diviner > mediator between tribe and god

22 Cultural Coherence and Diversity:  The Introduction and Spread of Islam  Introduced about 1,000 years ago  Today, orthodox Islam prevails in most of the Sahel  Interaction Between Religious Traditions  Religious conflict most prevalent in northeastern Africa  Sudan: conflict between Muslims in north and Non- Muslims in the south

23 Extent of Islam

Scramble for Africa  In the 19 th century, Europe’s industrialized nations “scrambled” to colonize Africa to gain their natural resources.  All Countries were controlled by Europeans, except Liberia and Ethiopia (independent)  Most nations become independent in the mid 1900’s

Colonial Legacy  Political boundaries made by Europeans was/is causing ethnic conflict (2 or more opposing groups occupying same land)  Most Central African countries gained independence by the 1960s but the borders that were drawn posed problems.

Effects of European Colonization  Loss of resources  Disruption of political systems  Cultural and ethnic oppression of the people  No infrastructure (roads, railroads, airports, education system)

Parts of Africa are battling itself  Some African countries are in a civil war  One of the main reason’s Africa struggles is because each country refuses to look at themselves as ONE entity; ONE unit.

History  Before colonialism, most of West Africa was a stateless society, which is where people rely on family to govern themselves, rather than an elected gov’t or monarch.

31  Role of slavery  Estimated 12 million were taken from Africa and sent to the Western Hemisphere from  Enslaved Africans sent to Europe, North Africa, Southwest Asia  African rhythms found in music around the world Globalization and African Culture

European Colonization  The Slave Trade  Existed for centuries, however Europeans dramatically heightened the traffic  Middle Passage- slave trade from Africa to the “New World” ( North America)  Many died during this month long trip across the Atlantic

34 SUPRANATIONALISM African Union (AU) Formerly the OAU, union consisting of 54 African states, except Morocco. The AU was established May Motto: "A United and Strong Africa" Southern African Development Community (SADC) Goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states. It complements the role of the African Union Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional group of 15 West African countries. Founded in May 1975, mission is to promote economic integration across the region Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) Economic Community for the promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa. It "aims to achieve collective autonomy, raise the standard of living of its populations and maintain economic stability through harmonious cooperation". IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

35 Supranational Organizations of Sub-Saharan Africa (Fig. 6.35)

Development in Africa: HDI  Reminder: HDI (human development index) is a combination of economic, social, and demographic factors. It is calculated by measuring:  Gross domestic product (GDP)  Literacy Rate  Average number of school years attended.  Life expectancy The number assigned is from 0.1 to 1.0. The higher the better/more developed. Where do you think most of Sub-Saharan African countries would be????

Economic Development Varies!!!!  Ghana:.573  Exports gold, diamonds, magnesium, and bauxite (used for aluminum).  Political stability in the 90’s allowed this country to gain a stable economy  Sierra Leone:.374  Have the same resources as Ghana but political instability and civil wars have held them back from economic gains.

Development and the DTM  Let’s review the stages.  Where do you think most African nations fall?  Do you think there are any in three? Four?

Stage 2: Almost all of Sub- Saharan Africa. Stage 3: South Africa (although Lesotho, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Botswana are close to moving into three) Stage 4: Mauritius

Development and Population Pyramids.

What can you infer?

Worst Population Pyramid EVER!!

What happened here?

Projected Population Growth

Land Use Patterns: Urbanization

Cities growing rapidly=issues  Kibera Kibera  Kibera, Kenya, is the second largest slum in Africa and the third largest in the world. The population of Kibera is estimated at 1.1 million people, up from 700,000 ten years ago. There is no infrastructure, no roads, no safe drinking water, or sewers. Kibera is created from scraps of tin and mud.

Population Density

Land Use Patterns: Agriculture  Rural population is 73% as of 2013  Agriculture is subsistence***.  What does that mean? Crops critical for export include: coffee, peanuts, cotton, cocoa, and rubber. Pastoral nomadism*** is also practiced. What does this mean? ***AP Human vocab alert!!!!

Land Use: Resources

Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 53 Conclusions Problems lead to pessimism –Civil wars –Health problems –Poverty Reasons for optimism –Large areas of land available for farming –Signs of declining birth rates –Some wars have ended –Improving infrastructure –Some countries doing relatively well: Mozambique, Botswana, S. Africa, Senegal, others.