Physical Geography  Fun Facts:  Africa is VERY diverse.  There are 700 different cultures  2,000 different languages  North Africa is very different from the southern part of Africa (known as Sub-Saharan Africa).

Plateaus  High plateaus drop off to narrow coasts  Elevation of much of land is high—lots of cliffs

Even large Rivers have rapids and waterfalls near coast, which affects development and trade.

High escarpments drop off to narrow coasts resulting in high elevation in many parts of Africa.

Highest mountains are found in East Africa. The highest is Mt. Kilimanjaro

Great Rift ValleyGreat Rift Valley Deep trench that cuts through East Africa and is 4,000 miles long is the Great Rift Valley. Great Rift Valley is a geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends 4,000 miles from N. Syria to central Mozambique.

Rain ForestRain Forest Most of Africa’s rainforests are found in West Africa. Sadly they are slowly disappearing: 5,400 square miles or 26% have disappeared. In West Africa we find Monsoon rainforests which are tropical moist or seasonal rainforests In Central Africa we find Equatorial Rainforests which are often considered the "real rainforest," are characterized by more than 80 inches (2,000 mm) of rain annually spread evenly throughout the year.

Sahel  Buffer between deserts and fertile lands  It is becoming a desert itself because of farming and weather.  Desertification: degradation of land in arid and semi- arid areas-from overuse, grazing and over cutting.

Diversity  RACISM: led European explorers to think of all blacks as homogenous (the same).  However Africa is VERY diverse! It makes up:  1/7 th of the world’s area  1/10 th of the world’s population  1/3 rd of the world’s languages  Madagascar not even African at all! It was settled by Malaysian traders.  Swahili is another example of the diversity of Africa— it is a mixture of Arabic, Portuguese, and Bantu.

Islam and AfricaIslam and Africa >The huge Islamic influence in Africa. is an example of Cultural diffusion. >There are many religions in Africa including: Christianity, Islam, and Animism. >Animism is the belief that inanimate objects and natural disasters have spirits.

Health 1.Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and kills 1 million children per year. 2.Spread by the tsetse fly, sleeping sickness, also kills cattle. 3.Other diseases such as river blindness, diphtheria, and AIDS are a problem due to the lack of health care and sanitation facilities.

Women  Work hours a day—raising kids, grinding millet for food, fetching water, etc.  Men can often have many wives, called polygamy.  “Bride Wealth” = older husband pays for younger wife- expensive.

History  Bantu people moved into southern Africa 2500 years ago—movement of people into new lands is called MIGRATION.  Great Zimbabwe—1000 AD—large stone ruins were discovered by European explorers.  Showed that a powerful kingdom was there  Slave Trade: 1500’s-1800’s  LIBERIA (US) and SIERRA LEONE (GB)—countries that were established for freed slaves

European ImperialismEuropean Imperialism  Colonialism: when one nation seeks to dominate another  Guns allowed Europeans to conquer Africa in a 20 year period ( )  Reason for Colonilization of Africa: $$, power, religion, wealth.  Berlin Conference divided up Africa—no Africans were invited— French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and Belgians.  Pan-Africanism—promote African unity—united Africa to end colonialism—some were peaceful, some violent.  Nonalignment-noninvolvement with either Communist bloc nations or Western bloc nations.

The Berlin ConferenceThe Berlin Conference Blue: France Pink: GB Yellow: Belgium Orange: Spain Green: Italy Brown: Germany Light Green: Portugal Grey: Independent

The Four G’s Of Imperialism

Effects of European Rule in AfricaEffects of European Rule in Africa  Negative  Downgraded traditional African culture and weakened family ties  Led to forced labor and abuses of human rights  Created artificial colonial boundaries that cut across historical, ethnic and cultural boundaries  Positive  Improved medical care, sanitation, and nutrition  Expanded transportation and communications  Increased agricultural production with new seeds and fertilizers  Created new education and career opportunities