1. East, west, central, and south
Sub Saharan Africa
East, west, central, and south

2. East Africa
Sudan, south sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, kenya, Uganda Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and djibouti

3. Great Rift System
The Great Rift Valley is a series of large valleys and depressions on Earth’s surface. Eventually it will be filled in by the Red Sea and Eastern Africa will no longer be attached to the rest of Africa.
Kilimanjaro Mountain
Kilamanjaro, between Kenya and Tanzania is the tallest mountain in Africa. It’s summit is covered with glacial snow year round, even though it is near the equator.

4. White Nile
Blue Nile
Nile
The largest river in the world is the Nile. It is 4,132 miles or 4 times the length of Texas. The Nile begins with two separate headwaters: The Blue Nile and the White Nile.
East Africa has few rivers due to its intermittent rainfall and high temperatures in the region.

5. Major Lakes of Africa and Their Bordering Countries
Lake Alberta
Lake Malawi
Lake Victoria
Lake Tanganyika
Major Lakes of Africa and Their Bordering Countries
Lake
Bordered By
Victoria
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
Tanganyika
Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Malawi
Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique

6. Climate
The area has diverse climates ranging from cool weather in the mountains and along the coast to high desert temperatures.
The area also has seasonal, sparse, rainfall that comes in seasons. During April and May is the long season. October and November is the short season. The months in between thee periods are dry with little to no rainfall.
The area is undergoing desertification. This is the process by which agricultural land turns into desert through long drought and bad farming practices.

7. Resources
The area has many natural resources such as gold, sapphires, diamonds, tin, lumber, and salt.
The area has petroleum and the opportunity to develop both hydroelectric and geothermal energy. The problem is uneven distribution and a lack of infrastructure to use these energy resources widely outside of urban areas.
The region is home to the greatest assemblage of wildlife in the world. There are many wildlife reserves that draw tourists from all over the world. Tourists come to witness the Great Migration: more than 1 million animals travel hundreds of miles in search of fresh grazing land.

9. Nubia stretched from the Nile River Valley in Southern Egypt to almost what is now Kharourn in Sudan. It extended east to the Red Sea and west to the Libyan Desert.
The Nile river was the link between Nubia and the empire of Egypt.
1050 BC, the Kush civilization arose in Nubia. The Kushites traded with the Egyptians and adopted many of their customs. For example, they built pyramids to mark the tombs of their rulers.

10. 350 AD, The Kush empire was conquered by the Aksum, a powerful state in what is now northern Ethiopia.
Askum was founded in 1000 BC. It controlled the port of Adulis on the Red Sea. This port was a very important trading center in the region. The Askum kings adopted Christianity when it spread out of Jerusalem.
900 AD, the Askum empire declined allowing Arabs to settle on the East African Coast of the Indian Ocean. Islam grew steadily in the region.
The Arabic and Bantu languages mingled to create a new language, Swahili.
Kilwa was founded at this time. It was located on an island just off the southern coast of present day Tanzania. It became one of the wealthiest trading centers in the region trading Chinese porcelain and Indian cotton.

11. The colonial era
Just before 1500, the Age of Discovery began to affect East Africa.
The Portuguese established a sea route to India. They sailed around Africa, up the coast of Arabia, and on to India. This was less expensive than the overland route which allowed them to bring back valuable spices from India.
The Portuguese began to demand tribute, or a regular tax payment, from the East African trading kingdoms.
The Portuguese were completely Christian and wanted to replace Islam in the region.
Their monopoly did not last long.

12. Late 1800s, European nations adopted a policy of imperialism
Late 1800s, European nations adopted a policy of imperialism. Under imperialism, a stronger nation controls other, weaker nations. The Europeans carved Africa into colonies.
This idea of imperialism caused many of the African countries to rebel. Many of the European countries, such as the British, were able to control their rebellions, but many others were unsuccessful.
Ethiopia was able to prevail in their bid for independence.

13. Ethiopia Italy had colonized neighboring Eritrea.
1889 the Italians signed a treaty with the Ethiopian emperor.
Italy claimed the treaty allowed it to create a “protrectorate” in Ethiopia.
In 1893, the emperor rejected the treaty.
In 1896, the Italian governor of Eritrea finally launched a major military attack in response.
Ethiopia defeated the Italians at the battle of Adwa that year.
The European powers had to recognize Ethiopia as an independent state.

14. Independence
After World War II, there was a movement to end colonialism.
In the 1960s, East African colonies were granted independence.
Kenya, a British colony for 75 years.
British plantation owners dominated the economy. Cash crops like coffee and tea on a large scale.
Native people were driven off their land.
Jomo Kenyatta led a protest movement and negotiated the terms of independence.
1963, Kenya became an independent state.

15. Conflict in new independent states
Ethnic groups became conflicted.
Rwanda and Burundi are home to two rival ethnic groups.
1990s, genocide – the mass murder of a group of people because of their ethnicity, occurred in Rwanda between the Hutu and the Tutsi causing millions of Tutsi deaths.
Somalia has been scarred by civil war since the 1970s.
Border disputes with Ethiopia
Drought, famine, instability, misery, and violence affect neighboring countries.
Causing thousands of refugees, a person who flees a country because of violence, war, persecution, or disaster, have fled to Kenya

16. Life in east Africa
Rwanda has the highest population density while Somalia has the lowest
Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia have the greatest ethnic diversity
East African population is located mostly along the coast in urban areas.
Major cities include: Mogadishu in Somalia, Mombasa in Kenya, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Nairobi in Kenya, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
The largest population in the region is Ethiopia with 80 million people

17. Languages and religions
Many local languages are spoken in East Africa.
Ethiopians speak over 100 languages
Swahili is a very commonly used language in East Africa
Most East Africans are either Christian or Islam
About 60% of Ethiopians are Christians with the Ethiopian Orthodox church is one of the world’s oldest Christian churches in the world
2/3 of Kenya are Christian
Tanzania is evenly Christian and Islamic

18. Nairobi, Kenya Has more than 3 million people
The most populous city in East Africa
High rise business and apartment buildings sit near slums built of scrap metal.
People move to urban areas due to the economic opportunities they provide.

19. Life and culture
In rural areas families might live in a thatched-roof dwelling with no plumbing and no electricity.
Oral Tradition – stories are passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next. Like Folktales and fables are good examples of oral traditions.
In Kenya, hymns of praise were passed on to support independence.
Tarab is a form of music that combines African, Arab, and Indian elements and instruments.
Subsistence Agriculture, growing crops to feed themselves and their families.

20. Challenges in the Area
Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area
Soil in the region is not very fertile
Rain is intermittent
Government policies favor the production of cash crops for export
One of the poorest regions in the world
Population growth his higher than can be sustained in the region.
Industrialization is slow in the area

21. Challenges continued
Wild animals such as elephants and lions face the threat of poaching or illegal hunting.
Rapid spread of mal nutrition and HIV/AIDS is a serious problem.
Life expectancy in the region is about 20 years shorter than in the United States.
Lack of education, transportation, and communication hampers the improvements in the area.
Literacy rates range from a low of 38% in Somalia to 87% in Kenya
Lack of electric power causes rapid deforestation
Many countries have turned to tourism as a way to boost their economies