1. Top 10 Keys to
Understanding Africa

2. SIZE Africa is nearly 3 times larger in size than the U.S.
The United States
has 83.3 people/
square mile. In
Africa, there are
63 people/sq.mi.

3. Africa is a huge plateau fringed by narrow coastal plains.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Africa is a huge plateau
fringed by narrow coastal
plains.
The coast is smooth
with few harbors.
Rivers have rapids
near the coast.
Travel by river is
difficult.

4. Most climates in Africa are tropical or subtropical.
Difficult environments (rainforests, savannas,
steppes, and deserts) cover large areas.

5. AGRICULTURE Most Africans depend on farming for a living.
Rainfall is variable.
Soils are poor.
Women practice subsistence agriculture-growing food for themselves
and families, not to sell.

6. HEALTH Many Africans have poor health because of chronic diseases
and unbalanced
diets.
Both HIV prevalence rates and the numbers of people dying from AIDS vary greatly between African countries.
In Somalia and Senegal the HIV prevalence is under 1% of the adult population, whereas in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe around 10-15% of adults are infected with HIV. Southern Africa is the worst impacted by AIDS; in South Africa the HIV prevalence is 17.8% and in three other southern African countries, the national adult HIV prevalence rate now exceeds 20%. These countries are Botswana (24.8%), Lesotho (23.6%) and Swaziland (25.9%).3
West Africa has been less affected by HIV and AIDS, but some countries are experiencing rising HIV prevalence rates. In Cameroon HIV prevalence is now estimated at 5.3% and in Gabon it stands at 5.2%. In Nigeria, HIV prevalence is low (3.6%) compared to the rest of Africa. However, because of its large population (it is the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa), this equates to around 3.3 million people living with HIV.4
Adult HIV prevalence in East Africa exceeds 5% in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.5
Overall, rates of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa appear to have peaked in the late 1990s, and HIV prevalence seems to have declined slightly, although it remains at an extremely high level
The AIDS pandemic has
become a crisis in parts
of Africa.
Chronic disease-a disease that a person has year after year

7. ANCIENT HISTORY Africa has a rich and varied history. The earliest
humans came
from East
Africa.
Kingdoms and
empires have
existed for
thousands of
years.
ANCIENT HISTORY

8. CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Africa is culturally diverse. Over 2000 languages are spoken in Africa. There are hundreds of ethnic groups and 54 nations.

9. COLONIALISM In 1884, European powers
held the Berlin Conference divided Africa into
colonies and
ruled the continent
for 70 years.
Boundaries
were drawn without
concern for human
and physical
geography.
COLONIALISM
The cartoon is called Rhodes Colossus-get it?

10. POST-COLONIALISM
African colonies began gaining independence following WWII (1945)
After independence, the
countries of Africa had to deal with colonial boundaries, poor transportation networks, & weak economies.
Most countries export low-priced raw materials & import high-priced food, machinery, & technology
These railroads primarily bring minerals from the mine to the coast.
Dual economy-An economy comprising two very different systems, and found in many developing countries where an advanced economy co-exists with a traditional economy and the two have very little contact with each other. In many less developed countries, a subsistence system operates side by side with, but quite independently of, cash cropping. This is a result of uneven development. The concept also applies to more developed economies, where core regions with large-scale, thriving industries compare with their less developed peripheries: northern Italy and the Mezzogiorno are often quoted as an example.

11. POPULATION Population is growing faster in Africa than any where
else on earth. Population problems lead to poverty, famine,
unrest, and war. There are more refugees in Africa than
on any other continent. The population in 2016 was billion. Very high birth rates lead researchers to estimate that by the year 2100 there will be 4.2 billion people living in Africa.