1. East Africa Preview Section 1: Natural Environments
World Geography Today
1/13/2019
East Africa
Preview
Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: History and Culture
Section 3: The Region Today
Chapter Wrap-Up
Chapter 23

2. Section 1: Natural Environments
World Geography Today
1/13/2019
Section 1: Natural Environments
Read to Discover
What landforms, rivers, and lakes are found in East Africa, and what physical processes have shaped the land?
Why does East Africa have a variety of climates and biomes, and on what natural resources does the region depend?
Chapter 23

3. Section 1: Natural Environments
Question
What landforms, rivers, and lakes are found in East Africa?

4. Section 1: Natural Environments
Lakes
• Lake Victoria
• Lake Albert
• Lake Tanganyika
• Lake Turkana
• Lake Malawi
Rivers
Landforms
• Blue Nile (flows from Ethiopian highlands)
• White Nile (flows from Lake Victoria)
• Nile (combined flows of Blue Nile and White Nile)
• Western and Eastern Rift Valleys (tectonic)
• Kilimanjaro (volcanic)
• Ethiopian highlands (volcanic)
• Sudd (water from White Nile)

5. Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates, Biomes, and Resources
Latitude and elevation influence climate along the equator; highland elevations produce cooler climates, more rainfall, and thicker forests.
Farther north and south, seasonal droughts are common; vegetation is limited and animal life threatened.
Tsetse fly permits survival of native animal species by making livestock raising difficult.
Resources are limited (some oil, gems, gold); most important are rich highland soils (for farming) and scenic beauty (for tourism).

6. Section 2: History and Culture
Read to Discover
What were some important developments in East Africa’s early history?
How did European exploration and colonization affect the region?
What are the peoples and cultures of East Africa like today?

7. Section 2: History and Culture
Question
Who are the important peoples in East Africa’s early history?

8. Section 2: History and Culture
Early History of East Africa
• Controlled much of the Nile
• Capital at Meroë, world’s largest cluster of pyramids
Kush
• Conquered the Kush by 350
• Controlled western Arabia
• Adopted Christianity
Aksum
• Sailed along coast, established ports for trade
• Swahili language developed from trade
Arabs
Earliest Peoples
• No written histories
• Oral tradition

9. Section 2: History and Culture
European Influence
1500s—First Portuguese trading ports established
Mid-1800s—Explorers, missionaries, and traders moved inland
Late 1800s—Europeans grabbed colonies, drew arbitrary borders
Colonial rule—Export economies (plantations, mines); building of modern cities
Independence—Leaders of new nations were often European-educated

10. Section 2: History and Culture
Peoples and Cultures
Several hundred ethnic groups
Three language families—Nilotic, Cushitic, Bantu
Arabic and South Asian peoples on the coast
Importance of religion and family—Animist faiths, Christianity, Islam
Foods—Boiled sorghum, sour milk, roast beef and lamb, Western foods, injera bread

11. Section 3: The Region Today
Read to Discover
What roles do agriculture, industry, trade, and tourism play in the economies of East Africa?
What are the region’s cities like?
What issues and challenges do East Africans face?

12. Section 3: The Region Today
East African Economies
Farming (usually small-scale subsistence)—Beans, corn, rice, sorghum, wheat, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, tea, cloves, coconuts
Herding—Cattle, goats, sheep
Gathering wild plant products—Coffee beans and gum arabic
Raw material exports
Manufacturing—basic consumer goods, foods, and building materials
Tourism—Great potential; animals, scenery, events draw tourists; provides jobs and market for arts and crafts; need to reduce political violence and preserve the environment

13. Section 3: The Region Today
Question
What are the region’s largest cities?

14. Section 3: The Region Today
City
Description
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Largest city and capital of Ethiopia, headquarters of regional organizations
Nairobi, Kenya
Region’s most important commercial center
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Vital seaport, transportation hub
Khartoum and Omdurman, Sudan
Largest cities in Sudan, face each other across Nile

15. Section 3: The Region Today
Issues and Challenges
Population growth—Contributes to many problems
Ethnic conflicts—Often over land and access to aid and jobs
Building stable governments
Promoting economic progress
Protecting the environment
Providing for health and education

16. Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
1. How does elevation affect climate in East Africa?
2. What are two ways that Arab traders influenced East African languages and religion?
3. How have other cultures changed the traditional religions and diet of East Africa?
4. What activities form the basis of the region’s economy?
5. Why does tourism hold great economic potential for the region?