1. Get your book and binder
Work on any of the notes that you have not finished
Physical Geography
West Africa
Vocabulary

2. Economic Development

3. Historically:
Very little manufacturing
Raw materials
Oil, minerals, agricultural products
Exploitation, slavery, and harsh working conditions
Environmental disregard
Political instability = deficient economy

4. Today:
Worse today than the 1960s
+ half are in World Bank’s lowest income category = -$975 GNI per person
2007 = 2.5 % GNP and 1.5 % total dollar value of exports
These are small for population and resources
Inadequate roads, airports, railroads, ports
Few computers and high level technology

5. After colonialism = limited infrastructure and $$
Countries borrow = 227 billion dollars by 1997
Western countries urge forgiveness of debt
Regional cooperation – ECOWAS and SADC
Exporting raw materials
“one-commodity” countries
Unstable economies because prices vary daily
Diversifying is crucial
Manufacturing

6. Education and skilled workers
76 % = lowest of any world region
civil war has destroyed some (Angola and Somalia)
Algeria – 96 % and Mauritius – 84%
Slowing the movement of professionals to foreign countries

7. PROBLEMS
SOLUTIONS
Colonial powers left no $$$
Debt
Limited infrastructure
One-commodity countries
Lacking education
Professionals leaving

8. East Africa Government: traditional republics, tribal
economy: Trade, cash crops, and tourism
Art: Masai clothing, beadwork and jewelry
Lifestyles: herders, currently a variety of jobs
Ethnicities: Masai and Kikuyu
Empires: Aksum
Language: Varies greatly, native African and Asian influence, Swahili
Religion: mainly Islam, some Christianity
Resources: soil, coffee, tea, sugar
Education: affected by civil wars, few children attend school because it is not a priority

9. North Africa Government: democracies and dictators
economy: Agriculture and oil
Art: Rai music, souk markets
Lifestyles: patriarchal (changing)
Ethnicities: Arabic and traditional African
Empires: Egypt, Carthage
Language: Varies, Arabic is common, Berber
Religion: Islam
Resources: petroleum, coal, iron, others
Education: priority on primary education, growing enrollment and literacy rates

10. West Africa Government: stateless societies to democratic
economy: Trade, reliance on European industrialization
Art: Ashanti weaving, Benin bronzes, Music
Lifestyles: traditional to each group
Ethnicities: mainly indigenous populations, Ashanti
Empires: Ghana, Mali, Songhay
Language: indigenous African languages, Congo, Igbo
Religion: Islam, Christianity
Resources: salt, gold, diamonds, magnesium, bauxite, phosphates
Education: affected by civil wars, few children attend school because it is not a priority, 35% lit rate, unskilled workers

11. Central Africa Government: democracies, republics, traditional
economy: weak infrastructure and economy, selling natural resources to other countries
Art: Fang sculpture, wooden masks, don’t want western influence
Lifestyles: traditional
Ethnicities: indigenous populations (100s), Bantu
Empires: no major ancient empires
Language: French and Bantu languages (more than 700 languages)
Religion: Christianity
Resources: slave trade, rubber, gold, copper
Education: improving but most youth over age do not attend school, 2 new universities

12. Southern Africa
Government: republics and constitutional, apartheid – separated races
economy: trade, advanced but struggling with unequal distribution, good incomes, farming
Art: gule de mkulu, vimbuza, and benji dances
Lifestyles: some modern, but many are still poor
Ethnicities: British (whites), indigenous Africans
Empires: Mutapa, Shona, Zulu
Language: Bantu, South Africa = 11 official lang.
Religion: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism
Resources: gold, minerals, diamonds, meat production
Education: uneducated young people but better than most other areas of Africa