Transcript Exploring Our World - Educating Excellence

Chapter Introduction
Section 1: West Africa
Section 2: Central and East
Africa
Section 3: Southern Africa
Summary
Peter Horree/Alamy Images
Human-Environment
Interaction The economies of
Africa south of the Sahara
depend more on agriculture
and mineral resources than on
manufacturing. Today, a
number of challenges face the
people of this region, including
environmental damage, the
spread of disease, and various
ethnic conflicts. How might
governments use their
countries’ resources to help
people?
Section 1:
West Africa
Geographers study how
people and physical
features are distributed on
Earth’s surface. While some
West African countries lie on
the coast, others are located
in the dry interior.
Section 2:
Central and East Africa
Cooperation and conflict
among people have an
effect on the Earth’s
surface. In various parts of
Central and East Africa,
ethnic conflicts have hurt both
people and the environment.
Section 3:
Southern Africa
Patterns of economic
activities result in global
interdependence. The
export of valuable minerals,
such as diamonds and gold,
is important to the economies
of southern Africa.
Geographers study how people and
physical features are distributed on
Earth’s surface.
Content Vocabulary
• subsistence
farm
• cacao
• landlocked
• overgraze
Academic Vocabulary
• benefit
• stable
Would you relocate every few years if
your job required it?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Depends on the job
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
0%
C
Worldwide monitoring groups are looking closely at
Africa’s diamond industry. It is very likely that Ghana
accepts millions of dollars’ worth of smuggled
diamonds. Civil war rebels from Côte d’Ivoire use them
to finance their fighting. They issue fraudulent
certificates identifying the “conflict diamonds” as
legitimate. Once this is done, the smuggled gems are
sold legally.
Nigeria
Nigeria is a large, oil-rich
country that has more people
than any other nation in Africa
south of the Sahara.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Nigeria is one of the largest nations in
Africa south of the Sahara, and it has the
largest population of any country in
the region.
– Ethnic conflict and political uncertainty
have kept Nigeria from benefiting from
its rich natural resources.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Although nearly all of Nigeria’s economy
relies on oil production, most of the
country’s people are farmers who have
subsistence farms, or small plots where
they grow only enough to feed their
families.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Larger farms produce cash crops, such as
rubber, peanuts, palm oil, and cacao, a
tropical tree whose seeds are used to
make chocolate and cocoa.
• By focusing on cash crops, Nigeria has not
grown enough food crops, so food must be
imported.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups,
the four largest being the Hausa, Fulani,
Yoruba, and Ibo.
– Nigerians speak many different African
languages, but they use English in
business and government.
Nigeria (cont.)
• About 50 percent of Nigeria’s people are
Muslim, 40 percent are Christian, and 10
percent practice traditional African
religions.
Religion in Selected Countries of West Africa
Nigeria (cont.)
• Although 60 percent of Nigerians still live
in rural areas, many people have left their
farms in search of better jobs in the cities.
• The largest city is the port of Lagos.
• Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, is a planned city
that was built during the 1980s.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Nigeria is a federal republic, with powers
divided between a national government
and states.
Nigeria (cont.)
• Nigeria still faces the challenge of building
a stable, or secure, democracy, and ethnic
and religious differences continue to
threaten national unity.
• In the early 2000s, violence between
Christians and Muslims in certain areas
raised fears of another civil war.
What is Nigeria’s major source of
income?
A. Cacao
B. Oil exports
0%
D
A
0%
A
B
C
0%
D
C
D. Palm oil
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
C. Timber
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa
West Africa consists of inland
grasslands and coastal rain
forests, areas with different
populations and resources.
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa (cont.)
• Except for Mauritania, the Sahel
countries—Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso,
Niger, and Chad—are landlocked, or
without a sea or an ocean border.
• The lack of a good transportation system
and ports limits the ability of the Sahel
countries to develop their valuable
deposits of uranium, gold, and oil.
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa (cont.)
• Only grasses and small trees grow in the
Sahel, which receives little rainfall.
• A major farming activity is raising livestock
but overgrazing, or when the animals strip
areas so bare that winds blow away the
soil, combined with the dryness of the
area, contribute to desertification.
• Populations in the Sahel are small
because of the difficult living conditions.
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa (cont.)
• The countries of Coastal West Africa
include the Cape Verde Islands and the
mainland countries that stretch from
Senegal to Benin.
• As in other regions, rain forests here have
been cleared for palm, coffee, cacao, and
rubber plantations.
• This has led to deforestation along the
area’s densely settled coasts.
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa (cont.)
• As people migrate in search of work, they
have settled in port cities, such as Dakar
(Senegal) and Accra (Ghana).
The Sahel and Coastal West Africa (cont.)
• Civil wars have cost many lives and
destroyed the economies in Liberia, Sierra
Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire; but Ghana,
Senegal, and Benin have stable
democracies and generally prosperous
economies.
What language do most people of the
Sahel and Coastal West Africa speak?
A. French
B. English
C. Arabic
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
0%
C
Cooperation and conflict among
people have an effect on the Earth’s
surface.
Content Vocabulary
• sisal
• cassava
• habitat
• genocide
Academic Vocabulary
• source
• shift
• restore
Do you believe the United States
should be directly involved in
restoring peace to countries like
Darfur and Rwanda?
A. Yes
A. A
B. B
B. No
0%
A
0%
B
World aid groups are not always welcomed. Eritrea’s
leaders are at odds over the donation of food for its
people. When Eritrea was fighting for its independence
from Ethiopia, aid was given to Ethiopia, not Eritrea.
Eritrea’s leaders now mistrust offers of outside help,
insisting they will take care of themselves.
Central Africa
Although rich in natural
resources, Central Africa
remains largely undeveloped
because of a difficult
environment and political
conflicts.
Central Africa (cont.)
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo is
a major source of copper, tin, and
industrial diamonds.
• Many of the minerals are found in the
country’s interior, but thick rain forests,
political unrest, and lack of roads limit the
mining of the resources.
• For many years, a civil war hurt efforts to
develop the country’s economy.
Central Africa (cont.)
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo
has more than 200 different ethnic groups
who speak African languages, but French
is the country’s official language.
• Although most Congolese people live in
rural areas, the capital, Kinshasa, has
more than 6 million people.
Central Africa (cont.)
• Gabon has used its rich resources of oil,
manganese, uranium, and timber to build a
prosperous economy.
• Cameroon produces cacao and coffee for
export.
Central Africa (cont.)
• Both Congo and the Central African
Republic have remained in poverty
because of weak governments.
• Equatorial Guinea has benefited from its
oil resources.
• Likewise, the island country of São Tomé
and Principé have shifted to oil production
instead of exporting cacao and coconuts.
Why has the Democratic Republic of
Congo not been able to take full
advantage of its rich resources?
A. Lack of roads
0%
D
A
D. All of the above
C
C. Thick rain forests
A. A
B. B
C.0%C 0%
0%
D. D
B
B. Political unrest
Southern East Africa
The highlands in the southern
part of East Africa attract
people and support thriving
farms. The region has
experienced much conflict,
however.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Tanzania, the largest of the southern East
African countries, has many ethnic groups,
each with its own language, but most
people speak Swahili.
• Friendly relations among the groups plus a
stable government have prevented conflict
in Tanzania since independence.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Most Tanzanians farm or herd livestock.
Export crops are coffee and sisal, a plant
fiber used to make rope and twine.
• The island of Zanzibar, off Tanzania’s
coast, supplies a spice called cloves.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• National parks in Tanzania help to protect
the habitats of the country’s wildlife.
• A habitat is the type of environment in
which a particular animal species lives.
• Serengeti National Park attracts many
ecotourists, or people who travel to
another country to view its natural wonders
and wildlife.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Most of Kenya’s people live in the
highlands in the center of the country.
• Nairobi is the country’s capital and the
largest city in East Africa.
• Mombasa, on the Indian Ocean coast, is a
large and busy port.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Most Kenyans are farmers who raise corn,
bananas, sweet potatoes, and cassava, a
plant whose roots are ground to make
porridge.
• Some larger farms raise coffee and tea for
export. The country also has a large
system of national parks to help protect its
wildlife.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Kenya has many different ethnic groups,
with the Kikuyu people making up onefourth of the population.
• Most Kenyans live in rural areas, but many
have moved to the cities in search of a
better life.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• After independence from Britain in 1963,
Kenya prospered despite rule by one
political party.
• Recently, Kenyans have made advances
toward democracy, but a disputed presidential
election in 2007 led to violent riots.
• The violence ended when the rival candidates
agreed to share power in the new
government.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are
landlocked countries in the highlands of
East Africa.
• Rich soil and plentiful rainfall are good for
both subsistence farms and plantations.
Crops are bananas, cassava, potatoes,
corn, grains, coffee, cotton, and tea.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• Rwanda and Burundi have the highest
population densities in Africa south of the
Sahara.
• Uganda was ruled for much of the 1970s
by a cruel dictator, Idi Amin, but in recent
years, it has become more democratic and
prosperous.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• About 80 percent of the people in both
Rwanda and Burundi are Hutu, but the
Tutsi ran the governments and economies
for many years.
• In the 1990s, civil war erupted, including
genocide, or the deliberate murder of a
group of people because of their race of
culture.
Southern East Africa (cont.)
• A Hutu-led government in Rwanda killed
hundreds of thousands of Tutsi. Two
million more Tutsi became refugees.
What is the capital of Kenya?
A. Nairobi
B. Mombasa
C. Zanzibar
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
0%
C
The Horn of Africa
The countries of the Horn of
Africa have all been scarred
by conflict in recent years.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Sudan, the largest country in Africa, is
covered in the north by the dunes of the
Sahara and the Nubian Desert.
• In the central area of grassy plains, the
two main tributaries of the Nile River—the
Blue Nile and the White Nile—join at
Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.
• Southern Sudan receives plenty of rain
and has fertile soil and swamplands.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Most of Sudan’s people live along the Nile
River or its tributaries and use Nile waters
to irrigate their fields of sugarcane, grains,
dates, and cotton—the country’s leading
export.
• Sudan also has large reserves of oil in the
south.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• During the A.D. 500s, missionaries brought
Christianity to the region.
– About 900 years later, Muslim Arabs
entered northern Sudan and converted
its people to Islam.
– The British and Egyptians together ruled
Sudan from the late 1800s until 1956
when the country became independent.
– Since then, Sudan has been ruled
mostly by military leaders.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• From 1983 to 2004, Arab Muslims in
northern Sudan and Christian black
Africans and followers of local religions in
southern Sudan fought a bitter civil war,
killing about 1.5 million and driving many
more from their homes.
• Another 200,000 likely have been killed
during a conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur
region that began in 2001.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Landlocked Ethiopia’s landscape varies
from hot lowlands to highlands and rugged
mountains.
• Mild temperatures and good soil in the
highlands are good for raising grains,
sugarcane, potatoes, and coffee, a major
export crop.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• In the 1980s, a drought in Ethiopia turned
the once-rich fields into seas of dust.
– A resulting famine killed more than
1 million Ethiopians through starvation
and disease.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• About 85 percent of Ethiopians live in rural
areas, although the capital, Addis Ababa is
one of the largest cities in East Africa.
– Ethiopians practice Christianity, Islam, or
traditional African religions.
– Almost 80 languages are spoken in
Ethiopia.
– Amharic, similar to Hebrew and Arabic,
is Ethiopia’s official language.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Eritrea is a small Muslim country that
broke away from Ethiopia in 1993 and sits
on the shores of the Red Sea.
– Most of Eritrea’s people farm, but
farming is uncertain work because the
climate is dry.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Somalia is situated on the tip of the Horn
of Africa and has a long coastline but few
natural harbors.
– Much of the country is hot and dry,
which makes farming difficult.
– Most of Somalia’s people are nomadic
herders on the country’s plateaus.
– In the south, rivers provide water for
irrigation of fruits, sugarcane, and
bananas.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Nearly all the people of Somalia are
Muslims, but they belong to different clans.
In the late 1980s, disputes among these
clans led to civil war.
• Today, armed groups control various parts
of Somalia.
• The country does not have a truly
functioning government.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Djibouti is located at a narrow water
passage that links the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aden.
– This passage is the meeting point of a
number of trade routes that link the
Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean
Sea, as well as Africa with
Southwest Asia.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
– Djibouti has an excellent harbor and
modern port at its capital, the city of
Djibouti.
– Shipping and commerce have become
the heart of Djibouti’s economy.
The Horn of Africa (cont.)
• Most of Djibouti’s people are Muslims who
in the past lived a nomadic life of herding,
but the dry climate makes farming and
herding difficult.
– Many have moved to the city of Djibouti
to find jobs.
What is the major export crop of
Ethiopia?
A. Cassava
B. Bananas
0%
D
A
0%
A
B
C
0%
D
C
D. Sweet potatoes
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
C. Coffee
Patterns of economic activities result
in global interdependence.
Content Vocabulary
• constitution
• migrant worker
• suffrage
• enclave
Academic Vocabulary
• structure
• brief
• widespread
Do you know anyone who travels a
long distance for a job, perhaps to
another state or country?
A. Yes
B. No
A. A
B. B
0%
A
0%
B
In Madagascar, the bite of a centipede feels like
touching a hot stove. And the bombardier beetle sprays
a burning acid at its enemies. Equally bad—or maybe
worse—is the small leech that crawls behind an eyeball
to find a meal. Saltwater will flush it right out, but people
who have experienced it are not eager to have it
happen again.
Republic of South Africa
The Republic of South Africa
has great mineral wealth, and
has experienced major
political and social changes in
recent decades.
Republic of South Africa (cont.)
• South Africa (officially called the Republic
of South Africa) has the most highly
developed economy in Africa.
– Important exports are minerals such as
gold, diamonds, and platinum.
– Industry, farming, and ranching are also
developing successfully in South Africa.
Republic of South Africa (cont.)
• In rural areas, many people live in poverty
and depend on subsistence farming.
• In the cities, industries have not grown fast
enough to provide enough jobs.
Republic of South Africa (cont.)
• In the early 1900s, British and Afrikaner
settlers fought for control of South Africa,
but in 1910 these groups united their
territories to form the Union of South
Africa.
– It was part of the British Empire and was
ruled by whites.
– Black South Africans set up the African
National Congress (ANC) in 1912 in
hopes of gaining power.
Republic of South Africa (cont.)
• White South Africans established
apartheid to control the non-European
population, but apartheid ended in the
early 1990s.
– South Africans then wrote a new
constitution based on majority rule.
– A constitution is a document describing
the structure and powers of a
government and the rights of citizens.
Republic of South Africa (cont.)
– The constitution declared that people of
all races and both genders would have
equality.
– It granted suffrage, or the right to vote,
to all citizens who are 18 or older.
What minerals are exported out of
South Africa?
A. Gold
B. Diamonds
0%
D
A
0%
A
B
C
0%
D
C
D. All of the above
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
C. Platinum
Other Southern African Countries
Other southern African
countries are rich in
resources and are home to
many different ethnic groups.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• The six countries of inland southern Africa
include Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.
• Each is landlocked, has a mild climate,
and is dominated by high plateaus.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Most of the citizens practice subsistence
farming in rural villages.
• Thousands move to the cities or to South
Africa as migrant workers.
• They spend most of the year working in
mines and factories, visiting their families
only a few times for brief periods.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Within South Africa are Lesotho and
Swaziland, both enclaves, or small
territories located inside a larger country.
• Both are poor countries that depend on
South Africa for goods and markets.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Botswana is a country with swamplands
and part of the vast Kalahari Desert.
– Its economy relies on the mining and
exporting of diamonds and other
minerals.
– The dry climate limits farming, so food
must be imported from South Africa.
– Botswana is one of Africa’s strongest
democracies.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Zimbabwe is rich in gold, copper, iron ore,
and asbestos.
• Some large plantations grow coffee,
cotton, and tobacco.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• For years, Europeans owned Zimbabwe’s
richest farmland.
– In recent years, the government has
tried to turn over this land to Africans,
but this has led to disorder and violence.
– The economy has been hurt, and there
are widespread shortages.
– People in Zimbabwe have protested
against the strong-handed rule of their
president, Robert Mugabe.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• City-dwellers in Zambia work in mining and
service industries.
• Villagers grow corn, rice, and other crops
to support their families.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Malawi boasts wetlands, lakes, mountains,
and forests.
• Wildlife in Malawi’s national parks attracts
visitors from around the world.
• Its people grow tobacco, tea, and sugar for
export.
• After years of harsh government, Malawi
became democratic in the mid-1990s.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Angola and Namibia have Atlantic Ocean
coastlines.
• Angola is one of Africa’s major oil
producers, and Namibia mines diamonds,
copper, gold, and zinc.
• Despite this mineral wealth, most people in
Angola and Namibia live in poverty and
practice herding and subsistence farming.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Mozambique borders the Indian Ocean.
• After achieving independence, the
country’s development was slowed by civil
war and famine.
• Recently, Mozambique has begun to
attract foreign investors.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and
Seychelles are island nations in the Indian
Ocean.
• They are populated by a mix of peoples
from Asia as well as from Africa.
Other Southern African Countries (cont.)
• Madagascar has a sizable population, but
the others are relatively small, especially
tiny Seychelles.
• All of these countries depend on
agriculture, although Mauritius has a
growing banking industry, and Seychelles
has a strong tourist industry.
What resource is Zimbabwe’s major
source of income?
A. Copper
B. Timber
0%
D
A
0%
A
B
C
0%
D
C
D. Coffee
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
C. Bananas
West Africa
• Nigeria is a major oil producer and is
Africa’s most populous country.
• Ethnic and religious differences threaten
Nigeria’s political stability.
• The Sahel countries have dry climates.
• Plentiful rainfall supports agriculture in
coastal West Africa.
Central Africa
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo has
more than 200 distinct ethnic groups.
• Gabon’s economy thrives on oil, timber,
and minerals.
• Some Central African countries have
suffered from years of political instability.
East Africa
• The economies of Tanzania and Kenya rely
on tourism and farming.
• Ethnic conflict led to millions of deaths in
Rwanda and Burundi during the 1990s.
• Droughts and warfare have often occurred
in countries located on the Horn of Africa.
Southern Africa
• Many countries of southern Africa have large
deposits of metal ores and gems.
• In the 1990s, apartheid ended in South Africa
and a new democratic constitution was put in
place.
• Most people in southern Africa live in rural
villages and practice subsistence farming.
subsistence farm
small plot of land on which a farmer
grows only enough food to feed his or
her family
cacao
tropical tree whose seeds are used to
make chocolate and cocoa
landlocked
having no border with ocean or sea
overgraze
problem that occurs when grazing
animals like cattle and sheep eat too
much of the sparse vegetation in a
semiarid region
benefit
something that does good to a person
or thing
stable
firmly established; not likely to change
suddenly or greatly
sisal
plant fiber used to make rope and
twine
habitat
type of environment in which a
particular animal species lives
cassava
a plant whose roots are ground to
make porridge
genocide
mass murder of people from a
particular ethnic group
source
a point where something begins
shift
to change from one to another
restore
return; to put or bring back into
existence or use
constitution
document that describes the structure
and powers of a government and the
rights of people in a country
suffrage
right to vote
migrant worker
person who earns a living by
temporarily moving to a place
separate from his or her home in
order to work
enclave
small territory entirely surrounded by
larger territory
structure
an arrangement of parts
brief
not very long
widespread
scattered or found in a wide area
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