Transcript Document

Chapter 14 – North Africa
Section Notes
Video
Physical Geography
History and Culture
North Africa Today
Impact of the Nile River
Close-up
A Sahara Oasis
World Almanac
Egypt’s Population
Maps
North Africa: Political
North Africa: Physical
Egypt: Population
North Africa: Agriculture
North Africa
Assessment Map: North Africa
Images
Quick Facts
Chapter 14 Visual Summary
Geography
Great Sphinx
Focus on Culture: The Berbers
An Egyptian Pyramid
Algiers, Algeria
Physical Geography
The Big Idea
North Africa is a dry region with limited water resources.
Main Ideas
• Major physical features of North Africa include the Nile
River, the Sahara, and the Atlas Mountains.
• The climate of North Africa is hot and dry, and water is the
region’s most important resource.
Main Idea 1:
Major physical features of North Africa
include the Nile River, the Sahara, and the
Atlas Mountains.
• The Nile River is the longest river in the world.
– Flows more than 4,000 miles northward through the desert
– Formed by the union of two rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile
– Empties into the Mediterranean Sea
• The land along the Nile is very fertile.
– Floods on the river deposit silt, or finely ground fertile soil, all along
the river.
– Before it reaches the sea, the Nile fans out into a huge fertile delta.
• The Aswan High Dam controls flooding on the Nile.
– Because of the lack of silt, farmers need to use fertilizer to grow
crops.
Other Physical Features
of North Africa
The Sinai and Suez Canal
• The Sinai Peninsula is east of the Nile. It is mostly rocky
and barren.
• The Suez Canal separates the Sinai peninsula from the
rest of Egypt. Ships carry oil and goods from the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea through the canal.
Mountains
• Several mountain ranges can be found in the Sahara.
• The highest mountains are the Atlas Mountains in the
northwest, near the Mediterranean Sea. They rise to
13,600 feet (4,160 m) above sea level.
The Sahara
Largest desert in the world, covering most of North
Africa
Very dry, so very few people live there
Nearly every settlement in the Sahara is located
near an oasis, a wet and fertile area in a desert
where a spring or well provides water.
Common features in the Sahara include broad
gravel plains, tall sand dunes, and dry streambeds.
Main Idea 2:
The climate of North Africa is hot and dry,
and water is the region’s most important
resource.
Climate
• Three main climates:
– Desert: very dry, with
temperatures ranging
from mild to very hot
– Mediterranean: found
along the coast; mild
winters and warm
summers
– Steppe: found
between the coast and
the desert
Resources
• Because rain is rare,
water is a valuable
resource.
• Oil and gas are found in
Libya, Algeria, and
Egypt.
• Morocco has iron ore.
• Coal, oil, and natural
gas are found in the
Sahara.
History and Culture
The Big Idea
North Africa is rich in history and Islamic culture.
Main Ideas
• North Africa’s history includes ancient Egyptian
civilization.
• Islam influences the cultures of North Africa and
most people speak Arabic.
Main Idea 1:
North Africa’s history includes ancient
Egyptian civilization.
• Egyptian civilization began after 3200 BC.
• The Egyptians are most famous for building huge stone
monuments, especially pyramids.
– The pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs, or Egyptian kings.
– The largest pyramid is called the Great Pyramid. It is still standing
today.
• The Egyptians also developed a writing system called
hieroglyphics.
– Used pictures to represent words or ideas
– Often carved on monuments to record pharaohs’ deeds
Later North African History
Greek and Arab Influence
• The Greeks under Alexander the Great invaded Egypt.
• They built a city, Alexandria, that became a center of trade
and culture.
• In the 600s the Arabs conquered much of North Africa.
• They brought the Arabic language and Islam to the region.
European Influence
• By 1912 European countries such as Britain, Spain, France,
and Italy had taken over North Africa.
• North Africa regained independence beginning in the 1920s.
The last country to become free was Algeria in 1962.
Modern North Africa
• Since independence the countries of North Africa have tried to
build stronger ties with other Arab countries.
Economic
Opportunities
Source for
Raw
Materials
Industrial
Revolution
Cheap Labor
Markets to trade
Finished
Goods
European
Motives
For Colonization
Humanitarian
Reasons
Help people
in need
Military
& Naval
Bases
Places to
Dump
Unwanted/
Excess Population.
Africa
in
1914
Main Idea 2:
Islam influences the cultures of North Africa
and most people speak Arabic.
People and Language
• Egyptians, Berbers, Bedouins, and people of mixed ancestry
live in North Africa.
• The majority of people in the region speak Arabic.
Religion
• Most North Africans are Muslims, people who practice Islam.
• Islam influences many aspects of life in North Africa.
• A small percentage of people in the region practice
Christianity or other non-Islamic religions.
North African Culture
Foods
• Grains, fruits,
vegetables, and
nuts are
common.
• Couscous—dish
made from
wheat served
with meat or
vegetables
• Fuul—Egyptian
dish made from
fava beans,
olive oil, garlic,
and lemons
Holidays and
Customs
• Most holidays
are religious.
• Cafes are
gathering
places.
• People greet
each other by
shaking hands
and touching
their hearts.
• Traditional
clothes are long
and loose.
The Arts and
Literature
• Traditional arts
include wood
carving and
weaving.
• Egypt has a
movie industry.
• Music is very
popular.
• Egyptian author
Naguib Mahfouz
won the Nobel
Prize in 1988.
North Africa Today
The Big Idea
Many people of North Africa are farmers, and oil is an
important resource.
Main Ideas
• Many of Egypt’s people are farmers and live along the Nile
River.
• People in the other countries of North Africa are mostly
pastoral nomads or farmers, and oil is an important
resource in the region.
Main Idea 1:
Many of Egypt’s people are farmers and live
along the Nile River.
Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa with more
than 75 million people. Most of them are poor farmers.
Government
Egypt is a republic, though its government is influenced by Islamic law.
People are torn over how much influence Islam should have and how
much the government should participate in foreign affairs.
Society
Most people are very poor and do not have clean water.
• Disease is common.
• About half of all Egyptians cannot read or write.
• The Egyptian government has made great progress in improving
people’s lives.
Egypt Today
Resources and Economy
• Limited resources
• Nearly all farming takes
place along the Nile. The
land is very fertile and good
for growing cotton.
• Shipping through the Suez
Canal brings money to
Egypt.
Cities and Rural Life
• Close to 99 percent of
Egypt’s population lives in
the Nile Valley and Delta.
• Cairo is the largest city and
capital. It has a mixture of
modern buildings, historic
mosques, and mud houses.
The city is very crowded.
• Petroleum exports and
tourism also make money.
• Alexandria, the secondlargest city, is also poor and
crowded.
• Many Egyptian families
depend on money sent by
relatives in other countries.
• More than half of all
Egyptians live in villages
and rural areas.
Main Idea 2:
People in the other countries of North Africa
are mostly pastoral nomads or farmers, and
oil is an important resource in the region.
• Together, western Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are called the
Maghreb, from the Arabic for “west.”
Government
• Governments are torn over how much influence Islam should have in
the running of countries.
Economy
• Oil is the most important resource in Libya and Algeria. Money from
oil pays for schools, health care, and military equipment.
• Farmers in the region grow wheat, olives, fruits, and nuts.
• Tourism is also an important activity.
North African Cities
•
Many North African cities have large marketplaces called
souks.
–
Merchants in souks sell goods like spices, carpets, and
copper products.
–
A souk is often located in the old section of a city called the
Casbah.
•
Cities in Libya and Tunisia are mostly on the coast. The
largest cities are Benghazi and Tripoli, Libya, and Tunis,
Tunisia.
•
Morocco’s largest cities are Casablanca and Tangier. Both
are tourist attractions, and Tangier is a free port, a city
in which goods are not heavily taxed.
The Countries of North Africa
Libya
Algeria
• Ruled since 1969 by
General Mu’ammar alGadhafi, a dictator, or
ruler with complete power
• In the 1990s violence
broke out between the
government and Islamic
groups.
• Gadhafi supported violence
against Israel, so many
other countries limit their
relations with Libya.
• Today Algeria is working
to recover from the
violence and strengthen
its economy.
Tunisia
• Close economic relations
with many European
countries
• Tunisian women have more
rights than others in the
region.
Morocco
• Only country in North
Africa with little oil
• Important producer and
exporter of fertilizer
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