Transcript Human Environment Interaction

Human Environment
Interaction
Physical Geography
Of Sub-Saharan Africa
Physical Geography
Of Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Sahel is a narrow band of dry
grassland that runs east to west
along the southern edge of the
Sahara.
• The Sahel is known as the “shore
of the desert” and literally means
“coastland” in Arabic.
• People use the Sahel mostly for
herding.
• Desertification is an expansion of
dry conditions into moist areas
that are next to deserts.
• Humans can also cause
desertification through their land
use choices, such as overfarming.
• Overgrazing of
vegetation by
livestock can
also result in
desertification.
• Animals also
trample the
soil, making it
more
vulnerable to
erosion.
• When farmers drill for water to irrigate, the
resulting loss of vegetation can also cause a
loss of moisture, which can lead to erosion
and/or further desertification.
• As moisture is leached (removed) from soil,
it can cause an increase in the salt levels of
the soil, preventing the growth of new
vegetation.
• LESS moisture = More erosion = MORE salt
in soil = MORE desertification
• Growing population levels are an
indirect cause of desertification.
• More people= the need for more
food. More food= the need for
more farming.
More Human Interaction with
Environment of Africa:
• Oil discovered in Nigeria in 1956
• Niger Delta-a region that contains
most of Nigeria’s oil.
• Nigeria is the 6th leading oil exporter in
the world.
• 2 million barrels are extracted each
day & much of it is shipped to the U.S.
• While drilling for oil, the Nigerian
government & foreign oil
companies have often damaged
the land & harmed the people
living in the Niger delta.
• Damage by the oil companies &
the Nigerian government has
been severe.
• 4,000 oil spills over the past 4
decades.
• Cleanup operations are slow/nonexistent.
• In 2000, there was an explosion
& fire spread along 1 mile of the
pipeline.
• This accident cost thousands of
lives & major environmental ruin
in the region.
• Oil-related fires have often
resulted, causing acid rain & soot.
• There is a high incident of people
in the region who have
contracted respiratory diseases.
• Many of the explosions were not
accidents but caused
intentionally.
• Bandits, in cooperation with
corrupt government officials &
the military, drain fuel from the
pipelines & then resell it.
ANSWER NOW: (1) Describe the major natural
resource & economic reason for HEI in Nigeria,
and (2) with reference to the natural resource in
Nigeria, how has political corruption affected
the people and environment in Nigeria?
• During the 1970s, high oil prices
made Nigeria one of the
wealthiest nations in Africa.
During the same time, the
government borrowed heavily
against the future sale of its oil.
• BUT, prices fell & the Nigerian
government owed millions to
other nations, including the U.S.
• Mismanagement, poor planning,
corruption, & a decline in oil
prices left Nigeria poorer than
before the oil boom.
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Mt. Kenya
Mt. Kilimanjaro
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Mt. Kenya
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mt. Kenya
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Continuing with
West Africa
• The empires of Ghana, Mali, &
Songhai thrived in West Africa
because of their location on
trade routes across the Sahara.
• Gold & salt were the main
products traded in this region.
• By the 17th
C., Goree
Island, off the
coast of
Senegal,
emerged as
another
powerful
trading
center, but
the items
being sold
forever
changed the
development
and history of
Africa and
the Western
Hemisphere.
• Goree Island served as one of the
busiest points for exporting slaves
during the 17th through early 19th
Century slave trade.
• West Africa, since ancient times,
has been a region of many
different cultures and peoples.
• Prior to 19th and 20th C.
colonialism, these different African
cultures practiced self-rule within
their respective cultures or tribes,
creating what is known as a
stateless society.
• A Stateless society is one in which
people rely on family lineages to
govern themselves rather than an
elected government or monarch.
• Lineage is a family or group that
has descended from a common
ancestor.
• An example of a stateless society is
the Igbo of southeast Nigeria.
• Many stateless societies faced
challenges from 19th and 20th
Century European colonizers, who
expected one ruler, not someone of
lineage, to govern the society.
• Trade is as important in West
Africa today as it was in the
past.
• The economic well being of
West Africa is based on the
sale of its products to
industrialized countries of
Europe, North America, & Asia.
To help strengthen the
economic power of Western
Africa…
• The Economic Community of West
Africa (ECOWA) was formed in 1975.
• 15 of the 16 nations in Western Africa
are part of the ECOWA, helping them
better compete against years of
former economic domination that
had begun during colonization.
• The West African country that is not
part of ECOWA is Mauritania.
West African country of
Ghana
• Ghana’s economy relies primarily
on mining and cash crops and the
export of gold, diamonds,
magnesium, bauxite and cocoa.
• Ghana’s transition from
colonialism to democracy has had
setbacks, including military & civil
war.
• As a result, in part, of a new
constitution that was adopted in
1992, Ghana has held free elections
since the 1990’s.
• The new political stability that has
been achieved through the smooth
transitions in power has also
provided a better climate for
economic growth.
More
Stability
Major West African
trouble spot…
• The worst economic conditions in
West Africa are in Sierra Leone,
which once produced some of the
world’s highest quality diamonds.
• Years of political instability & civil
wars have left the economy in
shambles.
• Sierra Leone’s relatively uneducated
population causes a shortage in
skilled workers.
• The road & transportation system
contains few highways & only 800
miles of road!
Culture Symbols of West
Africa
• Ashanti, who live in what is now
Ghana, are known for their work in
weaving colorful asasia.
• Westerners usually refer to asasia
as kente cloth.
• Designs of kente cloth contain
colorful woven geometric figures
with specific meanings.
• Only royalty were allowed to
wear kente cloth.
West African Music
• West African popular music
involves a blend of traditional
African music with American forms
of jazz, blues, and reggae.
• Over the years, West African
musicians used French and English
lyrics to attract an international
audience.
East Africa
• East Africa, which includes the
Horn of Africa, is called the
“cradle of humanity” because of
the large number of prehistoric
human remains found in the
region.
• In 1931, Louis Leakey, an English
archaeologist, began research in
the Olduvai Gorge, located in
Tanzania.
Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania
• The Olduvai Gorge has provided
archaeologists with the most
continuous record of humanity,
including the remains of 65
individual hominids
• Hominids were the first humans
that walked upright.
• In 1959, Louis & Mary Leakey
discovered a species called homo
habilis, who were the 1st human
creatures to make stone tools.
• Homo habilis lived approximately
2 million years ago.
• East Africa has been a crossroads
of humanity because of its
geographic position near water
routes and seas & oceans.
• Aksum was an important
civilization that emerged in present
day Ethiopia in the A.D. 100s.
• Its location on the Red Sea &
Indian Ocean made it an important
trading center & contributed to its
expansion & power.
Economy of East Africa
• Agriculture forms the economic
foundation of East Africa.
• In addition, East Africa’s worldfamous wildlife parks generate
millions of dollars for the region’s
economy.
• East Africa is more than 70%
rural.
• Since European colonization,
countries have relied more on
cash crops like coffee, tea &
sugar.
• Relying on cash crops can be
risky because the price of
crops varies according to the
world market.
• At present, East Africa’s
agricultural balance is changing
because people are beginning to
leave their rural farms for greater
economic opportunities in the
cities.
• Besides farming, one of the main
economic activities in East Africa is
tourism.
• The wildlife parks in Kenya, Uganda,
& Tanzania are world famous.
• 1938 the game reserves were
created because Europeans were
killing animals for sport at a high
rate.
• In east Africa, farmers and
people in the tourism
industry are competing
against each other for use of
game reserve parklands.
• Some groups want to
eliminate or reduce the size
of the wildlife reserves to
create more farmland.
vs
vs
Cultures of East Africa
• There are 2 major ethnic groups
in East Africa
• the Masai and
• the Kikuyu
The Masai:
• Masai groups live on the grassland of the
rift valleys in Kenya & Tanzania.
• Most herd livestock & farm the land.
• They make their clothes from calfskin or
buffalo hide, often greasing their clothes
with cow fat to protect themselves from the
sun & rain.
• The Masai are also known for their intricate
beadwork & jewelry.
• Kikuyu are the largest ethnic
group in Kenya-6.6 million.
• Homeland is centered around
Mt. Kenya
• Traditionally herders, but now
they live throughout the
country and work in a variety
of jobs.
Health Care in Modern
Africa
• AIDS- Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome.
• AIDS is caused by HIV- Human
Immunodeficiency.
• People with HIV do not
necessarily have AIDS & can carry
HIV for years without not
knowing it.
• As a result, AIDS statistics can be
misleading.
• The number of people who have
AIDS lags behind those infected
with HIV.
• Some medical geographers
predict that the populations of
Africa’s worst affected countries
could decline by 10 to 20%.
• Egypt faces environmental
challenges caused by water.
• Egyptians tried to control the
floodwaters of the Nile throughout
history.
• Egyptians built the 1st Aswan Dam in
1902.
• Four miles upriver from the 1st
Aswan Dam, the Egyptians cut a
huge channel through the land
beside the Nile River.
• The builders used the rocks from
the channel as a base for their
new creation—the Aswan High
Dam, which was completed in
1970.
• Lake Nasser, which Egypt shares
with Sudan, is the artificial lake
created behind the dam.
• It stretches nearly 300 miles!
• The dam gives farmers a regular
supply of water.
• It holds the Nile’s floodwaters,
releasing them as needed so that
farmers can use the water
effectively for irrigation.
• As a result of the dam, farmers
can have 2 or 3 harvests per year.
• The dam has increased Egypt’s
farmable land by 50%.
• The dam has also helped Egypt
avoid droughts & floods.
Problems With the Dam
• During the dam’s construction,
many people had to be relocated.
• The dam decreased the fertility of
the soil around the Nile.
• The river no longer deposits its
rich silt or sediment on the
farmland.
• Farmers must now rely on
expensive fertilizers to enrich the
soil.
• Rates of malaria & other diseases
have increased due to greater
numbers of mosquitoes, which
thrive on the still waters of Lake
Nasser & the irrigation canals.
Colonization Disrupts
Africa
• In the 19th century, Europe’s
industrialized nations became
interested in Africa’s raw
materials.
• They wanted to colonize & control
parts of Africa to obtain the
resources.
Scramble for Africa
• Europeans did not want to fight
over Africa.
• To prevent wars, 14 European
nations convened the Berlin
Conference.
• Berlin Conference-in 1884-1885
to lay down the rules for dividing
Africa.
• No African ruler was invited
to attend this conference,
even though it concerned
Africa’s land & people.
• By 1914, only Liberia &
Ethiopia remained free of
European control.
• Nations that attended the
conference decided that any
European country could claim
land in Africa by telling other
nations of their claims &
showing they could control
the area.
• The European nations divided
Africa without regard to
where African ethnic or
linguistic groups lived.
• They set boundaries that
combined peoples who were
traditional enemies & divided
others who were not.
• Europe’s division of Africa is often
cited as one of the root causes of
the political violence & ethnic
conflicts in Africa in the 20th
century.
• During the
Europeans 19th &
20th Century
colonization of
Africa’s countries,
Ethiopian emperor
Menelik II protected
his country from
takeover by the
Italians.
• Ethiopia, in 1896,
defeated Italy’s
attempted armed
takeover by fighting
back with their own
arms that had been
provided, in part, by
the French.
Conflict in East Africa
• By the 1970s, most of East Africa
has regained its independence
from Europe.
• Internal disputes & civil wars
became a serious problem.
• One problem was that European
colonial powers had not prepared
East African nations for
independence.
• Ethnic boundaries created by the
Europeans forced cultural
divisions that had not existed
before colonialism.