Africa Countries Largest GDPs South Africa Countries Largest

Africa

Countries: Largest GDPs South Africa

Countries: Largest Land Size • Democratic Republic of Congo • Sudan • Chad • Mozambique • Madagascar

Countries: Largest Population • Nigeria • Ethiopia • Democratic Republic of Congo • Tanzania • Kenya

Physical Characteristics • Continent composed of a huge plateau and escarpments. • River transportation impeded by waterfalls and rapids. • Location of equator through the middle of the region. • Similar climate patterns north and south of the equator. • Smooth coastline with few harbors.

Large number of landlocked states: Chad-Zimbabwe. Botswana Storehouse of mineral wealth Limited fertility of rainforest soils Deserts: Kalahari, Namib, and Sahara

Mount Kilimanjaro • A volcanic mountain • Africa’s highest

• Africa’s rivers contain many waterfalls, rapids, and gorges • These features make the rivers less useful for transportation

• Cataracts: waterfalls

Why is so much of Africa tropical? 90% of Africa is located within the tropics.

Aquifers: • Huge stores of underground water

Oasis: • Springs and aquifers feed these spots of vegetation and wildlife amidst the desert.

What region of Africa receives the most rain? • Central Africa

What vegetation covers most of Africa? • Grasslands

Bodies of Water Nile river: longest river in the world. The Blue and White Nile Rivers flow from central Africa, converging at Khartoum and flowing to the Mediterranean Sea.

Zambezi river: flows to the Indian Ocean and contains the world’s biggest waterfall

• Zambezi River – waterpower-fast flowing rivers are excellent to harness for hydroelectricity Victoria Falls: Constant rainbow from the spray

Niger river: principal river in Western Africaflows away from the sea through the Sahara Desert then boomerangs towards the Gulf of Guinea.

Congo river: largest river in central Africa - starts in the highlands of the East African rift and flows to the Atlantic Ocean

Red Sea: an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia- helps create the Arabian and Sinai Peninsulas- at the northern end is the Suez canal that connects to the Mediterranean Sea.

Lake Victoria: feeds the White Nile and lies on an elevated plateau in the western part of Africa's Great Rift Valley - subject to territorial administration by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Lake Tanganyika: divided between four countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia water flows into the Congo River system - Atlantic Ocean.

Oceans: Atlantic and Indian

Confluence sites: two rivers come together to form a third river o Khartoum, Sudan: the Blue Nile and the White Nile come together to form the Nile

Boundaries: Africa – 1914 and 1990’s

Desertification: expanding deserts • This man attempts to repair barriers that will hold back advancing sand dunes in Niger.

Political: Organization of African Unity • to promote the unity and solidarity of the African Statesact as a collective voice for the continent. Also dedicated to the ending colonialism and to aid independence movements. headquarters were established at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,

Economic Characteristics • Large percentage of population engaged in agricultural activity • Subsistence farming: just enough for family or tribe • Nomadic Herding: grazing animals in grasslands • Slash and burn agriculture: see Latin America • Plantation agriculture: see Latin America • Cash crops and food crops: see Latin America

Economic Characteristics • Poorly developed infrastructure: few good roads, etc. • Large number of landlocked states • Substantial mineral wealth: diamonds, gold, alloys • Major exporters of raw materials • Wide range of per capita income: very poor or fairly rich • Productivity that lags behind population growth • Desertification: expanding deserts

Demographics that are typical of developing countries 1. Low per capita GDP 2. Low life expectancy 3. High population growth rate 4. High infant mortality 5. Large percentage of the population under the age of 15 6. Low literacy rates

Why does oil rich Angola have such a poor public infrastructure? • Oil money has been spent on a protracted civil war.

What are two profitable commodities besides oil? • Coffee and lumber

Cities as centers of culture and trade • Lagos: port city on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria • Dakar: capital city of Senegallocated on the Cape Verde Peninsula along the West African coast.

• Johannesburg; largest and most populous city in South Africa - center of world diamond and gold trade.

Cultural Characteristics Uneven population distribution Many ethnic groups, languages and customs Large numbers of refugees Few cities with population over one million Knowledge of history through oral tradition

Ethnic differences: o. Rwanda and Burundi: Hutus and Tutsis Tribes have been in conflict for a long time.

Country names related to historical empires: o Mali, Timbuktu was a key city in these empires as an outpost for trans. Saharan trade and a center for scholarship. The Songhai Empire declined after a Moroccan invasion in 1591.

o Ghana, Upon achieving independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of west of Africa.

• The name Zimbabwe derives from "Zimba Remabwe" meaning "big house of stone" in the Shona language. Its use as the country's name is a tribute to Great Zimbabwe, site of the capital of the Munhumutapa Empire.

Diversity of Africans reflected in cultural heritage Masks: represent spirits.

Sculpture

Dance • African style dancing encompasses heavy drum beats, frisky, energetic movement. • Much of these elements have influenced Hip -hop and is still evident in modern times

Music • Sub-Saharan music has as its special feature a rhythmic music that has spread to other regions, especially to the Americas. Contributed to salsa, jazz, and rock-n-roll.

Colorful dress Can often identify tribal or ancestral roots.

Jewelry

Cultural Landscape • Markets • Churches • Mosques, minarets: reflect the growth of Islam in Africa • Villages • Modern city cores

Cote d’ Ivoire: the Ivory Coast • limited natural resources, • cash crops in exchange for manufactured goods.

Examples of Spatial division: o Organization of African Unity: see previous definition

Reasons for conflict: o. Sudan: For years conflicts have erupted between rival tribes and sometimes between religious factions. Currently, the Muslims in Darfur are being persecuted.

Examples of situation (regional/global connections) • Timbuktu, Mali: prospered in the 15 th and 16 th centuries from Trans-Saharan trade and helped to spread Islam.

Trans-Sahara trade: early caravan trade routes through Western Africa.

Cape town, South Africa: Supply Station for ships sailing around Africa.

The End