REGIONS OF SUBSAHARAN AFRICA 5 REGIONS OF SUBSAHARA

REGIONS OF SUBSAHARAN AFRICA

5 REGIONS OF SUB-SAHARA • Transition Zone • East Africa • West Africa • Equatorial Africa • Southern Africa

TRANSITION ZONE

TRANSITION ZONE • Government and History • Empires that controlled the region • Mali • Egyptians • Kush • Tried for Democracy • Kept the political boundaries set up by the colonial rulers • Did not know how to govern themselves power struggle • Civil war

TRANSITION ZONE • Religion • Dominant religion is Islam • Christianity does exist but in varying degrees • Economics • Kingdoms built on Trade • Nigeria is part of OPEC • Most people make their living in Primary Activities • Subsistence farming

TRANSITION ZONE • Resources • Water is a precious resource • Used for farming and livestock • Have discovered • Oil • Natural gas • Coal • Uranium • Gold • These have helped develop new economies

EAST AFRICA

EAST AFRICA • Government and History • Known as one of the areas of the first humans • Fossils found as far back as 3. 2 million years • Kingdom of Axum first conquered the area • Independence • Dictators and Military rule followed • Caused • Social disintegration • Human right violations • Border Disputes

EAST AFRICA • Religion • Most people are Muslim or Christian • Traditional animist religions do exist • Economics • Majority of jobs are agriculture • Cash corps for export (coffee, tea, spices, and cashews) • Tourism and ecotourism is growing • Resources • • • Gold Natural Gas Diamonds Tanzanite Copper

WEST AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Government and History • Empires • Ghana • Mali • Songhai • Faced daunting challenges after independence • Most tried to become a democracy • Cultural tensions • Muslims vs Christians • Had to adopt European culture because traditional cultural had been lost

WEST AFRICA • Religion • Dominant Religion Islam, Christianity and Animist • Economics • Some people run small businesses • Selling their stuff over the internet • Many people live by subsistence farming • Resources • Major resource is Diamonds • Some other resources • • • Oil Natural gas Coal Gold Uranium

EQUATORIAL AFRICA

EQUATORIAL AFRICA • History and Government • First inhabitants of the Congo • Mbuti, known as Pygmies • Bantu people founded the Kongo (Congo) Kingdom • Europeans arrived they wanted to trade • Slave Trade • Independence from Colonial Rule -1960 • Considered Democracies • One Party rule • Had human right abuses • Rebel groups control the land in the countryside • Gabon has a stable Republic • Democratic Republic of Congo • Instability led to a dictator rule from 1960’s until 1990’s

1960 INDEPENDENCE “YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE”

SLAVE TRADE

EQUATORIAL AFRICA • Religion • Most people practice Christianity • European colonialism greatly influenced • Islam and Animism is practiced • Economics • Farming is the main activity • Single crop and subsistence farming is more common • Commercial farming exists- small percentage • Lacks the infrastructure to develop industry • Resources • Mineral Resources are abundant • Cadmium, cobalt, copper, gold, manganese, oil, silver, tin, zinc and diamonds • Water is a major natural resource

BANTU PEOPLE

SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOUTHERN AFRICA • History And Government • First people were called the San • Descendants are Botswana, Namibia, and Angola • Great Zimbabwe City of the Shona • Center of a huge trading empire • Independence • Tried to follow the European model of Democracy • Segregation and racism a big problem • Apartheid in South Africa • Led to civil wars and separation of nations • Zimbabwe first Prime Minister Robert Mugabe was very brutal and repressive of political opposition

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Religion • Christianity is the most practiced • Many people still practice Animism though • Economics • Most people are farmers • Commercial farming becoming more important • Mining has always been important • 1/3 of the gold mined in the world has come from here • Most of the world diamonds come from here as well • Manufacturing is small but growing • Resources • Vast Mineral wealth • Problems: • Foreign companies own the mines • Pay workers little

DIAMOND MINE

LARGEST DIAMOND IN THE WORLD