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Africa Notes
SSA = Sub-Saharan Africa
The Land
• A series of steplike plateaus dominates lands south of the Sahara
• High elevations and a narrow coastal plain have historically hindered travel to the interior of Africa
The Land
• The Great Rift Valley slices through East Africa and affects the landforms of nations from Ethiopia to Mozambique
• Most of Africa’s large freshwater lakes nestle in cuts in the Great Rift Valley
The Land – Great Rift Valley
The Land
• Four major river systems tumble over escarpments (cliffs that separate plateaus) in dramatic rapids and falls as they spill off the continent
The Land – Victoria Falls
The Climate and Vegetation
• Although most of Africa lies in the tropics, it still exhibits diverse climates and vegetation
• Elevations and rainfall are the main factors influencing climate variations in Africa south of the Sahara
The Climate and Vegetation
• The main climate regions in Africa south of the Sahara include: desert, steppe, tropical savanna, and tropical rain forest
• Africa has an abundance of mineral wealth, but it lacks the fuels to develop it
• Deserts and steppes cover more than two-thirds of the land surface in Africa
Population Patterns
• With more than 625 million people, sub-Saharan Africa is the third most populous region in the world
• The uneven distribution of people in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to the region’s physical geography
Population Patterns
• Inadequate food, water, and health care contribute to short life expectancies in sub-Saharan Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanizing faster than any other region in the world
Population Patterns
• More than 2,000 ethnics groups, speaking some 800 languages, make up the population of Africa south of the Sahara
History and Government
• The movement of the Bantu south from Niger formed one of the largest human migrations in history
• European colonization remapped traditional ethnic territories
History and Government
• Most of Africa’s nations have won independence since the 1960s
• In the 1990s, South Africa ended apartheid and created a democracy open to all ethnic groups
Cultures and Lifestyles
• Sub-Saharan Africa’s many languages and variety of religions contribute to the region’s diversity
• Sub-Saharan Africans have influenced the artistic cultures of the world
• One of the biggest challenges facing sub-Saharan African governments is how to raise literacy rates
Living in Africa South of the Sahara
• Most of sub-Saharan nations depend on the export of one or two cash crops
• The majority of sub-Saharan Africans work as subsistence farmers
Living in Africa South of the Sahara
• Mineral deposits, as well as the profits from their export, are spread unevenly throughout Africa south of the Sahara
• Industrialization is hindered by a lack of capital and a shortage of skilled workers
Living in Africa South of the Sahara
• To reduce foreign dependence some nations are developing regional trade and transportation systems
People and Their Environment
• Desertification, drought, and war have contributed to hunger in sub-Saharan Africa
• In the 1990s Ethiopia and Eritrea took steps to restore their battered environment
• Destruction of the rain forests is a global problem
People and Their Environment
• Increasing human population and hunting has placed some African wildlife at risk of extinction
• To win rural support of game preserves, some nations have shared the profits of ecotourism
People and Their Environment
• As sub-Saharan Africans head into the next century, they hope to win economic independence