Chapter 15Northern Africa

Northern Africa•Has more in common with the Middle East than the rest of Africa•Main concerns:• search for water• Islamic faith•Dominated by Sahara desert- largest desert in the world•Closed to Christian missions

I. The SahelTransitional region between jungles and

SaharaGrass covered plains300 miles wideMauritania, Mali, Niger, ChadVery poor region, Children rarely attend

school, Lowest literacy rates in AfricaTransitional for religion and cultures tooDesertification:

◦ Read pg. 382

Mauritania TODAY: Only country of the Sahel to have a seacoast Only natural resource- iron ore Nomadic people in the north called Moors Only fertile plain- along the Senegal River

◦ Drought, overgrazing and deforestation have taken a toll though

◦ Many farmers living in capital, Nouakchott, off of foreign aid

HistoryNot always so poor, Ghana Empire was in the SE

cornerControlled the trade routes, kept all gold pieces,

allowed gold dust to continue onAncient capital now lies in ruins

Mali Today One of the poorest

countries in the world Mostly desert and

landlocked 90% of population lives in

the Sahel Main export: cotton–

fluctuating prices make the economy vulnerable

Niger River – most important in the Sahel, flows through Mali- most cities lie on the river

Capital: Bamako- largest in the Sahel

•History•Center of the glorious Mali Empire•Rose to power in 1200 when they conquered Ghana •Took control of gold trade, wealth increased greatly•Mansa Musa- leading king of Mali- reputation as the richest man in the world•brought Muslim scholars into Mali•Set up Timbuktu as his capital- became key university city in all of Northern Africa•No European laid eyes on Timbuktu until 1826

Niger Today Covered almost entirely by the Sahara One break in the desert- the Air Mountains

◦ Switzerland of the desert◦ Largest uranium reserves in Africa- provides mining jobs

Niger River in the southwest is most populous area, although temperatures reach 100*F on average

Capital: Niamey 2005 brought drought and locust infestation- food shortage for 2.5 million Living conditions worse than Mali, lowest per capita GDP and lowest life

expectancy of the Sahel Has to rely on foreign aid for everything

Niger History Tuaregs- white desert nomads- took control of ancient

trade routes (today 8% of Nigerians are Tuareg) Largest African empire- Songhai- was born along the

Niger River in 8th century Great ruler: Sunni Ali took over the Mali empire in

1464 Invaded in 1591 by Morocco who blamed Songhai for

economic decline Morocco easily won- first to use firearms in a battle on

African soil

ChadOne of the most primitive countries in the SahelLake Chad- most important body of water in the

Sahel, has a lot of fish, capital (N’Djamena) located here

Civil War for 3 decadesChristian population is largest in the Sahel, due

to missionaries who came in the colonial days

II. The Maghreb Atlas Mountains lie along the northwest

coast of Africa◦ Arabs call them Djezirea el-Maghreb◦ Major impact on weather and culture

Coast along the Mediterranean is pleasant climate

Arabs call 3 countries the Maghreb—meaning west◦ Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco

Berbers first settled the region- traded with Romans, Greeks, etc.

Morocco Has coasts on Mediterranean and Atlantic Narrow peninsula almost touches Europe- 8 miles across the Strait

of Gibraltar Border town= Tangier Two other major ports: Casablanca and Rabat (capital) lie on the

Atlantic Has a constitutional monarchy since 1956- royal family claims direct

descent from the prophet Mohammed Controls regions in Western Sahara

AlgeriaWas the second largest country in Africa (size of Texas

and Alaska combined) until Sudan splitMost of the country is desert, 91% of pop. Lives along

the Mediterranean coastMild climate, makes wine and citrus fruits the main

exportsShaped by history of foreign invaders- Arab, French

The SaharaNot just wide open sandy areas– called ErgsMore common- Regs- flat desert area covered with pebblesAhaggar Mountains- rise in the middle of the SaharaChotts- shallow salt lakes, contain very little waterWadis (dry stream beds) and Oases- grass and palm trees

can survive, usually only big enough to support one or two families, but some are large enough to support entire cities

TunisiaSeveral geographic advantages over neighbors

pleasant climate, water supply, productive landHas twice the population of Libya, large neighbor to the EastMost people live in the North, near the Atlas mountainsProminent peninsula juts out into the MediterraneanTunis- Capital city- located for trade (ancient city of

Carthage)

III. Libya and EgyptServe as transitional area

between Africa and the Middle East

Are the two most influential N. African countries

Both have played important roles in world politics

Libya Desert covers 90% capital of Tripoli – largest manufacturing center today Highest temperature ever measured was in the Sahara of Libya- 136*F Independent from Italy in 1951, but Muammar Qaddafi overthrew the

newly placed government in 1969- removed all signs of Italian culture, hoped to create a new empire

Oil deposits give Libya highest per capita GDP in Africa Highest life expectancy in Africa Man-Made River Project- bringing water underground from the Sahara up

to farms in the North, largest engineering project in the world In 2011 protests against Gaddafi's rule began. These escalated into an

uprising that spread across the country. Qaddafi was captured alive,but then killed by the liberation army.

Egypt Today Largest population in the Arab world Monarchy replaced with republic in 1952 Nile is the livelihood of Egypt- nearly all the population lives along

the river Cairo- capital- largest city in Africa, major tourist spot due to

Giza pyramids across the river Alexandria- Alexander the Great established this city near the

delta, home to the largest library ever compiled in the ancient world

Strong Muslim population

Egypt- continued Aswan High Dam- largest dam in Egypt, created Lake

Nasser- before farmers had to wait for river to flood to irrigate crops, now farm year round, but have to use fertilizer

Sinai Peninsula- part of Asia, divided from African Egypt by Isthmus of Sinai◦ Gulf of Suez connect to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal—

read pg. 395 in textbook◦ Gets its name from Mount Sinai, located on the peninsula, where

Moses received the Ten Commandments Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt

◦ Northern area – Nile Delta, lower elevation= Lower Egypt◦ Southern area- between Aswan High Dam and the Nile Delta =

Upper Egypt– where most ruins are located

EgyptHistoryAs early as 2700 BC, Egypt was united as a state under one rulerLong succession of dynasties and pharaohs- who built famous

monumentsThebes- great capital of Egyptian kings for 1500 years, now is the

city of LuxorValley of the Kings- near Luxor, more than 60 tombs of pharaohs

– many robbed before archeologists arrived, but King Tut’s was intact

Read pg. 393 in textbook