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Africa: The Dying Continent?

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Location: The Mirror Image

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Pattern of Elevation: Heart Continent

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Themes of Africa The Challenges of the Land

Subsistence farming Challenges in farming lead to starvation, famine, and malnutrition

Drought Very little rainfall in some areas like the Sahel (border lands), helps turn land into desert (desertification)

Poor Soil Most of Africa is this way. The dense Rain Forest soil is fragile and depends on decaying plant matter to add

nutrients leached away by rainfall. Fuel wood is still a critical source of heat in much of Africa.

Serious Health Challenges AIDS, Tsetse Fly…

Unstable Governments Some resources complicate the political stability of region (oil, timber, diamonds…) Genocide? Democracy?

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Part of the Problem: Unsuccessful agriculture due to droughts and poor soil Desertification: Desertification means that the

desert is spreading. Some countries in Africa have experienced many years of dry periods called droughts.

In some parts of Africa there has been little or no rain for 20 years. The soil in drought-ridden lands has almost completely dried out. Grasses and trees can no longer grow.

West Africa has suffered the most from the droughts. Ethiopia, Sudan and an area called the Sahel have become deserts. Few people can survive in these regions and millions have died from famine. Others have been forced to move away. Valuable cattle herds have also died from lack of grasses and water.

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Part of the Problem: Over-grazing in Niger, Mali

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The population explosion has led to increasing poverty in Africa. In their struggle to survive, people often use the land and resources unwisely. Deforestation: Deforestation is the loss of trees

due to over-cutting of forests. Causes of deforestation include farming, logging, cattle

ranching, and population growth. In the Sahel region, 60 to 90 percent of domestic, or

household, fuel needs are met with the use of firewood or charcoal. Some African families spend as many as 300 days a year collecting firewood. Often they must walk 10 to 20 miles to find firewood.

When firewood is not readily available, African families have two alternatives. They can buy high-quality charcoal, produced from burned forest trees, for their charcoal stoves. Many forests face extinction by the increase in slash-and-burn fuel gathering.

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Deforestation in D.R.C.

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Rapid Population growth and urbanization The Population Explosion: Africa has the highest population

growth rate in the history of humankind. In 1950, Africa's population was approximately 222 million. By 1990, the population had nearly tripled to 661 million.

African demography is unique. It is the only continent that will double in size, reaching 2 billion people by 2045 at current rates. Some countries, such as Liberia and Niger, are growing faster still, doubling in size in less than 20

With 12% of the world’s population, sub-Saharan Africa has 57% of the deaths of mothers in childbirth, 49% of its infant mortality and 67% of HIV infections.

What are the reasons for Africa's rapid population growth? Health care has improved. A woman's status, or importance, is based on her ability to have children. Children are considered an asset in farming communities.

Large populations have worsened the problems caused by drought. More mouths to feed has led to over-cultivation and overgrazing on already poor soils.

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AIDS in Africa

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Where do people live in Africa?

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What seems to be a major economic activity in Africa?

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Historical Impact: Slavers After 1500, Europeans

traded with Africans along the coast for gold, ivory, and slaves.

In the 1800s, European colonialism carved up the continent without regard for existing political or cultural divisions, but also brought advantages.

By the 1960s, most African countries were independent, but remained poor and suffered under civil wars – certainly related to the physical challenges and historical challenges.

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Historical Impact

Map 1: 1877Map 2: 1886Map 3: 1912

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What observations can you make about boundaries in Africa?

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What must Africa do? Modernization is required, but impossible unless old trading

patterns are broken. What must Africa do? Limited Exports! What does that mean? (remember the table with

three legs) They must diversify. Still, what do they export (conflict diamonds in Sierra Leon, conflict timber in

Liberia) Burden of Debt! What happened after independence in these

countries? World oil prices of 1974 and 1990. How to repay loan, now that modernization hasn’t happened and money is gone?

Stay Healthy! Life expectancy is worse in Africa than any where else in the world. 35 years life expectancy! Drought and famine affect the governments ability to improve diets that are linked to productivity in the workplace

Redraw borders? Ethnic Hodgepodge: 2000 groups with 800 languages, incomprehensible dialects. Arbitrary borders of European colonization impose heavy penalties. No national pride or trust.

All these will help avoid political instability. People under tremendous economic pressure tend to become hard to govern. Coups and military dictatorships tend to thrive and that holds back modernization, which Africa depends on for the future!

Africa must overcome colonial rule and environmental limits. The future does look bleak unless support from international agencies, changes in tradition, and political stability is established.