Physical features are responsible for Africa’s cultural diversity

Africa has up to 700 different cultures/ethnic groups, and 5000 different languages.

North Africa is different from the South. This is why the region is called Sub-Saharan Africa.

High plateaus drop off to narrow coasts, elevation of much of the land is high – lots of cliffs.

Large rivers have rapids and waterfalls near the coast, which effects development and trade.

The Congo River runs so strong that it does not form a delta as it flows into the ocean – it cuts a deep wide canyon beneath the sea for a close to a mile.

Africa has Regular coastline vs. irregular coastline.

High, impressive escarpments ring the coast

Highest mountains are in Eastern Africa

The highest is Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The deep trench that cuts through East Africa and is 4,000 miles long is the Great Rift Valley (more than 30 Grand Canyons would fit in it).

Rain forests: monsoons in west, equatorial in Central

Savannahs: ranges from dense forest to grassy plains

Deserts: Sahara in North, Kalahari in South – 1/3 of continent

Sahel: area that surrounds the desert

Desertification: caused by overuse, grazing, and over cutting

Lots of rain takes minerals away by leaching the soil

Racism: led us to think of blacks as homogenous 1/7th of world’s area 1/10th of world’s population 1/3rd of world languages Madagascar: not African at all, settled by

Malaysian traders Islamic influence = example of cultural diffusion Swahili is common in Eastern Africa and is a

mixture of Arabic, Portuguese, and Bantu.

Malaria spread by mosquitoes and kills 1 million children per year.

Spread by the tsetse fly, sleeping sickness kills cattle

Other diseases such as river blindness, diphtheria, and AIDS, are a problem because of the lack of health care and sanitation facilities.

Work 10-15 hours a day raising kids, grinding millet for food, fetching water

Men can have many wives, called polygamy.

“Bride Wealth”: older husband pays for younger wife - expensive

6,000 – 4,000 B.C.E. River people emerge along the major river systems (Nile, Niger, Congo)

600 – 1,000 C.E. The Bantu people moved into southern Africa 2500 years ago– movement of people into new lands is called migration

1,000 B.C.E. Ghana was a major trading kingdom, exchanging salt (needed to stay healthy and preserve meats), cloth and horses, for kola nuts, gold, and fine woods.

1250 C.E. Great Zimbabwe: large stone ruins – showed powerful kingdom was there (though Europeans could not believe it).

Portuguese were main slave traders 60,000 per year

› 10-15 million Africans (5 million to Caribbean and Brazil, 10 million to US)

› 50 million died as a result of trade (mostly through disease aboard slave ships.

› Labor on plantations

Diaspora of the Africans Encouraged cultural

diffusion (Europe, Africa, N. America, S. America)

Traders appealed to racism to justify brutal trade

Even after the slave trade ended in mid-1800’s Africa struggled against racism

Liberia (US) and Sierra Leone (GB) became countries for freed slaves

› Guns allowed Europeans to conquer Africa in 20-yrs (1870-1890)› The Berlin Conference divided Africa in 1884› Reasons for European Imperialism – money , power, religion

Europeans colonized Africa because of its rich mineral resources Europeans used the false doctrine of racial inequality to justify the

conquest of Africa Industrial Revolution led Europe to seek raw materials and markets

for manufactured goods (colonialism) International rivalries caused Europe to expand their navies and

seek fueling stations on bases around the world

Europeans set up large plantations to produce Cash crops (products grown only to sale or export)5 major cash crops – 80% agricultural output

1. Cocoa2. Coffee3. Cotton4. Peanuts5. Items from palm trees

(bananas)

Negative› Downgraded traditional

African culture and weakened family ties

› Led to forced labor and abuses of human rights

› Created artificial colonial boundaries that cut across historical, ethnic and cultural differences.

Positive› Improved medical care, sanitation, and nutrition› Expanded transportation and communications› Increased agricultural production with new seeds and

fertilizers› Created new education and career opportunities

After WW II African Nationalism in Europe sparked a desire for an empire

Pan-Africanism: promotion of African unity in order to end colonialism. Some battles for freedom were peaceful, some violent. Last country to gain independence was in 1993 - Eritrea› Several independent African countries

practice a policy of Nonalignment: noninvolvement with either Communist bloc of nations or Western bloc of nations

The End of Imperialism and Colonialism

After gaining their independence many foreign companies were nationalized (taken over by governments)

Obstacles that most African nations must face before industrializing:

1. Unstable political systems: civil wars, coups, and dictators

2. Outdated transportation systems: few international transportation networks to link continent and encourage trade

3. Lack of capital: African Nations go to other nations and the World Bank for funding – puts them in debt

4. Shortage of skilled workers and technology 5. Limited energy resources – few coal and oil

deposits. Africa has 40% of the worlds water power

potential, but not the resources to utilize it

In the 90’s more than 80% of sub-Saharan Africa still had a traditional economic system› Subsistence farming – growing just enough

to feed for themselves

Increased population without the ability to sustain: wide spread hunger and starvation› Fertile land is used for cash crops› Declining productivity: worn out land &

desertification rely on imported food

Extended families are becoming larger – improved medical care extends life spans and reduces infant mortality rates› Some of the highest birth rates in the

world

AIDS : Highest percentages of infected are in Sub Saharan Africa, and used as a weapon by some.

Some nations have begun reforestation projects in effort to stop desertification

International – Live aid Make sure you know

where your money is going

Local wars have hindered efforts

Extended families – three or more generations in the same household – go to live with husbands parents

Religions – animists, Islam (Eastern), Christians (Europeans)

Ethnic Group – classification of people who share a cultural origin or background

Tribalism – loyalty to one’s ethnic group Nationalism – devotion to one’s country Ethnocentrism – belief that your society is better

than all others Genocide – that attempted destruction of a certain

race

The End