Human Geography

of Sub-Saharan Africa

5 Regions1. North

2. East

3. Central

4. Western

5. Southern

Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light. - Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist

Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light. - Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist

4,000,000 BCE – 1,000,000 BCE4,000,000 BCE – 1,000,000 BCE

Hominids --> any member of the family of two-legged primates that walk upright…includes humans.

Gets an opposable thumb!

Homo Habilis (“Man of skills”)

Found in East Africa

Created stone tools

Are we all Africans under the skin???

Are we all Africans under the skin???

There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families

Language in Africa

Language Families

There are far fewer MAJOR languages in the large continent of Africa than in Europe which is much smaller, but has many more MAJOR languages. What conclusions can you draw?

Only 8 African languages are spoken by more than 10 million people

Fig. 5-14: The 1,000 or more languages of Africa are divided among five main language families, including Austronesian languages in Madagascar.

Bantu Migrations The term ‘Bantu’ refers to

group of people who speak the same or similar language with common word “NTU” which means a person.

In 2000 B.C. beginning in Nigeria, the Bantu people moved southward throughout Africa. On the way they spread their language and cultures.

There are about 250 Bantu languages, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear

Today about 120 MILLION Africans speak a Bantu language

*Part of the Niger-Congo language family

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Cultural Coherence and Diversity: Language Patterns

Mixtures of local, African trade partners, and European and Asian influences

African Language Families Three largest families: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan,

Afro-Asiatic Khoisan: clicking languages

Language and Identity Tribes: consist of a group of families or clans with a

common kinship, language, and definable territory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6WO5XabD-s

Hear a Khoisan click languages!

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Cultural Coherence and Diversity: European Languages

Francophone (French influence), Anglophone (English influence, Afrikaans (Dutch-based)

Arabic Influences Swahili (a Bantu language): language

created as a common communication between natives and Arabian traders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3GU7vFNuUI

LEARN SWAHILI!!!!

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Language Groups and Official Languages

South Africa has eleven official languages: Afrikaans English Ndebele (un de bele) Northern Sotho (sutu) Sotho (sutu) Swazi Tswana Tsonga Venda (bin da) Xhosa (cosa) Zulu

Most South Africans can speak more than one language.

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Cultural Coherence and Diversity: Religion

Indigenous religions tend to be animistic What is animism?

The Introduction and Spread of Christianity Entered northeast Africa around 300 C.E. Strengthened during 19th century colonialism

Syncretism: native religions mixed with new religions

Traditional Animism in

Africa

Belief in one supreme being (god)

A world of spirits, good & bad, in all things

Ancestor worship and leadership

Belief in magic, charms, and relic worship

Diviner > mediator between tribe and god

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Cultural Coherence and Diversity: The Introduction and Spread of Islam

Introduced about 1,000 years ago Today, orthodox Islam prevails in most of the Sahel

Interaction Between Religious Traditions Religious conflict

most prevalent in northeastern Africa

Sudan: conflict between Muslims in north and Non-Muslims in the south

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Extent of Islam

Scramble for Africa In the 19th century,

Europe’s industrialized nations “scrambled” to colonize Africa to gain their natural resources.

All Countries were controlled by Europeans, except Liberia and Ethiopia (independent) Most nations become

independent in the mid 1900’s

Colonial Legacy Political boundaries made by Europeans was/is

causing ethnic conflict (2 or more opposing groups occupying same land)

Most Central African

countries gained independence by the 1960s but the borders that were drawn posed problems.

Effects of European Colonization

Loss of resources

Disruption of political systems

Cultural and ethnic oppression of the people

No infrastructure (roads, railroads, airports, education system)

Parts of Africa are battling itself

Some African countries are in a civil war

One of the main reason’s Africa struggles is because each country refuses to look at themselves as ONE entity; ONE unit.

History Before colonialism, most of West Africa was a

stateless society, which is where people rely on family to govern themselves, rather than an elected gov’t or monarch.

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Role of slavery Estimated 12 million were taken from Africa and sent to

the Western Hemisphere from 1500-1870 Enslaved Africans sent to Europe, North Africa, Southwest

Asia African rhythms found in music around the world

Globalization and African Culture

European Colonization

The Slave Trade Existed for centuries, however Europeans

dramatically heightened the traffic Middle Passage- slave trade from Africa to

the “New World” ( North America) Many died during this month long trip

across the Atlantic

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SUPRANATIONALISMAfrican Union (AU)

Formerly the OAU, union consisting of 54 African states, except Morocco. The AU was established May 2001.Motto: "A United and Strong Africa"

Southern African Development Community(SADC)

Goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states. It complements the role of the African Union

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Regional group of 15 West African countries. Founded in May 1975, mission is to promote economic integration across the region

Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)

Economic Community for the promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa. It "aims to achieve collective autonomy, raise the standard of living of its populations and maintain economic stability through harmonious cooperation".

IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

35Supranational OrganizationsofSub-SaharanAfrica(Fig. 6.35)

Development in Africa: HDI

Reminder: HDI (human development index) is a combination of economic, social, and demographic factors. It is calculated by measuring: Gross domestic product (GDP) Literacy Rate Average number of school years attended. Life expectancy

The number assigned is from 0.1 to 1.0. The higher the better/more developed. Where do you think most of Sub-Saharan African countries would be????

Economic Development Varies!!!! Ghana: .573

Exports gold, diamonds, magnesium, and bauxite (used for aluminum).

Political stability in the 90’s allowed this country to gain a stable economy

Sierra Leone: .374 Have the same

resources as Ghana but political instability and civil wars have held them back from economic gains.

Development and the DTMLet’s review the

stages.

Where do you think most African nations fall?

Do you think there are any in three? Four?

Stage 2:Almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Stage 3: South Africa (although Lesotho, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Botswana are close to moving into three)

Stage 4:Mauritius

Development and Population Pyramids.

What can you infer?

Worst Population Pyramid EVER!!

What happened here?

Projected Population Growth

Land Use Patterns: Urbanization

Cities growing rapidly=issues Kibera Kibera, Kenya, is the

second largest slum in Africa and the third largest in the world. The population of Kibera is estimated at 1.1 million people, up from 700,000 ten years ago. There is no infrastructure, no roads, no safe drinking water, or sewers. Kibera is created from scraps of tin and mud.

Population Density

Land Use Patterns: Agriculture

Rural population is 73% as of 2013

Agriculture is subsistence***. What does that mean?

Crops critical for export include: coffee, peanuts, cotton, cocoa, and rubber.

Pastoral nomadism*** is also practiced.

What does this mean?

***AP Human vocab alert!!!!

Land Use: Resources

Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

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Conclusions•Problems lead to pessimism

–Civil wars–Health problems–Poverty

•Reasons for optimism–Large areas of land available for farming–Signs of declining birth rates–Some wars have ended– Improving infrastructure–Some countries doing relatively well: Mozambique,

Botswana, S. Africa, Senegal, others.