UNIT 5 REVIEWGeography of Africa

POLITICAL FEATURES

PHYSICAL FEATURES

Lake Victoria

Lake Tanganyika

CLIMATE REGIONS Desert (Sahara in North

Africa and Kalahari in the South)

Sahel (Between Sahara Desert and the Savanna)

Savanna Tropical Rainforest

SAHARA DESERT

SAHARA DESERT

SAHARA: Considered one of the HARSHEST places on EARTH to live.

NO OR VERY FEW people live there. Because the climate is HOT and there is NO WATER.

There are NO roads. The only travel is by NOMADS riding on CAMELS.

SAHEL

SAHEL: Strip of DRY GRASSLAND that is located SOUTH of the SAHARA. Dry, semi-arid region slowly turning into DESERT by a process called DESERTIFICATION. The dry conditions and generations of livestock OVERGRAZING and desertification have caused SOIL EROSION. Most of the population has MOVED to CITIES due to FAMINE, STARVATION, AND DROUGHT. FEW jobs because of the harsh climate. The people that live here have to WALK for many miles just to get WATER.

SAVANNA

SAVANNA: located near the EQUATOR and covers almost HALF of Africa. The savanna is a HOT and DRY grassland. It has two seasons: RAINY and DRY (similar to Florida).

Grasses are TALL AND THICK. Trees and SHORT and SCATTERED (very few). Most people live in VILLIAGES so they can have access to WATER.

Villages are often found around RIVERS because WATER is necessary for life/survival. Important jobs in this region are FARMING, HERDING, and MINING. ROADS are being built for TRAVEL between VILLAGES.

TROPICAL RAINFOREST

RAINFOREST: Located along the WEST coast of Africa around the CONGO River Basin. It touches 37 countries in Africa.

The climate is HOT and HUMID. Rainfall is over 70 inches per year (approximately double the average rainfall of GEORGIA.

The TREES grow TALL and DENSE. The Rainforest provides FOOD and WATER for over 75 million people. In this region, FARMING, MINING, and LOGGING are prevalent.

The ROADS are POORLY maintained; therefore, travel is DIFFICULT. Over the years, residents have been CLEAR CUTTING the rainforest to make room for FARMS. This is destroying the rainforest HABITAT through the process of DESERTIFICATION.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESWater Pollution and Unequal Distribution of Water

DesertificationDeforestation

WATER POLLUTION AND SUPPLY: WATER is as important for AFRICA as it is for the rest of the WORLD. Cities and villages are mostly found near RIVERS or other BODIES of water. Countries with RIVER systems have enough water for their farms and people. However, the MAJORITY of Africans have trouble getting enough WATER for people to SURVIVE. Most African countries have LITTLE access to clean WATER for DRINKING, cooking, WASHING, etc.

DROUGHTS or periods of very LIMITED/LOW rainfall, have led to many Africans STARVING and living in POVERTY.

Water POLLUTION from factories and human and animal WASTES means that many African do not have access to CLEAN WATER.

Polluted or contaminated water causes illnesses, infections, and even death.

Government officials often IGNORE pollution from FACTORIES as long as the FACTORIES are profitable.

WATER POLLUTION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR8R4hVS7IU

DESERTIFICATION: the process of the DESERT expanding into areas that had formerly been farmland. Desertification is caused by POOR farming practices, CUTTING down TREES that helped hold the SOIL in place, OVER GRAZING of farm ANIMALS and DRAINING surface and underground WATER for INDUSTRIAL or HOME use. Some Africans plant TREES or build WINDBREAKS to try to stop desertification.

DESERTIFICATION

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

DEFORESTATION: This is the process of RAINFORESTS being CUT DOWN to make way for human developments such as ROADS and FARMS. The main cause is commercial LOGGING. Deforestation of the rainforest can lead to increased CARBON DIOXIDE in the air, fewer MEDICINES for people, and EXTINCTION of plant and animal SPECIES. Deforestation also contributes to SOIL EROSION and DESERTIFICATION.

DEFORESTATION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq2UHiyYwLo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_nRHg-0l4 “Great Green Wall”

AFRICA’S ETHNIC GROUPS Arabs

North Africa Ashanti

West Africa Bantu

Sub Saharan Swahili

East Africa

ARABSSpread through North AfricaUsed camel caravans to trade salt and gold with indigenous African tribesSpread Islam, North Africa is predominately Muslim

ARABS located in NORTHERN AFRICA.

Migrated from SW ASIA because they were trading FOR GOLD and SALT.

They are mostly MUSLIM and speak ARABIC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQNLj3zMyVY

ASHANTI Western Africa United under Golden Stool Traditional African Religion

Animism Also influenced by Islam and

Christianity Speak twi

ASHANTI: Live in WEST AFRICA. Kingdom began in 1701 when

the GOLDEN STOOL united the clans.

They have a mixture of religions. They believe in TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS the belief in supreme god, natural spirits (_ANIMISM ), and the GOLDEN STOOL as the source of the peoples’ power.

There is also some CHRISTIANS and MUSLIMS.

The Ashanti speak ASHANTE or TWI.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaGB9o2ZgI

BANTU Primary ethnicity in Sub Saharan Africa (Central and Southern)

Bantu believe in animism. Some are also Christian or Muslim.

Over 600 different Bantu languages and dialects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQpP3bnHFMc

BANTU: Live in SUB SAHARAN AFRICA.

Migrated from south of the SAHARA approximately 2000 years ago.

Their religion is a mix of CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM AND ANIMIST.

They speak BANTU family of languages (OVER 650)

SWAHILI East Africa Blend of Islam and Traditional

African Religions

SWAHILI located in EAST AFRICA. Mixture of ARAB traders from

Southwest Asia that blended with the NATIVE POPULATION.

Their religion is mostly MUSLIM, but includes some local TRADITIONAL African beliefs.

They speak SWAHILI which is a blend of ARABIC and BANTU.