Africa

Land Area• 2nd largest continent in the world (Asia is the

Largest)

• 11,300,000 miles2

• 20% of world’s land area

• 12.5% world’s population

• 3x size of US

Elevation

• Escarpments• Highest in East

and South sloping down towards the North and West

• Atlas Mountains in the North

Great Rift Valley

• From Lebanon throughEastern Africa to Mozambique

• Several Fault Lines as Tectonic Plates separate

• Incredibly rugged landscape with rapid elevation change

Rivers

• Congo• Niger• Nile• Zambezi• Cataracts

Climate Zones

• Tropical Wet– Rainforest

• Tropical Wet & Dry– Savannah

• Semi-Arid– Sahel

• Arid– Kalahari– Namib– Sahara

Ancient Africa

North Africa

• Egypt• Aksum• Kush

Ancient Egypt

Location• Egypt was located in the Nile River Floodplain• Predictable flooding• Fertile farmland• Three Seasons of the Nile

– Season of Going Out• Floodwaters receded exposing fertile land• Farmers planted and tended crops

– Season of Harvest• Farmers harvested crops• All crops belonged to Pharaoh• Huge surplus lasted the entire year

– Season of Flood• Spring• Mineral rich silt was carried down stream

from mountains• Provided very fertile soil• Farmers spent these months working for the

Pharaoh

Pre-Dynastic Period3200-2600 BC• Lower Egypt and Upper

Egypt separate kingdoms united

• Dynastic System develops

• Ruler (Pharoah) considered divine

• Irrigation projects lead to an abundance of food and population explosion

Old Kingdom EgyptThe Pyramid Age2600 BC – 2150 BC

• Era of Relative Peace and Stability• Major construction projects

• 2600 BC– 1st Pyramid Building– Tombs of Pharoahs

• 2500 BC– Great Pyramids & Sphinx constructed at Giza– Hieroglyphics standardized– Evidence of graffiti at tombs

• 2100 BC – Regional nobles competed for control– Dynasty loses control

Middle Kingdom EgyptWorld Trading Power2100 BC – 1700 BC

• 2000 BC – Strong Pharaohs from Thebes gain control of the

kingdom– Mentuhotep II regains control over all of Egypt– New capital in Lisht– Egypt becomes an international power by

reconquering Nubia and expanding trade routes– Foreigners called Hyksos from eastern

Mediterranean settle in Egypt during good times

• 1500 BC– Hyksos eventually gain control of Lower Egypt– Native Egyptians still control Upper Egypt from

Thebes

• 1550 BC – Rulers from Thebes reassert control and drive

out Hyksos– Expand borders of Egypt in military campaign

designed to strengthen the empire– Take control of Nubia and the Levant– Force tribute from Babylon, Assyria and other

neighbors top the East

• 1400 BC– Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) attempts to

impose monotheism

• 1320 Ramses II– Strong, warrior Pharaoh– Signed treaty w/ Hittites

New Kingdom Egypt The Age of Empire1550 BC – 1075 BC

Ancient Egypt

• Three Kingdoms

Old Middle New

Religion

• Polytheistic• Fair & predictable gods• Pharaoh was divine• Egyptians belief in an afterlife

led to mummification • “Book of the Dead” outlines

requirements for afterlife• Pyramids represent importance

of afterlife in Egyptian thought

Government

• Bureaucracy• Pharaoh a living god• Vizier chief administrator of

Pharaoh’s government• Local nobility and priests

administer government responsibilities

Economics• Nile river the foundation of a strong,

stable economy

• Silt provided enough fertile land to produce enough crops for the entire population for a full year

• Surplus used for trade and to support the less fortunate

• Season of Flood provide a huge urban work force

• Middle Kingdom began to become a world trade power

HieroglyphicsChart

Use this chart to write your name and a secret message using Egyptian Hieroglyphics!

HieroglyphicsA(cat)

A (make) B C CH

D E (pet)

E (be)

F G(gym)

G(girl)

H I J K

L M N O (dog)

O(sew)

P Q/U R S S (rays)

SH T V Y Z

Reasons for Decline

• Old Kingdom– Disunity / greed of local nobles

• Middle Kingdom– Hyksos

• New Kingdom– Assyrians

Geography Government Economics Religion Social Structure

Isolated River Valley

Regular Flooding

Plentiful Food & Water

Theocratic

Dynastic

Bureaucratic

Agrarian

Stable

Strong Surplus

Polytheistic

Animistic

Positive

Predictable

Hierarchical

Nubia• Nubia• Also called Kush• Nile River Civilization• South of

Egypt • Farming• Major • Iron• Meroe still

shows evidence of iron production

Government• ~ 2000 BC a village leader took

control of other villages and made himself king of Kush.

• ~1500 BC Pharaoh Thutmose I attacked Kush, which remained an Egyptian territory for about 450 years.

• mid-1000s BC New Kingdom ends, Kush once again became independent.

• 751 BC Kush attacked and conquered Upper Egypt.

• 716 Kush controlled all of Egypt.• 660s BC Assyrians from

Mesopotamia invaded and pushed the Kushites from Egypt.

Economics• The economic center of Kush was Meroë

• Meroë became the center of a large trade network,

• Kushites sent goods down the Nile to Egypt, from there Eyptian and Greek merchants carried goods to ports on the Mediterranean and Red seas and to southern Africa.

• Exports included gold, pottery, iron tools, slaves, ivory, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, and elephants.

• Imports included jewelry and other luxury items

Technology• Farming

• Architecture

• Iron

Decline• Farmers allowed their cattle to

overgraze the land, causing the soil to blow away.

• Iron makers probably used up the forests, decreasing production of weapons and trade goods.

• Foreign merchants set up new trade routes bypassing Kush in favor of Aksum.

Aksum• Aksum was centered in the Ethiopian Highlands

south of Nubia• In about AD 350 the army of Aksum’s King Ezana

destroyed Meroë and took over the kingdom of Kush.

• In the late 300s the rulers of Aksum became Christian and the last influences of Kush disappeared.

• Aksum became a Trading empire much like Nubia had been

• Aksum (Ethiopia) was never wholly conquered by the outside world

West Africa

•Ghana

•Mali

•Songhai

•Benin

•Gold-Salt Trade

•Gold Coast

•Slave Trade

Ghana• By 300 the Soninke began to band together for

protection, forming the beginnings of Ghana.

• They grew in strength, learning to work with iron. They used iron farm tools to produce more food, allowing the population to increase. They also made superior iron weapons.

• Ghana lay between the Sahara and deep forests, a good position to trade gold and salt.

• By 800 Ghana was firmly in control of West Africa’s trade routes. Traders were protected by Ghana’s army.

Ghana• Ghana’s rulers made money by forcing traders to pay

taxes. The people of Ghana also had to pay taxes, and conquered neighboring tribes had to pay tribute.

• The rulers banned anyone else in Ghana from owning gold nuggets. Common people could own only gold dust.

• Ghana’s kings used their wealth to build a powerful army and conquer many of their neighbors. Many conquered areas were trade centers, bringing more wealth.

• Invasion, overgrazing, and internal rebellion led to the fall of Ghana around 1200

Mali and Songhai• Between 1000 and 1500 the empires of Mali and Songhai

developed in West Africa.

• Like Ghana, their control of the gold production and trade led to the development of powerful kingdoms

• The empire of Mali reached its height under the ruler Mansa Musa, but the empire fell to invaders in the 1400s.

• During his reign Mali added many important trade cities to its empire, including Timbuktu.

• In 1324 Mansa Musa made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca

• He supported education, stressed Arabic, and built mosques.

• After Mali fell, the Songhai built a new Islamic empire in West Africa, conquering most of Mali.

East Africa

• City-States• Trans-Indian Trade Routes• Monsoon Winds• Slave Trade• Swahili

South Africa

• Zimbabwe• Gold Trade

Ancient African Kingdoms

Colonial Africa

• Pre-Colonial African peoples traded with the outside world, including civilizations in Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia

• Traded material goods and slaves• The Phoenicians sailed around the southern tip of

Africa as early as 600BC• Portuguese “discovered”

southern tip of Africa around 1498

• Europeans began to explore central Africa in the mid 1800s, driven by greed and the desire to convert the Africans to Christianity

Pre-Colonial Contact

Coastal Trade• At first, Europeans established trading centers along

Africa’s coasts• Traded metals, clothing, and other goods for gold,

ivory, skins, etc.• Portuguese took over and

destroyed Eastern City-States’ trade routes with India

• Quickly followed by other European powers

• Europeans saw Africans as “barbaric” but hard workers suited to labor in the Tropics

• Began to trade guns, etc. for slaves

Atlantic Slave Trade• Europeans traded guns, rum, other goods to Africans for

slaves• Began warfare between African tribal groups, upset

balance of power• African slaves exported across the Atlantic (Middle Passage

) to work on rum plantations (etc.) in the Americas• There are no real numbers

on the impact of slavery on Africa, however, it is estimated that:– ~ 10 million Africans were

successfully exported to the Americas across the “Middle Passage”

– ~17 million Africans died as a direct result of slavery

African Colonization• After the slave

trade was outlawed (industrial revolution made it less necessary) European powers turned to Africa for its natural resources

• In 1884 European powers signed a treaty in Berlin officially carving Africa into European colonies

• Only Ethiopia and Liberia remained uncolonized

African Independence

• Pan-Africanism: the movement to unite all Africans to work together for freedom

• After WWII many colonies were granted independence (Europe could not afford to keep them)

• Others fought for freedom• Many colonies were granted

independence under the auspices of a white (and pro-European) government– Zimbabwe

• Independent nations were formed along colonial, not traditional, borders, forcing many traditionally oppositional tribal groups to live and work together– Rwanda

•Many Africans argued for equal rights and independence

Modern Africa

Political Issues• Most African nations are less than 50 years old• Leaders were not prepared (educated) for leadership

positions• Lasting racial division established by colonial powers still

felt today • Many nations were

left with a white minority government and upper class leading to continued racial tensions periodically erupting into revolution and civil war– Zimbabwe– South Africa

Economic Issues• Agriculture

– European powers established commercial agriculture in Africa (cash crops) with little regard to environmental consequences (think peanuts)

– Most Africans do not have access to sufficient food

– Environmental degradation has led to deforestation, deforestation and soil infertility

– Most African nations produce one or two specialty crops, leading to further environmental difficulties and susceptibility economic stress from outside forces

Economic Issues

• Mining– Many African nations are home to mineral

resources (gold, diamonds, oil, etc.)– Mining these resources can be unsafe– Profit from resources

often held by select few– This has led to acts of

violence, slavery, and open warfare

Economic Statistics for Sub-Saharan Africa• Crude oil comprises more than half of total Africa’s

exports• In two thirds of SSA countries, one or two products are

responsible for at least 60% of the country’s total exports • In 2005 the richest 10%

of African countries had 18.5 times the GDP per capita of the poorest 10%

• In 2005, 60.5% of total net foreign direct investments in SSA went to oil exporter countries

• South Africa’s and Nigeria’s GDP comprise 54% of total SSA’s GDP

• In South Africa 10.7% of the people live under $1 per day; 70.8% do so in Nigeria.

Social Issues

• Education– Schools built and supported local communities– Literacy rates increasing but still low by American

standards– Children often

needed to help family work to survive

Education Statistics for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Mali and Burkina Faso have the lowest adult literacy rate(24%)

• In Ethiopia there are 72 children per primary school teacher

• Thirty three percent of children who start first grade reaches grade five in Chad

• The lowest net primary enrolment ratio is found in Djibouti (33.3%)

Social Issues

• Health– Most Sub-Saharan

Africans have very low life expectancy

– Mosquitoes, unclean water, malnutrition, and HIV kills millions of Africans every year

Health Statistics for Sub-Saharan Africa

• In Sierra Leone two women die for every 100 live births• In Swaziland more than one in every three 15-49 year olds

has contracted HIV (33.4%)• Botswana has the lowest life expectancy (35 years)• In the last decade, life expectancy has decreased 21 years

in Botswana, 17 years in Lesotho, and 16 years in Swaziland.

• In Chad, 9% of the population has access to improved sanitation facilities

• In Sierra Leone 165 out of 1,000 children die before the age of one; 282 children per 1,000 die before the age of five

Social Issues

• Religion– Africa is home to varied religious traditions,

including traditional tribal beliefs, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

– Religious diversity has led to open conflict in areas where one religious group dominates another

• Ethiopia• Sudan

Environmental Issues• Strip Mining

– Byproducts of mines are often toxic to the environment, enter watersheds and destroy croplands miles away from source

• Desertification– Natural process, sped up by unsound agricultural practices

• Wrong plants• Over-used soils

• Slash and Burn Agriculture– Tropical rainforests are often

cut down for two seasons or less worth of viable crop land

• Soil Degradation– Leeching: minerals and

nutrients are washed through the soil beyond the reach of roots

– Erosion: newly exposed soil is washed away by rainfall

North Africa• North Africa predominantly Arab and Muslim, but

there are other ethnic groups (Berbers, etc.) and religions (Coptic Christians, etc.)

• Thousands of years of invasion (Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, etc.) has led to cultural diffusion

• Mediterranean Sea acts as highway for both invasion and trade

Egypt

CIA Fact Book

• Modern Egypt is a predominantly Islamic nation (some Coptic Christians remain) with many laws based on Sharia

• The Nile River now controlled by the Aswan High Dam

• Less Silt = less fertile soil for fellaheen, who are mostly tenant farmers

• 42% of population now urban, 10 million in Cairo alone

Algeria

CIA Fact Book

• 90% of the population lives on the Mediterranean coast

• Phoenicians, Romans, and Berbers called this area home before Arab invasions… later France colonized the area

• 75% Arab, 24% Berber• Rural areas (not desert) made

up of terrace farmers• Urban areas home to souqs

(marketplaces) and casbahs (older parts of the cities)

West Africa• West Africa is home to many unique cultures • Less diffusion, more diversity• Cultural diversity and colonial legacy has led some

areas into brutal civil wars• People trace their

ancestry back many generations through a system of: – Clan– Lineage– Kinship– Nuclear Family

• Tribal heritage is kept alive within the family and through Griots (storytellers)

Nigeria

CIA Fact Book

• 130 million people, ½ the amount of the US, largest in Africa• Ethnically Diverse

– 200 spoken languages, 250 ethnic groups– Hausa-Fulani: rural farmers and

traders– Yoruba: urban traders and

craftsmen– Igbo: rural farmers

• Religiously Diverse– 50% Muslim– 40% Christian– 10% Traditional Religions

• Economically Diverse– 90% of income derived from oil– 90% of owners and employees

foreign

Ghana

CIA Fact Book

• Not in the same location as the historic Kingdom og Ghana (modern Ghana stole the name)

• Known as the Gold Coast for all the gold deposits in the area

• Great Britain colonized the area and used it to establish cocao plantations

• Ghana still dependent on cacao, this has led to many problems and caused the overthrow of first president, Kwame Nkrumah

Mali• Mali is almost entirely within the Sahara Desert and

Sahel (southernmost tip in Savannah)• Tombouctou (tim-buck-too) and Gao, once important

centers of trade and learning, now within Sahara and Sahel due to desertification

CIA Fact Book

East Africa• Also home to much cultural diversity• Swahili language and culture predominant

throughout Eastern Coast, but thousands of languages are spoken among thousands of distinct tribal groups

• Islam, Christianity, and traditional African religions also represented

• This, along with outside influences of Arab and colonial invasions has led to several instances of Genocide (Sudan, Rwanda)

Ethiopia• Geez: traditional Ethiopian language• Christianity spread from Egypt and was cut off from

outside world• Ethiopian churches were sometimes carved out of

the ground• Ethiopian Christians believe

they have the Ark • Monastery: a place where

monks live a spiritual life• Islam came to Ethiopia after

its spread from Muhammad• About 94% of people are rural

farmers with few conveniences• Addis Ababa (the capital) is a

large urban center with more than 3 million people

CIA Fact Book

Tanzania• Home to the Eastern City-State trade centers that

have been actively trading with the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia for hundreds of years

• There are more than 120 distinct ethnic groups in Tanzania, but Swahili is the official language second (lingua franca) so that everyone can communicate

• More recent reforms led to privatization, the sale of government owned industries

• They also led to development of a multiparty system of government

CIA Fact Book

Kenya

CIA Fact Book

• Kenya in home to more than 40 distinct ethnic groups– Kikuyu: largest ethnic group, they live in the highlands

and grow cash crops– Maasai: traditional, semi-nomadic farmers and herders

• Politically, Kenyans live by the policy of herambee, meaning “lets pull together”

• In traditional Kenyan culture, women are responsible for taking care of the children and maintaining the family farm

• As men move to cities (nearly 30% in the year 2000), women often stay behind with their children

Sudan• Sudan has been at civil war for more than

205years

• Beginning in 1983, the Sudanese government instituted sharia; native, tribal Sudanese rebelled

• Ethnic cleansing and genocide are a documented, ongoing problem

Sudan

• Africa’s largest country, mainly agricultural

• For years, Muslims and Christians have fought.

• Recently, a genocide occurred in a region called Darfur. As a result, millions of people have fled Sudan as refugees.

Central and Southern Africa• Home to some of the wealthiest and poorest peoples

of Africa• Also home to some of the most violence (Apartheid) • between white European descendents and those of

African descent• This violence continues

today• Also home to some of the

highest HIV rates in the world

Democratic Republic of Congo

CIA Fact Book

• 3rd largest nation in Africa• 2/3 of people are farmers• Most wealth gained through Diamond, gold, oil, and

copper mining (etc.)• Ongoing civil war since • independence

South Africa• In 1652 Boers, (farmers) later called Afrikaners, settled

in South Africa among indigenous peoples • In 1902 Great Britain took over in order to gain control of

the gold and diamond reserves• The Afrikaners regained

control after the British left and established a system of laws based on Apartheid (apartness)

• In 1990 Apartheid was overturned and in 1994 Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa The African National Congress remains in control though racial inequality is still an extreme problem in South Africa

CIA Fact Book