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| Africa - Continental Plate |
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Gradually uplifted with break-up of Gondwanaland
Now eastern Africa dominated by high plateaus, broken by rifts and discontinuous mt ranges, west by lowlands |
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Influenced by latitude and physical geography
Equator in center
North to Sahara
South to Mediterranean
South Africa
Mountain influences in east and south |
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| Tropical Forests, Savannas, and Desserts |
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Congo/Ituri rainforest is 2nd largest in world, after the Amazon
Congo River is 2nd largest (by volume) river, after the Amazon
High biodiversity |
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Large arc around the central rainforest, from Senegal to Kenya to South Africa to Angola
Grassland with trees interspersed
Lower biodiversity than the rainforest, but more well known – large herds, predators, etc. |
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| African deserts are extremes |
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Sahara is world’s largest
Namib is one of the driest |
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| transitional from grassland to desert |
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Mountains – Ethiopian Highlands, Great Escarpment (including Drakensberg Mts), central uplift in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC
Mediterranean – South Africa
Subtropical broadleaf forest – South Africa |
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| Transitional Zone between the Sahara and woodland-savanna |
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Prolonged Drought
Human Impacts
High population density
Overgrazing & Agricultural Expansion
Soil erosion
Feast or Famine
Both possible |
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Aggravates soil erosion, moisture loss and shortage of biofuels
Wood is major source of energy for most Africans
Impact on wildlife habitat
Loss of biodiversity
Economic and/or Agricultural gains often temporary |
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Wildlife Reserves
East Africa
Southern Africa
Bushmeat
Increases with pop., logging, etc |
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Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species
Ban on Ivory Trade |
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| Population - Generalities |
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Highest rate of population growth in the world.
While the global population is expected to increase 50% by 2050, sub-Saharan Africa’s will by 130% |
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High fertility rate (women have an average of 5-6 children)
High child and maternal mortality rates
Very young population (44% under 15 as opposed to 18% in more developed regions)
Low life-expectancy (~49 years)
Mostly rural (70%) but increasingly urban |
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Swidden or Slash-and-Burn
Millet, sorghum, maize, yams, rice
Common in low prod., tropical soils
Low population density |
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Integral to the economy of some countries
Coffee, peanuts, cotton, rubber, palm oil, cacao |
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Common in semi-arid and arid areas
Cattle, goats, camels |
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Rapidly growing
Half of the population by 2025 |
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| West Africa and the Sahel have a history of cities |
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| European colonialization influenced the development of many modern cities |
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| Ethnic and Religious Influences |
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| Trade Networks in the Sahel and East Africa were related to trade with the Islamic world |
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| Sub-Saharan African identity |
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Definition
Pre-colonial history
Slavery
Colonialism
Struggles for independence and development |
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| Sub-Saharan African - Diverse? |
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| Diverse religious and language systems |
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| Niger-Congo (Bantu) Language |
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Definition
Bantu began spreading from west Africa into east and south Africa around 3000 years ago, spreading agriculture.
They replaced hunter-gatherers who spoke Khoisan languages. |
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| Current mix of Islam, Christianity, and Animism |
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| Religious diversity is tolerated in most of sub-Saharan Africa |
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| Islam spread mostly through trade networks from the Sahara and from Arab traders on the east coast |
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| Christianity spread from Egypt to Ethiopia (Coptic) originally; now mostly missionaries |
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Limited by endemic diseases (Malaria, etc)
Kept African kingdoms in power well into 1800s |
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Formally divided spheres of influence
Followed by near complete colonization |
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Mostly mid 1900s along colonial lines (not tribal or any indigenous organization)
Post independence difficulties |
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| Coastal kingdoms attack weaker, interior kingdoms and tribes, selling them as slaves to Europeans and Arabs |
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| European coastal forts start as gold trade localities, but largely become driven by the slave trade |
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Colonial influences (1880-1960) with lasting impacts
Raw materials-based economies
Export orientation
Authoritarian rule |
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Exportation of raw materials as primary sector of economy
Value is added in processing and manufacture; Africa loses out on this
Colonial remnant
Dependency Theory economics |
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| African Poverty - history |
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Definition
| Colonialism and Slave Trade |
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| African Poverty - Failed development policies |
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Debt
Lack of infrastructure |
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| African Poverty - Food Policies |
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Artificially low prices undercut farmers (most of the population)
Partially led to famine in 1980s in 22 countries |
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| African Poverty - Corruption |
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Institutionalized
Lack of living wages for civil servants |
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| Distribution of wealth amongst different countries is highly varied. poverty still most dominant |
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| Economic Differentiation - Oil |
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Definition
| Oil and gas or other mineral development has encouraged investment and wealth in some countries |
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| Political Conflict - Legacies of colonial boundaries |
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Tribalism vs. the State
Boundaries don’t follow traditional tribal boundaries |
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| Rwanda, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan |
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Many have been suppressed
Eritrea and Sudan are exceptions |
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World’s Newest State (2011)
Secession from Sudan after 21 Yr long civil war
Boundaries still problematic
Some provinces still being negotiated
Resource allocation
Oil and oil pipelines |
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Wealthiest country in sub-Saharan Africa, but problematic history
Early colonization
Dutch then British
Institutionalized racism
Apartheid
Apartheid free and majority rule since 1994 |
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Very low by world standards
Education is major push, but still a challenge
1/6 of all children under 15
½ of all uneducated children under 15
Girls underrepresented
World’s lowest life expectancy rates
High child mortality
HIV and infectious disease
Poverty |
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| HIV/AIDS concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa: |
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Definition
67% worldwide HIV infections
1.9 million newly infected in 2008 (most recent figure)
Peak for new infections was 1995
Deaths due to AIDS have declined by 18% since 2004, but still 1.4 million in 2008 |
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The proportion of people living with HIV who are adult women (ages 15 to 49) is 2.1 times higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV is spread predominantly through heterosexual activity, women account for nearly two-thirds of the 22.5 million people living with HIV. In other regions, the proportion of people living with HIV who are women drops to an average of around one-sixth. |
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