Unit 1.2: The African Continent: A Varied Landscape

Geographically Diverse

Describes Africa’s wide range of physical landscapes, climates, and environments, which shaped different cultures, economies, and ways of life across the continent.

Climate Zones

Five distinct regions of Africa defined by temperature and rainfall patterns, such as deserts, rainforests, grasslands, mediterranean ares, and semi-arid areas, influencing agriculture, settlement, and migration.

Mediterranean Zone

Climate regions in North Africa and the southern tip of South Africa with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers that supported farming, trade, and early urban societies.

Tropical Rainforest Zone

Dense, humid regions near the equator with heavy rainfall that influenced patterns, farming techniques, and resource use.

Desert Zone

Extremely dry regions with limited vegetation, such as the Sahara, where human survival depended on adaptation, trade, and mobility.

Semi-Arid Zones

Areas with low rainfall, including the Sahel, where herding and drought-resistant farming were common.

Kalahari Desert

A large semi-arid desert in Southern Africa where indigenous groups adapted through hunting, gathering, and seasonal movement.

Namib Desert

A coastal desert in southwestern Africa, one of the oldest deserts in the world, shaped by cold ocean currents and limited rainfall.

Sahara

The largest hot desert in the world, located in North Africa, acting as both a barrier and a trade route that influenced migration and cultural exchange.

Sahel

A semi-arid transition zone south of the Sahara that supported herding, trade, and early societies adapting to limited rainfall.

Savanna Grasslands

Tropical grasslands with seasonal rainfall that supported farming, herding and the development of complex societies.

Niger River

A major West African river that supported agriculture, trade, and powerful civilizations such as Mali and Songhai.

Congo River

One of Africa’s longest rivers, flowing through Central Africa, providing transportation, food resources, and fertile land.

Nile River

A crucial river in northeastern Africa whose annual flooding enabled agriculture and sustained ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Nubia. It was also unique as the river flowed north, not south.

Zambezi River

A major southern African river that supported trade, farming, and settlements; home to Victoria Falls.

Orange River

A river in southern Africa that helped support farming, irrigation, and trade in arid regions.

Domestication

The process of adapting plants and animals for human use, which allowed African societies to develop stable food supplies and complex economies.

Nomadic

Describes groups who move seasonally in search of water and grazing land, especially common in arid and semi-arid regions within Africa.

Kola Trees and Yams

Two important domesticated crops in West Africa; kola nuts were used in trade and cultural practices, while yams were used as stable food supply.

Red Sea

A body of water separating Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, facilitating trade and cultural exchange.

Mediterranean Sea

A sea bordering North Africa that connected African societies to Europe and the Middle East through trade and cultural interaction.

Indian Ocean

An ocean that linked East Africa to Asia through trade networks involving goods, ideas, and people.

Atlantic Ocean

An ocean bordering Western Africa that later became central to global trade networks, including the transatlantic slave trade.

Iron Industry

The development of ironworking technology in Africa that improved tools, agriculture, and warfare, contributing to economic growth and social complexity.

Oral-Aural Tradition

The passing down of history, values, and knowledge through spoken word, storytelling, music, and performance rather than written records.

Polygamy

A social practice in which a person has multiple spouses, common in some African societies for economic, social, and cultural reasons.

Polytheism

The belief in multiple gods or spiritual forces, often connected to nature and ancestors in traditional African belief systems.

Homo Erectus

An early human species that originated in Africa and was among the first to use tools and migrate beyond the continent.

“Out-of-Africa” Theory

The theory that modern humans originated in Africa and later migrated to other parts of the world, replacing earlier human populations.

“Multiregional” Model

The theory that modern humans evolved simultaneously in different regions of the world from earlier human ancestors.

Homo sapiens

The species of modern humans that first emerged in Africa and developed advanced tools, language, and complex societies.