Lagoons
shallow bodies of water that are separated from the ocean by islands, which lie parallel to the shoreline
West Africa is also called
Central Africa or Heart of Africa
Basin
an area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries
Reservoir
an artificial or natural lake where water is stored and used to supply farms, homes, and businesses in the area with freshwater
Gulf
a part of the ocean that is partially enclosed by land
Congo River
nearly 3,000 miles long, which makes it the second-longest river in Africa and the fifth-longest in the world
Zambezi River
Two of the largest hydroelectric dams in Africa are located here
Conflict/Blood Diamonds
Name for diamonds from Africa
Montane
Latin word for “mountain,” and it simply means “of mountainous country.”
Democratic Republic of the Congo
the value of this country’s mineral resources is estimated to be about $25 trillion
Liberia
African Americans freed from slavery established this country on land purchased for them by the American Colonization Society
Gabon
later became a center of the slave trade
Boers
Dutch word for farmers
Afrikaans
Afrikaners and the Africans developed this language
Shaka
powerful Zulu ruler killing hundreds of thousands of other African people
Cecil Rhodes
started the De Beers company in the 1800s producing 90% of the world’s diamonds. Symbol of the European exploit of Africa
Apartheid
South Africa established this policy in the 1900s, an Afrikaans word meaning “separateness.”
Nelson Mandela
South Africa’s first black president; elected in 1994
Nigeria
Largest population of any country in Africa
Madagascar’s population
Ancestral mix of Malagasy (group from Southern Asia) and Africa
Cacao
used to make cocoa powder and chocolate; main export
Wood from Okoume tree
found mainly in Gabon, the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea; famous as a good raw material for plywood
Southern Africa
produced one-third of the gold ever mined in the world
Australia
Eq. Africa is covered by thick rainforest nearly matching the size of this country
Ivory Coast
Is the world’s larges exporter of cacao