Sub-Saharan Africa Geographical and Historical Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts, historical events, and geographical features relating to Sub-Saharan Africa based on lecture notes.

What is Africa’s predominant landform?

Plateaus.

What is found in the trenches called rift valleys in Africa?

Fossils.

Which deserts are found in Southern Africa?

Namib and Kalahari Desert.

How are Africa’s rivers unique?

They are not straight.

What marks the edges of the plateaus?

Escarpments.

When did European involvement start in Sub-Saharan Africa and where did they settle at first?

In the 15th century, they first settled on the African coast.

What was the Berlin Conference and when did it take place?

It was where European powers divided Africa between themselves in 1884.

Who was King Leopold and why is he remembered for his reign of terror?

He was the ruler of Congo, remembered for his brutal punishments to people in Africa.

What country did Ivory Coast belong to during colonial times?

France.

What was the main reason why African languages act as a centrifugal force?

They divide people and make unity harder.

What is the most widely spoken language in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Hausa, with about 44 million speakers.

What are two examples of European lingua francas in Sub-Saharan Africa?

English and French.

What is the religious landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa like?

It is dominated by Christianity and Islam, with significant traditional African religions.

Why is Africa considered the 'cradle of humankind'?

Modern humans first evolved there.

What was Africa’s most productive region during the pre-colonial period?

Western Africa.

What is Timbuktu known for in West Africa?

Regional complementarity and being a center of trading and learning.

What percentage of Africans rely on farming in Sub-Saharan Africa?

60%.

What were two challenges faced by farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Bad land and government policies for export crops.

What is the Bantu Migration?

An expansion that occurred in waves that populated the Great Lakes area and formed the powerful Zulu Empire in the 19th century.

What is medical geography used for?

To identify sources, detect carriers, trace spatial diffusion, and prevent recurrences.

What is the main difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?

An epidemic is regional while a pandemic is spread globally.

When did HIV reach the US?

In the 1980s.

What is Nigeria’s most valuable resource?

Oil.

Who are Boko Haram?

An insurgency based in Northeast Nigeria known for terrorist acts.

Who established Liberia as a country in West Africa?

Freed American slaves.

What ethnic group holds the most power in Kenya?

Kikuyu.

What are the physiographic advantages of the Democratic Republic of Congo?

They have water and fertile land.

What contributed to Angola's wealth?

Oil reserves.

What is formal economy?

The part of a national economy registered with government agencies and compliant with laws.

What is informal economy?

The part of a national economy that is not registered and for which reliable statistics are rarely available.

What is apartheid?

A system of racial separation in South Africa's policies before 1994.

What is land alienation?

One society taking land from another.

What is the Green Revolution?

A development of higher-yield, fast-growing varieties of crops in developing countries.

What does endemic mean in medical geography?

An example is Hepatitis or hookworm.

What can lead to neocolonial land grabs in Africa?

Foreign investors buying land and causing difficulties for local farmers.

What is the role of Nelson Mandela in the anti-apartheid movement?

He was a leader who organized protests against apartheid, imprisoned for 27 years, and became South Africa’s first Black president.

What were the consequences of the Berlin Conference?

Economic exploitation, environmental damage, and political conflict due to arbitrary borders.