Unit 4 Africa Lecture Notetaking Slides

Introduction to Africa’s Physical Geography

  • Key Terms:

    • Breakup of Pangaea

    • Gondwanaland

    • Plateau surface

    • Escarpment

    • Natural harbor

  • Questions for Review:

    • Where was Africa located in Pangaea?

    • What smaller supercontinent was Africa part of after Pangaea's breakup?

    • What percentage of Africa’s surface is plateau?

    • Why does Africa lack good natural harbors along its coasts?

Major Mountain Ranges of Africa

Atlas Mountains

  • Key Terms:

    • Tectonic convergence

    • Solar power

  • Key Places:

    • Maghreb

    • Atlantic Ocean

    • Strait of Gibraltar

    • Iberian Peninsula

    • Ouarzazate

  • Important Facts:

    • Water body derived from the Atlas Mountains' name

    • Formation of High Atlas Mountains due to tectonic processes

    • Notable aspect of Ouarzazate in the Moroccan Atlas

Drakensberg Mountains

  • Key Terms:

    • Erosion

    • San rock art

  • Key Places:

    • Great Escarpment

    • Tugela Falls (3,107 ft)

  • Review Questions:

    • What is the Great Escarpment?

    • How is Tugela Falls compared to other waterfalls?

    • Who are the San?

Guinea Highlands

  • Key Terms:

    • Mining

    • Bauxite

    • Iron ore

    • Gold

    • Diamonds

  • Key Question:

    • Guinea's rank in world bauxite production?

    • Quality of iron ore in Guinea Highlands?

    • Other mineral resources found here?

Tibesti Mountains

  • Key Terms:

    • Volcanism

    • Pyroclastic shield volcano

    • Fumarole

    • Hot spring

  • Key Places:

    • Sahara

    • Chad

    • Emi Koussi (11,204 ft)

  • Key Aspects:

    • Geomorphic processes forming Tibesti

    • Pyroclastic shield volcanoes' rarity

    • Definition and function of fumaroles

Ethiopian Highlands

  • Key Terms:

    • Plate tectonics

    • Volcanism

    • Rift valley

    • Coffee

  • Key Question:

    • Why called "roof of Africa"?

    • Impact of Ethiopian Highlands' separation from Arabian Peninsula?

    • Factors contributing to coffee's native status in this region?

Mount Kilimanjaro and East African Volcanic Peaks

  • Key Terms:

    • Ice cap

    • Global climate change

  • Key Places:

    • Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft)

    • Mount Kenya (17,057 ft)

    • Tanzania

    • Kenya

  • Key Issues:

    • Location and characteristics of major peaks

    • Impact of climate change on ice caps and glaciers

The Great Rift Valley and Rift Valley Lakes

  • Key Terms:

    • Rift valley

    • Horst

    • Graben

  • Key Places:

    • Rwenzori Mountains

    • Lake Tanganyika

    • Lake Malawi

    • Lake Victoria

  • Questions to Ponder:

    • Extent of Great Rift Valley beyond Africa?

    • Significance of Rwenzori Mountains?

    • Characteristics of Rift Valley lakes?

    • Why is Lake Victoria excluded as a Rift Valley lake?

River Systems of Africa

Nile River

  • Key Terms:

    • Exotic stream

    • River confluence

    • Delta

    • Flood cycle

  • Key Places:

    • White Nile

    • Blue Nile

    • Khartoum

    • Aswan High Dam

    • Lake Nasser

  • Discussion Points:

    • Nile's exotic stream example

    • Convergence of Nile rivers and impacts post-Aswan High Dam

    • Consequences of damming on ecosystem and health issues like schistosomiasis

Niger River

  • Key Terms:

    • Inland delta

    • Monsoon climate

    • Oil

    • Natural gas

  • Key Places:

    • Guinea Highlands

    • Inner Niger Delta

    • Niger Delta

  • Key Questions:

    • Niger River's source and delta resources?

Congo River

  • Key Terms:

    • River flow rate

    • Rapids/cataracts/waterfalls

    • Hydroelectric potential

  • Key Places:

    • Kinshasa

    • Matadi

    • Livingstone Falls

    • Boyoma Falls

  • Overview:

    • Congo's ranking and characteristics concerning flow rates and waterfalls

    • Challenges for navigation along the river

Zambezi River

  • Key Terms:

    • Hydroelectricity

    • Waterfall

  • Key Places:

    • Zambia

    • Zimbabwe

    • Kariba Dam

    • Mosi-oa Tunya (Victoria Falls)

  • Key Insights:

    • Co-ownership of Kariba Dam and significance of Victoria Falls' naming

Okavango River

  • Key Terms:

    • Endorheic basin

    • External drainage

    • Inland delta

  • Key Places:

    • Angola

    • Namibia

    • Botswana

    • Kalahari Desert

    • Okavango Delta

  • Critical Facts:

    • Characteristics of endorheic basins and climate associations

Africa’s Human Geography

Overview

  • Key Terms:

    • Anthropology

    • Homo sapiens

    • Out of Africa Theory

    • Oral tradition

    • Written tradition

  • Key Places:

    • Horn of Africa

  • Main Questions:

    • Emergence of Homo sapiens and implications of Out of Africa Theory

    • Challenges of studying oral traditions from a historical perspective

The BIG Division in Africa

  • Key Terms:

    • Transition zone

    • Desert

    • Savanna

    • Arabic and Berber languages

    • Christianity, animism, Islam

  • Key Places:

    • 10° N latitude

    • North Africa

    • Sahara

    • Sahel

    • Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Key Considerations:

    • Latitudinal transition zone characteristics

    • Ethnic, linguistic, and religious division insights between regions

The Cross-Saharan Trade

  • Key Terms:

    • Cross-Saharan trade routes

    • West African savanna empires

    • Camel caravans

    • Islam

    • Salt, gold, ivory, ebony

  • Key Places:

    • Sahara

    • Ghana Empire

    • Mali Empire

    • Songhai Empire

  • Key Insights:

    • Participants in trade across the Sahara and significance of commodities like gold and salt

The African Slave Trade

  • Key Terms:

    • Cross-Saharan Route

    • East African Route

    • Trans-Atlantic Route

    • Triangle Trade

  • Key Places:

    • East Africa

    • West Africa

    • Gambia River

    • Brazil

    • Caribbean

    • Colonial SE United States

  • Key Questions:

    • Overview of major slave trade routes and their origins

    • Significance of the Triangle Trade

    • Estimates of population affected by slave trade

European Colonialism and Imperialism

  • Key Terms:

    • Industrial Revolution

    • Scramble for Africa

    • Exploitation

    • Berlin Conference (1884-85)

  • Key People:

    • Otto von Bismarck

  • Main Points:

    • Underlying motivations for imperialism issues and consequences on African populations

    • The context of the Berlin Conference and the presence of Africans

The Legacies of Colonialism and Imperialism

  • Key Terms:

    • Superimposed boundary

    • Organization of African Unity (OAU)

    • African Union (AU)

    • Balkanization

  • Key Questions:

    • Impacts of superimposed boundaries and political structure in African independence

Sub-Unit 1: North Africa

Countries Mentioned

  • Key Places:

    • Tunisia

    • Morocco

    • Algeria

    • Libya

    • Egypt

    • Mauritania

    • Mali

    • Sudan

Morocco; Western Sahara

  • Key Terms:

    • U.S. independence

    • Polisario

    • Phosphates

  • Key Places:

    • Spanish Sahara

    • Spain

    • Mauritania

  • Important Facts:

    • Historical context of Morocco's recognition of U.S. independence

    • Territorial issues with Western Sahara - control post-Spain’s withdrawal

Algeria

  • Key Terms:

    • French imperialism

    • Mission civilisatrice

    • Algerian Civil War

  • Key People:

    • French Algerians

Tunisia

  • Key Terms:

    • Tourism

    • Agriculture

    • Arab Spring

  • Key Places:

    • Carthage

Libya

  • Key Terms:

    • Oil

    • International terrorism

    • Arab Spring

  • Key People:

    • Muammar Gaddafi

Egypt

  • Key Terms:

    • Arab Spring

    • Egyptian Revolution

  • Key Places:

    • Nile River Valley and Delta

    • Cairo

Sudan; South Sudan

  • Key Terms:

    • Civil war

    • Refugees

  • Key Questions:

    • Historical and contemporary aspects of Sudan's territory and independence issues

Sub-Unit 2: The Sahel

Countries in the Sahel

  • Key Places:

    • Senegal

    • Chad

    • Djibouti

Mauritania

  • Key Terms:

    • Iron ore

    • Slavery

Mali

  • Key Terms:

    • Cross-Saharan trade

    • Isolation

Burkina Faso

  • Key Terms:

    • Traditional art, masks

Niger

  • Key Terms:

    • Uranium

    • Total fertility rate

Chad

  • Key Terms:

    • Nomadic herding

    • Transhumance

Ethiopia; Eritrea

  • Key Terms:

    • Italian invasion

    • Federal state

Djibouti

  • Key Terms:

    • Foreign military deployment

Somalia

  • Key Terms:

    • Failed state

    • Piracy

Sub-Unit 3: West Africa

Overview

  • Key Terms:

  • Regional terms and historical context

Senegal

  • Key Terms:

    • Regional hub

The Gambia

  • Key Terms:

    • British colonialism

Guinea-Bissau

  • Key Terms:

    • Mangrove

Guinea

  • Key Terms:

    • Bauxite

    • Ebola outbreak

Sierra Leone; Liberia

  • Key Terms:

    • Freed slaves

Cote d’Ivoire

  • Key Terms:

    • Cacao

Ghana

  • Key Terms:

    • Gold Coast

Togo

  • Key Terms:

    • Traditional African religions

Benin

  • Key Terms:

    • Tap route

Nigeria (Part 1)

  • Key Terms:

    • Demography

Nigeria (Part 2)

  • Key Terms:

    • Oil

Sub-Unit 4: Central Africa

  • Countries Mentioned

Cameroon

  • Key Terms:

    • Rainfall

Equatorial Guinea; Gabon

  • Key Terms:

    • Spanish Guinea

Central African Republic

  • Key Terms:

    • Coup d’etat

Republic of the Congo

  • Key Terms:

    • World War II

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Part 1)

  • Key Terms:

    • Congo Free State

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Part 2)

  • Key Terms:

    • Congo Crisis

Sub-Unit 5: East Africa

Countries in East Africa

Uganda

  • Key Terms:

    • Military dictatorship

Rwanda; Burundi

  • Key Terms:

    • Shifting cultivation

Kenya; Tanzania

  • Key Terms:

    • Savanna

Sub-Unit 6: Southern Africa

Countries in Southern Africa

Angola

  • Key Terms:

    • Portuguese imperialism

Zambia

  • Key Terms:

    • Copper

Malawi

  • Key Terms:

    • Biodiversity

Mozambique

  • Key Terms:

    • Tropical cyclones

Zimbabwe

  • Key Terms:

    • British imperialism

Botswana

  • Key Terms:

    • Political stability

Republic of South Africa (Part 1)

  • Key Terms:

    • Industrialization

Republic of South Africa (Part 2)

  • Key Terms:

    • White minority regime

Lesotho; eSwatini

  • Key Terms:

    • Perforated state

Namibia

  • Key Terms:

    • League of Nations Mandate

Madagascar

  • Key Terms:

    • Biodiversity