AfricaContinental Overview & Current Issues

• 2nd Largest and populous continent

• 20% of Earth’s land

• 14.7% world’s population

• 54 “ states”- Sayre, April Pulley. (1999) Africa, Twenty-First Century Books.

http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/mrsthonus/social_studies.cfm?subpage=347837

Lasting Impacts• Slave Trade• Scramble for Africa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa

Geography• Largest country: Sudan

• Smallest country: Seychelles- collection of island on the east

• Smallest nation mainland: Gambia

Climate• Tropical- subarctic• N: desert• S & C: plains & jungle/

rainforest

Ecology• Deforestation:

affecting Africa 2x world rate

• 90% West Africa’s forests gone

Major Human Rights Abusers

• Congo• Sierra Leone• Liberia• Sudan• Zimbabwe• Cote d’Ivoire

Poorest & most underdeveloped

• Disease• AIDS• Corruption• Failed planning• Illiteracy• Lack of capital• Tribal & military conflict

Why?

Population & Language• Half or more under 25

yrs• 1 billion people• Over 1,000 languages

• English & French spoken in public shere

Religion• Muslim- 45%• Christian- 40%• African Religions- less

15%• * Few Judaic tradition

- World Book Encyclopedia

Major Issues

A Closer Look

Sources for remaining slides: Steve Stowe & Food 4 Africa

Effects of AIDS• Orphans• Need for drugs

to treat AIDS hurting economies

• Schools losing teachers to AIDS

• Children forced to drop out b/c family can’t pay for school

• Prime age dying• Families forced

to grow products with little nutrients, starvation

• Women forced into prostitution to feed families

Causes of major problems, including AIDS?

• Poverty, deforestation, overcrowding, drought, famine, revolts, tribal unrest, border wars, unemployment, flooding, lack of education, religious wars, slavery, corruption, disease

Factors bringing Africa together

• Urbanization & education• 25% of pop in some countries live in cities– this breaks down tribal barriers

Factors tearing Africa apart• Most people loyal to tribes• Unemployment• Tribal conflicts• Corruption• Education• Lack of clean water & farmland• Medical care & AIDS

Who and Why the Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s?

• Europe• Industrial Revolution-

raw materials• Racism- Euro superior• Religious- doing god’s

work

Ways Euro kept colonies “peaceful”

• Divide & conquer• Minority tribes in control• Military• Wipe out resisting villages• Oppress workers• Uneducated

Why so much conflict in Africa?• Conflict traces back to

Euro policies to keep Africa in “slavery”

• Education- lack how run a country & economy set up to support Euro economies

• Tribal divisions• Many languages

Role & Value of Women in Africa

• Second class• Primary labor force &

responsible for domestic chores

• Education• Marriage• Sold in exchange for cattle

Universal Education• Girls out of school in

Africa is highest in world (about 23 million)

Need to Promote Gender Equality & Empower Women

• Could have greatest impact in reducing poverty, childhood diseases, and spread of AIDS

Child Mortality• 30 yrs ago, 1:5 kids

died before 5 yrs old• Today, less than 1:10

• Why? • Vaccinations and basic health services

Extreme Poverty• World produces

enough food • Prob: people in the

developing world can’t get access to it

• Poverty= main cause of hunger

Interactive Map of Africa

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/1478661

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/richt218/architecture/

http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm

http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm