Africa Part 1

Geography

Culture

• 3 major forms of religion are widely practiced– Islam 25 %– Christian 25%– Traditional African Religions

Culture 2

• Known to be at least 1,000 distinct languages

• Art, language, and especially the music of the Western world have been affected by African culture. (Jazz had its roots in Central and West Africa)

Resources

• Minerals– Fossil fuels– Iron ore– Copper– Gold– Cobalt– Uranium– Titanium

Biological Resources

• Plants

• Animals

Economy

• Agriculture, based on simple tools and techniques, is the single most important economic activity

• Most of Africa's economy is underdeveloped

Economy 2

• South Africa and the North African countries do have diversified production systems

• Africa has experienced economic development during the 20th century

• Industrial Development took place through foreign assistance

Economy 3

• Economic success depends upon population control and cooperation between many African governments

History

• Imperialism– Control of new weak countries by strong older

ones. Usually through military or political pressure

• Europe began to colonize the following reasons– Need for raw materials

History 2

• Needs– New market to sell goods– Investments yield high returns– Nationalist rivalries

• Countries– France, U.K. Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy,

Portugal