Question | Answer |
what covers most of africa (geography wise)? | huge plateau with several basins |
What does the Nile river provide? | irrigation |
What are rift valleys? | areas where tectonic plates pulled apart and land sunk in; many lakes +freshwater source |
what is an escarpment? | steep slope with plateau top |
what is under the Sahara desert and define it | aquifers; huge stores of underground water |
what does the word sahel mean and what is it? | means "shore of the desert" ; band of grassland under the Sahara |
what problem is the sahel facing and list 2 causes of it | desertification; overgrazing, farming |
What type of vegetation covers most of Africa? give an example and what it provides | tropical grassland; Serengeti Plain is a habitat for wild animals |
What are 2 positives and 4 negatives of the Aswan High Dam | Positives: increases farmable land by 50%, prevents Nile floods Negatives: people relocated during construction, lower soil fertility, more disease, freshwater lost to evaporation |
list the 4 climates of africa in order of largest to smallest | tropical grassland, dry desert, rainforest, snow-capped mountains |
What precious minerals does Africa have? | gold, chromium, platinum, cobalt |
What is the main problem that Africa has with its minerals? | european colonists set up system to export minerals to Europe --> african countries can't make $$ from minerals |
What African countries are the major oil producers in the world? | Libya, Nigeria, Algeria |
Why does the oil in Angola not benefit the Angolans? | the government spends oil $ on civil war instead of infrastructure |
What has been damaging the environment in Nigeria? | Oil; explosions + leaks cause fires + pollution |
what are the main agricultural products of africa? | Coffee, sugar, cocoa beans |
What is the main source of employment in africa? | agriculture |
What is Olduvai George? | place in tanzania where homo habilis fossils found |
What important features is East Africa next to? Why are they important | Red Sea, Indian Ocean; made East africa a major trading center |
3 main reasons Europeans colonized Africa? | resources + nationalism + spread christianity |
What was the Berlin conference? | where European leaders divided Africa amongst themselves + set random boundaries |
What country avoided colonization? How? | Ethiopia, good weapons/army |
What is the main East African economy? | farming + wildlife park tourism |
What are the 2 main ethnic groups of East Africa and what are they known for? | Masai (beadwork) , Kikuyu (largest group) |
what is a pandemic? | huge outbreak of disease in a large area |
What made the Egyptian civilization possible? | Nile river |
What is the major religion in Africa | Islam |
What is the main economy of North Africa today? | Oil |
What are the markets called in North Africa? | Souks |
What is Rai? | fast-paced algerian music that is used to rebel against Islamic fundamentialists |
How have womens roles changed in north africa? | more rights + jobs |
What is Gorée Island? | off the coast of Senegal, busy center for slave trade |
What were the 3 trade empires of West Africa? why was ghana | Ghana, Mali, Songhai |
What is a stateless society? | people rely on family lineage to govern, no 1 ruler because they work together |
Who are the Ashanti and what are they known for? | ethnic group in Ghana that weaves meaningful geometric Kente cloth |
What were the Bantu migrations? | movement of Bantu people throughout Africa which increased cultural diversity + united Africa |
Who was King Leopold II? | Belgian king who took over Congo for trade reasons |
What problems did African governments face after colonialism? | random boundaries + corruption |
Who was Mobutu Sese Seko? | Dom. Rep. Congo leader who stabilized post-colonialsm economy but then became corrupt + hated colonists |
What is Fang sculpture? | skull/bone sculptures create by the Fang (Central African ethnic group) |
What do Central African countries hope for education? | that it will provide stability after colonialism |
What were the gold trading empires of Southern Africa? | Great Zimbabwe, Mutapa Empire |
What was Apartheid? | mid 1900s s. africa policy that separated races |
who was Nelson Mandela? | leader of African national Congress, who was imprisoned for fighting against apartheid, became president later |
What is the problem with South africa today? | blacks are still given less rights and worse jobs |
What did the African governments have to do after colonists left? | borrow tons of money --> weakened government |
What is africa's main economy today? | export of raw materials |
Why are african countries called one-commodity countries? why is this risky? | they only sell one agricultural/mining product; risky bc based on worldwide demand |
What does AIDS stand for? | Acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
What is cholera? | disease from water contamination |
what is tuberculosis? | respiratory infection |
how is lack of schooling affecting Africa? | barrier to economic development because workers arent skilled |
How is having many ethnic groups a problem for building democracies? | the colonial boundaries combine different ethnic groups who don't want to cooperate to build governments |