Africa South of the Sahara

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Africa South of the Sahara

• Background Factors
• Africa south of Sahara was cradle of human
  species
• poorest of the nine major world regions with 10
  of worlds population but only 1 of GDP
• least integrated into world economic system
• economically falling farther behind rest of world
• diverse ethnic identification based on tribal
  loyalties, culture, language, etc.
• tribal identifications do not always coincide
  with state boundaries

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• tribal loyalties today often stronger than
  loyalty to ones country
• conflicts between tribal customs and and new ways
  of life based on education, exposure to media,
  and urbanization
• in medieval times, Muslim traders penetrated
  Sahara desert and brought Islam to northern tier
  of countries
• Muslim push displaced indigenous tribes, causing
  them to move to the south
• slave trade begun by Arabs and supplemented by
  Europeans looking for plantation labor for new
  world
• 11-12 million Africans kidnapped as slaves to
  work in New World most died in transit

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• Christian influence in Africa, particularly
  Coptic Church in Ethiopia from first century AD
• Roman Catholic priests came with Portuguese,
  Spanish, French and Belgian traders, built
  schools and hospitals, and provided education
• Importance of the Treaty of Berlin 1884 which
  divided Africa up among the European powers.
• All boundaries were artificial creations
• Peoples divided, unified regions ripped apart,
  hostile populations thrown together
• Colonialism had a single major objective which
  was exploitation of these countries

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• Differences in political rule apparent
• British and French encouraged Europeans to settle
  permanently, made investments in roads,
  railroads, civil service, hospitals, schools
• British ruled indirectly leaving indigenous power
  structures in place
• French tried to culturally assimilate elites into
  French culture
• Belgians and Portuguese exploited their colonies
  and provided few investments, no preparation for
  independence, unenlightened rulers
• future of many African states dependent on
  reconciling tribal, ethnic, and religious
  differences

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• African Population Problems
• 640 million people in Africa
• 45 of Africans live in poverty
• rate of population growth high 2 ½-3 / year
• African is most rural region of the world with
  65-85 of people living in rural areas
• worlds youngest population with 50 under 15
  years of age
• Population increases faster than increases in
  food production

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• Impact of AIDS in Africa
• 70 of all HIV/AIDS cases in Africa
• Southern Africa particularly hard hit with 20-30
  of population infected by AIDS
• Botswana and Zimbabwe have 1/3 of adults infected
  by AIDS
• largest number of cases in South Africa
• Number of new cases declining
• Infection particularly high among educated strata
  of society- professionals, teachers, civil
  servants, truckers, merchants
• Fighting AIDS role of health education and
  availability of drugs

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HIV AIDS in Africa
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• Natural Environment
• most of Africa is a series of plateaus of varying
  elevations plateau continent punctuated by
  several large basins, i.e. Djouf Basin, Chad
  Basin, Sudan Basin, Zaire Basin, and Kalahari
  Basin
• river systems traverse many of these plateaus
• major rivers include Niger River (Nigeria)
  Congo or Zaire River(Democratic Rep of Congo)
  Zambezi River (Mozambique) Nile River (Sudan
  and Egypt) Limpopo (South Africa/Mozambique/
  Botswana) and Orange (South Africa)

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• lowland plains around coasts
• mountainous areas found in (1) Ethiopia (2) East
  African lakes (3) eastern and southern parts of
  South Africa.
• highest mountains near Lake Victoria, i.e.
  Kilimanjaro (19K) and Kirinyaga (Mt.. Kenya)
  (17K)
• Great Rift Valley from Mozambique to Red Sea
• African rivers rise in the interior uplands and
  descend to the sea abruptly.
• rapids block inland water travel but provide good
  potential for hydroelectric

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• Tropical Climates
• most of region lies within low latitudes and has
  a tropical climate
• continent bisected by the equator
• types of climate include
• tropical rain forest
• near equator
• from Gulf of Guinea to highlands of East Africa
• includes southern Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea,
  Gabon, south Cameroon, and north Congo basin
• tropical savanna
• extensive areas of Africa with wet and dry season
• dry forest or scrub intermixed with tall grasses

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• steppe and desert
• southern border of Sahara known as Sahel was once
  steppe, but Sahara is creeping southward.
  Multi-year drought in 70s
• desertification is problem for region
• Mediterranean climate
• northwest African and southwestern tip near Cape
  Town
• rainy winters and dry summers
• humid subtropical
• high interior grasslands of South Africa also
  known as High Veld
• well marked dry season
• found in Natal province in South Africa

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Africa Vegetation Map
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Africa Rainfall
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• Water Resources
• total precipitation large but poorly distributed
• wide fluctuations in rainfall in many parts of
  Africa
• need for more control over water, i.e. irrigation
  projects, converting marshes and swamps to rice
  fields or other productive uses, development of
  dams to control floods, provide hydroelectric
  power
• most villagers (women) carry water by hand from
  streams or shallow wells

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• Problems of African Development
• considerable variety of environments and
  potential wealth
• drought a persistent problem in most states
• great poverty of most countries with low GNP
  rates, high infant mortality, high rates of
  disease
• lack of education hampers development
• high percentage of rural dwellers
• relatively unproductive agriculture
• per capital food output has declined or remained
  stationary since independence

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• economies underindustrialized and dependent on
  few primary products
• heavy debts to foreign lenders
• authoritarian governments the rule rather than
  the exception
• serious political instability in many countries
• poor transportation is a bottleneck to
  development

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• Regions
• West Africa
• countries of western coast and Sahara margin from
  Senegal and Mauritania to Nigeria and Niger
• includes Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger,
  Chad, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra
  Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin,
  Nigeria
• Equatorial Africa
• central Africa focusing on Democratic Republic of
  Congo, Congo, Gabon, Cameroons, Central African
  Republic, southern part of Chad and Sudan

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• East Africa
• Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and
  Highland Ethiopia
• Southern Africa
• extends from southern border of Tanzania and
  Democratic Republic of Congo to Cape of Good Hope
• includes Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe,
  Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland and
  Lesotho

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• West Africa
• West Africa has more links with world economy
• long coastline led to penetration by Europeans in
  search of slaves, gold, and ivory
• plantations established by British and French to
  produce cocoa and palm oil
• more educated civil service, more economically
  advanced at time of independence
• Nigeria largest and most populous country with
  100 million people
• very high birth rates with death rates falling

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• most large cities began as colonial ports, i.e.
  Lagos, Nigeria (3 mil) Abidjan, Ivory Coast (3
  mil) Dakar, Senegal (2 mil) Accra, Ghana (2
  mil) Freetown, Sierre Leone (.8 mil)
  Monrovia, Liberia (.5 mil) Ouagadougou,
  Burkina Faso (.5 mil)
• Britain, France, and Germany raced each other to
  colonize Africa in 19th C
• English and French remain the official and
  commercial languages of many former colonies
• agriculture remains source of employment for
  50-80 of the people

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• major producer of palm oil, cacao, rubber,
  tropical fruits, rice and coffee
• Liberia became major producer of rubber following
  establishment of plantations by Firestone Rubber
  Co. in 1920s Ivory Coast also a major rubber
  producer
• Nigeria a major oil producer with 90 of exports
  based on petroleum
• oil income in Nigeria used to built major
  infrastructure projects, neglect of agriculture
  with the result that living standards in Nigeria
  now lower than before oil boom

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• limited manufacturing in West Africa
• mainly import substitution products like soft
  drinks, household products, and processing of
  agricultural products
• production of pagne cloth (brightly colored
  cloth used to make womens dresses) in Ivory
  Coast is a growth industry
• high government employment in most West African
  states
• political leadership problems in most West
  African states with one party states or military
  rulers

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• Nigeria
• Background
• most populous country in Africa with 127 million
• brought under British rule in 1906 (Britain
  followed policy of indirect rule in Nigeria)
• independence in 1960 with democratic system
• 250 different ethnic groups in Nigeria with
  largest being Hausa-Faulani in north with 75
  Yorba in the southwest, and Ibo in southeast
• tension between major ethnic groups led to bloody
  civil war in 1965 Biafrian independence sought
• military rule off and on since 1969 human rights
  abuses
• English the official language Hausa used in trade

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Nigeria
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• Regions
• coast composed of mangrove swamps, lagoons, and
  shallow rivers
• Niger delta spreads 60 miles inland
• forested belt rises to Jos Plateau
• savanna in interior which becomes an arid desert
  in north
• Climate
• equatorial maritime climate along coast with high
  humidity and heavy rain
• north has dry conditions, dusty winds from Sahara
• Religion
• 50 Muslim especially in north
• 34 Christian (Catholic, Methodist, Anglican)

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• economy
• predominately agricultural country producing its
  own food (sorghum, millet, maize, rice, yams) and
  exporting cacao, palm oil, beans, and rubber
• 90 of exports by value consist of oil
• Nigerian oil of low sulfur, high quality, high
  demand
• country too heavily dependent on oil revenue, low
  demand for oil in 90s hurt economy
• largest deposits of natural gas in Africa

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• political problems
• restructuring of Nigerian federation several
  times since 1964.
• fragmentation of the political system, lack of
  trust among ethnic groups
• military has dominated politics for 25 years,
  lost its perspective, too corrupt
• civilians not organized sufficiently to challenge
  military rule
• presidential elections in 1993 nullified by the
  military, promised reform not delivered
• threat of fundamentalist Islam in north
• recent elections in 1999 reestablished democratic
  rule

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• Equatorial Africa
• heart of Africa with equatorial climate, dense
  rain forest, isolated from world
• some of poorest countries in Africa but with
  potentially large natural resources
• Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as
  Zaire) largest country in equatorial Africa with
  40 of land area and 50 of people of region
• Burundi, Rwanda, Chad, and Central African
  Republic are landlocked, produce few commercial
  goods, and have difficulty communicating with
  outside world

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Equatorial Africa
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• large rural populations with some urbanization
  due more to civil strife than search for jobs
• largest urban areas former colonial trading
  centers like Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of
  Congo ( 4 mil) Yaounde, Cameroon (1 mil)
  N'djamena, Chad ( .2 mil) Brazzaville, Congo (.8
  mil) Libreville, Gabon (.3 mil)
• rapid population growth of region with population
  growth outstripping economic growth and food
  production
• tensions between Tutsi and Hutus in Rwanda and
  Burundi at independence in 1962

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• majority Hutus took control in Rwanda, but
  minority Tutsis in charge in Burundi
• death of presidents in both countries in air
  crash set off tribal war as Hutus massacred
  Tutsis, and Tutsis responded with armed rebellion
• 2.5 million people either killed or fled to
  Democratic Republic of Congo in conflicts
• tensions between Muslim northerners in Chad
  backed by Libya and Christian southerners erupted
  in open warfare in 1980s
• civil war in Democratic Republic of Congo led to
  ouster of Joseph Mobutu and replacement by
  Laurent Kabila

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• most people are subsistence farmers who grow root
  crops, fruits, vegetables
• cattle farming restricted by tsetse fly
• timber production of mahogany and ebony wood from
  Cameron and Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo one of worlds
  largest producer of copper
• Democratic Republic of Congo also mines diamonds,
  cobalt and produces some oil
• Gabon possesses large unexploited iron ore
  deposits
• hydroelectric potential of Zaire Basin needed for
  further economic development of region

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• East Africa
• landscapes of high plateaus cut by rift valleys
• less water resources than other African areas and
  fewer mineral resources
• Ethiopia only African country south of Sahara
  never colonized
• most inland areas not developed with few links to
  coastal area
• countries among the poorest in Africa
• Ethiopia ruled by monarchy established in 2 AD
  until communist revolution in 1974 communists
  overthrown in 1991

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• Ethiopias troubled history, rebel groups
• Eritrea gained independence in 1993 after a 30
  yrs war with Ethiopia
• Ugandas prosperity destroyed by civil war in
  60s followed by harsh dictatorship under Idi
  Amin
• Kenya and Tanzania fortunate to have avoided
  civil strife but have had to deal with refugees
  from Rwanda and Burundi
• rapid population growth with high birth rates and
  low death rates
• most countries predominantly rural with 25 of
  people living in cities

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• main cities of East Africa are Addis Ababa,
  Ethiopia (2.5 mil) Nairobi, Kenya (2.5 mil)
  Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1.2 mil) Kampala,
  Uganda (.5) Mombasa, Kenya (.7 mil)
• rural to urban migration growing fast
• cultural divide between northern Ethiopians who
  claim ancestry from King Solomon and Queen of
  Sheba who converted to Coptic Christian Church
  and Muslim peoples who established coastal
  settlements in Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia and
  became part of Ottoman Empire in 16th C

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• Britain involved in slave trade run out of
  Zanzibar by sultans of Oman and Muscat
• in 1886 Britain annexed Kenya and Uganda and
  built railroad from Mombasa to Lake Victoria.
  British settlers encouraged to move to Kenyan
  highlands
• Germans settled in East Africa to engage in tea
  and coffee production but lost Tanganyika to
  British after WW I.
• most East African countries rely on agriculture,
  earn foreign exchange by agricultural exports
• coffee constitutes 90 of Ethiopian exports
• coffee, tea, and tobacco constitute 90 of
  Ugandas exports

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• coffee, tea, sisal , cotton, cashews, and cloves
  are Tanzanias major exports
• price fluctuations can hurt earnings
• cattle herding important in East Africa
• famines in Ethiopia and Somalia in 1983-85 led to
  500,000 millions deaths by starvation
• Tanzanian approach to development emphasizes
  African socialism or communal farming. Less
  social stratification but low productivity
• Kenya has made most economic progress of East
  African countries with some manufacturing, and
  center of UN activities

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• tourist industry important in Kenya and Tanzania
  to observe the largest herds of wild animals in
  the world.
• migration of animals from Ngorongoro National
  Park and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to
  the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya
• growth of hotel and transportation industries to
  support this activity
• Tanzanian government has resisted efforts to
  build large luxury hotels to serve tourists
  tourism smaller in Tanzania as a result

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• Southern Africa
• greatest potential of all African regions
• largest amount of rail traffic in Africa
• prospects of region tied to economic progress of
  South Africa
• South Africa has 1/3 of southern Africas
  population but produced 75 of its GDP
• South Africa is the engine of economic growth in
  region
• export of minerals, farm products, and
  manufactured products from South Africa is great
  and its economy is linked to rest of the world

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Southern Africa
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• Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia were hostile to
  apartheid policies (racial separation) of South
  Africa but maintained economic relations with RSA
• Lesotho and Swaziland were encircled by RSA so
  had to maintain political relations with them
• Namibia under occupation of RSA, fought a civil
  war with SWAPO until the UN brokered a deal that
  led to independence for Namibia in 1990 and
  removal of Cuban troops from Angola in 1988
• South African Development Coordination Conference
  (SADCC) was collection of southern African states
  opposed to apartheid that tried to promote
  economic development among them

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• South Africa now a welcomed partner of this group
• environment of South Africa different from that
  of other African countries
• RSA has warm mid latitude conditions with winter
  rains in the Cape and summer rains on
  southeastern coasts. Attractive environment for
  Europeans
• natural vegetation is desert and savanna
  grasslands giving way to forests in higher
  elevations
• population of southern Africa expanding rapidly
• South Africa is only state with a sizable
  non-Black population (75 Black 13 white 4
  Asian and 8 mixed races)

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• largest cities of region include Cape Town, RSA
  (3 mil) Johannesburg, RSA (2 mil) Durban and
  Pretoria, RSA (1.5 mil each) Port Elizabeth,
  RSA (.8 mil) Maputo, Mozambique (2.5 mil)
  Luanda, Angola (2.5 mil) Harare, Zimbabwe
  (1.5 mil) Lusaka, Zambia .7 mil)
• unique history of South Africa
• Dutch settlers arrived in Cape Town in 1652 and
  displaced indigenous African peoples (White tribe
  of Africa
• separation from Netherlands led to distinctive
  culture (Boers) and language (Afrikaans)
• British purchased Cape colonial from Dutch in
  1814, demanded use of English, end to slavery,
  and protection for natives

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• Boers undertook the Great Trek northward to
  territory near Orange and Vaal River valleys.
  Established Orange Free State and Transvaal.
• Displacement of more native peoples north of
  Limpopo R
• Boers declared South Africa a Republic
• discovery of gold and diamonds discovered in
  Transvaal in 1860s and threat of Germans in
  South West Africa led to Boer War
• UK established Union of South Africa as
  self-governing dominion in British Empire linking
  Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal in
  new political system
• Afrikaans-speaking politicians established the
  National Party and promoted apartheid (separation
  of the races) with onerous racial legislation by
  1948

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• African National Congress (ANC) under Nelson
  Mandela campaigned for freedom and equality for
  blacks
• when democratic means of influencing the
  apartheid government fail, they turned to
  guerrilla war
• Nelson Mandala jailed for 30 years on Robben Is
• peaceful political protests led to brutal
  repression and deaths of prominent leaders like
  Steve Biko in 1977
• diplomatic isolation of South Africa, economic
  sanctions, and domestic pressure led Nationalist
  Party leaders to the conclusion that South Africa
  must adapt or die.
• free elections in 1994 led to first Black
  majority government under the leadership of
  President Nelson Mandela

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Nelson Mandela President of the Republic of South
Africa
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Steve Biko Black political activist in the
60 Murdered in jail by the RSA Security Forces
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• Mozambique and Angola devastated by slave trade
  through 19th C
• Portugal was one of least enlightened colonial
  rulers who provided few opportunities for
  schooling or social services
• mineral resources in Angola and plantation crops
  in Mozambique provided motivation for colonial
  policy of Portuguese
• bloody civil war in 1970s led to independence
  for both countries
• mining dominates economies of Angola, Botswana,
  Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

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• RSA is world top producer of platinum used for
  aerospace and catalytic converters
• RSA is major producer of goal and diamonds in
  Witswaterand
• RSA produces a host of exotic minerals like
  chromium, manganese, vanadium used in specialty
  steels
• Namibia is major producer of uranium, diamonds,
  zinc, copper
• Zambian copper mines suffering from
  inefficiencies, lack of investment, inability to
  compete with more efficient producers like Chile

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• tourism is growing industry in South Africa,
  Zambia, and Zimbabwe with Victoria Falls a major
  attraction
• national parks in Zambia attract many tourists
  eager to see large animals

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