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Geography Notes Unit 12

The document provides information about Africa's geography, history of colonialism, current population trends, and challenges of urbanization. It notes that Africa contains the Congo rainforest, Sahara desert, Nile river, and Atlas mountains. In the past, Africa was colonized by European powers and millions of slaves were traded, and today issues include rapid urbanization, poverty, and effects of landlocked countries with lack of infrastructure.

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21 views5 pages

Geography Notes Unit 12

The document provides information about Africa's geography, history of colonialism, current population trends, and challenges of urbanization. It notes that Africa contains the Congo rainforest, Sahara desert, Nile river, and Atlas mountains. In the past, Africa was colonized by European powers and millions of slaves were traded, and today issues include rapid urbanization, poverty, and effects of landlocked countries with lack of infrastructure.

Uploaded by

nesuxc
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Geography Notes (Africa)

Africa -> contains -> Congo Basin (World’s 2nd Largest rainforest)
-> Sahara Desert (World’s largest hot desert)
-> Nile River (World’s longest river)
-> Atlas mountains (Northwestern Africa)
-> The Great Rift Valley (East Africa)
-> exports -> 16% of World Uranium
-> 58% of World Cobalt
-> 22% of World Gold
-> Over half of the world’s diamonds
(Africa is rich in minerals but they are not evenly distributed)

French -> official language -> over 20 countries in Africa


-> since they were colonized by France

Columbus -> discovered Americas (1500s) -> trade triangle -> established
(Slaves -> traded for -> Consumer goods)

1600s – 1800s -> 12 – 15 million slaves sold


Slave trade -> abolished in 1833

1800s -> industrial revolution started


Imperial nations -> wanted to exploit -> Natural resources from Africa
-> Cheap labor

Scramble for Africa -> Imperialist nations racing to occupy Africa for
economic gains during the 1880s
Africa -> 90% of continent -> colonized (in 20 years) -> tensions were
rising
-> carved up -> to prevent war among Imperialists
-> At Berlin Conference (1884-1885) (14 nations)
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Powers that got a Slice of Africa:


-> Belgium
-> Italy
-> Ottoman Empire
-> Britain
-> Portugal
-> France (Biggest slice)
-> Spain
-> Germany

Imperialism -> extension of power over other areas by military, political,


economic control
Belgium -> took Congo (rich with rubber in high demand due to Industrial
Revolution)
-> Killed 10 million Congolese

Legacy left by Colonialism:


-> Late development
-> Late economic growth
-> War (due to borders drawn without consent from tribes)
(By 1960s most of Africa was independent, sparking Civil Wars)

Human Develop Index (HDI) -> measure a country’s development


-> measured by -> Health (Life expectancy)
-> Knowledge (Average
no. of schooling years)
-> Decent Standard of Living
(Gross National Income, GNI)
Biomes found in Africa -> Tropical Rainforests
-> Grassland (Savannah)
-> Desert
-> Deciduous Forests

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Equator -> imaginary line around the middle of Earth at 0o latitude


Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) -> place where there is a lot of
rainfall therefore more
rainforests
Sahel -> region South of the Sahara desert
-> Vulnerable to droughts and famines (leading to death)

Droughts -> Long period of time with low rainfall

Countries apart of the Sahel:


-> Mauritania
-> Senegal
-> Mali
-> Algeria
-> Burkina Faso
-> Niger
-> Nigeria
-> Chad
-> Sudan
-> Eritrea
-> Ethiopia

Overgrazing -> Too much grazing by animals


Desertification -> when soil erodes and desert spreads

Africa’s Great Green Wall initiative -> wall across the Sahel
-> started in 2007
-> 8000km long wall
-> provided jobs, replanted trees
-> funded by UN, EU, African Union,
World Bank
Over 1 billion people live in Africa (more than half under 25)

Page 3

Nigeria -> largest population (in Africa)


South Africa -> lowest population growth
Niger -> highest population growth (7 children per woman)

Population Density -> map showing how many people live per square
kilometer
Urbanization -> process by which cities grow and more people migrate to
it
-> Africa has the fastest Urbanization

Pros of Urbanization:
-> Economic growth (Creation of jobs)
-> Poverty reduction
-> Transformation of societies

Cons of Urbanization:
-> Increased inequality
-> Urban poverty
->Creation of slums

Methods to deal with Urbanization:


-> Building low-cost buildings
-> Building infrastructure
-> Attracting multinational companies

Landlocked -> country surrounded by land with no direct access to sea or


oceans
-> makes trading hard and expensive

Slums -> informal unsafe settlements


-> offer cheap rent but lack infrastructure

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Trade -> buying and selling of goods and services between people or
countries

Infrastructure -> basic systems and services that a country uses to work
efficiently

Globalization -> Growth in international exchange of goods, services,


capital, cultural activities
Railway -> linking Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Djibouti
-> Gives Ethiopia access to sea
-> Gives Djibouti to Ethiopia’s market

Belt and Road initiative -> China’s multi-billion dollar initiative around the
world

Growth of cities can cause:


-> Economic growth
-> Poverty Reduction
-> Transformation of societies
-> Increased inequality
-> Poverty explosion

Page 5

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