Sub-Saharn Africa Reading Guide Flashcards
Berlin Conference
A meeting to divide Africa among the European colonial powers
Conflict Diamonds
Diamonds whose profits from selling lead to the purchase of weapons used in wars and local conflicts
Desertification
Arid and semiarid lands become degraded and less productive and desertlike conditions result
Failed state
A state where the government is too weak to control its territory, can’t provide public services, etc.
Fair Trade:
Ensuring that producers are paid a reasonable wage and that crops are produced sustainably
Green Belt Movement
A social movement centered around planting and preserving trees
Internally Displaced Person (IDP)
People who are uprooted but stay in their home country
Land Grabs
Large scale land purchases
Pastoralism
A way of life that depends on livestock
Rift Valley
Large and long depression between steep walls formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth’s surface between tectonic faults
Savanna
Grasslands with extensive grazing areas
open stands of trees interspersed with shurbs and grasses
Sahel
Southern border of the Sahara Desert
- Why is Sub-Saharan Africa particularly vulnerable to climate change?
Poverty
Lack of fresh water
climate change
What impacts could climate change have on the region?
Less food/water
More disease/insects
- What natural resources are important in Sub-Saharan Africa?
rivers
deltas
inland wetlands
mineral resources.
- Explain the main causes of low agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa and describe the methods used to adapt to these conditions
Wildlife poaching pests disease efforts to eradicate and cure disease parks and conservation programs, etc.
- How has human activity impacted the wildlife of Sub-Saharan Africa?
What strategies have been used to protect wildlife?
decimated the population of wildlife via hunting (for food or pleasure, encroachment, etc.)
Protected areas like animal parks
- What is the legacy of European colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Establishment of political boundaries that disregarded traditional boundaries
introduction of European languages
- Why has the World Bank identified Sub-Saharan Africa as “the most important development challenge of the 21st century”?
Because they are so dependent on foreign aid and have a very low GPI.
- More than ¾ of Africa’s population work in ???
Agriculture
- What were the Millennium Development Goals and how did they impact Sub-Saharan Africa?
Targets to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Less poverty, more education, etc.
- Describe the current political issues of Somalia, Nigeria, and South Sudan.
Somalia is a failed state, in a constant state of civil war
Nigeria fights with terrorists Boko Haram
South Sudan newly independent, but fight with rebel groups and have health, water, food problems
- What are the predominant religions of Sub-Saharan Africa?
Christianity and Islam
- What are the predominant languages of Sub-Saharan Africa?
Hausa Yoruba Ibo Swahili Zulu
- Describe the status/roles of women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Underpriveleged
poor
disadvantaged
meet the basic needs of the family/village (food, water, crafts, etc.)
- Describe the factors affecting population growth rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Need for children to work/babysit
get money
prestige of large families
lack of contraception
- What are the reasons for large number of refugees from/in Sub-Saharan Africa? What challenges are associated with these refugees?
Armed conflict human rights violations drought Lack of resources disease
- Consider the location of the Congo Rainforest and the Kalahari Desert? What atmospheric circulation systems (discussed in Chapter 1 of the textbook) are associated with these regions?
Intertropical Convergence Zone
Subtropical high
- What is the predominant land use of Sub-Saharan Africa?
Subsistence farming
nomadic herding
- Describe the distribution of gold resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.
West and East coast of Africa
- How are the population characteristics of North Africa different from the population characteristics of South Africa?
Arab and Muslim
20% of Africa
Less diverse
- How did the Europeans contribute to ethnic tensions that exist in Africa today?
Drew boundaries putting rival tribes together
- Approximately ??? of the world’s refugees are African.
1/3
- Into what body of water does the Congo River flow?
Atlantic Ocean
- Despite the continent’s mineral wealth, most Africans live in poverty. Why?
Mining companies employ few Africans
- What physical feature, located in East Africa, is located along a divergent plate boundary?
Great Rift Valley
- Herders of Namibia, threatened by war and drought, now profit from ???
Ecotourism
- What is the leading cause of death in Africa? What can be done to control the disease?
AIDS
education and treatment
