8/4/2010. Major River Systems. The Dark Continent. Environmental and Human Dislocation (Refugees) 48 states, 1 territory (Reunion)

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1 The Dark Continent Environmental and Human Dislocation (Refugees) High Africa : South and East Great Rift Valley Raised plateau 48 states, 1 territory (Reunion) 750 million people, 43% (under 15) and growing Neocolonialism persists Great escarpments (long cliffs) Low Africa: West and Central Great Lakes Lowest average per capita income in the world 66% live in rural areas Major River Systems Congo(Zaire) shared by Congo and DRC; Brazzaville and Kinshasa. Nile; Horn of Africa Niger; source of water for Mali, Niger and Nigeria (Kainji Reservoir). Capitals of Bamako, Niamey and Timbuktu Zambezi; shared by Angola and Mozambique; major supplier of commercial energy Limpopo; borders Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique Orange, Vaal: South Africa Mostly tropical seasons change more in rainfall than temperature Congo Basin Sahel: Southern fringes of Sahara; steppe and savanna grasses Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ); shifts northsouth. Environmental Problems associated with tropical climate 1

2 What challenges does climate bring to people in sub-sahara Africa? Parasites and insects thrive in warm, wet climates Water shortage in drier climates; dependent on rainfall from ITCZ. Leaching of minerals in tropical soils Laterite: sun-baked silt Shifting cultivation: method of dealing with leaching Global warming will lead to marginalization of existing land; increasing risk for farmers. Fastest growing population in the world Has tripled in less than 50 years (~752 million) Main threat to human well-being Lagging in demographic transition Children both economic advantage and spiritual link to past and future Declining fertility rates in most developed countries, where women are empowered Low rate of contraception use (half of other world regions) HIV/AIDS in Africa 24.5 million HIV-infected people 63% of the worldwide total 6.1% of adults are infected Highest in Southern Africa Bias towards women 4/5 of the world s HIVinfected women are in sub-saharan Africa Results from inability of wives to refuse their husbands who visit sex workers Similar inability to insist on condoms HIV/AIDS in Africa Education key to reducing infection rates Successes in Uganda and Senegal Poor government effort in late 1990s South Africa Treatment too expensive for most Africans $10,000 per year per patient Patent-busting in Cuba and India has helped $365 per year per patient Still too expensive for most 11% of AIDS patients in sub-saharan Africa have access to antiretroviral drugs 2

3 Early Kingdoms The Slave Trade Figure 7.8 The Effects of Colonization Basic geographic patterns: Europeans lived in high densities only in places with lots of resources or a comfortable climate Africans remained in possession of only the worst land, but were forced to grow cash crops Places with few resources served as labor pools for large projects Main goals of colonization Extract resources Create markets Keep administrative costs to a minimum The Aftermath of Independence Formal colonization in Africa relatively short Roughly, 1880s 1960s Most postcolonial governments were authoritarian, anti-democratic Recent growth of pro-democracy movements 23 of 47 countries are currently democracies Neocolonial dependence on former colonizers Rapidly growing poverty 3

4 Languages of Africa Apartheid in South Africa The Colonization of South Africa (1650) Dutch occupation pushed KhoiKhoi off land British invade to take control of resources Dutch move north, enslave Africans British occupy all the territory, South Africa created in 1910 Apartheid created to maintain racial segregation Black Africans 80% of the population Resistance began in 1912; Apartheid ended in 1994 Climatic variability Land tenure: The way people own, occupy, and use land Political and economic policies Land alienation under colonialism Persistent subsistence Trade barriers in rich countries New communications technology (e.g., cell phones) Land Issues Economic Issues Africa s difficulties following independence include: Role in global economy providing cheap resources and labor Corruption and poor leadership Civil unrest, some related to the Cold War High cost of fuel/steep oil prices in 1970s Loans from IMF and World Bank 4

5 One-Commodity Countries Botswana: A Case Study 2 nd largest GDP per capita in sub-saharan Africa 3 rd largest diamond producer in the world Diamond wealth has financed infrastructure 63% of government revenues High income disparity HIV/AIDS threatens growth 40% infection rate among adults Government program to provide antiretroviral drugs South Africa: An Economic Leader GDP is 1/3 that of rest of region combined 10 th largest in the world Historically well-off minority European population with skills and external connections Dutch and British kept profits within South Africa Massive income inequality based on race 25% unemployment, 50% below poverty line Political Issues Colonial Legacies and African Adaptations 28% of African population lives in countries with a high risk of armed conflict Origins of Conflict: European-created borders; Cold War-based geopolitics Governmental ethnic oppression and subsequent civil wars 5

6 Case Study: Conflict in Nigeria Large, diverse population 395 indigenous languages in 11 groups 50% Muslim, 40% Christians Four main ethnicities Hausa and Fulani have dominated since independence Yoruba and Igbo live in South, more prosperous and better educated (1966 attempt to secede) Today, oil is 90% of foreign trade earnings 1/10 have HIV AIDS Ranks lowest in HDI Environmental Issues: Focus on Global Warming Deforestation ; five African countries lost combined area of forest ~ Indonesia over same period. African countries lead the world in the rate of deforestation; Burundi, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana. What is driving deforestation? Fuel wood; cheapest fuels, traditions of free resource Logging by International Timber Companies; Congo Basis Sahel Region shore of the desert Desertification Sahara growing to the south Fragile environments: barely meet the needs of native plants and animals Caused by long-term natural cycles with human activity increasing the scope Water In many places, water being pumped from aquifers faster than replaced by nature Large development projects divert water Even moist areas suffer from pollution of water sources Globally, agriculture uses 70% of global water Efforts to rediscover lost cultural practices related to water conservation 6

7 Carrying Water Kenya Kenya, for example, has only 830 cubic yards (635 cubic meters) of water available per capita per year, compared with the accepted global standard of 1300 cubic yards (1000 cubic meters); Its water supply is expected to drop to just 250 cubic yards (190 cubic meters) per capita per year by the year Wildlife and National Parks Wildlife: long source of skins, protein, ivory for export Pressure on wildlife populations has become extreme Solutions: game farming to increase food supplies; ecotourism National parks: 1/3 of the world s preserved land; 10% of earth s surface National parks vulnerable to poachers But don t you think Africa is, after all, better off for having been colonized by Europeans? Poorest despite many kinds of resources Agriculture, mineral and forest Not densely occupied; high urbanization What are the reasons for Africa s poverty? Colonialism removed Africans from control of their own societies. Border struggles developed by Europeans. Africa is changing! African driving economic development strategies and political institutions. Contributions of women to society Entreupenurship 7