Review Geography ---- Study Guide (Africa)
Part I : Identify all counties and geographical features and place them on the blank maps provided. Use a current map or atlas (The world map found in your textbook is not recommended). You need to use both a political map and physical (topographical) map. A. Countries (current boundaries)/ Islands
Egypt Sudan Libya Tunisia Algeria Morocco Western Sahara Mauritania Mali Niger Chad Cameroon Nigeria Benin Togo Ghana Burkina Faso Cote DIvoire (Ivory Coast) Liberia Sierra Leon Guinea Guinea Bissau Senegal Gambia Eritrea Ethiopia Somalia Djibouti Kenya Uganda Rwanda Brundi Tanzania Malawi Central African Republic Equatorial Guinea Gabon Congo Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) Angola Zambia Mozambique Madagascar Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia South Africa Lesotho Swaziland
Part II : Basic Geography Review (Africa):
1. Africa is the second largest continent in the world. The large area north of equator is covered by a great desert, called the Sahara. (This word itself means desert in Arabic) The Nile River is the longest river in the world. Its source stems from Lake Victoria and pours into the Mediterranean through Sudan and Egypt. The Suez canal connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, allowing ships to travel between Asia and Europe without having to circumnavigate the African continent. Constructed in the 19th century under French supervision, the canal was controlled by the British until the mid 20th century. By 750 CE, North Africa had been conquered by Islamic forces. The region has remained a stronghold of Islam ever since. Islam spread southward into West Africa through the trans-Saharan Trade (trade across the Sahara). The Sahel is a semi-arid region immediately south of the Sahara, stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal. The region is also referred as the Sudan. (The term, Sudan derives from the Arabic bilad as-sudan, land of the black peoples.) The Niger is the major river system in West Africa. The river runs though the Sahel region of West Africa and pours into the Gulf of Guinea through Nigeria. Several important Medieval African kingdoms, such as Mali and Songhay, flourished in this region. The city of Timbuktu, located on the Niger was known as the center of the learning in Medieval Africa. The Horn of Africa is an area in which countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia is found. Highlands cover much of Ethiopia. Ethiopia flourished in ancient times due to its location on the trade route to the Red Sea (The Queen Sheba who visited King Solomon was believed to come from Ethiopia). In the 4th century, Ethiopia accepted Christianity. Along with Islam, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity remains an important religious force in Ethiopia. Control of Africa was split among the European powers during the late 19th to early 20th (New centuries Imperialism). There were only two exceptions to this European domination of Africa; Ethiopia and Liberia, a country in West Africa, founded in 1821 for freed slaves from the United States. Although only a small minority (2.5 %), the descendants of immigrants from the US, have been the dominant political group in this country. This disparity created conflict between Americo-Liberians and African-Liberians.
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10. The Congo River runs through Central Africa, supporting the rainforest of Congo Basin. 11. The current political boundaries of most African nations largely reflect the boundaries of the colonial period, which started in the late 19th and early 20th century. Most African nations gained their independence during the 1960s. 12. The Democratic Republic of Congo was formerly known as Zaire. The area was formally under the control of Belgium (Congo Free State, Belgian Congo), whereas the Republic of Congo had formerly been under French control (also known as Middle Congo or French Congo). 13. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, and includes such ethnic groups as the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Fulani. About half of the population are Muslims that live mostly in the northern part of the nation. Christians constitute approximately 40% of population and live almost exclusively in the south. The Southern section of the nation is rich in petroleum and Nigeria is a member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. 14. East Africa has been part of the Indian Ocean Trade network throughout history. Since the Arabs were the principle agents of trade, a mixture of Arabic and A...