1- East Africa

I) Continental Crossroads
A) A Trading Coast
a) an early civilization in present day Ethiopia developed in the 100s CE called Aksum
(i) they traded extensively with the Roman Empire
b) in the 500s CE, Aksum lost trade partners (due in part to the collapse of the Roman
Empire)
(i) in addition, many trade partners began using the Persian Gulf instead of the Red
Sea for trade, especially with the expansion of Islam into Mesopotamia
1 soon after the Aksum Empire was reduced to a shell of what it was
c) trade reappeared in the area by 1300, and the region became a cultural crossroads due
to the movement of goods, ideas, and people
II) Colonization Disrupts Africa
A) Scramble for Africa
a) in the 1880s, Europe looked to take over parts of Africa to feed their industrial
expansion (they needed raw materials)
(i) in order to avoid war, they convened the Berlin Conference to set rules to divide
the continent
1 not one African ruler was invited
 by 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia were not under European control
2 the people in the conference decided that they only had to say they claimed a
region and show they could control it to have it
 they paid no attention to ethnic or linguistic lines
 this is the root of much of the violence in Africa
B) Ethiopia Avoids Colonization
a) Italy attempted to conquer Ethiopia, but using weapons from France and Russia, the
Ethiopians were able to use knowledge of the region’s geography to defeat the
Italians
C) Conflict in East Africa
a) by the 1970s, most of East Africa had regained independence from Europe
(i) internal disputes and civil wars then plagued the region
(ii) in Rwanda, ethnic tensions led to a massacre in 1994
1 over 800,000 people died in 100 days, mostly Tutsi
 that was 80% of the Tutsi and 20% of Rwanda’s population
2 over 2 million more were displaced and became refugees
b) most of these conflicts were the direct result of European powers taking advantage of
the land and their lack of attention to ethnic issues during their rule
III) Farming and Tourism Economies
A) Farming in East Africa
a) many countries in the region rely on cash crops- coffee, tea, and sugar
(i) this is risky, because cash crop prices fluctuate quickly and often
B) Tourism: Wealth and Problems
a) the parks in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are world famous
(i) Europeans set up game reserves to hunt animals for sport and trophies
 (ii) now these countries are more likely to have wild animal parks just for tourists to
see, not hunt
1 in some areas, in an attempt to protect endangered animals, poachers can
legally be shot and killed for hunting on protected land
(iii) some people believe too much land is set aside for protected land, and feel some
could be farmland
IV) Maintaining Traditional Cultures
A) Cultures of East Africa
a) the two largest traditional cultures in the region are the Masai and Kikuyu
(i) both were mostly herders and small farmers, and have fought to preserve their
way of life
1 the British killed around 11,000 Africans, mostly Kikuyu, when they rebelled
between 1952-1960
V) Health Care in Modern Africa
A) AIDS has become a pandemic and devastated the continent
a) caused by HIV, carriers can have it for years and be unaware, which means they
unknowingly can spread it to others
b) in some cases, governments hide the true numbers of people with HIV and AIDS to
protect the tourist industry
c) medicine has historically been very expensive, though advances made over the last 10
years has made AIDS almost manageable and has made medicine closer to affordable

pg. 435 (1, 3ac) R (1, 3) H

2- North Africa

I) Roots of Civilization in North Africa

A) Egypt Blossoms Along the Nile
a) people formed the original Egyptian Kingdom around 3100 BCE
(i) the great kingdom would last about 2600 years before being conquered by an
outside force
1 during this time, the kings became called pharaohs and acted as conduits to
the gods
 the main job of pharaohs was to make the sun rise and set, the waters
flood, and the crops be bountiful
 if they didn’t, they were overthrown and replaced
(ii) Egyptians built massive monuments, like the pyramids and the sphinx, that last to
modern times
1 the pyramids were designed as burials for great pharaohs
b) the Nile was the most important thing to the Egyptians
(i) annual floods spread healthy silt, making the land very fertile
c) trade with Mesopotamia likely inspired new ideas for both groups
B) Islam in North Africa
a) North Africa has been conquered many times by many people, including the
Phoenicians, the Romans, and the Ottoman Turks
(i) before the coming of the Ottoman Turks, Muslim Caliphates ruled the region
 (ii) the Caliphates did not slaughter those who didn’t believe in Islam, and therefore
many people converted willingly
1 those that didn’t merely paid different tax rates
(iii) to this day, Islam is the primary religion of the region
II) Economics of Oil
A) Black Gold
a) the discovery of oil in North Africa changed many economies and makes up most of
their incomes
(i) 99% of Libya’s income is based on oil
b) problems have arisen despite the advantages of having oil
(i) in some areas, the labor force is untrained and uneducated, so there is a shortage
of people to get the oil
1 companies must then hire outside sources, meaning unemployment is high
(ii) oil pipelines are also targets for terrorists hoping to disrupt government operation
III) Culture and Politics
A) Markets and Music
a) open markets set up in tents are common in the region
(i) shoppers and shopkeepers bargain fiercely
b) music is sometimes used as a form of protest
(i) recently, women have used music that is similar to Western styles to rebel against
the strict patriarchy common to the area
B) The Arab Spring
a) in 2011, multiple uprisings across North Africa began in an attempt to oust dictators
and set up democratic rule
(i) the overall name applied to all the protests was Arab Spring
(ii) people used social media, strikes, and non-violent protests to fight for their rights
1 in some cases, governments used violence against them, and shut down
internet and cell phone towers to cut off communications
IV) Changing Roles of Women
A) Women and Family
a) North African households are centered around males
(i) fathers have the most power, followed by the sons, uncles- basically any male
authority
(ii) only men can work, men and women eat and pray separately, etc
b) in some areas, women are gaining minimal rights
(i) for instance, polygamy has been outlawed in Tunisia
(ii) other countries have punishments for spousal abuse, either spouse can seek
divorce, and underage marriage is no longer allowed in arranged marriages
(iii) Tunisia also allows women to hold public office

pg. 441 (1, 3)

3- West Africa

I) A History of Rich Trading Empires

A) Three Trading Empires
 a) Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were all large trading empires around the Sahara
(i) Ghana was the title of the war-chief of the region, and the people became very
wealthy from taxes on travelers passing through
(ii) Mali took over in the 1200s after Ghana had declined, and their first leader
promoted agriculture and reestablished the forgotten gold and salt trade
1 some estimate 2/3 of the world’s gold came from West Africa before 1350
(iii) poor leaders led to the fall of the Mali, the Songhai took their place until finally
conquered by the Moroccans
B) Stateless Societies
a) before the Europeans came, many cultures and tribes existed in West Africa
(i) these relied on family lineages rather than an organized government
1 somewhat similar to Native Americans
II) West Africa Struggles Economically
A) Ghana’s Stability
a) today’s Ghana relies on the export of gold, diamonds, and useful metals to the
industrialized world
(i) they have a limited oil sector that is believed will increase their wealth
b) after European colonization, the region had a tough time coming together
(i) they lived under military rule and had numerous civil wars
c) in 1992, Ghana set up free and fair elections, and have since been able to stabilize and
their economy is growing at a healthy rate
B) Problems in Sierra Leone
a) despite once producing some of the world’s highest quality diamonds, Sierra Leone
has been plagued by political instability and civil wars
b) low education has contributed to a shortage of skilled workers, so infrastructure is
lacking
III) Cultural Symbols of West Africa
A) Crafts
a) special cloths and masks are native to West Africa
B) Art
a) usually in the form of beads, metal, and terra cotta
b) includes statues, masks, and jewelry
IV) Music
A) West African Music inspired jazz, blues, and reggae
a) the ideas for each came from traditional music brought by captured slaves

pg. 445 (1, 3ab)

4- Central Africa

I) Bantu Migrations and Colonial Exploitation

A) Bantu Migrations
a) the Bantu are various people who speak one of the Bantu-style languages
b) beginning in 2000 BCE, many of these people spread southward, spreading their
languages and cultures
 (i) today, about 150 million Africans speak a form of one of the hundreds of Bantu
languages
1 the most well-known today is Swahili
B) The Slave Trade
a) as European powers expanded at the end of the 1400s, the Portuguese travelled the
coast of Africa and found that Africans sold slaves
(i) they then set up a slave trade to provide free labor to work sugar plantations,
which eventually expanded into the New World after the Spanish set up
plantations there
C) Start of Colonialism
a) in the mid-1800s, Europeans began to look at the interior of Africa for raw materials
and cheap labor
(i) King Leopold II of Belgium was the first to push into the Congo via the Congo
River, which paved the way for other European powers
D) Effects of Colonialism
a) Central Africa was mostly colonized by the French and Belgians
(i) the borders that were set paid no attention to language, culture, or ethnicities
b) before colonization, government revolved around tribal chiefs making decisions only
for their people
(i) after the Europeans took over and then left, the region had to develop government
that could work with various people and ideas
1 this was not always successful or peaceful
c) another effect was the reintroduction of Christianity to the region
(i) this is the largest faith of any religion in Africa
II) The Economic Legacy of Colonialism
A) Economic Effects
a) the region is still recovering from the effects of colonialism
(i) loss of resources, disruption of politics, and cultural and ethnic oppression
(ii) the only infrastructure available is limited to what was necessary to remove raw
materials
1 little money was left to be able to develop infrastructure or education
B) Congo’s Chaos
a) an example of the problems of Central Africa can be seen by the Democratic
Republic of the Congo
(i) a tyrant took control after the Belgians left, who used the military to keep control
of the people
1 he then took over businesses within the government, then took kickbacks to
profit from anything that happened to build up the country
(ii) the next ruler brought more violence and war to the entire region
1 his son now rules, but was democratically elected in what most considered a
fair process
III) Central African Art
A) many countries banned western art, so only local art was even allowed
a) today they focus on political instability, urban life, social justice, and crime
IV) Improving Education
A) Education Faces Barriers
 a) it is estimated that less than half of the people living south of the Sahara 16-20
attended school
(i) there is a shortage of teachers, a high dropout rate, and a lack of secondary
schools
b) there are more than 700 languages spoken in the region
(i) most of the time, the language spoken at school is different than at home
1 the European power that controlled the region typically determined the school
language
 for instance, Gabon was a colony for France, so French is spoken in
schools
B) Learning
a) many countries are attempting to provide better education opportunities to their
people
(i) some offer vocational, agricultural, and teacher training courses
(ii) some hope that better education will slow the spread of AIDS, Ebola, cholera, and
other diseases

pg. 452 (1, 3ac) R (1, 3) H

5- Southern Africa

I) Gold Trade Builds Empires

A) Gold Trade Spawns Great Zimbabwe
a) Great Zimbabwe was a city established by a Bantu-speaking people
b) they increased power through an extensive gold trade that lasted a few hundred years
(i) they declined likely due to over-farming and over-grazing
B) Mutapa Empire
a) a new state established after the fall of Great Zimbabwe
b) also thrived on the gold trade, but lost power when the Portuguese arrived in the
1500s
C) Ethnic Clash for Southern Africa
a) dozens of ethnicities existed in the southern tip of Africa by the 1700-1800s
(i) each competed with each other for dominance, and when Europeans (British)
came, they fought against them
(ii) eventually the British won and established South Africa in 1902
D) Apartheid in South Africa
a) in 1948, the white minority government instituted complete racial separation- the
policy is called apartheid
(i) it totally banned social contact between the races, established segregated schools,
hospitals, and neighborhoods, and gave the best land to the whites in the country
b) in 1949, Nelson Mandela emerged as a leader of a group fighting for racial equality
(i) he was imprisoned after members of the group bombed a building, and he was
labeled a terrorist
(ii) he was held without trial for 27 years in solitary confinement, until 1994 when he
was set free
1 he ran for president and won, and then officially ended apartheid
II) Southern Africa Grows Economically
A) South Africa
a) many foreign nations imposed strict trade restrictions on South Africa during
apartheid
b) in addition, the segregation policy led to poor education of black children, creating an
uneducated mass of young people
(i) this led to two separate economies
1 one segment of South Africa has an upper-middle income economy like that
of the US
 great cities exist, like Johannesburg and Cape Town
2 the other lives in poverty-stricken rural areas
 here there are housing shortages, and many live in shantytowns
B) Success at a Cost
a) many African countries were able to gain wealth through the sale of minerals,
however they have serious agricultural problems and unequal distribution of wealth
(i) countries like Botswana have great wealth based on the diamond trade
1 a small group of people gets rich off the diamonds, then uses their riches to
buy land from poor farmers to have ranches
 this leads to more meat, but the farmers move to land unable to support
big farms, so overall food production goes down
 as a result, Botswana must import nearly 50% of its food
C) AIDS Affects Southern Africa
a) Southern Africa has had the worst outbreak of AIDS
(i) Zimbabwe and Botswana had about 25% of all adults infected with HIV

pg. 457 (1, 3a) R (1, 3) H