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Chapter 6 |
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Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast area incorporating 48 states. Approximately 670 million people call this land home, which is over twice the number of people living in the United States, and still more than live in all of Europe. Its population is the fastest growing in the world, and yet despite this, the average person knows very little about its intricate geography. It is one of the poorest of the world's regions and several demographic indicators reflect this. For example, when looking at the average human life expectancy, we find that a person born and raised in Sub-Saharan Africa can expect to live less than half as long as someone in Europe or Japan. Why is this? One may find answers, in part, by examining health care, access to clean water, balanced diets, and other basic qualities of life that are sometimes taken for granted elsewhere.
Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the richest cultural and natural landscapes in the world. It is not uncommon for 20 or more languages to be spoken in a single country, and reflects the region's incredible array of native tribes who, despite modern political boundaries that have divided many groups, still carry on with traditions and customs practiced for hundreds of years. Diversity extends to the ecosystems and wildlife of this region, from endless waves of wildebeests migrating across Kenya and Tanzania, to flocks of brightly colored parrots filling the skies over the tropical Congo Basin. This is a region of both great beauty and tremendous hardship.
Indigenous Kingdoms of Africa - From the ancient Kingdom of Nubia in present-day Egypt and Sudan, to the mighty Zulus of southern Africa, large indigenous kingdoms flourished in Africa for nearly 3,000 years. Many were located in the Sahel where kingdoms such as the Kanem-Borno, Ghana, Songhai, and Mali grew rich by exporting gold to the Mediterranean and importing salt from the Sahara. They were also effective in maintaining power over lands to the south by monopolizing horse breeding and mastering cavalry warfare.
European Colonialism - Sub-Saharan Africa is another of the world's regions to have been greatly affected by early European colonialism. Yet, unlike what occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, African tribal empires did not capitulate in the same quick succession as did native groups in the Americas. One of the most important reasons for this was disease. Where "Old World" diseases decimated natives in the Americas, African diseases took their toll on the Europeans, who had no immunity to killers such as malaria, yellow fever, and African sleeping sickness. However, by the mid-1800s, new medical treatments and vaccinations were discovered. Europeans found it increasingly easy and profitable to venture further into Africa, claiming land as they went. Eventually new political boundaries were established that did not reflect the land territories of the old kingdoms. By 1900 most of the great African kingdoms ceased to exist, but many of their cultural traditions live on today.
South Africa and Apartheid - One of the most advanced countries in Sub-Saharan Africa has not been without its own troubled past. In 1949, the government of South Africa, controlled at the time by the National Party (NP), implemented a policy of Apartheid, which embedded a system of racial discrimination that was to last for decades. This flawed system was not only of concern to the people of South Africa, but it became an international issue as nation after nation applied economic pressure in the hopes of stimulating reform. While racial issues still exist in South Africa, Apartheid was dismantled in 1994 as plural democracy emerged and all-race elections, held for the very first time, elected the country's first black president and black-majority government. Since then, South Africa pioneered new techniques for healing its social wounds with its short-lived Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South Africa remains the region's economic powerhouse and political innovator.
Victoria Falls - Named after Queen Victoria in 1855, Victoria Falls is one of the largest and most impressive waterfalls in the world, rivaling that of Iguazu Falls in South America. The falls, which are located on the Zambezi River, drop 360 feet over a fault zone in the African plateau.
Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa lacks a large mountain range of linear character such as the Andes of South America, the Alps of Europe, or the Himalayas of Asia. However, it does have some very large mountains, perhaps the most famous of which is Mount Kilimanjaro.
Deserts - There are three notable deserts in Africa—the Namib, the Sahara, and the Kalahari. See the Kalahari from the perspective of a !Kung woman.
From the sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert to the great African Rift Valley, across the transitional Sahel and far-reaching savanna grasslands to the tropical rain forest of the Congo Basin, a vast and impressive array of landforms are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is concern, however, that these ecosystems are changing as the result of human activity. Among other things, deforestation and desertification present a growing threat to many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Drought and Desertification - Drought has always been an issue in this part of the world, but as populations continue to rise and the need for food production increases, the specter of prolonged drought becomes an even greater threat. In places such as East Africa, food shortages caused by drought have been further compounded by civil strife. Another concern associated with drought is desertification. While meteorological conditions may limit rainfall, desertification can be accelerated by human activities such as improper cultivation and overgrazing, which can lead to the loss of soil. These habits will have to be altered in the future if the rate of desertification is to be slowed. Meanwhile, continuous monitoring of weather patterns and drought conditions helps to establish patterns and create a basis for predicting times of limited precipitation, allowing farmers and governments to plan ahead. Meanwhile, programs to help local farmers plant trees help limit soil erosion while increasing productivity.
Deforestation - Dependence upon trees for fuel places strains on forests and wooded savannas throughout the region. The island nation of Madagascar provides a good example of the effects of large-scale deforestation on the environment. Here, large-scale deforestation along Madagascar's eastern coast threatens many of the unique species found on the island, including lemurs.
Visit internal displacement camps in Darfur, Sudan, courtesy of U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA).
Explore court life in a Cameroon Grasslands kingdom.
Meet the Maasai of East Africa, one of 40 officially recognized tribes in Kenya, East Africa.
Take two virtual tours of Ghana. First, go to the small northern communities of Navrongo and Lawra. Then travel more widely accross Ghana, through the lens of a different photographer.
Radio:
702 Talk Radio - 702 AM - Rivonia, South Africa
Radio Simba - 97.3 FM - Kampala, Uganda
You'll need to Download the FREE G2 player to listen in.
Newspapers:
Weather Forecasts:
Addis Tribune - Ethiopia (English)
Daily Nation - Nairobi, Kenya (English)
The Namibian - Namibia (English)
Seychelles Nation - Victoria, Seychelles (English/Creole)
Business Day - South Africa (English)
The Times of Swaziland - Mbabane, Swaziland (English)
Nipashe - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (English/Swahili)
[ Africa | Map | Satellite image ]
Embassies in Washington D.C.:
Cape VerdeFor access to embassy Web sites worldwide, try the Embassy & Consulate Search Engine.
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Madagascar
Mali
South Africa
Sudan
Uganda
Additional Links:
University
of Pennsylvania Index of African Countries
Index
for Africanet
Wildlife
Parks in Africa
Primates
in East Africa
Travel to South Africa - An On-line
Voyage of Discovery
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