East Africa

Landforms Great Rift Valley

Rift Valley: Places on Earth’s surface where the crust stretches until it breaks

Mountains, plateaus, volcanoes lay along these rifts

Kilimanjaro: most famous of the rift’s volcanoes Highest mountain in Africa

Lake Victoria: World’s second largest lake Source of the Nile: Ethiopia (Blue) and Lake

Victoria (White)

Great Rift Valley

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Lake Victoria

ClimatesClose to the equator

Periods of wet and dryKenya and Uganda – spring-like

climates Farther from the equator – more

droughts Northern Sudan = Sahara Weather is unpredictable

Effects of Droughts/Rain Droughts

Grass dies cattle die Cattle die people who depend on livestock

begin to starve people move to areas with vegetation

Result: Overgrazing and desertification Too much rain

Locust populations increase Grasshoppers eat trees/plants Result: Animals and people starve

Serengeti Plain Plains area in Eastern Africa

that has an abundance of wildlife

Tsetse Fly: kills livestock because it carries sleeping sickness (also can infect humans)

Result: Few humans or livestock and an abundance of native animals

Annual migration

Natural Resources Not rich in energy or mineral

resources Sudan began producing oil

recently Soil is not very productive Scenery = best natural

resource Wildlife viewing, tours, etc

History Earliest human remains found in East Africa Greatest Kingdom in ancient times was the Kush

Built pyramids Modern day Sudan Conquered by the Askum (who adopted Christianity)

Arab Traders Established ports along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa

about 1,500 years ago to trade gold/ivory from interior Europeans

Drew boundaries without thought to ethnic groups or enemy groups

Ethiopia remained free Grew cash groups (coffee, cotton, tea) Established cities

Independence: During the 50s and 60s (Djibouti 1977; Eretria broke off from Ethiopia in 1993)

Culture Several hundred ethnic groups

Divided by language – 3 main groups Arab traditions are seen along the coast Religious diversity: Islam (Arab traders),

Christianity, Traditional beliefs Traditional African beliefs systems

Honor ancestors Spirits of ancestors are strong forces in daily life

Word contains spirits (in animals, mountains, trees, etc.)

Injera

Economic Activity Farming and herding are the backbone

of the economies in Eastern Africa All countries have developing

economies Raw materials are the biggest export Most economies are market

Ethiopia attempted a command economy, but it failed

Import many manufactured goods Kenya has the highest GDP in the region Tourism has potential, but violence has

hurt the industry

Challenges Population growth

Poverty Not enough food Lack of health services Lack of education opportunities

Ethnic conflict Struggles over land and fair distribution of

government aid and jobs

Rwanda Genocide is the

intentional destruction of a people

1994 Majority Hutu tried to

wipe out the minority Tutsi

Somalia

Problems in Somalia are not a result of ethnic conflict

Country often has no central government of any kind Since 1991

Tried to take over land in Ethiopia

Ghosts of Rwanda: Hutus v. Tutsis Two very similar ethnic groups

Speak the same language Live in same area Follow same traditions

Hutus: Ethnic majority in Rwanda Tutsis: Ethnic minority in Rwanda

Taller and Thinner Origins might be in Ethiopia

Ghosts of Rwanda Belgian Rule

Said the Tutsis were superior All people had to wear ethnic identify cards

Revolution in 1959 Resentment by Hutus against Tutsi rule 20,000 Tutsis were killed Many fled to neighboring countries

(Uganda) Independence in 1962

Hutus took control of government Tutsis were portrayed as cause of all

problems

Ghosts of Rwanda Vocab UN = United Nations

Peace keeping group formed after WWII International Red Cross

Humanitarian Institute (centered in Switzerland) Protect victims of international and internal

armed conflicts International Declaration of Human Rights

Adopted by UN in 1948 Goal was to protect human rights (rights to

which all humans are inherently entitled) Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)

Tutsi refugees in Uganda Goal was to overthrow Habyarimana (president

of Rwanda in 1994) and return to their homeland