Chapter 22 The Region Today: Africa South of the Sahara.
-
Upload
imogen-newton -
Category
Documents
-
view
219 -
download
0
Transcript of Chapter 22 The Region Today: Africa South of the Sahara.
Chapter 22
The Region Today: Africa South of the Sahara
1. The Economy
Remain mostly agricultural More than 2/3 of population involved in ag. Most engage in subsistence farming, or small-scale
agriculture which provides primarily for the family or village
Masai (Kenya) and Fulani (Nigeria) practice pastoralism, raising livestock
In forest areas, people practice shifting cultivation: farmers move every one to three years to find better soil
Also referred to as slash and burn, due to method of cutting forest, burning to enrich soil with ash
Once soil is depleted, move
Agriculture
Others depend on sedentary farming, or agriculture conducted on permanent settlements
Small percentage works at commercial farming, large scale.
Grow cash crops – grown and sold for profit Largely foreign owned plantations Palm oil, peanuts
Zimbabwe: Conflict Over the Land
Zimbabwe – white farmers, less than 1 percent of pop, own 70 percent of land
Land reform movement led by Mugabe has led to violence, people taking over large plantations without compensating owners
Meeting Challenges
Much land affected by overgrazing, and overworking soil
Erosion, desertification Food production low New methods include conservation
farming, land management strategies, protection of land, crop rotation
Mining Resources
Witwatersrand, gold deposit 300 miles long, makes South Africa the world’s largest producer of gold
SA also leader in production of gems and diamonds
SA one of region’s richest countries Most mines owned by foreigners
Industrialization
Most countries lack infrastructure, resources such as trained workers, facilities, equipment
Educational systems still developing Lack education leads to lack of skilled
workforce Civil war, conflict, corruption interrupt
economic development
Transportation
Region has few natural harbors for boat mooring, some rivers are not navigable
Many countries in region consider roads and railroads a top priority
Still developing, must cross vast distances, many projects in the works
Similar problems hold back development: civil war, corruption, lack of funds
Communications
Region has relied on radio Largely government owned Low literacy rates often limit use of
newspapers for communication Telephone service often limited due to lack
of phone lines, cell towers Only 20 internet and 84 telephone users per
1000 in region Slows rate of commerce
2. Managing Resources
Famine (food shortages) affects many parts of Africa
Caused by drought, civil war, etc. Over 31 million people are in
desperate need of food aid
Desertification
Though dry, the Sahel was once more fertile Drought and people and animals have
stripped the land of vegetation, good soil As a result, Sahara desert is creeping south
in to Sudan, Niger, Chad, Mali, etc. In this region, carrying capacity, or the
number of people the land can support, is being exceeded
Look at map of carrying capacity on p. 565, areas in dark green already exceed cc
Conflict and Hunger
Conflicts halt economic growth Refugees fleeing to neighboring
countries strain already meager food resources
Somalia, without a government since 1991, fighting severely hampers food distribution both from farming and from international aid
Conflict and Hunger
Sudan, approximately 6 million in need of food Majority subsistence farm, vulnerable to
periodic drought Civil war for two decades has created largest
refugee population in the world Rebel groups have taxed aid agencies, forcing
many to leave UN categorizes as world’s worst humanitarian
crisis Peace essential to curing food shortages
Farming in Peace: Eritrea Case Study
Eritrea, crops abundant Ethiopia and Eritrea went to war over
shared border People lost homes, lives Followed by severe drought Relief workers (Red Cross, Doctors
without Borders) today are trying to nurse the area back to health
Human Impact: Tropical Forests
126 million acres have disappeared (2000)
Slash and burn, logging, population growth, etc.
Some countries have created reserves to protect forests
Endangered Animals
Deforestation destroys animal habitat, or living areas
Many species face extinction, disappearance from earth
Infringement of farmers, cities, population growth, sprawl
Poaching, illegal hunting, diminishing numbers Elephant numbers have dropped from 2 million in
1970’s to 600,000, largely due to poaching Also at risk: mountain gorilla, zebra, rhinoceros
Ivory Trade
In 1930, 5 to 10 million elephants, estimate Over last century, killed by tens of thousands For: meat, sport, ivory Price of ivory soared in 1970’s, hunting soared as
well As many as 80,000 per year killed In 1989, placed on endangered species list, trade in
ivory banned, hunting banned 1997, ban lifted so that Botswana, Namibia,
Zimbabwe could, supposedly, sell stockpiles to Japan
Some suspected more elephants were being killed
Challenges for Future
Taking steps toward better farm practices, protecting environment, resources
Democratic political reforms taking place in some countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia)
New laws allow crocodile farming, lucrative, has brought population back from low number due to hunting
Rhino and elephants coming back due to protection by stricter laws
Creation of game reserves, increases millions of tourists, brings income
Ecotourism, tourism based on concern for environment has become big business