geography eastern africa
North of the equator, plateaus and mountains have a highland climate and dense forests. • Temperatures are much cooler than on the savanna. • Heavy rains make farming possible. • Because of the rain and farming, most people in the region live in the highlands.
North of the equator, plateaus and mountains have a highland climate and dense forests. • Temperatures are much cooler than on the savanna. • Heavy rains make farming possible. • Because of the rain and farming, most people in the region live in the highlands.
East Africa is a region with
rich history and diverse cultures.
The Indian Ocean
slave trade began more than 1,000 years ago.
The Cities of Tanzania and Kenya
• Both Tanzania and Kenya have large, vibrant modern cities. • Tanzania's capital is Dodoma. - The government began moving the capital there from Dar es Salaam in the mid-1970s. - Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's business center. • Kenya's capital is Nairobi, an industrial center. - Connected to the rest of East Africa by railways • Both Dar es Salaam and Nairobi have been the site of terrorist attacks. The U.S. embassies in both cities were attacked by the al Qaeda terrorist group in 1998.
Eritrea
• Eritrea was an Italian colony in the 1800s and an Ethiopian one in the 1960s. • Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1993. Since then the country has worked to improve. • Tourists are drawn to the coasts. • Most people are farmers or herders. Cotton is the main export.
Ethiopia
• Has never been under foreign rule • Rich soil in the highlands allows a profitable agricultural industry. • Droughts in the 1980s caused the loss of crops. The country has received plenty of rain recently. • Most people in the highlands are Christian. Most in the lowlands are Muslim
Somalia
• Mostly covered with deserts and dry savannas • Too dry for farming, so most people are herders • Most people are ethnic Somali, practice Islam, and speak Somali. • Clans within Somalia have fought over rights to lands and cities such as Mogadishu, the capital. • In the 1990s drought and civil war caused much hardship in Somalia.
Many countries speak languages introduced by European imperialists:
- French is an official language in Rwanda, Burundi, and Djibouti - English is common in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania • Swahili is the most widely spoken African language. • Ethiopians speak Amharic. • Somalians speak Somali.
Areas near the equator receive the most rain, while areas away from the equator experience occasional droughts, or periods when little rain falls.
Areas near the equator receive the most rain, while areas away from the equator experience occasional droughts, or periods when little rain falls.
• Missionaries brought
Christianity to Ethiopia in the AD 300s. It moved into Nubia, now part of Egypt and Sudan, later.
Desert and steppe climates • Only shrubs and hardy grasses can grow.
Desert and steppe climates • Only shrubs and hardy grasses can grow.
Islam gradually spread from
Egypt south into East Africa.
European countries formed colonies in Africa. Only Ethiopia was not colonized
European countries formed colonies in Africa. Only Ethiopia was not colonized
In the 1200s an emperor named Lalibela had 11 rock churches carved out of the rocky ground.
In the 1200s an emperor named Lalibela had 11 rock churches carved out of the rocky ground.
In the 1880s Britain and other countries divided Africa among them. To maintain power in Africa, they used imperialism, a practice that tries to dominate another country's government, trade, and culture.
In the 1880s Britain and other countries divided Africa among them. To maintain power in Africa, they used imperialism, a practice that tries to dominate another country's government, trade, and culture.
The White Nile flows out of
Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake.
More than 2 million tourists visit Tanzania and Kenya each year. One popular reason for visiting is the safari, an overland journey to view wildlife. Tanzania is rich in gold and diamonds. Farming is the major activity in both countries. Some people want to farm on national park land, but that would hurt tourism and endanger wildlife. Kenya also produces geothermal energy, energy
More than 2 million tourists visit Tanzania and Kenya each year. One popular reason for visiting is the safari, an overland journey to view wildlife. Tanzania is rich in gold and diamonds. Farming is the major activity in both countries. Some people want to farm on national park land, but that would hurt tourism and endanger wildlife. Kenya also produces geothermal energy, energy
Religion
Most religions emphasize honoring ancestors. • Many East Africans are animists. They believe that the natural world contains spirits. • Most Christians in East Africa live in Ethiopia. • Islam is also common. Sudan and Somalia are mostly Muslim.
Most slaves went to Islamic countries.
Most slaves went to Islamic countries.
During droughts, crops die and people suffer.
Several droughts have affected East Africa in recent years
Both Sudan and Uganda have economies based on agriculture, but Sudan has suffered from years of war
Sudan • Africa's largest country, mainly agricultural • For years, Muslims and Christians have fought. • Recently, a genocide occurred in a region called Darfur. As a result, millions of people have fled Sudan as refugees. Both Sudan and Uganda have economies based on agriculture, but Sudan has suffered from years of war. Uganda • Recovering from decades of military dictatorship • Democratic since 1986 • About 80 percent of the workforce is employed in agriculture. Coffee is the major export.
The Portuguese built forts and settlements to support the slave trade. • In the 1700s Zanzibar became an international slavetrading center. • Most European countries ended slavery in the 1800s.
The Portuguese built forts and settlements to support the slave trade. • In the 1700s Zanzibar became an international slavetrading center. • Most European countries ended slavery in the 1800s.
The history of East Africa is one of religion, trade, and European influence. • East Africans speak many different languages and practice several different religions.
The history of East Africa is one of religion, trade, and European influence. • East Africans speak many different languages and practice several different religions.
all grasses and scattered trees • Rift floors are dry with grasslands and thorn shrubs.
all grasses and scattered trees • Rift floors are dry with grasslands and thorn shrubs.
rift valleys
are places where the earths crust stretches until it breaks
The Ethiopian Highlands
are very rugged and cut by deep river valleys.
The Nile, the world's longest river,
begins in East Africa. It is formed by the joining of two rivers, the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
Lakes have formed along
both the eastern and western rift valleys.
east africa region
diverse physical features, climates, vegitation
To get these goods, Europeans thought they needed to
dominate the regions of Africa that they came from.
the great rift valley
east Africa is the largest rift valley in the world
Europeans wanted goods like
gold, ivory, and rubber that came from Africa.
Tanzania and Kenya
have wide plains areas
• Islam was a major religion
in North Africa by 700.
• East Africa has many high, snowcapped volcanic mountains,
including Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
Muslims also moved
into East Africa from the Indian Ocean. Cities like Mogadishu and Mombasa became Muslim centers.
The Serengeti Plain in Tanzania is famous for
its wildlife, such as elephants, giraffes, lions, and zebras. The government has made the plain a national park.
East Africans, Arabs, and Europeans
kidnapped Africans, enslaved them, and shipped them to ports throughout Africa and Southwest Asia.
east Africa's climate is influenced by
location and elevation and the regions vegetation includessavannas and forest
In the 1960s
most East African countries gained independence
East of the highlands and on the coast, the land
much lower.
rift valleys from
north to south africa across the center of east africa
East Africa's location
on the equator and its varied elevations influence the climates found there
physical features
rift valleys to plains
South of the equator, the climate changes to
tropical savanna.
Some newly independent countries
were faced with ethnic conflicts.
Rwanda and Burundi are densely populated rural countries with a history of ethnic conflict.
• Rwanda and Burundi are populated by two main groups—the Hutu and the Tutsi. • Since they gained independence, Rwanda and Burundi have seen violent conflict between the two groups. - The borders drawn by Europeans often lumped members of the two groups together in the same areas. • In Rwanda in the 1990s ethnic conflict led to genocide, the intentional destruction of a people. - The Hutu tried to completely wipe out the Tutsi. • Both Rwanda and Burundi today are very densely populated. • Neither country has many resources, and both depend on coffee and tea exports to survive.
Djibouti
• Small, desert country on the Bab al-Mandab, the strait that connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. • Was a French colony until 1977 so French is an official language • The capital and major seaport is also called Djibouti. It serves as the main port for Ethiopia, which is landlocked. • Two major ethnic groups fought for many years.