World Regions (United Nations)
Things to know…
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53 independent countries
732 million people
800 ethnic groups
Hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth,
was 136.4 degrees F., in Libya in 1922
The Nile is the world’s longest river at a
distance of 4,145 miles long
Second largest of the Earth’s continents
Africa has an area of 11,798 square miles
Africa’s Natural Resources
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Gold
Platinum
Chromium
Cobalt
Oil
Coffee
Diamonds
If Africa has such an abundance of
resources, then why is it so poor?
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COLONIALISM
What is
Colonialism?
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When a nation controls
another territory or
people.
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1914 Colonial Control
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Can you think of some
examples of colonialism?
Why would colonialism
not economically benefit
Africa?
(companies from other
countries controlling the
resources)
Where were all their
resources going?
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Colonialism in Africa
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After the slave trade ended major European countries were competing to control
land in Africa. They wanted to obtain the valuable resources on the continent.
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Europeans took control of their countries and the natives had little or no input.
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Many abuses of African Natives took place.
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Why did Europeans want to build colonies?
The Berlin Conference
European countries divided Africa without ANY input from the African people
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How do you think this would create conflict?
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Many colonies would last until the end of WWII.
Lasting Effects of Colonialism
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Poverty – many of the companies that extract valuable resources from
Africa are owned by Europeans.
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For example: DeBeer’s is the worlds largest producer of diamonds and their
largest mines are in South Africa. They are owned by a British family.
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Conflict – many countries borders are the same as the ones the Europeans
drew for them. This means they have divided ethnic groups of people.
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Land Locked Countries – not all countries can trade easily because they
have no access to the sea
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Apartheid—A social custom was systemized under law in 1948 in which
people were segregated based on racial categories. In 1985, the U.S. and
Great Britain imposed economic sanctions. By 1994, the country’s
constitution had been rewritten to outlaw any sign of the apartheid system
Rwanda—1933 The Belgians organize a census and mandate that everyone
be issued an identity card classifying them as either Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa.
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Conflict Diamonds
• Conflict diamonds are diamonds that
originate from areas controlled by
forces or factions opposed to legitimate
and internationally recognized
governments, and are used to fund
military action in opposition to those
governments, or in contravention of the
decisions of the Security Council.
• This seventeen-year-old lost both hands
to rebels’ machetes.
• Waterloo camp, Sierra Leone, 1998.
UNICEF / HQ96-0566 / Giacomo
Pirozzi