Sub - Saharan
Africa
Leading countries of the
area
 GDP
 South Africa
 Gabon
 Botswana
Leading countries of the
area cont.
 Land size
 Democratic
Republic of the
Congo (Zaire)
 Sudan
 Chad
 Mozambique
 Madagascar
Leading countries of the
area cont.
 Population
 Nigeria
 Ethiopia
 Democratic
Republic of the
Congo (Zaire)
 Tanzania
 Kenya
Physical characteristics
 Continent composed of a huge
plateau and escarpment
 River transportation is impeded
by waterfalls and rapids
 Smooth coastline provides few
natural harbors
 Plateau--raised area of land
with a generally level surface.
At least one side of the plateau
rises steeply above the
surrounding area
 escarpment--a steep cliff that
separates two level areas of
differing elevations
 The location of the equator in the
middle of the region provides
similar climate patterns on both
the North and South sides of the
equator
 Climate zones
 1. Rainforest
 2. Tropical Wet and Dry
 3. Semi Arid
 The region has a large number
of landlocked countries
 landlocked--a country which is
completely cut off from a sea
and surrounded by land or
other countries
 The area is a storehouse of
minerals
 The land of the rainforest has
limited fertility in the soil
because the rainforest leaches
the nutrients out
 Two main deserts-- Kalahari
and the Namib
 The region has many preserves
and national parks
Economic Charateristics
 Large percentage of the
population is engaged in
agriculture (primary activity.
 Mainly subsistence agriculture
and nomadic herding
 They use slash and burn
agriculture
 Slash and burn
agriculture--cutting down
trees and vegetation to clear
a field for planting. The field
is only good for a few years
before you have to do it
again. The land you leave is
useless because you have
depleted it of nutrients
 There is some plantation
agriculture where cash crops
and food crops are raised.
 Cash crops—coffee, tea,
sugar, peanuts, cocoa
 Food crops—millet,
sorghum, wheat, corn
 Poorly developed infrastructure.
 Large numbers of landlocked
states.
 Makes it difficult to trade with
the rest of the world
 The area does have substantial
mineral wealth.
 EX: diamonds, gold, alloys
 The region is a major exporter
of raw materials, but this leads
to a high trade deficit.
 There is a wide range of per
capita income in the region.
 Production of products lags
behind the growing population
of the area and many goods
have to be imported.
 The area is suffering from
desertification.
 Desertification--the process of
destroying the grassland and
other vegetation regions and
having them turn into desert
 Demographics are typical of a
developing nation
 low per capita GDP
 low life expectancy
 High population growth rates
 High infant mortality
 large percentage of the population
under the age of 15
 low literacy rates
Cultural Characteristics
 Uneven population
distribution
 large numbers of refugees
due to constant conflict in
many countries
 Many conflicts are caused by
the many ethnic groups with
different languages and
customs
 There are very few cities with
populations over one million
 There knowledge of their history
is based on an oral tradition
 Many of the country names today
are based on historical empires
such as Mali, Ghana & Zimbabwe
 The diversity of Africans are
reflected in their cultural
heritage
masks
•sculpture
dance
•music
colorful dress
jewelry
 Centers of Culture and Trade
Lagos, Nigeria
Dakar, Senegal
Johannesburg, South Africa
 Markets
 churches
 mosques, and minarets
 villages
 modern city cores
Waterfalls (Blue Nile Falls,
Ethiopia)
African escarpment
African masks
African clothing
Village
Masks
African Mask
Catholic Church in Mali
Market Scene, Selling dry
fish
Market Scene
Statue in Burkina Faso
Crops being transported
for the market
Grande Mosque in Mali
Mud Brick Village in Mali
Market in Ghana
Market in Mali, notice
clothing
Namibia Village—thatched roof
Shantytown outside S. Africa