World Geography Today
Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: History and Culture
Section 3: The Region Today
Chapter Wrap-Up
Chapter 23

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 1: Natural Environments
Read to Discover
• What landforms, rivers, and lakes are found in
East Africa, and what physical processes have shaped the land?
• Why does East Africa have a variety of climates and biomes, and on what natural resources does the region depend?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
What landforms, rivers, and lakes are found in East Africa?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 1: Natural Environments
Lakes
• Lake Victoria
• Lake Albert
• Lake Tanganyika
• Lake Turkana
• Lake Malawi
Rivers
Landforms
• Blue Nile (flows from
Ethiopian highlands)
• White Nile (flows from
Lake Victoria)
• Nile (combined flows of
Blue Nile and White Nile)
• Western and Eastern
Rift Valleys (tectonic)
• Kilimanjaro (volcanic)
• Ethiopian highlands
(volcanic)
• Sudd (water from
White Nile)

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates, Biomes, and Resources
• Latitude and elevation influence climate along the equator; highland elevations produce cooler climates, more rainfall, and thicker forests.
• Farther north and south, seasonal droughts are common; vegetation is limited and animal life threatened.
• Tsetse fly permits survival of native animal species by making livestock raising difficult.
• Resources are limited (some oil, gems, gold); most important are rich highland soils (for farming) and scenic beauty (for tourism).

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 2: History and Culture
Read to Discover
• What were some important developments in East
Africa ’s early history?
• How did European exploration and colonization affect the region?
• What are the peoples and cultures of East Africa like today?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 2: History and Culture
Who are the important peoples in East
Africa ’s early history?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 2: History and Culture
Earliest
Peoples
• No written histories
• Oral tradition
Kush
• Controlled much of the Nile
• Capital at
Meroë, world’s largest cluster of pyramids
Aksum
• Conquered the
Kush by 350
• Controlled western Arabia
• Adopted
Christianity
Arabs
• Sailed along coast, established ports for trade
• Swahili language developed from trade

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 2: History and Culture
European Influence
• 1500s—First Portuguese trading ports established
• Mid-1800s—Explorers, missionaries, and traders moved inland
• Late 1800s—Europeans grabbed colonies, drew arbitrary borders
• Colonial rule—Export economies (plantations, mines); building of modern cities
• Independence—Leaders of new nations were often Europeaneducated

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 2: History and Culture
Peoples and Cultures
• Several hundred ethnic groups
• Three language families—Nilotic, Cushitic, Bantu
• Arabic and South Asian peoples on the coast
• Importance of religion and family—Animist faiths,
Christianity, Islam
• Foods—Boiled sorghum, sour milk, roast beef and lamb, Western foods, injera bread

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 3: The Region Today
Read to Discover
• What roles do agriculture, industry, trade, and tourism play in the economies of East Africa?
• What are the region’s cities like?
• What issues and challenges do East Africans face?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 3: The Region Today
East African Economies
• Farming (usually small-scale subsistence)—Beans, corn, rice, sorghum, wheat, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, tea, cloves, coconuts
• Herding—Cattle, goats, sheep
• Gathering wild plant products—Coffee beans and gum arabic
• Raw material exports
• Manufacturing—basic consumer goods, foods, and building materials
• Tourism—Great potential; animals, scenery, events draw tourists; provides jobs and market for arts and crafts; need to reduce political violence and preserve the environment

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 3: The Region Today
What are the region ’s largest cities?

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 3: The Region Today
City
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Nairobi, Kenya
Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania
Khartoum and
Omdurman, Sudan
Description
Largest city and capital of Ethiopia, headquarters of regional organizations
Region ’s most important commercial center
Vital seaport, transportation hub
Largest cities in Sudan, face each other across Nile

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Section 3: The Region Today
Issues and Challenges
• Population growth—Contributes to many problems
• Ethnic conflicts—Often over land and access to aid and jobs
• Building stable governments
• Promoting economic progress
• Protecting the environment
• Providing for health and education

World Geography Today Chapter 23
Understanding the Main Ideas
1. How does elevation affect climate in East Africa?
2. What are two ways that Arab traders influenced
East African languages and religion?
3. How have other cultures changed the traditional religions and diet of East Africa?
4. What activities form the basis of the region ’s economy?
5. Why does tourism hold great economic potential for the region?