Global 10
Mr. Boyle & Mr. Manganiello
Your Name:_________________
Geographic Profile of Africa
Document Questions
Document 1: GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND REGIONS
(Document 1A: Low)
1. What was the Maghreb?
2. What is the main religion of North Africa?
3. Why are oases important to herders?
4. Why do you think half of the population of North Africa lives in cities?
5. What are the five countries in North Africa?
6. What impact might gold have on South Africa?
7. Which ocean surrounds Madagascar?
8. What is the Great Rift Valley and why is it important to Africa?
9. What is an anthropologist?
10. What is unique about Kenya’s population?
11. What is famine and was might it exist in Africa?
12. What is a savanna? The Sahel?
13. Give some impacts the Nile River had on Ancient Egypt?
(Document 1B: MIDDLE)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define: Savanna; desertification
Identify the Sahara; Kalahari; Namib
What barriers to movement did the geography of Africa pose?
How might Africa’s mineral wealth impact trade and relationships to other
areas of the World?
5. If you had to choose the most comfortable place to live in Africa where
would it be?
6. Why is silt important?
7. Explain what Herodotus means when he states that Egypt is “wholly the
gift of the Nile”?
8. How is upper Egypt different from lower Egypt.
9. Give two examples of how the Nile shaped ancient Egypt
10. Create a List Contrasting the geography of North, South, Central, East,
and West Africa.
(Document 1 C: HIGH)
1. Read the entire “Time and the River Article”
2. Locate the thesis of the Article and supporting fact that John Baines uses
to support his thesis?
3. Create an outline and write a brief essay showing you either agree or
disagree with Baines thesis and use evidence from the article to support
your argument.
Definitions Quadrant Sheet:
Social Studies Department
TERM:
___________________________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Definition:
Examples:
Terms:
Non-Examples:
Document 2: Desertification & Deforestation
(Document 2A: Low)
1. What is the Sahel?
2. Describe the geographic makeup of the Sahara.
3. How did the people of this region of Africa cope with geographical
challenges?
4. Define Deforestation.
5. Explain why deforestation takes place.
6. List at least two ways deforestation affects the environment.
7. Describe two actions that the people of the Sahel took in order to promote
agriculture without harming the environment.
8. Define Desertification.
9. What led the people of Africa to migrate out to the Sahara and into the
Savanna?
10. Describe the geographic makeup of the Savanna.
11. Did migration lead to cultural diffusion? Explain.
(Document 2B: Middle)
1. What is the relative location of the Sahel?
2. Provide a detailed geographic description of the Sahel (e.g. climate,
topography)
3. Define Deforestation.
4. Explain at least three causes of desertification.
5. Is desertification a global threat? Explain.
6. What is the largest area of the earth that is affected by desertification?
7. What steps can humans take to contain this environmental issue? What
can be done to prevent desertification?
(Document 2C: High)
1. Have any short-term actions been taken to address the problem of
desertification? Explain.
2. Is desertification a result of human actions or environmental conditions?
Explain.
3. Define drought.
4. Which parts of Africa are greatly affected by desertification? Explain why
these areas are especially vulnerable to these environmental problems.
5. Define dryland.
6. Describe the environment in which the majority of Africa’s human
population lives in.
7. Explain in detail at least two causes of desertification.
8. Explain the impact desertification has had on agriculture in Africa.
9. Explain what deforestation and the impact it has on the environment.
10. What is meant by “environment refugees?”
11. Discuss and evaluate the efforts made by organizations to address the
problem of deforestation (consider what has been done, the success rate
and potential obstacles)
Document 3: BANTU MIGRATION
(Document 3A: Low)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Where did the Bantu people originate from?
What languages does Swahili evolve from?
Where did the Bantu people migrate to?
How did the way of life for the Bantu people in West Africa change?
How did working with Iron change the way of life for Bantu people?
How did the Bantu migrations result in cultural diffusion?
(Document 3B: Middle)
1. Based on the document “Bantu Migration- B”, explain each of the theories
as to why the Bantu People Migrated?
2. Which of the theories in question #1 do you find most convincing and
why?
3. Why is the evidence for the migration based on linguistics, pottery and
Iron?
4. How might some people argue that it is questionable whether the
migration even actually happened?
(Document 3C: High)
1. Why might population pressures be a possible reason for Bantu
migration?
2. How did the Bantu People interact and trade with others and their
environment before their migrations began in 3000 B.C.E.
3. How did the differentiation of the Bantu Language impact future societies?
4. Explain how the way in which the Bantu people migrated was unique as
compared to many other mass immigrations in human history?
Document 4: BELIEF SYSTEMS
(Document 4A: Low) Animism
1. Define: Ethnic group, tribe, tribalism, patriarchal, matriarchal, extended
family.
2. How is traditional African society structured?
3. Explain the basic beliefs of animism.
4. Why might the basic ideas of animism be adopted by traditional Africans?
5. Compare and contrast the beliefs of animism and one/more of the
following monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
(Document 3B: Mid-High) Islam
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Did geography impede the spread of Islam into Africa? Explain.
Which was the first African country to come under the influence of Islam?
Who are the Coptic Christians?
Define: Maghrib
Which parts of modern day Africa show influence of Arab Moslems?
Explain how this took place.
6. In addition to West Africa, which parts of Africa did Islam spread to?
7. Describe the gradual conversion to Islam in West Africa.
8. What was unique about Ethiopia in regards to religion?
9. Describe how Islam was introduced to East and North Africa.
10. Did economic practices in East Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries
contradict religious practices/beliefs? Explain.
11. Describe how Islam was spread to South Africa.
12. Summarize the success of the introduction of Islam and the impact it has
had on the African continent (5-8 sentences).
(Document 3C: Mid-High) Christianity
1. Compare and contrast Christianity with Islam and Judaism.
2. What is a proselytizing religion?
3. Were early Christians affected by the fact that there was no single holy
text available? Explain.
4. Who were the Gnostics?
5. What is a Coptic Christian?
6. Based on what you have read, what reasons can you give for why most
Christians in Europe and North America do not know more about the rich
traditions of Christianity in Egypt, Aksum and Nubia?
7. Think about it: Why has Christianity been able to survive and thrive for
nearly 2000 years?
8. Why do you think the Beatrice Kimpa Vita formed the independent
Antonine Christian movement? What was the reaction of the Portuguese
missionaries to this movement? Why do you think that they had this
reaction?
9. List the ways in which Christian missionaries and their activities may have
helped colonial governments.
10. Did colonial governments assist Christian missionaries in their attempts at
converting Africans? Explain. What were the two main reasons why some
African Christians broke away from missionary churches to form African
Independent Churches?
11. In which ways do African Independent Churches, particularly the Zionist
Churches, incorporate aspects of indigenous African religions into their
beliefs and practices?