AFRICA AND THE BANTU
Chapter 11, Lesson 1
CLIMATE OF AFRICA
 The majority of the continent of Africa lies between 23 ½ ° N, the Tropic of
Cancer, and 23 ½ ° S, the Tropic of Capricorn. What does that tell us about
the overall climate of Africa?
 The climate of Africa is generally temperate or warm. There are no cold
or subarctic climates in Africa
 Do geography and climates effect the way that people live?
 Yes….. Consider activities, agriculture, plants, animals, housing.
How?
 How would you live differently?
WHAT IS A GEOGRAPHIC BARRIER?
 Have physical barriers stopped the
migrations of people?
 Physical barriers, like lakes, rivers,
mountains, deserts, and
rainforests, have separated
regions. People have overcome
physical barriers to migrate to new
areas.
THE HISTORY OF AFRICA
 Historians know much about North Africa. Why?
 Europeans were close to North Africa, just across the
Mediterranean Sea. They had traded closely with North
Africa.
 European and North African Civilizations have been in contact
since Ancient times.
HISTORY OF AFRICA
 Historians have less knowledge about Africa south of the Sahara desert.
 Until recent times, the Sahara Desert cut off sub-Saharan Africa from the
rest of the world.
 With modern technology, historians are continuing to research the
history of this area.
 Historians have learned a great deal from the oral histories of traditional
African storytellers, called griots.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA
AFRICA MAP ACTIVITY
Fertile lands are the northern most and southernmost tips
Sahara Desert
Savannas
Rainforests
Savannas
Deserts
AFRICA’S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
The savanna is an area of grasslands with few
trees. Many of Africa’s large animals live on the
savannas like elephants, lions, zebras, and
hippos.
The Sahara Desert stretches across most of North Africa,
and is the world’s largest desert.
Hot, dry landscape with sand dunes and rugged
terrain.
There are oases throughout the desert, which help
travelers navigate and survive.
Why is there little farming in the desert?
Why would cattle be herded on the savanna?
CLOSING QUESTION
What can we conclude about the way Africa’s climate
and geography affect people’s lives?
THE BANTU PEOPLE
 The physical barriers formed by lakes, forests, mountains
and rivers did not stop the movement of people across
Africa.
 Around 4000 years ago, many families left where they lived
in West Africa moved in search of better farmland.
 As the Bantu people moved through Africa, they also spread
their languages. Today, more than 200 million Africans
speak Bantu languages. Many languages spoken in subSaharan Africa belong to the Bantu family.
BANTU CULTURE
 Other groups of Bantu-speakers
migrated south into the dry, grassy, west
coast of southern Africa. The land was
best suited for raising herds of goats,
sheep and cattle.
 Bantu speaking people were traditionally
fishers, farmers, and herders living in
small village clans.
 Clans are groups of families related to
one ancestor.
BANTU CULTURE
 The Bantu are a matriarchal society.
 The Bantu clans trace their ancestry
through their mothers rather than their
fathers.
 Property and positions of power are passed
through their mother’s side of the family.
 Is the United States a matriarchal or
patriarchal society?
BANTU CULTURE
 Bantu people moved slowly from traditional
homelands in search of better farmland and
grazing lands.
 As the Bantu migrated, they encountered
different environments and had to adapt or
change the way they lived.
 They often had to learn to raise different crops
or raise different animals.
THE SPREAD OF BANTU CULTURE
 The Bantu often moved into areas where other people lived. When this happened, the
Bantu :
 Joined the other group, and the two cultures would merge together. The other
group would often take on the Bantu culture.
 Or, the two groups would go to war and the Bantu would force the people already
living there to leave their homes.
SPREAD OF BANTU CULTURE
 The Bantu were skilled ironworkers.
 Iron tools gave the Bantu more control
over their environment.
 They created better farming tools and
weapons.
 The Bantu passed on their knowledge of
metal working to other cultures.
SPREAD OF BANTU CULTURE