Learn EAST Africa and CENTRAL Africa regions.
PLAY the game to see how many African countries you know by heart!!
Watch Destination East Africa
Fun Fact: East Africa is home to 4 of the 5 fastest land animals; the cheetah, the wildebeest, the lion and the Thomson’s gazelle. The none African top 5 fastest land animal is the Pronghorn which is native to North America.
Central Africa is a hugely fertile region, with abundant grasslands, vast tropical rainforests, and many rivers and lakes. Both Niger and Chad are mostly desert, however, and in recent years, Lake Chad has shrunk to one-tenth of its former size as the rivers that feed it have dried up. Although many of the countries have great agricultural and mineral wealth, political instability and civil wars have kept people in this region in great poverty.
HOW CAN THE ANIMALS BE PROTECTED?
Governments have established huge national parks and wildlife reserves, such as the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania. Here, tourists can go on a safari to view the animals in their natural habitat, contributing much-needed income to both local and national economies.
WHAT IS THREATENING AFRICA’S WILDLIFE?
Africa has an amazing variety of wildlife, but in recent years, many species have come under threat from hunters. Elephants are prized for their ivory tusks, black rhinoceroses for their horns. These and other species are now threatened with extinction, while some species have been lost forever.
HOW DOES THE EQUATOR AFFECT THE LANDSCAPE?
Africa is the only continent through which the equator and both tropics (Capricorn and Cancer) run. Around the equator itself, high rainfall has created a watery landscape of lakes, rivers, and lush tropical rainforest. On either side of the equator, the climate and vegetation roughly mirror each other, with huge deserts forming in the hot and rain-starved land around each tropic.
RIFT VALLEY
The East African Rift stretches for 3,000 miles from Syria in western Asia south through the Red Sea and East Africa to Mozambique. Its landscape is extraordinary, with many deep lakes, steep-sided valleys, vast plateaus, and volcanic peaks.
Nigeria is potentially the richest nation in Africa, with huge reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, tin, and iron ore. It also has abundant fertile land, capable of growing cotton, coffee, sugar, and many other crops. However, corruption and bad government have meant that the money earned from these natural resources has not been used properly, and most Nigerians remain very poor.
WHAT WORK DO PEOPLE DO IN THIS REGION?
Most rural Africans live off the land, tending herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, and growing food crops such as corn, cassava, and yams. In East Africa, many also work on the tea and coffee plantations or earn a living from tourism in the many wildlife reserves. The oil industries of Nigeria and Cameroon and the mineral mines of Congo employ thousands of people.
WHAT DO LOCAL PEOPLE CALL THE CONGO RIVER?
The Congo River is known locally as the Zaire. It runs in a huge, upturned U-shape through the Democratic Republic of Congo, previously known as Zaire. The river is a lifeline for the Congolese people, providing fresh water, fish, irrigation for crops along its banks, and a vital transportation system.
Watch: Famine
Ethiopia and Somalia have both endured lengthy civil wars in recent years, leaving many people homeless and destitute and creating millions of refugees. Both countries have also been affected by drought, crop failure, and the over farming of poor or exhausted land. This intense pressure on hugely overstretched resources means that famine occurs regularly.
Comment on the Blog: What three facts did you learn from this blog that you didn't know before.
Assignment: Write down ten questions and answers. On Monday, you will quiz other students on the information contained in this blog post.
One fact I learned from this blog was that salt miners spend about 14 days traveling across the Sahara Desert to their destination. Another fact I learned is that Lake Chad has shrunk to one-tenth of its former size because the rivers that feed it have dried up. Lastly, I learned that elephants are prized for their ivory tusks and black rhinoceroses are prized for their horns.
ReplyDeleteI learned that millions of flamingos go to eat at lakes bogoria, nakuru, and megadi. And that English is widely spoken in tourist areas. In Lalibela there are 11 churches that were had carved from mountain rock
ReplyDeleteI learned that East Africa has 4 of the fastest land animals. Also I learned that the Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and Tropic of Cancer all go through Africa. I learned that about 180 million people live in Nigeria.
ReplyDelete1. The Congo River is usually known as the Zaire River
ReplyDelete2. Central Africa is very furtel
3. Lake Chad has shrunk one tenth of its usually size.
1. Nigeria is the #1 oil producer in Africa.
ReplyDelete2. I didn't know that in east Africa 4 out of the five fastest land animals live.
3. I didn't know that Nigerian refugees are among some of the most successful people in america. (the ones that pursued and education of course)
I learned that Nigeria is one of the top yam producers in the world, it is home to the largest species of butterfly, and that cannibalism is sometimes thought to give you magical powers.
ReplyDeleteI learned how hard it is to work in the salt mine.
ReplyDeleteI also learned that Africa is the only continent that the Ecuador and both the tropics crossed.
And I learned that eastern Africa has been hit by a severe famine.
1. I learned about how much famine there is in Somalia and Ethiopia.
ReplyDelete2. I learned that over 300 species of butterfly live in Nigeria.
3. I learned that the Berber people are strong Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI learned that in Africa wildlife is being threaten. Elephants are prized for their ivory tusks, and black rhinoceroses for their horns. The governments plan is to build huge national park so that the animals can be protected from the hunters.
I learned that there are only about 700 mountain Gorilla's left in Uganda National park, Africa. I learned that Ethiopia is in its worst drought ever. Nigeria is the top yam producer in the world.
ReplyDelete