AFRICA
The Dark Continent
ETYMOLOGY:
Africa:
• Aprica a Latin word means “Sunny” – Isidore of Seville
• Aphrike a Greek word means “Without Cold” – Leo Africanus
PREHISTORY:
Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologist to be the oldest inhabited territory on the earth, with the human species originating from the continent.
During the middle of the 20th century, anthropologist discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago.
Lucy Australopithecus
Afarensiss
Geography
Geographic
al Featu
re
Sahara Desert
•Worlds Largest Desert•Makes up 25% of the continent
ERGS
• 20% of the Sahara desert
• Sand dunes, covers Algeria, Libya, Mali and Nigeria
• Contains large quantities of salt
REGS
• 70% of the Sahara Desert
• Plains Contains Sand and Gravels
• Remains of prehistoric seabed and riverbeds and they are know waterless
HAMADAS
Elevated plateaus of rock and stone
OASIS
A hub of water in the desert, often in form of springs, wells or irrigation system
SAHEL
A narrow band of semi-arid land that forms a transition between the Sahara desert and the Savanna to the South
SAVANNA
A grassland covered almost half of Africa
ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS
Began to rise 75 million years ago, as Magma from Earths mantle uplifted a broad dome of ancient rocks.
80% of Africa’s tallest Mountains is in Ethiopia’s Highlands
80% of the Africa Rain Forest is concentrated in Central Africa
RAIN FOREST
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa standing at 5,895 meters
above sea level.It consist of three peaks, Shira, Kibo, and Mawenzi with Uhuru peak being the highest on the Kibo crater
rim.
Nile River
Longest River in the world
Great Pyramids of Giza
The Giza pyramids were erected on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile in northern Egypt and were connected, by covered causeways, to mortuary temples in the valley below the plateau. These temples had landing stages which were linked to the Nile by a canal. In ancient times they were included among the Seven Wonders of the World.
GREAT ZIMBABWE
•Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo. •It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's Late Iron Age.•Construction on the monument by ancestors of the Shona people began in the 11th century and continued until the 14th century•Great Zimbabwe served as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch and would have been used as the seat of political power.•One of its most prominent features were the walls, some of which were over five meters high and which were constructed without mortar
The Swahili people live on the East African coast from southern Somalia to northern
Mozambique. Swahili is a mixture of Bantu and Arab
culture Men wear amulets around their necks
that contain verses from the Koran, which they believe will protect them.
Only teachers of Islam and prophets are permitted to become spritual healers.
SWAHILI COAST
Stretches about 1,610 km along the Indian ocean from Somalia to Mozambique .The nearby coral reefs and barriers Islands protect the coast to severe weather.
Lake Victoria
Largest lake in Africa
A shelf of bedrock that is more than 2-6 billion years old
CLIMATE:• Africa ranges tropical to subarctic on its highest peak.• Northern half is primarily Desert• Central and Southern areas are both Savanna plains and very dense Rain forest Regions
AFRICA is the Hottest Continent
on the earth.
60% of the land surface
consist of dry lands
and Deserts.
FAUNAWorlds largest
combination of density and “Range of Freedom” of wild animals population and density.
CULTURE
Africa’s Culture, Art, And Music
Ethiopian Basketry
African Art Royalty
Africa has rich tradition of arts and
crafts. African arts and crafts find expression in a variety of wood carvings, brass and
leather arts.
Africa’s music uses drums, guitars, likembes (thumb pianos), strung bows, trumpets, and xylophones.
A great variety of masks from different materials was worn with elaborate costumes and mimicked the human or activities of nature and forces in the different seasons.
Is an old as the beginning of human evolution on earth.
You will find Africa’s cultural history enriched with unique tribal life and customs, early
Neolithic rocks carvings petroglyphs, group hunting, metalwork and many great wonders of Ancient Egypt.
The African tribal life has always attracted the world to discover the oldest form
of culture since human evolution. There are many ethnic groups and tribes in
Africa with their own distinct culture, norms and
customs
Folklore and Religion
African folklore and religion represent a variety of social facets of the various cultures in Africa. Like almost all civilization and cultures, flood myths have been circulating different parts in Africa.
Folktales also play an important rule in African cultures. Stories reflect a group culture identity and preserving the stories of Africa will help preserve an entire culture
Cuisine The various cuisine’s of Africa used a combination of locally available fruits, cereal grains and vegetable, as well as milk and meat products.
The continents diverse demographic make-up is reflected in the many eating and drinking habits, dishes and preparation techniques of it’s manifold populations
Wasota
AFRICAN JARS
African culture has always placed emphasis on personal appearance and jewelry has
remained an important personal accessory. Many pieces of such jewelry are made of cowry shells and
similar materials.
The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai.The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. The name they use for themselves is Lokop or Loikop, a term which may have a variety of meanings which Samburu themselves do not agree on. Many assert that it refers to them as "owners of the land" ("lo" refers to ownership, "nkop" is land) though others present a very different interpretation of the term
These were worn by various early cultures but are especially associated with the ancient Celts of the European Iron Age, where they were evidently a key indicator of wealth and status, mostly worn by men. In a few African and Asian cultures neck rings are worn usually to create the appearance that the neck has been stretched. Padaung (Kayan Lahwi) women of the Kayan people begin to wear neck coils from as young as age two. The length of the coil is gradually increased to as much as twenty turns. The weight of the coils will eventually place sufficient pressure on the clavicles to cause them to deform and create an impression of a longer neck. The custom of wearing neck rings is related to an ideal of beauty: an elongated neck.
CLOTHING
Women’s traditional clothes in Ethiopia
are made from cloth called “ Shemma “ and used to make Habesha Kemis.
Men wear pants and knee length shirt with
a white color and perhaps a sweater.
Men often wear knee high socks. Men as
well as woman wear shawls, the netela
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE:
Afroasiatic Language Khoisan Niger- Congo
Language Austronesian Sudanic
RELIGION
ISLAM is the most dominate
Religion in Africa followed by Christianity
CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE
•Carved from solid red volcanic rock in the 12th century.•"Eighth Wonder of the World".• Lalibela, King of Ethiopia.• sought to recreate Jerusalem, •According to Ethiopian cultural history, Bete Giyorgis was built after King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty had a vision in which he was instructed to construct the church; Saint George and God have both been referred to as the one who gave him the instructions.•Lalibela is a pilgrimage site for members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church•"Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela"
Saint Joseph Cathedral Asmara
St. Joseph's Cathedral is a large Romanesque style cathedral in the centre of the city of Asmara, Eritrea. It was built in 1922 by the colonial authorities in Italian Eritrea. The edifice was constructed in the Lombard Romanesque style, and is now the seat of the Eparchy of Asmara. The Catholic Church in Eritrea is a part of the Eritrean Catholic Church, an autonomous particular church in communion with the Pope of Rome.
HistoryThe building took six years to construct and was consecrated in 1922. The tower rises 52 meters into the sky and it is possible to tour the tower and see fantastic views of the art deco city. On the cathedral site, there is also a primary school, a monastery, and a convent, all of which have existed since the initial construction of the cathedral.
Ethic groups & there Religions, Customs, and Traditions
Africa is made up of 54 different countries and many ethnic groups.
A group’s customs and traditions often come from religion, from where the group lives, or from the demands of daily life.
For example, nomadic Bedouin tribe must have customs that can be practiced while traveling.
Most Africans today are either Muslim or Christian, but traditional religions and customs still play a role in African culture.
EDUCATION
Education and school system in
Africa•The boys and girls are taught separately.•They’re in school from January to December.•The school was based on the youth becoming adults.•Over the years the schools have become more about education.
Most Africans earn less than 1$ per day
Education in Africa began as a tool to prepare its young to take their place in the African society.
Education in early African societies included such things as artistic performances, ceremonies, games, festivals, dancing, singing, and drawing.
Only 2.4% of the Africans enter tertiary education, most of those are in N. and S.Africa
The high point of the
African educational
experience was the ritual
passage ceremony from
childhood to adulthood.
There were no academic
examinations necessary to
graduate in the African
educational system.
When European colonialism and imperialism took place it began to change the African
educational system. Schooling was no longer just
about rituals and rites of passage, school would now mean earning an education that would allow Africans to compete with countries such
as the United States and those in Europe.
However, education in Africa is still less developed than
other parts of the world, and many African countries have
low rates of participation. Schools often lack many basic
facilities, and African Universities being lured away
to Western countries by higher pay and better conditions.
ParticipationAccording to UNESCO's
Regional overview on sub-Saharan Africa in 2000:
only 58% of children were enrolled in primary schools, the lowest
enrollment rate of any region.
Marked gender inequalities: in most parts
of Africa there is much higher enrollment by boys,
but in some there are actually more girls, due to sons having to stay home
and tend to the family farm.
Children sent to Primary
Schools
Sent
Not Sent
58%42%
Distribution of Out-Of-School Youths, 2000 Arab States/NorthAfricaCentral & EasternEuropeCentral Asia
East Asia/Pacific
LatinAmerica/CaribbeanNorth America/Western EuropeSouth/ West Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
* Africa is one which has one of the highest %
Take a look at…
An AFRICAN Classroom
Compare to an..
An AMERICAN Classroom
We must consider ourselves lucky
since we have a high educational
level, unfortunately unlike other
countries …
ECONOMY
ECONOMY
The economy of Africa consist of trade, industry, agricultural, and, human resources.Africa is a resource-rich continent but many African people are poor.
NATURAL RESOURCES
•Petroleum•Oil•Platinum•Gold•Chromium•Tantalum•Coltan
•Diamond•Manganese•Coal•Natural gas•Phosphates•Asbestos•Iron ore
FACTS:
More people are killed in Africa by crocodiles than
by lions.
FLAGS
Egypt
Ghana
Mali
Sierra Leone
Democratic Republic Of Congo
Ethiopia
Zimbabwe
Sudan
THE END
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