Unit Three - Africa
Africa is the second most populated and sizable continent on our planet. In this unit we will explore the various cultures and geography of Africa. The vast continent of Africa includes a variety of landforms. In Africa, as in elsewhere in the world, people have adapted to many different environments. We will talk about the significant impact that imperialism has wrought on this continent. We will use the country of South Africa and their governmental system of the 20th century known as Apartheid as our focus for this. We will also try to research contemporary Africa and attempt to get a perspective on what life in certain parts of Africa is really like in the year 2014.
Questions
Terms
Domestication
Desertification
Sahel
Blood diamonds
Darfur
Apartheid
Ethnocentrism
Animism
Genocide
Colonialism
World Bank
Africa is the second most populated and sizable continent on our planet. In this unit we will explore the various cultures and geography of Africa. The vast continent of Africa includes a variety of landforms. In Africa, as in elsewhere in the world, people have adapted to many different environments. We will talk about the significant impact that imperialism has wrought on this continent. We will use the country of South Africa and their governmental system of the 20th century known as Apartheid as our focus for this. We will also try to research contemporary Africa and attempt to get a perspective on what life in certain parts of Africa is really like in the year 2014.
Questions
- What geographic factors have had major impacts in the development of the African continent; agriculture, domestication of livestock, diseases and geographic features like rivers, deserts, and jungles.
- How do varied landforms and climate contribute to culture diversity?
- What are some of Africa’s most valuable natural resources?
- What human activities might threaten the ecosystems in Africa?
- Who was responsible for the division of Africa and what did they take into account when creating the political borders? What has been the impact on modern Africa?
- Why did Europeans carve up Africa into colonies? What legacy did European imperialism leave in modern Africa?
- What challenges do African nations currently face?
- What caused the conflict in Darfur? What has happened since South Sudan became the newest country in Africa?
- When did the UN first acknowledge and use the term “conflict diamonds” and why?
- How were conflict or blood diamonds used to fuel conflict? How does the artificially high price of diamonds affect conflict in diamond producing regions? What is the Kimberley Process Certification scheme and who devised it?
- Why have so many African nations had difficulty creating stable governments?
- Why had Mandela been imprisoned for so many years?
Terms
Domestication
Desertification
Sahel
Blood diamonds
Darfur
Apartheid
Ethnocentrism
Animism
Genocide
Colonialism
World Bank