West Africa, Part One

WEST AFRICAWEST AFRICA

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Countries of West AfricaCountries of West AfricaCountry - Capital

Benin - Porto NovoBurkina Faso - OuagadougouCôte d'Ivoire - YamoussoukroCape Verde - PraiaThe Gambia - BanjulGhana - AccraGuinea - ConakryGuinea-Bissau - BissauLiberia - MonroviaMali - BamakoMauritania - NoukchottNiger - NiameyNigeria - AbujaSenegal - DakarSierra Leone - FreetownTogo - Lome

Country - Capital

Benin - Porto NovoBurkina Faso - OuagadougouCôte d'Ivoire - YamoussoukroCape Verde - PraiaThe Gambia - BanjulGhana - AccraGuinea - ConakryGuinea-Bissau - BissauLiberia - MonroviaMali - BamakoMauritania - NoukchottNiger - NiameyNigeria - AbujaSenegal - DakarSierra Leone - FreetownTogo - Lome

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Physical Geographical Features of W.A.

Physical Geographical Features of W.A.

Rivers Bodies of WaterThe Niger River Atlantic OceanSenegal River Gulf of GuineaGambia River Niger DeltaVolta RiverBenue River

LandformsHighest elevation: Mount Dimlang - Nigeria 6700 ft.

Also: the Sahel

Rivers Bodies of WaterThe Niger River Atlantic OceanSenegal River Gulf of GuineaGambia River Niger DeltaVolta RiverBenue River

LandformsHighest elevation: Mount Dimlang - Nigeria 6700 ft.

Also: the Sahel

Economic Activities in West Africa

Economic Activities in West Africa

• Hunting, Fishing, Forestry: mostly along coast and deltas

• Subsistence Farming: along Sahel • Commercial Farming: Casamance,

Gambia, pockets of areas with a lot of rain

• Nomadic Herding: Mauritania, Mali• Manufacturing and Trade: Dakar, Lagos,

Accra• Resources: Gold, Diamonds, Manganese,

Petroleum, Phosphate

• Hunting, Fishing, Forestry: mostly along coast and deltas

• Subsistence Farming: along Sahel • Commercial Farming: Casamance,

Gambia, pockets of areas with a lot of rain

• Nomadic Herding: Mauritania, Mali• Manufacturing and Trade: Dakar, Lagos,

Accra• Resources: Gold, Diamonds, Manganese,

Petroleum, Phosphate

Climate and Vegetation in W.Africa

Climate and Vegetation in W.Africa

• Tropical Wet• Tropical Wet and Dry• Semiarid

• Tropical Rain Forest• Tropical Grassland• Swamp• Forest• Cropland

• Tropical Wet• Tropical Wet and Dry• Semiarid

• Tropical Rain Forest• Tropical Grassland• Swamp• Forest• Cropland

Economic Hubs of West AfricaEconomic Hubs of West Africa

• Dakar• Accra• Lagos• Abuja

What land use patterns do these cities follow?

• Dakar• Accra• Lagos• Abuja

What land use patterns do these cities follow?

Languages in W.AfricaLanguages in W.Africa

• Wolof• Fulani• Bambara• Akan• Mende• Yoruba• Igbo• Hausa• More• Predominately of Niger-Congo language

branch

• Wolof• Fulani• Bambara• Akan• Mende• Yoruba• Igbo• Hausa• More• Predominately of Niger-Congo language

branch

Cultural aspects of W.AfricaCultural aspects of W.Africa• Islam• Christianity• Animism• Mbalax• Highlife• Fuji• Afrobeat• Djembe• Sabar• Boubou• Foo-foo

• Islam• Christianity• Animism• Mbalax• Highlife• Fuji• Afrobeat• Djembe• Sabar• Boubou• Foo-foo

History of W. AfricaHistory of W. Africa

• Rich in natural resources West Africa is known for their historical trading empires:

Ghana Empire: 800 AD - mostly gold and salt

Mali Empire: 13th century AD - Sundiata - defeated Ghana; continued to export gold; by 1350 2/3 of gold came from W. Africa (see Musa I)

Songhai Empire: replaced Mali by 1400; taken over by Moroccan empire after

See also Ashanti Empire, Oyo,

• Rich in natural resources West Africa is known for their historical trading empires:

Ghana Empire: 800 AD - mostly gold and salt

Mali Empire: 13th century AD - Sundiata - defeated Ghana; continued to export gold; by 1350 2/3 of gold came from W. Africa (see Musa I)

Songhai Empire: replaced Mali by 1400; taken over by Moroccan empire after

See also Ashanti Empire, Oyo,

Slave Trade, brieflySlave Trade, briefly

• Not long after the Songhai Empire, the slave trade expanded in West Africa

• Principal areas of slave trade: Bight of Benin (Togo, Benin, Nigeria), Bight of Biafra (Nigeria, central African countries), Gold Coast (Ghana), Senegambia, Upper Guinea, Windward Coast (Liberia, Ivory Coast

• See Goree Island, James Island (Fort Gambia)

• Not long after the Songhai Empire, the slave trade expanded in West Africa

• Principal areas of slave trade: Bight of Benin (Togo, Benin, Nigeria), Bight of Biafra (Nigeria, central African countries), Gold Coast (Ghana), Senegambia, Upper Guinea, Windward Coast (Liberia, Ivory Coast

• See Goree Island, James Island (Fort Gambia)

Literature of the AreaLiterature of the Area

• Achebe• Abani• Ba• Okri• Senghor

• Achebe• Abani• Ba• Okri• Senghor

What will you do?What will you do?• You may choose to work individually or in a

group of two or three to explore some aspect of West Africa.

• The purpose of my presentation was to get you to think about what you want to research.

• You must select two of the following topics (but not limited to) to research:

music, clothing/body decoration/diet, natural resources, traditional festivals, government, HIV/AIDS, climate, vegetation, tourism, malaria and other epidemic diseases, emigration, civil wars/rebellions, education, colonialism

If you have other ideas, please let me know. You will present your findings through a powerpoint or on the class wiki page. Due Date:

• You may choose to work individually or in a group of two or three to explore some aspect of West Africa.

• The purpose of my presentation was to get you to think about what you want to research.

• You must select two of the following topics (but not limited to) to research:

music, clothing/body decoration/diet, natural resources, traditional festivals, government, HIV/AIDS, climate, vegetation, tourism, malaria and other epidemic diseases, emigration, civil wars/rebellions, education, colonialism

If you have other ideas, please let me know. You will present your findings through a powerpoint or on the class wiki page. Due Date: