3. Physical Features
Borders Atlantic Ocean
Borders Western Rift Valley
High Mts.
Biggest rivers in Africa
4. Landforms
– The Congo Basin
Basin; flat region surrounded by higher land such as
mountains and plateaus
– Western Rift Valley
Highest mountain is 16,700 feet
– Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi
5. Rivers
– The Congo River
Fed by thousands of smaller rivers
– Waterfalls & rapids make it impossible
for ships to travel from Central Africa
to Atlantic Ocean
– The Zambezi River
Zambezi is famous for Victoria Falls
6. Climates, Vegetation, and
Animals
Humid tropical climate in the Congo Basin and on the
Atlantic coast
– Warm temps & lots of rain
– dense, tropical rain forest
– Animal like: antelopes, hyenas, elephants, okapis, insects, birds,
monkeys, bats, and snakes are found here
– Trees form a canopy, preventing much life on the rain forest floor
Tropical savanna climate found north and south of the
basin
– Distinct dry & wet seasons
– grasslands, scattered trees, & shrubs
Highland climate found in the high eastern mountains
Dry steppe and deserts in the far south
7. Resources
Tropical Environment good for growing crops
– Most are subsistence farmers
– Moving towards growing crops for sale
Tropical Forests
– Provides timber
– Rivers provide way to travel & trade & hydroelectricity
Oil, natural gas, and coal
Minerals: copper, uranium, tin, zinc, diamonds, gold, and
cobalt
Subsistence farmers
– Some beginning to grow more crops for sale
Crops: coffee, bananas, & corn
– Sold in periodic markets: open air markets set up at
crossroads or in a town
9. History
Early humans lived in central Africa thousands of
years ago
2,000 years ago new peoples migrated & formed several
kingdoms
– Kongo Kingdom most important
Est. trade routes
Europeans
– Came in 1400s for forest products & other resources like
ivory
– Also traded for slaves
Kingdoms were weakened and destroyed by
Europeans
– region was divided into colonies in the late 1800s by the
France, Portugal, Britain, Spain, Belgium, & Germany
– Borders created ignored homelands of Africa’s ethnic groups
Each had different languages, ways of life, & resulted in conflicts
10. Modern Central Africa
Independence came after WWII
– Some fought bloody wars to gain
independence
Many ethnic groups continued to fight even
after independence
Became battleground of the Cold War
between U.S. & Soviet Union
– Many people died and great damage was
caused
11. Culture
100 million people in Central Africa
Many different ethnic groups w/ different
customs
12. People & Languages
Hundreds of different languages & dialects
– Due to number of ethnic groups
Official languages are European
– French, English, Spanish, Portuguese
Religion
– Influenced by colonial history
– Roman Catholic, Protestant Christianity, traditional African
religions, Christian, Muslim, & Hindu are the practiced religions of
Central Africa
The Arts
– Influenced by traditional cultures
– Famous for sculpture, carved wooden masks, & cotton gowns dyed
in bright colors
– Popular styles of music & dance
14. Countries of Central Africa
Most are very poor
Years of colonial rule & civil war
– Struggling to build stable gov’ts & strong
economies
15. Democratic Republic of the
Congo
Former Belgian colony
Former Belgian colony
– Many Belgians left after independence (few doctors,
teachers, & other professionals remained)
Ethnic conflicts after independence
– Caused country to remain poor
Joseph Mobutu
– a dictator, came to power in 1965
– Changed the country’s name to Zaire in 1971 & his name to
Mobutu Sese Seko
– Country suffered from economic problems & political
corruption during his rule
Mobutu became very wealthy & used violence against those who
challenged him
After a civil war in 1997 a new government took over
– Name changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fighting between ethnic groups has continued
16. Treasure chest of minerals & tropical resources
South is part of central Africa’s rich copper belt
Gold, diamonds, & cobalt
Tropical rain forests supply wood, food, rubber, &
other products
Civil war, bad government, & crime have scared
many foreign businesses away
Countries rich resources have helped few people
17. The People
Most are poor
Live in rural areas & farm and trade for food
Many people live in Kinshasa, the capital &
largest city
– Along Congo River; crowded; consists of poor
slum areas mainly
18. Central African Republic &
Cameroon
Central African Republic
– Struggled w/ military coups, corrupt leaders, & improper
elections
– Weak economy
– Most people are farmers
– Diamonds & gold present, but no railroads or ports to
transport resources for export
– Receives some aid from foreign countries
Cameroon
– Fairly stable Republic (president is elected & holds most
power)
– Economy is growing
– Oil reserves & farming support economy
– Good roads & railways people w/ transportation needs
–
19. Equatorial Guinea & Sao Tome
and Principe
Equatorial Guinea
– Divided between mainly & 5 islands
– Republic w/ elections (possibly flawed though,
same president for 25 years)
– Recent oil discovery, but living conditions for
most are still poor
Sao Tome & Principe
– Struggled w/ political stability
– Poor country w/ few resources
– Produces cacao, but has to import food
20. Gabon & Republic of the Congo
Gabon
– 1 president since 1967
– Economy provides highest standard of living in
region
– ½ of country’s income comes from oil
Republic of the Congo
– Much of income comes from oil
– Income from forest products
– Civil war in last 1990s hurt economy
– Mostly urban
21. Angola
Civil war following independence from
Portugal
– Ended in 2002
Now republic w/ elected president
Economy is struggling
85% rely of subsistence farming for income
– Land mines from civil war makes farming
dangerous
High rate of inflation has also hurt economy
22. Zambia & Malawi
Zambia
– 85% of workers are farmers
– Rich copper mines
– Economy growing slowly
– High levels of debt & inflation
Malawi
– Most farm for a living
– 75% live in villages in rural areas
– Aid from foreign countries & religious groups
help economy
23. Issues & Challenges
Unstable governments & poor economies
– Have been either cause or effect of other issues
& challenges in the region
Ethnic & Regional Conflict
– Mixing of ethnic groups & competing for power
has resulted in civil wars
Thousands killed, contributed to poor economies,
land destroyed, & other resources destroyed
24. Health
– Malaria: kills many people (1 child every 30
seconds)
– International health organizations trying to
control malaria
Use nets & medicine, but both are expensive
– HIV
Causes AIDS
Hundreds of thousands die each year
No cure & medicines are expensive
25. Resources & Environment
To help economy & people
– Develop natural resources more effectively
Food production has declined in some areas (does
not support growing population) resulting in food
shortages & malnutrition
– Manage the environment
Industries are destroying the environment
– Cutting down forests and mining diamonds & copper
National parks have been set up to protect
the environment