Tropical Africa is characterized. Economic life and population of North Africa

Africa is a part of the world with an area of \u200b\u200bwith islands of 30.3 million km 2, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres (most), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland Gondwana, it has a massive outline, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical features

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are few lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost completely occupied by the Sahara desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian highlands, the southeast is the East African plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Draconian mountains The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest fault in the earth's crust stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

Rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from south to north (its sources are on the East African plateau, and it flows, forming a delta, into the Mediterranean Sea). The rivers are high-water only in the equatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation there, most of them are characterized by high flow speed, have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes were formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest salty drainless lake is Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern outskirts of the largest desert in the world, the Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical zones, it is characterized by high total solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent on Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in El Azizia (Libya) - +58 C 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo depression), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannahs and light forests, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevre and southern Africa savannas are replaced by semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari, Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains - a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. The natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided among 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 are dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, the countries of Asia were foreign colonies of various European states and only by the middle of the last century gained independence. Africa is divided into five regions based on geographic location: North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is a plain. There are mountain systems, uplands and plateaus. They are presented:

the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
the Tibesti and Ahaggar uplands in the Sahara desert;
Ethiopian highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
Dragon Mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is Mount Kilimanjaro, with a height of 5,895 m, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara desert. On the southwestern side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from it, inland to the east, is the Kalahari Desert.

The territory of the savanna occupies the main part of Central Africa. In terms of area, it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical for savannahs, low shrubs and trees. The height of grassy vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. It can be almost desert savannas or tall grasses, with grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

On the territory of the African continent is the longest river in the world - the Nile. Its direction of flow is from south to north.

In the list of major water systems of the mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through the territory of Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide...

lakes

The list of large lakes of the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater reservoir in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the faults of the lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad in Africa, which is one of the world's largest endorheic relict lakes that have no connection with the oceans ...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans at once: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also off its coast are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. From the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the water form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. From the Indian Ocean, the currents are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in the northern waters, and Needle, in the southern ...

Forests of Africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. Here are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find holm oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. Coniferous plants grow high in the mountains, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are cork oak forests, in the tropical area evergreen equatorial plants are common, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc...

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, there are about 1000 species of various tree species: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, olive palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects living right on the trees. On earth live: bush pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

40% of the territory of Africa is occupied by savannas, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and stand-alone trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest accumulation of such large animals as: rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are such herbivores as: bubal (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-fifth antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, and in some places there are rare jumping antelopes - springboks.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness, these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of herbs. In the oases, the unique Erg Chebbi date palm grows, as well as plants that are resistant to drought conditions and the formation of salts. In the Namib Desert, unique velvichia and nara plants grow, the fruits of which feed on porcupines, elephants and other animals of the desert.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling great distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned sheep, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, gazelle dorcas, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are permanently living and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in an area of low pressure and receives sufficient moisture, the territories north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoonal) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme north and south are in the subtropical climate zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north has the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of the trade winds, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount Precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all ...

Resources

African Natural Resources

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the least prosperous continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by large areas with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of the proper volume of water, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including species of valuable varieties. The countries in which they grow, the raw materials are exported. Resources are misused and ecosystems are slowly being destroyed.

In the bowels of Africa there are deposits of minerals. Among those sent for export: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

the mining industry that exports minerals and fuels;
the oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. In the tropical regions of Africa, oil palm is grown.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total volume of agriculture. The indicators of animal husbandry are also not high, and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse flies ...

culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

About 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups live on the territory of 62 African countries, which in total is about 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization, it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of people.

Most of the peoples in Africa may number from several thousand people to several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with more than 5 million people, 1/3 - peoples with more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) - Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulu...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (the predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical-African (the majority of the population is the Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

West Africa. The peoples who speak Mande (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Wai), Chadian (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congo languages (Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, nupe, gbari, igala and idoma, ibibio, efik, kambari, birom and jukun, etc.);
Equatorial Africa. Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Duala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandese), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Komo, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
South Africa. Rebellious-speaking peoples, and speaking Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
East Africa. Bantu, Nilotic and Sudanese groups of peoples;
North East Africa. Peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra.), Cushitic (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotian languages (Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
Madagascar. Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are considered to be Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the South Caucasian minor race, mainly practicing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

The total area of Tropical Africa is more than 20 million km 2, the population is 600 million people. It is also called Black Africa, since the vast majority of the population of the subregion belongs to the equatorial (Negroid) race. But in terms of ethnic composition, individual parts of Tropical Africa differ quite strongly. It is most complex in West and East Africa, where at the junction of different races and linguistic families, the greatest "interlacing" of ethnic and political boundaries arose. The population of Central and South Africa speaks numerous (with dialects up to 600), but closely related languages of the Bantu family (this word means "people"). Swahili is the most widely spoken language. And the population of Madagascar speaks the languages of the Austronesian family. .

There is also much in common in the economy and settlement of the population of the countries of Tropical Africa. Tropical Africa is the most backward part of the developing world, within its borders are 29 least developed countries. Now it is the only major region world, where the main sphere of material production is agriculture.

About half of the rural residents are engaged in natural Agriculture, the rest - low-commodity. Hoe tillage prevails with the almost complete absence of a plow; It is no coincidence that the hoe, as a symbol of agricultural labor, is included in the image of the state emblems of a number of African countries. All major agricultural work is done by women and children. They cultivate root and tuber crops (cassava or cassava, yams, sweet potatoes), from which they make flour, cereals, cereals, flat cakes, as well as millet, copgo, rice, corn, bananas, and vegetables. Animal husbandry is much less developed, including because of the tsetse fly, and if it plays a significant role (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia), it is carried out extremely extensively. In the equatorial forests there are tribes and even peoples who still live by hunting, fishing and gathering. In the zone of savannahs and tropical rainforests, the basis of consumer agriculture is the slash-and-burn system of the fallow type.

Against the general background, areas of commercial crop production stand out sharply with a predominance of perennial plantations - cocoa, coffee, peanuts, hevea, oil palm, tea, sisal, spices. Some of these crops are cultivated on plantations, and some - on peasant farms. It is they who primarily determine the monocultural specialization of a number of countries.

According to the main occupation, the majority of the population of Tropical Africa lives in rural areas. The savannahs are dominated by large riverside villages, while the tropical forests are dominated by small villages.

The life of the villagers is closely connected with the subsistence farming they lead. Local traditional beliefs are widespread among them: the cult of ancestors, fetishism, belief in the spirits of nature, magic, witchcraft, and various talismans. Africans believe. that the spirits of the dead remain on earth, that the spirits of the ancestors strictly monitor the deeds of the living and can harm them if any traditional commandment is violated. Christianity and Islam brought from Europe and Asia also became quite widespread in Tropical Africa. .

Tropical Africa is the least industrialized (apart from Oceania) region of the world. Only one fairly large mining area has developed here, the Copper Belt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. This industry also forms several smaller areas, which you already know.

Tropical Africa is the least urbanized region in the world(See Figure 18). Only eight of its countries have millionaire cities, which usually rise like lone giants above numerous provincial towns. Examples of this kind are Dakar in Senegal, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nairobi in Kenya, Luanda in Angola.

Tropical Africa also lags far behind in the development of the transport network. Its pattern is determined by the "penetration lines" isolated from each other, leading from the ports to the hinterland. In many countries there are no railways at all. It is customary to carry small loads on the head, and at a distance of up to 30-40 km.

Finally, in T In tropical Africa, environmental quality is rapidly deteriorating. Desertification, deforestation, depletion of flora and fauna have assumed the most menacing proportions here.

Example. The main area of drought and desertification is the Sahel zone, stretching along the southern borders of the Sahara from Mauritania to Ethiopia across ten countries. In 1968-1974. not a single rain fell here, and the Sahel turned into a scorched earth zone. In the first half and in the middle of the 80s. catastrophic droughts have recurred. They claimed millions of human lives. The number of livestock has been greatly reduced.

What happened in the area came to be called the "Sahelian tragedy". But it is not only nature that is to blame. The onset of the Sahara is facilitated by overgrazing, the destruction of forests, primarily for firewood. .

In some countries of Tropical Africa, measures are being taken to protect flora and fauna, and national parks are being created. First of all, this applies to Kenya, where international tourism in terms of income is second only to coffee exports. . (Creative task 8.)

Primitiveness and modernity are combined here, and instead of one capital - three. The article below discusses in detail the EGP of South Africa, the geography and features of this amazing state.

General information

The state known in the world as the Republic of South Africa, the local population used to call Azania. This name arose during the segregation policy and was used by the indigenous African population as an alternative to the colonial one. In addition to the national name, there are 11 official names of the country, which is associated with a variety of state languages.

The EGP of South Africa is much more profitable than that of many other states on the continent. This is the only African country that is included in. People come here for diamonds and impressions. Each of the nine provinces of South Africa has its own landscape, natural conditions and ethnic composition, which attracts a huge number of tourists. The country has eleven national parks and many resorts.

The presence of three capitals, perhaps, adds to the uniqueness of South Africa. They divide among themselves various state structures. The government of the country is located in Pretoria, so the city is considered the first and main capital. The judicial branch, represented by the Supreme Court, is located in Bloemfontein. Cape Town is home to the parliament building.

EGP South Africa: briefly

The state is located in southern Africa, washed by the Indian and Atlantic oceans. In the northeast, South Africa's neighbors are Swaziland and Mozambique, in the northwest - Namibia, the country shares its northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe. Not far from the Dragon Mountains is the enclave of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

In terms of area (1,221,912 sq. km), South Africa is in 24th place in the world. It is about five times the size of the UK. The description of the EGP of South Africa will not be complete without a description of the coastline, the total length of which is 2798 km. The mountainous coast of the country is not strongly dissected. In the eastern part is the bay of St. Helena and there are also bays and bays of St. Francis, Falsbay, Algoa, Walker, Dining Room. is the southernmost point of the continent.

Wide access to two oceans plays an important role in the EGP of South Africa. Along the coast of the state there are sea routes from Europe to Southeast Asia and the Far East.

Story

The GWP of South Africa has not always been the same. Its changes were influenced by various historical events in the state. Although the first settlements appeared here at the beginning of our era, the most significant changes in the EGP of South Africa over time occurred from the 17th to the 20th century.

The European population, represented by the Dutch, Germans and French Huguenots, began to populate the territory of South Africa in the 1650s. Prior to that, Bantu, Khoi-Koin, Bushmen, and others lived on these lands. The arrival of the colonists caused a series of wars with the local population.

Since 1795, Great Britain has become the main colonizer. The British government pushes the Boers (Dutch peasants) to the Orange Republic and the Transvaal province, abolishes slavery. In the 19th century, wars began between the Boers and the British.

In 1910, the Union of South Africa was created, consisting of the British colonies. In 1948, the National Party (Boer) wins the elections and establishes an apartheid regime that divides the population into blacks and whites. Apartheid deprives the black population of almost all rights, even citizenship. In 1961, the country became the independent Republic of South Africa and eventually abolished the apartheid regime.

Population

The Republic of South Africa is home to approximately 52 million people. The EGP of South Africa has significantly influenced the ethnic composition of the country's population. Thanks to its favorable location and rich natural resources, the territory of the state attracted Europeans.

Now in South Africa, almost 10% of the population is made up of ethnic white Europeans - Afrikaners and Anglo-Africans, who are descendants of colonial settlers. represent the Zulu, Tsonga, Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa. They are about 80%, the remaining 10% are mulattoes, Indians and Asians. Most Indians are the descendants of workers brought to Africa to grow cane.

The population professes various religious beliefs. Most of the inhabitants are Christians. They support Zionist churches, Pentecostals, Dutch Reformers, Catholics, Methodists. Almost 15% are atheists, only 1% are Muslims.

There are 11 official languages in the republic. The most popular among them are English and Afrikaans. Literacy among men is 87%, among women - 85.5%. In the world, the country ranks 143rd in terms of education.

Natural conditions and resources

All types of landscapes and different climatic zones are represented in the Republic of South Africa: from subtropics to deserts. The Dragon Mountains, located in the eastern part, smoothly turn into a plateau. Monsoon and subtropical forests grow here. In the south are located. On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the Namibia desert is located, along the northern bank of the Orange River stretches part of the Kalahari Desert.

There are significant reserves of mineral resources on the territory of the country. Gold, zirconium, chromites, diamonds are mined here. South Africa has reserves of iron, platinum and uranium ores, phosphorites, and coal. The country has deposits of zinc, tin, copper, as well as rare metals such as titanium, antimony and vanadium.

Economy

Features of the EGP of South Africa have become the most important factor for the development of the country's economy. 80% of metallurgical products are produced on the continent, 60% are in the mining industry. South Africa is the most developed country on the mainland, despite this, the unemployment rate is 23%.

Most of the population is employed in the service sector. About 25% of the population works in the industrial sector, 10% is agriculture. The financial sector, telecommunications, and the electric power industry are well developed in South Africa. The country has huge reserves of natural resources; the extraction and export of coal are best developed.

Among the main branches of agriculture are animal husbandry of goats, sheep, birds, cattle), winemaking, forestry, fishing (hake, sea bass, anchovies, moquel, mackerel, cod, etc.), crop production. The republic exports more than 140 types of fruits and vegetables.

The main trading partners are China, the USA, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, India and Switzerland. Among the African economic partners are Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe.

The country has a well-developed transport system, a favorable tax policy, developed banking and insurance business.

The world's first successful heart transplant was performed in Cape Town by surgeon Christian Barnard in 1967.
The largest depression on Earth is on the Vaal River in South Africa. It was formed as a result of the fall of a giant meteorite.
The Cullinan diamond weighing 621 was found in 1905 in a South African mine. It is the largest gemstone on the planet.

This is the only country in Africa that does not belong to the Third World.
It was here that gasoline was first produced from coal.
About 18,000 native plants grow on the territory of the country and 900 species of birds live.
South Africa is the first country to voluntarily give up its existing nuclear weapons.
The largest number of fossils is found in the Karoo region of South Africa.

Conclusion

The main features of the EGP of South Africa are the compactness of the territory, wide access to the oceans, location next to the sea route connecting Europe with Asia and the Far East. Most of the residents are employed in the service sector. Due to the large reserves of natural resources in South Africa, the extractive industry is well developed. The country's population is only 5% of the total population of Africa, however, the country is the most developed on the continent. Due to its economic position, South Africa has a fairly strong position in the world.

Africa south of the Sahara is usually divided into three broad bands crossing the continent: Sudan, Tropical Africa, and South Africa. The northern border of Tropical Africa runs approximately along the 5th parallel of northern latitude, the southern border - along the river. Zambezi, from the mouth to Victoria Falls, and further west, to the mouth of the river. Kunene. From a physiographic point of view, the allocation of this band is extremely conditional. The climatic zone characteristic of this band does not coincide with the indicated boundaries; tropical forest captures the Guinean coast of Sudan. But in ethnographic terms, these boundaries have a solid justification. The fifth parallel is the northern boundary of the peoples who speak Bantu languages; behind it begins the region of the Sudanese peoples, in many respects quite different from the Bantu.

Africa south of the Zambezi is inhabited, like Tropical Africa, mainly by tribes and peoples who also speak Bantu languages, but these are mainly pastoralists, while the Bantu of Tropical Africa are predominantly or even exclusively farmers. These are non-state borders, but ethnic and, like any ethnic borders, are to a certain extent conditional.

Tropical Africa, in turn, is divided into two geographically and ethnographically distinct parts: East and West. Western Tropical Africa is the river basin. Congo; this is a huge basin, the central part of which is covered with tropical forest, turning into a park savannah on the outskirts of the basin. East Tropical Africa is a mountain plateau with deep fault valleys and high mountains; this is a savannah, or dry Steppe, turning in places into a semi-desert. Both parts are inhabited by tribes Bantu, but the Bantu of the western part are engaged exclusively in agriculture and hunting, and the Bantu of the eastern part combine agriculture with cattle breeding.The Bantu of the western part, before the start of European colonization, developed independently, experiencing no external influence.On the contrary, the coasts of eastern Africa were visited by Greeks in very distant times and Arab traders.The influence of Arabs, Persians, and partly Indians is reflected in many features of the culture of the Bantu of East Africa.The Bantu peoples of the region of lakes Victoria, Albert, Kivu, and others assimilated the Nilotic and partly Cushite tribes of pastoralists who came from the north.

The dividing line between the western and eastern Bantus runs approximately along the line of lakes Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika and further along approximately 30 ° E. d.

The physical and geographical appearance of East Tropical Africa is characterized by an extreme variety of relief and landscape, which is not repeated anywhere else in Africa. In general, it is a plateau, most of which lies above 1000 m above sea level. The low-lying strip, narrow in its middle part and reaching a width of 300-400 km in the north and south, is located only along the coast of the Indian Ocean. The Great and Western fault valleys stretch across the entire plateau in the meridional direction. The Great Fault Valley begins at the Red Sea, crosses Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanganyika, Nyasalandi ends at the Zambezi. At the bottom of this valley are lakes, of which the most significant lakes are Rudolf and Nyasa. From the northern end of the lake Nyasa departs Western Fault Valley; at the bottom of it lie lakes Tanganyika (after Baikal - the deepest lake in the world), Kivu, as well as Eduard and Albert ^ interconnected r. Semliki. Between the highlands of these two valleys is the largest lake in Africa - Victoria, inferior in area (68 thousand km 2) only to the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior in North America. Near the deep depressions of the lakes are the highest mountains of the mainland: Kilimanjaro (6010 m), Kenya (5195 m), Rwenzori (5100 m), etc.

In East Tropical Africa, the two largest rivers of the continent, the Nile and the Congo, originate. Source of the Nile, r. Kagera is born in the mountains northeast of the lake. Tanganyika, at an altitude of 2120 m above sea level. She falls into the lake. Victoria, from which it flows under the name of Kivir, forming immediately after the exit the Ripon waterfalls. Further the river passes the lake. Kyoga and behind the Murchison waterfalls (about 40 m high) flows into the lake. Albert and then flows straight north. On the border of Rhodesia Tanganyika originates one of the sources of the river. Congo - r. Chambezi, flowing into the lake. Bangveolo. Flowing from it, this river receives the name Luapula, in its further course it merges with the Lua laba and forms the Congo. On the southern border of Northern Rhodesia, crossing Mozambique, flows the third of the largest rivers in Africa - the Zambezi. Other significant rivers in this part of the continent include the Ruvuma, Rufiji with a tributary Ruaha, Pangani and Tana. There are a lot of smaller rivers, and almost all of them flow from west to east, towards the Indian Ocean. Navigation is possible only on some rivers. Throughout its length, the river is navigable. Shire, connecting the lake. Nyasa with the lower reaches of the Zambezi and the ocean. The huge water artery of southern Africa, the Zambezi, is navigable only in certain sections between the rapids; along the river Tana small steamers can rise up to 100 km from the mouth. Water transport is now widely developed only on lakes.

The variety of relief corresponds to the variety of climate and vegetation. On the peaks of Kilimanjaro, Kenya and Rwenzori there are eternal snows and glaciers, and the plateau is characterized by a mild tropical climate. There are neither high nor low temperatures here, the average monthly temperature fluctuates: in Zomba from 16.1 in July to 23.3 ° in November; in Dar es Salaam between 23.3 in July-August and 27.8 in January-February; in Entebbe, on the northwestern shore of the lake. Victoria, the oscillation amplitude is even smaller - from 21.1 to 22.8 °. Here is the climate of eternal spring. The year is divided into seasons depending on the amount of precipitation. The average rainfall throughout the East African plateau does not exceed 1140 mm per year. Wetter areas are located on the western and northern coasts of the lake. Victoria: For example, Bukoba receives up to 1780 mm of precipitation per year. The most arid: the plains of Turkana, adjacent to the lake. Rudolf, who receive no more than 100-125 mm of annual precipitation; areas located south and north of these plains - up to 375 mm; the Laikipia Plateau (Kenya) - up to 700 mm, and the western part of Northern Rhodesia, where, for example, in Colombo, near the Victoria Falls, the average annual rainfall does not exceed 740 mm.

In the area of Zomba, the year is sharply divided into two seasons: rainy and dry; monthly precipitation ranges from 2.5 mm in August to 278.0 mm in January. Near the city of Mombasa, the year is divided into four seasons: two rainy seasons, of which one is long, the other is short, and two are dry; Monthly precipitation varies from 20.3 mm in January to 348.0 mm in May. In Naivasha, at the lake of the same name at the bottom of the Great Fault Valley, precipitation is distributed more or less evenly throughout the year - a minimum of 27.9 mm in January and a maximum of 162.5 mm in April. There are also two rainy seasons, but they do not stand out sharply.

The characteristic landscape of East Tropical Africa is the savannah, sometimes turning into dry steppes and semi-deserts. There are no deserts in the true sense of the word, with the exception of the western part of the Turkana plains. The East African steppes are covered with tall, tough grasses, up to a meter high, but they do not grow as densely as in the savannah; during the dry season, they turn yellow and often die. In the savannas, among dense and tall grasses, trees are found in more or less significant groups, sometimes reaching 20 m in height; in some places they form small forests - this is an area of park savannah.

In the humid regions of the Mezhozero, large areas are covered with marsh vegetation: reeds, reeds and papyri cover stagnant waters with a continuous carpet. This is primarily the region of the lake. Kyoga and the northwest coast of the lake. Victoria, the deltas of the Ruvuma and Rufiji rivers, as well as small areas on the coast against the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Kagera and other rivers flowing into the lake. Victoria from the west, flowing along channels 8-13 km wide, half-overgrown with papyrus, which rises 2.5-3 m above the water level; all around are large expanses of stagnant water, chains of small lakes and in some places a tropical forest.

At the foot of the mountain ranges - virgin forests of the equatorial type, similar to the forests of the Congo basin: huge trees, multi-tiered vegetation, dense undergrowth. Climbing the mountains, you can observe a complete change of vertical vegetation zones. At an altitude of about a thousand meters, the virgin rainforest gives way to a park savanna, followed by a savanna with very tall grasses, where trees are very rare. This is an agricultural zone; there are many settlements surrounded by fields and plantations. At an altitude of 2-3 thousand, and sometimes even 4 thousand meters, forests characteristic of a temperate climate reappear: less tall, not so dense and with weaker foliage. They are followed by a zone of alpine meadows, and at an altitude of about 5 thousand meters, a zone of eternal snows and glaciers begins.

The natural conditions of East Tropical Africa create a natural basis for a wide variety of human activities. Along with delicate tropical and subtropical crops, crops characteristic of the temperate climate zone can be grown here. Bananas, sugarcane, rubber plants, oil palms, sweet potatoes, cassava, peanuts, rice, sesame, cotton, cocoa, coffee, tea, tobacco, corn, barley, millet, peas and beans, common potatoes and wheat are far from being a complete list of crops growing in different areas of East Tropical Africa. Agriculture is possible everywhere, and only in the northern regions of Kenya does land irrigation require complex hydraulic structures.

Wild animals do not suffer from a tsetse fly bite, but are carriers of the trypanosome. In some parts of Africa, in particular in the Zambezi basin, they tried to fight the spread of the disease by mass destruction of wild animals. Of domestic animals, only goats, donkeys and mules have immunity.

The wealth of the bowels of the earth has not yet been explored. Now diamonds are mined in Tanganyika, Northern Rhodesia and Uganda, tin - in Uganda and Tanganyika, copper, lead, zinc, vanadium and magnesite - in Northern Rhodesia. Iron ores are found everywhere, but have no industrial value. Coal has been discovered in the south of Tanganyika. Eastern Tropical Africa is rich in "white coal" - on the waterfalls and rapids of its rivers it is possible to build powerful hydroelectric power stations. Eastern Tropical Africa is undoubtedly a region rich in its potential.

SUBREGIONS OF AFRICA

The economic zoning of Africa has not yet taken shape. In educational and scientific literature, it is usually divided into two large natural and cultural-historical subregions: North Africa and Tropical Africa (or "Africa south of the Sahara"). As part of Tropical Africa, in turn, it is customary to single out West, Central, East and South Africa.

North Africa. The total area of North Africa is about 10 million km 2, the population is 170 million people. The position of the sub-region is primarily determined by its Mediterranean "facade", thanks to which North Africa actually neighbors with Southern Europe and South-West Asia and gets access to the main sea route from Europe to Asia. The "rear" of the region is formed by the sparsely inhabited spaces of the Sahara.

North Africa is the cradle of ancient Egyptian civilization, whose contribution to world culture you already know. In ancient times, Mediterranean Africa was considered the granary of Rome; traces of underground drainage galleries and other structures can still be found among the lifeless sea of sand and stone. Many coastal towns trace their origins to ancient Roman and Carthaginian settlements. The Arab colonization of the 7th-12th centuries had a huge impact on the ethnic composition of the population, its culture, religion and way of life. North Africa is still called Arab today: almost all of its population speaks Arabic and professes Islam.

The economic life of North Africa is concentrated in the coastal zone. Here are the main centers of the manufacturing industry, the main areas of subtropical agriculture, including those on irrigated lands. Naturally, almost the entire population of the region is concentrated in this zone. The countryside is dominated by adobe houses with flat roofs and earthen floors. Cities also have a very characteristic appearance. Therefore, geographers and ethnographers single out a special, Arabic type of city, which, like other eastern cities, is characterized by a division into two parts - old and new.

The core of the old part of the city is usually a kasbah - a fortification (citadel) located on an elevated place. The Kasbah is surrounded by a close ring of other quarters of the old city, built up with low houses with flat roofs and blank fences of yards. Their main attraction is the colorful oriental bazaars. This whole old city, often surrounded by protective walls, is called medina, which means "city" in Arabic. Already outside the medina is a new, modern part of the city.

All these contrasts are most pronounced in the largest cities, the appearance of which acquires not only national, but also cosmopolitan features. Probably, first of all, this applies to Cairo - the capital and largest city of Egypt, an important political, cultural and religious center of the entire Arab world. Cairo is exceptionally well located at the point where the narrow Nile valley merges into the fertile Delta, the premier cotton-growing region where the world's finest long-staple cotton is grown. This region was called delta by Herodotus, who noticed that in configuration it resembles the ancient Greek letter delta. In 1969, Cairo celebrated its 1000th anniversary.

The southern part of the subregion is very sparsely populated. The agricultural population is concentrated in the oases, where the main consumer and commercial crop is the date palm. On the rest of the territory, and even then not on the whole, only nomadic camel breeders live, and in the Algerian and Libyan parts of the Sahara there are oil and gas fields.

Only along the Nile valley does a narrow "band of life" wedged into the realm of the desert far to the south. Of great importance for the development of the whole of Upper Egypt was the construction, with the economic and technical assistance of the USSR, of the Aswan hydroelectric complex on the Nile.

Tropical Africa. The total area of Tropical Africa is more than 20 million km2, the population is 650 million people. It is also called "black Africa", since the population of the subregion in its overwhelming part belongs to the equatorial (Negroid) race. But in terms of ethnic composition, individual parts of Tropical Africa differ quite strongly. It is most complex in West and East Africa, where at the junction of different races and language families, the greatest "pattern" of ethnic and political boundaries arose. The population of Central and South Africa speaks numerous (with dialects up to 600), but closely related languages of the Bantu family (this word means "people"). Swahili is the most widely spoken language. And the population of Madagascar speaks the languages of the Austronesian family.

There is also much in common in the economy and settlement of the population of the countries of Tropical Africa. Tropical Africa is the most backward part of the entire developing world; it contains 29 least developed countries. Today it is the only major region in the world where agriculture remains the main area of material production.

About half of the rural residents are engaged in subsistence agriculture, the rest - low-commodity. Hoe tillage prevails with the almost complete absence of a plow; It is no coincidence that the hoe, as a symbol of agricultural labor, is included in the image of the state emblems of a number of African countries. All major agricultural work is done by women and children. They cultivate root and tuber crops (cassava or cassava, yame, sweet potato), from which they make flour, cereals, cereals, flat cakes, as well as millet, sorghum, rice, corn, bananas, and vegetables. Animal husbandry is much less developed, including because of the tsetse fly, and if it plays a significant role (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia), it is carried out extremely extensively. In the equatorial forests there are tribes, and even peoples, who still live by hunting, fishing and gathering. In the zone of savannahs and tropical rainforests, the basis of consumer agriculture is the slash-and-burn system of the fallow type.

Against the general background, areas of commercial crop production stand out sharply with a predominance of perennial plantations - cocoa, coffee, peanuts, hevea, oil palm, tea, sisal, spices. Some of these crops are cultivated on plantations, and some on peasant farms. It is they who primarily determine the monocultural specialization of a number of countries.

According to the main occupation, the majority of the population of Tropical Africa lives in rural areas. The savannas are dominated by large villages along the rivers, while the tropical forests are dominated by small villages.

The life of the villagers is closely connected with the subsistence farming they lead. Local traditional beliefs are widespread among them: the cult of ancestors, fetishism, belief in the spirits of nature, magic, witchcraft, and various talismans. Africans believe that the spirits of the dead remain on earth, that the spirits of the ancestors strictly monitor the deeds of the living and can harm them if any traditional commandment is violated. Christianity and Islam brought from Europe and Asia also became quite widespread in Tropical Africa.

Tropical Africa is the least industrialized (apart from Oceania) region of the world. Only one fairly large mining area has developed here - the Copper Belt in the Congo (formerly Zaire) and Zambia.

Tropical Africa is the least urbanized region in the world. Only in eight of its countries there are "millionaire" cities, which usually rise like lone giants above numerous provincial towns. Examples of this kind are Dakar in Senegal, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nairobi in Kenya, Luanda in Angola.

Tropical Africa also lags far behind in the development of the transport network. Its pattern is determined by "penetration lines" isolated from each other, leading from the ports to the hinterland. In many countries there are no railways at all. It is customary to carry small loads on the head, and at a distance of up to 30-40 km.

Finally, in sub-Saharan Africa, the quality of the environment is rapidly deteriorating. It was here that desertification, deforestation, and depletion of flora and fauna assumed the most menacing proportions. Example. The main area of drought and desertification is the Sahel zone, stretching along the southern borders of the Sahara from Mauritania to Ethiopia across ten countries. In 1968-1974. not a single rain fell here, and the Sahel turned into a scorched earth zone. In the first half and in the middle of the 80s. catastrophic droughts have recurred. They claimed millions of human lives. The number of livestock has been greatly reduced.

Tasks and tests on the topic "Subregions of Africa"

States of Africa - Africa Grade 7
Lessons: 3 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1
Tests: 1

Leading ideas: show the diversity of cultural worlds, models of economic and political development, the interconnection and interdependence of the countries of the world; and also to be convinced of the need for a deep understanding of the patterns of social development and the processes that are taking place in the world.

Basic concepts: Western European (North American) type of transport system, port-industrial complex, "axis of development", metropolitan region, industrial belt, "false urbanization", latifundia, shipstations, megalopolis, "technopolis", "growth pole", "growth corridors"; colonial type of branch structure, monoculture, apartheid, subregion.

Skills and abilities: be able to assess the impact of EGP and GWP, the history of settlement and development, the characteristics of the population and labor resources of the region, the country on the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy, the level of economic development, the role in the MGRT of the region, the country; identify problems and predict the prospects for the development of the region, country; highlight the specific, defining features of individual countries and give them an explanation; find similarities and differences in the population and economy of individual countries and give them an explanation, compile and analyze maps and cartograms.