Globalization And Diversity Chapter 6

Sub-Saharan Africa

Compared with Latin America and The Caribbean, Africa south of the Sarah is poorer and more moral, and its population is very Young. More than 760 million people reside in this region, which includes 48 states and one territory. Demographically, this is the world´s fastest –growing region. Sub Saharan Africa- that portion of the African continent lying south of the Sahara Desert- is a commonly accepted world region.

Environmental Geography: The Plateau Continent

The largest landmass straddling the equator, Sub-Saharan Africa is vast inscale and remarkably beautiful. Because much of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is rural land poor, earning its livelihood directly from the land, sudden environmental changes have dramatic effects and can cause mass migrations, famine, and even death. As illustrates, deforestation and desertification, the expansion of desert like conditions as a result of human activities such as poor agricultural practices and overgrazing, are commonplace.

The Sahel and Desertification The Sahel is a zone of ecological transition

between the Sahara to the north and wetter savannas and forest in the south

Life depends on a delicate balance of limited rain.

Deforestation Although Sub-Saharan Africa still contains extensive forests, much of the region is either grasslands or agricultural lands that were once forest. Lush

forests that existed in places such as highland Ethiopia were long ago reduced to a

few remnant patches. Local populations have relied on such woodlands throughout

history for their daily needs. Tropical savannas, which cover large portions of the

region to the north and south of the tropical rainforest zone, are grassland areas

with scattered wooded areas of trees and shrubs.

Wildlife Conservation Sub-Saharan Africa is famous for its wildlife. In no other

region of the world can one find such abundance and diversity of large mammals. But as is true elsewhere in the world, wildlife is quickly declining in much of

Sub-Saharan Africa. The most noted wildlife reserves are in East Africa; in Kenya

and Tanzania these reserves are major tourist attractions and are economically

importante.

Plateaus and Basins Generally, elevations increase toward the south and east of the continent. This is typically referred to as High Africa; Low Africa includes

West Africa and much of Central Africa.

Watersheds Africa south of the Sahara does not have the broad, alluvial lowlands

that influence patterns of settlement throughout other regions. The four major

river systems are the Congo, Niger, Nile, and Zambezi (the Nile will be discussed in smaller rivers, such as the Orange in South Africa; the Senegal, which

divides Mauritania and Senegal; and the Limpopo in Mozambique, are locally

important but drain much smaller areas. Ironically, most people think of Africa

south of the Sahara as suffering from water scarcity and tend to discount the size

and importance of the watersheds (or catchment areas) drained by these

river systems. The Congo River (or Zaire) is the largest watershed in the region, both in terms of drainage area and the volume of river flow produced.

Soils: With a few major exceptions, Sub-Saharan Africa’s soils are relatively

infertile. Generally speaking, fertile soils are young soils, those deposited in recent

geological time by rivers, volcanoes, glaciers, or windstorms. In older soils—

especially those located in moist tropical environments—natural processes tend to

wash out most plant nutrients over time. Over most of Sub-Saharan Africa, the

agents of soil renewal have largely been absent.

Climate and Vegetation

Most of Sub-Saharan Africa lies in the tropical latitudes and it is the largest tropical

landmass on the planet. Only the far south of the continent extends into the subtropical and temperate belts. Much of the region averages high temperatures from 70°F to 80°F (22° to 28°C) year-round.

Tropical Forests The center of Sub-Saharan Africa falls in the tropical wet climate

zone. The world’s second-largest expanse of humid equatorial rainforest, the Ituri,

lies in the Congo Basin, extending from the Atlantic Coast of Gabon two-thirds of

the way across the continent, including the northern portions of the Republic of

the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire).

Savannas Wrapped around the Central African rainforest belt in a great arc lie

Africa’s vast tropical wet and dry savannas. Savannas are dominated by a mixture

...