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Imperialism
In the days of imperialism, Eastern Africa was not controlled by one country. Around the 1880’s-1910’s Eastern Africa was controlled by five main countries:
· Britain.
· Germany.
· Italy.
· Belgium.
These four countries placed boundaries between each other; these were influential on the current boundaries that separate the countries today.
The “Scramble” for Eastern Africa is referencing to the Europeans in the 1880’s. The Europeans, desperate for profit, turned toward Africa when they were told about the gold and diamonds laying there. Since many Europeans feared the disease and troubles of central Africa, they settled their colonies on the edge of Africa. Explaining why few countries controlled the central Africa region.
There were few independent nations in this time period. According to several maps, around Ethiopia, there were several regions that fought for their independence. They resisted the countries and fought back to remain an independent region. Though many tried, the extreme force of the large countries completely destroyed the chance of independence.
Imperialism affected the Eastern Africa nation today because they basically set the boundaries for the current African countries. Also, the European control killed the African economy. This makes them still rely on the countries that controlled them in the past. They don’t have power over them; however, they still have a lot of power in Africa.
Geography
Although Eastern Africa is known for its stunning scenery, the geography negatively affects some of the people that live there. Some of the geography includes the East African Rift, home to Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest single standing mountain in the world, standing at 19,000 feet.
Due to the high altitude, and rain shadow, the region near Kenya is surprisingly cool and dry compared to the rest of Africa. This causes problems with farming in Kenya. On top of the climate, as seen in “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, Africa has few nutritious crops that are able to grow.
On the other hand, Eastern Africa has two very large lakes: Lake Victoria, and Lake Tanganyika. This makes the farming situation easier for the early Africans. Much of Eastern Africa is still not populated because of the lack of water and rainfall. The only rainfall is caused by El Nino. So, all of the civilizations are generally close to these two major lakes.
In the Northern part of East Africa, the average rainfall can be as low as 3 inches a year. In this region we get into the Sahara Desert. This huge desert is completely unpopulated and is not supportable for the early African tribes.
All in all, Eastern Africa has a very small population compared to Central Africa and South Africa. This is caused by the lack of rain, the Sahara Desert, and the East African Rift. Because it is so unpopulated, the land does not cause many problems for its inhabitants. The few that do live there have adapted to the harsh weather conditions and their way of life.
Works Cited
http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/1_4east.html
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m19/activity2.php
http://www.elateafrica.org/elate/history/europeanimperialisminea/europeanimperialintro.html \
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m7b/activity4.php
In the days of imperialism, Eastern Africa was not controlled by one country. Around the 1880’s-1910’s Eastern Africa was controlled by five main countries:
· Britain.
· Germany.
· Italy.
· Belgium.
These four countries placed boundaries between each other; these were influential on the current boundaries that separate the countries today.
The “Scramble” for Eastern Africa is referencing to the Europeans in the 1880’s. The Europeans, desperate for profit, turned toward Africa when they were told about the gold and diamonds laying there. Since many Europeans feared the disease and troubles of central Africa, they settled their colonies on the edge of Africa. Explaining why few countries controlled the central Africa region.
There were few independent nations in this time period. According to several maps, around Ethiopia, there were several regions that fought for their independence. They resisted the countries and fought back to remain an independent region. Though many tried, the extreme force of the large countries completely destroyed the chance of independence.
Imperialism affected the Eastern Africa nation today because they basically set the boundaries for the current African countries. Also, the European control killed the African economy. This makes them still rely on the countries that controlled them in the past. They don’t have power over them; however, they still have a lot of power in Africa.
Geography
Although Eastern Africa is known for its stunning scenery, the geography negatively affects some of the people that live there. Some of the geography includes the East African Rift, home to Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest single standing mountain in the world, standing at 19,000 feet.
Due to the high altitude, and rain shadow, the region near Kenya is surprisingly cool and dry compared to the rest of Africa. This causes problems with farming in Kenya. On top of the climate, as seen in “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, Africa has few nutritious crops that are able to grow.
On the other hand, Eastern Africa has two very large lakes: Lake Victoria, and Lake Tanganyika. This makes the farming situation easier for the early Africans. Much of Eastern Africa is still not populated because of the lack of water and rainfall. The only rainfall is caused by El Nino. So, all of the civilizations are generally close to these two major lakes.
In the Northern part of East Africa, the average rainfall can be as low as 3 inches a year. In this region we get into the Sahara Desert. This huge desert is completely unpopulated and is not supportable for the early African tribes.
All in all, Eastern Africa has a very small population compared to Central Africa and South Africa. This is caused by the lack of rain, the Sahara Desert, and the East African Rift. Because it is so unpopulated, the land does not cause many problems for its inhabitants. The few that do live there have adapted to the harsh weather conditions and their way of life.
Works Cited
http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/1_4east.html
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m19/activity2.php
http://www.elateafrica.org/elate/history/europeanimperialisminea/europeanimperialintro.html \
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m7b/activity4.php