Africa is considered by most scientists to be the oldest inhabited region, with early humans originating there over 7 million years ago. Some of the earliest human fossils have been found in Africa, including Australopithecus afarensis nicknamed Lucy. African cultures have a long history dating back to ancient civilizations like Egypt and Great Zimbabwe. Today, Africa has over 2,000 distinct ethnic groups who retain diverse cultural traditions, though Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions.

3. ETYMOLOGY:
Africa: • Aprica a Latin word
means “Sunny” –
Isidore of Seville
• Aphrike a Greek
word means
“Without Cold” –
Leo Africanus

4. PREHISTORY:
Africa is considered by most
paleoanthropologist to be the oldest
inhabited territory on the earth, with the
human species originating from the
continent.
During the middle of the 20th
century, anthropologist discovered many
fossils and evidence of human occupation
perhaps as early as 7 million years ago.

5. Lucy Australopithecus
Afarensiss

9. •Worlds Largest
Desert
• Makes up 25%
of the continent

10. ERGS
• 20% of the Sahara
desert
• Sand dunes, covers
Algeria, Libya,
Mali and Nigeria
• Contains large
quantities of salt

11. REGS
• 70% of the Sahara Desert
• Plains Contains Sand
and Gravels
• Remains of prehistoric
seabed and riverbeds
and they are know
waterless

12. HAMADAS
Elevated
plateaus of
rock and
stone

13. A hub of water in the
desert, often in form
of springs, wells or
irrigation system
OASIS

14. SAHEL
A narrow band of semi-arid land
that forms a transition between
the Sahara desert and the Savanna
to the South

15. SAVANNA
A grassland
covered almost half
of Africa

16. ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS
Began to rise 75
million years
ago, as Magma
from Earths
mantle uplifted
a broad dome of
ancient rocks.
80% of Africa’s tallest
Mountains is in
Ethiopia’s Highlands

17. 80% of the Africa
Rain Forest is
concentrated in
Central Africa
RAIN FOREST

18. MOUNT KILIMANJARO

19. Longest River
in the world

20. Great Pyramids of Giza
The Giza pyramids were erected on
a rocky plateau on the west bank of
the Nile in northern Egypt
and were connected, by covered
causeways, to mortuary temples in
the valley below the plateau. These
temples had landing stages which
were linked to the Nile by a canal.
In ancient times they were included
among the Seven Wonders of the
World.

21. GREAT ZIMBABWE
•Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills
of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo.
•It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the
country's Late Iron Age.
•Construction on the monument by ancestors of the Shona
people began in the 11th century and continued until the 14th
century
•Great Zimbabwe served as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean
monarch and would have been used as the seat of political
power.
•One of its most prominent features were the walls, some of
which were over five meters high and which were constructed
without mortar

22. SWAHILI COAST
The Swahili people live on the East
African coast from southern
Somalia to northern
Mozambique.
Stretches about 1,610 km
along the Indian ocean from
Somalia to Mozambique .
The nearby coral reefs and
barriers Islands protect the
coast to severe weather.
Swahili is a mixture of Bantu and Arab culture
Men wear amulets around their necks that
contain verses from the Koran, which they
believe will protect them.
Only teachers of Islam and prophets are
permitted to become spritual healers.

23. Lake Victoria
Largest lake
in Africa

24. A shelf of
bedrock that is
more than 2-6
billion years old

25. CLIMATE:
• Africa ranges tropical to subarctic on
its highest peak.
• Northern half is primarily Desert
• Central and Southern areas are both
Savanna AFRICA plains is the
and very dense Rain
forest Regions
Hottest
Continent on
the earth.
60% of the
land
surface
consist of
dry lands
and
Deserts.

26. FAUNA
Worlds largest
combination of density
and “Range of Freedom”
of wild animals
population and density.

28. Africa’s Culture, Art,
And Music
Africa’s music uses drums,
guitars, likembes (thumb pianos),
strung bows, trumpets, and
xylophones.
Africa has rich tradition
of arts and crafts. African
arts and crafts find
A great variety of masks from
different materials was worn with
elaborate costumes and mimicked
the human or activities of nature
and forces in the different
seasons.
expression in a variety of
wood carvings, brass and
Ethiopian Basketry African Art Royalty
leather arts.

29. Is an old as the beginning of
human evolution on earth. You
will find Africa’s cultural history
enriched with unique tribal life
and customs, early Neolithic
rocks carvings petroglyphs,
group hunting, metalwork and
many great wonders of Ancient
Egypt.

30. The African tribal life has
always attracted the world to
discover the oldest form of
culture since human evolution.
There are many ethnic groups
and tribes in Africa with their
own distinct culture, norms
and customs

33. Folklore and Religion
African folklore and religion represent a
variety of social facets of the various
cultures in Africa. Like almost all
civilization and cultures, flood myths have
been circulating different parts in Africa.
Folktales also play an important rule in
African cultures. Stories reflect a group
culture identity and preserving the stories of
Africa will help preserve an entire culture

34. Cuisine
 The various cuisine’s of Wasota
Africa used
a combination of locally available
fruits, cereal grains and vegetable, as
well as milk and meat products.
The continents diverse demographic
make-up is reflected in the many
eating and drinking habits, dishes and
preparation techniques of it’s
manifold populations

35. AFRICAN JARS

36. These were worn by various early cultures but are
especially The Samburu associated are with a Nilotic the ancient people Celts of north-central
of
the European Kenya Iron that Age, are where related they to were but distinct
evidently a key
indicator from African the of wealth Maasai.
and culture status, has mostly always
worn by men. In
a few The African placed Samburu and emphasis are Asian semi-cultures nomadic
on neck personal
rings are worn
usually pastoralists to appearance create who the appearance herd mainly cattle but also
keep sheep, goats and and jewelry that the neck has
has been
stretched. Padaung (Kayan camels. Lahwi) The women name of they
the Kayan
people use remained for themselves is begin to wear an neck important Lokop or Loikop, a
coils from as personal
young as age
term which may have a variety of meanings
two. The which accessory. length of the Samburu themselves Many coil is gradually pieces increased to as
do not agree of such
on.
much jewelry as twenty Many assert eventually place are turns. that it sufficient made The weight of of the coils will
refers to them cowry as "owners
pressure on the clavicles shells
to
of the land" and ("lo" similar refers to cause them to deform and create materials.
ownership, "nkop"
an impression of a
is land) though others present a very
longer neck. The custom of wearing neck rings is related
different interpretation of the term
to an ideal of beauty: an elongated neck.

37. CLOTHING
Men wear pants and knee
length shirt with a white
Women’s traditional
clothes in Ethiopia are
made color from and cloth perhaps called a
“
Shemma “ and used to
make Habesha Kemis.
sweater. Men often wear
knee high socks. Men as
well as woman wear
shawls, the netela

39. LANGUAGE:
 Afroasiatic Language
 Khoisan
 Niger- Congo Language
 Austronesian
 Sudanic

41. ISLAM is the most
dominate Religion
in Africa followed
by Christianity

42. •Carved from solid red volcanic rock in the 12th
century.
•"Eighth Wonder of the World".
• Lalibela, King of Ethiopia.
• sought to recreate Jerusalem,
•According to Ethiopian cultural history, Bete
Giyorgis was built after King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela
of the Zagwe dynasty had a vision in which he was
instructed to construct the church; Saint
George and God have both been referred to as the
one who gave him the instructions.
•Lalibela is a pilgrimage site for members of
the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
•"Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela"
CHURCH OF SAINT
GEORGE

43. St. Joseph's Cathedral style cathedral in Saint the centre of Joseph
is a large Romanesque
the city of Asmara, Eritrea. It
was built in 1922 by the colonial authorities in Italian
Eritrea. The Cathedral edifice was constructed Asmara
in the Lombard
Romanesque style, and is now the seat of
the Eparchy of Asmara. The Catholic Church in Eritrea is a
part of the Eritrean Catholic Church, an
autonomous particular church in communion with
the Pope of Rome.
History
The building took six years to construct and was
consecrated in 1922. The tower rises 52 meters into the sky
and it is possible to tour the tower and see fantastic views
of the art deco city. On the cathedral site, there is also a
primary school, a monastery, and a convent, all of which
have existed since the initial construction of the cathedral.

44. Ethic groups & there Religions, Customs, and
Traditions
 Africa is made up of 54 different
countries and many ethnic
groups.
 A group’s customs and
traditions often come from
religion, from where the group
lives, or from the demands of
daily life.
 For example, nomadic Bedouin
tribe must have customs that
can be practiced while traveling.
 Most Africans today are either
Muslim or Christian, but
traditional religions and
customs still play a role in
African culture.

46. Education and school
system in Africa
•The boys and girls are taught separately.
•They’re in school from January to
December.
•The school was based on the youth
becoming adults.
•Over the years the schools have become
more about education.

47. Most Africans earn less than 1$ per day
Education in
Africa began as a
tool to prepare its
young to take their
place in the African
society.
Education in early
African societies
included such things as
artistic performances,
ceremonies, games,
festivals, dancing,
singing, and drawing.
Only 2.4% of the
Africans enter
tertiary education,
most of those are
in N. and S.Africa

48. The high point of the African
educational experience was the
ritual passage ceremony from
childhood to adulthood. There
were no academic examinations
necessary to graduate in the
African educational system.

49. When European colonialism and
imperialism took place it began to
change the African educational
system. Schooling was no longer
just about rituals and rites of
passage, school would now mean
earning an education that would
allow Africans to compete with
countries such as the United States
and those in Europe.

50. However, education in Africa is still
less developed than other parts of the
world, and many African countries
have low rates of participation.
Schools often lack many basic
facilities, and African Universities
being lured away to Western
countries by higher pay and better
conditions.

51. According to UNESCO's Regional
overview on sub-Saharan
Africa in 2000:
only 58% of children were
enrolled in primary schools, the
lowest enrollment rate of any
region.
Marked gender inequalities: in
most parts of Africa there is
much higher enrollment by
boys, but in some there are
actually more girls, due to sons
having to stay home and tend
to the family farm.
Children sent to
Primary Schools
Sent
Not
Sent
42 58%
%

52. Distribution of Out-Of-School Youths, 2000
Arab States/North
Africa
Central & Eastern
Europe
Central Asia
East Asia/Pacific
Latin
America/Caribbean
North America/
Western Europe
South/ West Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa

54. Compare to an..

57. ECONOMY
The economy of Africa consist of
trade, industry, agricultural, and,
human resources.
Africa is a resource-rich
continent
but many African people are
poor.

58. NATURAL RESOURCES
•Petroleum
•Oil
•Platinum
•Gold
•Chromium
•Tantalum
•Coltan
•Diamond
•Manganese
•Coal
•Natural gas
•Phosphates
•Asbestos
•Iron ore

59. FACTS:
More people are
killed in Africa by
crocodiles than by
lions.

63. Egypt

64. Ghana

65. Mali

66. Sierra Leone

67. Democratic Republic Of
Congo

68. Ethiopia

69. Zimbabwe

70. Sudan