1: Geography Skills

Part One: Analyzing Maps of Africa

We are going to explore the complex issues of African countries by learning more about the geographic system. You will get to explore many different maps of Africa to get the bigger picture of all systems of PEGS and how the systems overlap and impact each other.

Using the TicTacToe lineup, you will get to choose the maps that interest you and then move forward to create inferences about places. From this activity you will get to choose one country to learn more about for the summative assessment.

Directions: Choose from the maps below to answer the questions in the TIC-TAC-TOE boxes. Make sure you include enough details (describe the aspects from the map) in your answer.

Geography Skills

For this activity you are going to explore maps of Africa to learn about the systems of PEGS and how important geography is in terms of affecting the other systems.

From the lists provided you need to select ten maps to complete the Tic Tac Toe chart. To earn full points and really understand the purpose of this activity include a description of the maps in your answers.

U5: Africa Map Skills

BOUNDARY TIPS:

NOT ALL BOUNDARIES ARE CREATED EQUAL

Good Boundaries

- Mountains and coastlines because they already divide people from each other.

- Lakes, depending upon the size of the lake and the amount of available fresh water.

- Cultural borders such as those formed by racial groups, religious groups, or language groups; because they promote nationalism within countries.

- Borders that are relatively rectangular; close to the geometric center of the country (avoid protruded or elongated areas).

Poor Boundaries

- Boundaries that pass through large concentrations of people.

- Latitude or longitude lines would generally be bad for Africa (many diverse nations), but it depends upon how many large population centers they pass through.

- Rivers are often used, but for convenience, not for good boundary making. High population concentrations are usually found along rivers. Water is a valuable resource that will cause disputes (e.g., over access & quality).

Maps of Africa

Follow the Tic-Tac-Toe to choose the best maps.

Map One: Africa around 1400

Map Two: Africa Rivers and Lakes

Map Three: Africa's Population

Map Four: Resources

Map Five: Natural Vegetation

Map Six: Governments in Africa

Map Seven: Independence Dates in Africa

Map Eight: Africa before Colonization

Map Eight B: Africa during Colonization

Map Eight C: African countries by independence

Map Nine: Side by Side Comparison of Africa before and after colonization

Map Ten: GDP per Capita

Map Eleven: Fertility Rates

Map Twelve: Child Mortality Rate

Map Thirteen: Literacy Rates

Map Fourteen: Conflicts across Africa

Map Fifteen: Tribal versus Country Borders

Map Fifteen B: Ethnic borders

Map Sixteen: Africa's Natural Resources

Map Seventeen: Africa's Minerals

Map Eighteen: Traditional Religions over Time

Map Eighteen B: Islam in Africa

Map Nineteen: Languages and Religion

Map Twenty: Languages (European influence)

Map Twenty-one: Africa's True Size

ENRICHMENT OPTIONS

1. Explore current event articles and write how these topics connect to what we are discussing in class. Choose at least two articles (you can choose from articles other than this list...just keep the focus on geography):

Articles found on the NY Times website (link above will take you to a list of articles; these are a few):

2. Write a current event article! What should people care about regarding geography that is currently not a priority?

3. What are the most important things to know about Africa? If we could prioritize issues that Africa needs to focus on so they can better participate in globalization what would your list look like?

4. What are important geographic facts to help us better understand Africa?

5. What makes these places hot spots to visit? Which places would you want to visit and why? Which ones would you want to visit maybe another time? Article