20.4 Horn of Africa

Introducing the Region

●

Northern part of East Africa

●

Got its name due to the shape of a horn

●

Countries in the Region:
○

Sudan

○

South Sudan

○

Ethiopia

○

Eritrea

○

Djibouti

○

Somalia

Sudan
●

One of the largest countries in Africa

●

Northern part covered by sand dunes
of the Sahara and Nubian Desert

●

Most people live along the Nile River
or its tributaries, Blue Nile and White
Nile

●

Farmers grow sugarcane, grains,
nuts, dates, cotton (largest export)

●

Other exports- sheep and gold

●

Oil recently discovered

Sudan’s History
●Ancient Times- Ancient Kush was at the
center of present day Sudan

●Egyptians to the North- close ties.

●Kush lost power around AD 350.

●AD 500s- Egyptian missionaries brought
Christianity to the region

●900 years later- Muslim Arabs entered
Northern Sudan and converted people to
Islam.

●Late 1800s-1950s, Sudan was controlled
by both British and Egyptians.

●Won independence in 1956, led by
military leaders

●Video Clip

Conflict and Creation of South Sudan

●1980s- government began a
“reign of terror” against Southern
Christian peoples

●Fighting disrupted the economy,
caused widespread hunger,
especially in the South

●Millions starved to death

●2011- Southern people voted for
secession, creating the new
country of South Sudan.

South Sudan Today

NEARLY 400,000

●
Estimated number of people killed since December 2013

2.24 MILLION

●
Estimated number of refugees and asylum-seekers

Video

●Civil war broke out in December of
2013

●South Sudan and Uganda tried to
bring both leaders together
(President and Opposition
Leader/former Vice President) to
end the Civil War

Ethiopia
●

Landlocked, twice the size of Texas

●

Landscape varies- lowlands, rugged
mountains, valleys, highland plateau

●

Mild temperatures, good soil in the highlands
makes it great for farming!

●

Coffee is a major export crop

●

1980 drought caused famine- became global
issue; more than 1 million people died from
starvation and disease

●

Scientists have found remains of the oldest
human ancestors in Ethiopia

Ethiopia
continued...

●

AD 300s- many Ethiopians accepted
Christianity

●

Ruled mainly by kings and emperors,
Europeans stayed out of Ethiopia

●

Last emperor was overthrown in 1970s;
trying to form democratic government

●

Population: 70 million people

●

85% of people live in rural areas

●

45% of people are Muslim

●

80 languages are spoken; official language
is Amharic

Eritrea

●

Won independence from
Ethiopia in 1993 after 30
years of war

●

Population- 4.4 million

●

Farming/agricultural based

●

Dry climate makes farming
uncertain

●

Women have more rights
here; women made up about
⅓ of the army during the war
for independence.

Women fought in the war in Eritrea;
made up ⅓ of the army

Djibouti

●Lies at the northern tip of the Great
Rift Valley

●One of the hottest and driest places
on Earth

●Landscape covered by rocky desert

●Population: about 700,000 people

●Most of population is Muslim

●Farming and herding are difficult
due to climate

●Capital: Djibouti

○People have been moving here to
work on the docks-- this is a busy
international sea port

Somalia

●Borders the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean

●Almost as large as Texas

●Hot and dry- farming is difficult

●Most people are nomadic herders

●South- irrigation makes farming possible
○Grow fruits, sugarcane, and bananas

●Most people are Muslim in Somalia

●Civil war struck in the 1980s amongst
different clans

●Drought struck soon after, many died from
starvation

●US tried to help; government has not been
super stable (stateless society until 2006)