Africa Mediterranean coastline Libya Egypt Morocco Algeria Tunisia The Safarilands Kenya Tanzania Zambia Botswana Namibia Africa overview South Africa Birthplace of human race Separated from Europe by Mediterranean Sea and from Asia by the Red Sea Continent is divided in two by the Sahara o Africa north of the Sahara o Africa south of the Sahara Sahara Desert West Africa Politically unstable North Africa Sahara World s largest desert o Covers 25 of Africa Africa Second Largest Continent o In all four hemispheres 1 billion people est to double in 40 years The Nile Longest river in the world o Flows North o Starts in Lake Victoria Travel obstacles HISTORY o 1400s Start of colonial rule o 1884 Berlin Conference Divided Africa o Infrastructure poor roads no airports limited water civil wars unsafe o Post WWI League of Nations divided the Arab lands between Britain and France o 1940s Arab states fought for independence Israel became a country o 1950s Period of independence for Africa o 1960s Transition period positive years more schools built hope for Africa o 1970s Countries in limbo o 1980s Enter a decline hunger famines civil wars o 1990s Total crisis turmoil wars Somalia Angola recently Libya and Egypt GEOGRAPHY o Deserts to Tropical Rainforests o Great Rift Valley 3 000 miles Begins in Syria and extends south to Mozambique o The Big Five attracts most visitors Elephants rhinos lions leopards buffalos o Ivory is a 16 billion industry PEOPLE AND THEIR HISORY o Birth place of the human race o Lucy o People lived in the middle east as early as 2500 BC o Islam was the next major force in the region 700AD 1100s o Powerful kingdoms south of the Sahara Bushmen Oldest inhabitants in South Africa Tuaregs Blue men of the Sahara Zulu Largest group MEDITERRANEAN COAST o Morocco Wear blue clothes desert navigators brought salt across the desert following stars Mandinka Ivory coast to Cameroon west Africa Brought over to America as slaves Strategic location at the entrance of the Mediterranean Success in trade Played an important role in Muslim domination of Spain Larger than California Western Sahara in South Morocco Atlas Mountains o Runs SW to NE Built to rival Paris as Louis XIV was building Versailles FOUR IMPERIAL CITIES o Rabat Current Capital o Marrakesh French influence The Red City Buildings made of red clay 18th century South o Meknes o Fez Oldest of the imperial cities 18th century EGYPT o The Gift of the Nile Lower Nile is to the North of Cairo Nile flows north South of Cairo is upper Egypt Cairo Capital Egyptian Museum GIZA o Suburb of Cairo Mixed population of Arabs Turks Africans and Europeans o On the Nile PYRAMIDS o Great Pyramid of Cheops Most famous largest single building ever constructed o Sphinx Missing nose as a result of target practice by Napoleon s riflemen o Cosmopolitan City overcrowded o Memphis FIRST CAPITAL OF EGYPT SW of Cairo o ALEXANDRIA Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC Library Egypt s largest port and second largest city Beach Resort o LUXOR Most Important tourist Destination 405 miles from Cairo o THEBES Imperial capital o Temple of Luxor Considered the MOST IMPORTANT SITE IN EGYPT o Valley of the Kings Cemetery of the pharaohs Across the river Runs along east Africa from Kenya to South Africa THE SAFARI LANDS KENYA Nairobi capital o One of Africa s largest cities Terrorists attach in 2004 o Nairobi National Park close proximity to city TANZANIA Result of joining Tanganyika Zanzibar o Considered the LARGEST COUNTRY IN EAST AFRICA Home to over 125 tribal groups o Dar es Salaam Capital and LARGEST CITY o Mt Kilimanjaro Africa s TALLEST mountain o Ngorongoro Crater World s LARGEST caldera Home to more than 30 000 animals o Serengeti National Park Lions antelopes and zebra o Selous Game Preserve World s largest animal preserve Size of Switzerland ZAMBIA Landlocked Lukaka Capital Victoria Falls o One of the most desirable safari locations Gabarone Capital and largest city Kalahari Desert o Central part of the country HOME TO THE BUSHMEN Chobe National Park World s HIGHEST elephant population NAMIBIA Windhoek Capital and largest city o Architecture reflects its past as a German colony Namib Desert o One of the world s OLDEST and DRIEST deserts Skeleton Coast Along the west coast o Foggy shipwrecks Etosha National Park o NW of the capital o One of the world s LARGEST GAME PARKS Etosha Pan salt flats water holes attract animals SOUTH AFRICA 3x size of Texas 1600s Dutch setters Afrikaners or boers 3 capitals modern cities o Cape Town legislative o Pretoria administrative o Bloemfontein judicial Gold mines 28 of the world gold o Diamond mines Kruger National Park o Most important tourist attraction o SA s largest game park One of the oldest and most famous MIDDLE EAST In northern and eastern hemispheres Boarders Mediterranean and Black Seas to the NORTH SOUTH boarders Indian Ocean Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman o Geographically Israel Syria Lebanon and Jordan 6 countries on the Arabian Peninsula Saudi Arabia Bahrain Qatar United Arab Emirates Oman and Yemen and 4 countries of Asia Iraq Kuwait Turkey and Iran o Politically North Africa countries Morocco Algeria Tunisia Egypt and Lebanon Connected by religion Mesopotamia Where Tigris and Euphrates meet in Iraq Two MAIN travel destinations ISREAL AND TURKEY ISREAL 1948 Established by the United Nations Narrow stretch of land along the Mediterranean o South Negev Desert o North Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee Cities o Tel Aviv Cultural capital and economic powerhouse Modern Beach fronts Airport o Jerusalem Old City is the historical heart of town Many ethnic groups Jews Arabs Turks Greeks Romans Temple Mount o Occupies 1 5 of Old City o Sacred to 3 religions o Bethlehem Little town Church of the Nativity Shared by Greek Orthodox Catholic Armenian and Franciscan churches o Galilee Sea of Galilee Site of many Christian pilgrimages o The Dead Sea Asia s LOWEST point Salt formations o Masada The Cliffs of Masada Isolated Plateau 1 443 ft above the Dead Sea Fortress built atop in 73 AD Over 900 Jews took their lives to avoid surrendering to the Romans o Eilat Beach resort Once a military base o Holy Cities Jerusalem Hebron Safed and Tiberias TURKEY Asia Minor Cities o Istanbul o Connects Europe and Asia o Bosporous Strait seperates the two Center of the Byzantine Empire for 1000 yrs and Ottoman Empire for 500 years Largest City ONLY CITY IN THE WORLD ON TWO CONTINENTS Asia and Europe o Topkapi Palace Most