East Africa From Human Beginnings to New Nations East Africa One of the Subregions of Africa Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania East Africa is called the cradle of humanity because of the large number of prehistoric remains found in the region Tanzania is known for the records of human remains (hominids) Continental Crossroads Map. 430 Crossroad is a road that crosses a main road or runs cross-country between main roads Scientist believe the first human lived there A Trading Coast Aksum was an early civilization of East Africa It has origins in Ethiopia in the B.C.E People from Aksum traded with people from Egypt and the eastern Roman Empire There was a movement coming from Asia through the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Obelisk: Tumbs and Treasures Gold, ivory, and spices A Trading Coast During the 6 th century, Aksum declined because the traders were passing through the Persian Gulf rather than the Red Sea Around the 7 th century, Arab, Persian, Indian traders once made East Africa an international trading center Kilwa was one of the most important cities Colonization Disrupts Africa In the 19 th century, Europes industrialized nations became interested in Africas raw materials ( natural resources ) These nations wanted to colonize Africans countries to obtain their resources Europeans did not wanted to fight for Africa, so 14 European nations convened the Berlin Conference in to lay down rules for dividing Africa Colonization Disrupts Africa By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained free Europeans divided Africa without regard to where African ethnic or linguistic groups lived Europeans combined enemies and divided friends Many people blamed the European division as one of the root causes of political violence and ethnic conflicts Ethiopia Avoids Colonization Ethiopia Emperor Menelik II protected his country from Italian invasion with weapons from France and Russia Knowledge of the land was an advantage in favor of the Ethiopians Ethiopia defeated Italy in 1896 Conflict in East Africa By 1970s, most of East Africa has regained its independence Civil wars became a problem Colonialism inflamed the people of Rwanda and helped to cause a bloody conflict in the 1990s Ethnic boundaries created cultural divisions among native groups Farming and Tourism Economies Agriculture and wildlife parks are the foundation of East Africa Farming and Tourism Economies East Africa is 70% rural (no big cities) cash crops such as coffee, tea, and sugar Relying on cash crops can be risky because the price of crops depends on the world market (demand and supply) More people are looking for new job opportunities in cities Tourism Creates Wealth and Problems One of the main economic activities is tourism Europeans created game reserves killing animals for a sport Africans hunt only for survival Wildlife parks make lots of money in profits Traditional Cultures Two major ethnic groups Masai Kikuyu Masai lives in the Africa grasslands in Kenya and Tanzania Masai herd livestock (raise animals for pleasure) and farm the land Masai dresses with animal skins and wear long skirt-like robes Traditional Cultures Kikuyu are the largest group in Kenya Kikuyu live close to the Mount Kenya Kikuyu traditionally are herders Health Care in Modern Africa Many people face health problems AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) AIDS has become pandemic AIDS is caused by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) AIDS is killing East Africa