Three Major African Ethnic Groups

Africa is a unique and varied continent, containing hundreds of diverse ethnic groups. Many of these ethnic groups are unified through a shared language and cultural traditions. Some of these ethnic groups are quite small, but many of them have populations of well over a million. The Berber people are one such group. With an estimated 65 million Berbers, they are one of largest ethnic groups found in Africa. It is believed that the Berber people have inhabited northern Africa since 3000 BC, and today their tribes span from Morocco to Egypt, with the largest concentrations of Berbers in Algeria and Morocco. Though the Berber were at one time among the earliest Christians, today they are predominantly Muslim and speak Arabic as a primary language. In other ways, their culture has maintained its traditions. Many Berber men raise livestock, while women care for the families. The cuisine has likewise changed very little over time. One dish associated with the Berber people and eaten all over the world is couscous.

The Yoruba are another important ethnic group from Africa. The Yoruba live primarily in Nigeria and Benin. There are an estimated 30 million Yoruba living in these two countries, and they are the largest ethnic group found in western Africa. There are also large communities of Yoruba people living outside of Africa in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Yoruba are well known for their artwork, especially beadwork, pottery, and mask making. Another interesting fact about the Yoruba is that they have the highest rate of fraternal twins in the world. 4.4% of all Yoruba children are fraternal twins, which means that roughly 1 out of every 22 pregnant Yoruba women carry fraternal twins. In the USA only 1 out of 90 pregnancies carry fraternal twins.

Another large ethnic group found in Africa are the Zulu. The Zulu live almost entirely in South Africa and number around 11 million people. Members of the Zulu people speak Zulu, which is one of South Africa's official languages and today it is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. The Zulu played an important role in apartheid. Apartheid was a policy of racial segregation enforced in South Africa from the late 1940's to the early 1990's. Under the this system, the Zulu were segregated and given fewer opportunities and rights. Today the the Zulu are full citizens of South Africa and have equal rights under the law.

There are many other tribal and ethnic groups found all over Africa. Your assignment this week is to post a comment. In your comment, you need to list one other African ethnicity and one fact about your group. In order to receive credit, comments must be posted by class on Friday.

Maldives

The Republic of Maldives is a tiny island nation located in the Indian Ocean approximately 700 miles southwest of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka is an island off the southeastern tip of India). The Maldives have been inhabited since 300BC and are comprised of nearly 1200 isles. Today two hundred of those islands are inhabited, while another eighty of them are used as tourist resorts. One-third of the population lives on the same island in the capital city of Malé. The Republic of Maldives is one of the least populated countries in Asia, with a total population of almost 400,000. The Maldives is also one of the lowest countries on earth; the highest point is only seven feet above sea level. This, of course, can be problematic. The country was hit especially hard by the 2004 tsunami when waves reached fourteen feet high. You can find out more about another related concern by reading the article at this address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8312320.stm

Post a comment related to the BBC’s article about Maldives by class next Wednesday (October 28^th).

A Hybrid Intergovernmental and Supranational Organization: Meet the EU

The European Union is defined by the CIA World Factbook as an "intergovernmental and supranational organization." But what does that mean? And what is the EU? In simpler terms, the European Union is a collection of 27 sovereign nations who, for political and economic reasons, have formed an organization that spans much of the continent. Though founded on an earlier prexisting institution, the EU came into its present form in 1993.

Today member states essentially share a single market. This means that all 27 states have a common set of laws, ensuring the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital between countries. Many changes have developed, and continue to develop, as a result of the EU. For instance before the European Union, travlers were required to show a passport each time they moved between countries. Today once an individual has entered an EU state, there is no need to show a passport again when going from one member country to another.

On a related note, the EU introduced the Euro in 1999. The Euro is a standard form of currency used in 16 of the member states. It allows individuals to travel between countries without having to exchange money. Several countries have opted not to use the Euro, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark.

In many ways, the European Union is more like an independent nation than an economic organization. Because, in addition to having its own currency, the EU has its own flag and its own anthem. According to the CIA World Factbook, as the EU continues to evolve, it will likely continue to expand this "nation-like characteristics." This makes the European Union unique-- no organization like this has ever been seen before in history.

Quiz on Friday!

Fascinating Facts

This week we'll finish our discussion of South America in class. On Thursday we'll have a review day and the South America test is on Friday. It's not to early to start studying!

On Thursday, before the studying starts, each student will be required to share one fascinating fact about South America. Your fact should NOT be something discussed in class. Instead you should research to find something interesting about the continent or one of its countries that we haven't covered during the lectures. This is a homework assignment worth ten points. Your fact should be written down on a sheet of paper. Please include your source on your paper (the web address or title of the book you used-- an MLA citation is not necessary). The student with the most intriguing fact will receive five extra credits points on his/her test.

Good luck researching!

Half an Inch of Rain a Year or Less...

When I think of South America, I usually picture rivers and rain forests, sandy beaches and tall mountains. I do not think of cactus or desert, yet one of the driest spots on earth is located on this continent. The Atacama Desert, located in northwestern Chile, is widely regarded as the driest desert on the planet. The Atacama is a narrow strip of land nearly 700 miles long. It lies nestled between the Andes Mountains to the east and the coastal ranges of Chile in the west. Because it is bordered by mountains on either side, very little precipitation reaches the interior. In many parts of the desert, rainfall has never been recorded and no vegetation whatsoever can grow. In other parts of the desert, some moisture (primarily in the form of fog) allows a few types of cactus and lichen to survive. Very few species of animal have been able to adapt to this extremely harsh climate and the desert is virtually uninhabited.

The Atacameños, an ancient Indian culture, once made their home in the foothills of the Andes which lies along the desert. Today only a few port towns are located on the edge of the Atacama desert. In the 1940's Bolivia, Peru, and Chile were involved in a dispute over the Atacama, primarily because of the high levels of sodium nitrate found there. However, the dispute died with the decreased demand for sodium nitrate (after scientists learned how to create it artificially). Other mineral resources are found and mined from the Atacama, including copper, iodine salts, and sodium chloride.

The desert also provides an ideal place to stargaze. It is seldom cloudy there and conveniently removed from major cities, so several important observatories are located in the desert. Somewhat ironically, because of its barren and almost alien appearance, the Atacama has been used to represent Mars in more than one Hollywood production. Most notably, the television series Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets was filmed here.

Quiz over this entry on Friday!

Icy Greenland

Greenland is considered the world’s largest island. Students often ask if Australia isn’t the largest island, but because Australia is a continent, that honor goes to Greenland. Greenland is unique in many other ways as well. Over two-thirds of the island is permanently covered in ice. Most of the country has an arctic climate, and in the warmest part of summer, the average temperature there is only 50°F. In the southernmost parts of the country, the temperatures are warmer and can reach 68°F or above in July and August.

Needless to say, most of the 57,000 people in Greenland live in the warmer south. Much of the population is descended from the Inuit tribes who first migrated to the island from Canada. The second wave of people were Vikings who arrived in the 10th century, but they mysteriously disappeared circa 1500AD. Over the next two centuries, Danish colonizers settled on the island, led there primarily because of the whaling industry. Due to the Danish settlement of the island, Greenland has traditionally been linked to that nation. Officially, Greenland is an overseas division of Denmark. Over the last year, however, Greenland has chosen to increasingly limit the involvement of Denmark in its internal affairs. Starting in June 2009, Greenland now has complete control over domestic policy. Denmark remains involved in foreign affairs, security, and certain aspects of financial policy.

Also in 2009, the islanders voted to make Greenlandic the only official language of the country. Danish and English are also spoken, but Greenlandic is the most widely used. Greenlandic is a unique language, closely related to the Inuit languages of northern Canada. It is a “polysynthetic language.” This means that multiple affixes (suffixes and prefixes) can be attached to each root word. Words in Greenlandic can be extremely long and often translate to entire sentences in other languages.

There will be a quiz over Greenland next Wednesday. Enjoy the long weekend this weekend!

Counting Counties

As we study the United States of America, we are looking at each of the fifty states. But did you know that the USA is divided into more than just states? Each state is split into a certain number of counties. A county is a division of local government within a state. The powers of a county government, as well as the way it interacts with city governments, varies from state to state. In fact each state has a slightly different approach to its counties.

Louisiana and Alaska are especially unique. In fact, neither of these states even uses the word “county.” Louisiana is divided into parishes rather than counties, though the parishes are equivalent to a county. The term “parish” is leftover from Louisiana’s colonization by the heavily Catholic countries of Spain and France. Alaska, because of its sparse population, is divided into boroughs. The more heavily populated areas of Alaska are divided into sixteen boroughs. The rest of the state is referred to as the Unorganized Borough.

The number of counties in each state differs. Texas has the most, with a total of 254; while Delaware, with only three, has the fewest counties. The size of a county greatly depends on the state. For instance, Georgia’s 159 counties are all very small, because originally they were planned so that a farmer could easily reach the county seat (government headquarters) on horseback. While other states, like Arizona with only fifteen, have large counties.

The population of a county also varies quite widely. For instance, Loving County in Texas has only sixty-seven residents. But Los Angeles County in California contains over ten million people. Our county has nearly four million residents.

This week’s assignment: There will be no quiz over this blog entry, because we have a test on Friday. Your extra credit question on the test is: Where did the title of this blog come from? Find out before Friday and earn bonus points on your first exam of the school year.