Unit 15 Africa Vocabulary Terms
1. AIDS- A blood disease that lowers your body’s immune system (the thing that fights sickness and disease). There is
currently no cure for AIDS, just medicines and procedures that lengthen an AIDS patient's life. An estimated 1.2 million
adults and children died of AIDS, accounting for 75% of the world's AIDS deaths in 2012.
2. Anarchy- acts of rebellion against one's government in order to overthrow the political system in place. In the 1980's,
disputes among clans in Somalia led to a Civil War, and then a major drought caused many people to die of starvation.
Countries outside of Somalia tried to send in aid but oftentimes the warring clans kept out any outside help.
3. Animism- polytheistic religion that some Native Africans believe in. This is the idea that animals, plants, and other nonhuman objects have souls like humans do.
4. Apartheid- System of laws that separated racial and ethnic groups and limited the rights of blacks in South Africa. Nelson
Mandela worked to end apartheid in South Africa.
5. Colonialism/Imperialism - when more powerful countries invade less powerful countries, and take over the political
system. The more powerful country is able to use the natural resources, manpower, and land from the smaller country to
their benefit. (p 258)
6. Desertification- this is the process of grasslands changing into deserts over time due to drought. (p. 441)
7. Drought- a long period of dryness and shortage of water. (p. 411)
9. Genocide- mass murder of a people because of their race, religion, ethnicity, politics, or culture. Ex: Hitler's mass murder
of the Jewish people in Germany is an example of genocide. Rwandan genocide of 1994. (p. 414)
11. Indigenous Tribes- native people to a specific country or place. (p. 486)
12. Lost Boys of Sudan - the orphaned children that fled the Civil War in Sudan in 1987. In an effort to avoid being killed
they began a long, harsh trek to Ethiopia to seek safety. While traveling they ate berries, dried leaves, birds, mice and
anything they could find. Thousands of people died on the long journey. In 1991, Ethiopia closed its refugee camps and
forced the children to return back to their homeland, thus starting another long, dreadful journey. After a year back in
Sudan, 10,000 of the boys fled to a refugee camp in Kenya. There they were kept safe, some for as long as 10 years.
13. Nelson Mandela- a South African man that fought to end apartheid. He was jailed for speaking out against the
government. Nelson Mandela became the symbol for the struggle of freedom in South Africa. In 1991, apartheid ended and
in 1994, South Africa held their first democratic election, and elected Nelson Mandela as their first black president.
14. Persecution- treating another group unfairly due to race, gender, ethnicity or religion.
15. Refugee- this is a person who flees to another country to avoid persecution or death. (The Lonely Boys were refugees in
Ethiopia, Kenya and many other countries around the world)
16. Sahara Desert- world’s largest hot desert, located in North Africa. Stretches into a little more than 10 countries.
17. Salt Trade- From 500 A.D. to the 1500's, three great African empires- Ghana, Mali, and Songhai controlled the trade of
gold, salt and other goods between West Africa and the Arab lands in North Africa and Southwest Asia. People living in hot,
dry climates need a lot of salt to replace the sweat they lose due to the climate. As a result salt became VERY valuable.
18. Savannah- broad grassland with very few trees and it is found in tropics.
19. Slash and Burn Agriculture- method of clearing land for planting by cutting and burning forests.
20. Triangular Trade- the trade of finished products from Great Britain to Africa for enslaved African people to America
where the slaves and finished products would be traded for raw materials such as lumber, food, cotton, and molasses.