# Maury's New Elements of Geography for Primary and Intermediate Classes/Africa

AFRICA.
LESSON LX.
1. Leaving Asia, let us visit Africa, the home of the Negro race. Most of the natives belong to this race and are savages. Many of them used to be constantly fighting and making slaves of one another. European nations are stopping this.
Negroes and their home.
Africa is second only to Asia in size. It lies chiefly in the Torrid zone, and is the hottest of all the continents.
The coastline is not much indented, and consequently there are very few good harbors. In this respect Africa is like South America.
2. Surface.—Most of Africa is a plateau, or elevated plain. It is surrounded by a narrow belt of low land along the coast. The principal mountains are the Atlas mountains on the north, and a high range on the east near the equator. Large portions of the continent are deserts.
3. Rivers and Lakes.—The chief rivers are the Nile, the Niger (ni'-jer), the Kongo, and the Zambezi (zam-bay'-ze). The Nile is one of the longest rivers in the world.
Africa contains some of the largest lakes in the world. The most important are Victoria and Tanganyika (tan-gan-yee'-ka).
4. Vegetation.—Many curious trees are natives of Africa. The date-palm is as valuable to the African as the banana is to the South American Indian. Its fruit is his daily food. The cocoa-palm produces the well-known cocoa-nut. The palm-oil tree yields a yellow oil, which is sent by steamer loads to England. It is obtained by boiling the fruit, and is used for making soap. The coffee-tree grows wild.
Africa has a remarkable shade tree that grows nowhere else. It is called the ba'-o-bab. It is not very high, but it shoots out branches which hang down to the ground, and make for the weary traveler a green shelter like a giant umbrella.
Cotton and indigo, sugar-cane, wheat, and millet (a kind of grain) are largely cultivated.
5. Animals.—Africa is remarkable for its strange and fierce animals. Among the most curious are the gorilla and chimpanzee, huge monkeys which are very like men; the giraffe, hippopotamus, rhinoceros (ri-nos'-e-ros), and zebra.
Animals of Africa.
The giraffe (ji-raf') is the tallest of all living creatures. The hippopotamus, or river horse, lives partly in the water, and partly on land. On the river banks crocodiles are to be seen basking in the sun. The white ant builds houses from fifteen to thirty feet high. Whole villages of them are sometimes seen. When deserted, the ant houses are sometimes used by the natives as ovens.
Among the useful animals are the elephant, the ostrich, and the camel. Elephants' tusks and ostrich feathers are two of the chief exports of Africa.
Ostriches are now raised on farms. Formerly, the only way of getting their feathers was by hunting and killing the wild birds. They are very shy, and will run as fast as the fleetest horse. But the natives, by covering themselves with ostrich skins, manage to get near enough to shoot them.
Date-palm trees, camels, and a pyramid, near the Nile.
For Recitation.—Of what race is Africa the home? What are some of the most useful trees of Africa? Name some of the animals of Africa.
LESSON LXI.
1. Egypt is the most interesting country in Africa. It was once the most highly Civilized part of the earth. The people who lived there more than three thousand years ago built pyramids and temples so grand that they have always been among the wonders of the world.
MAP STUDIES. :
| Of what countries are the following cities the Capitals? ||
| Cairo, | Freetown, |
| Tripoli, | Cape Town, |
| Tunis, | Pretoria, |
| Algiers, | Salisbury, |
| Morocco, | Adis Abeba, |
| Monrovia, | Tánanarivo. |
How is Africa separated from Europe? "What ocean and sea are on the east? What ocean is on the west? What sea is on the north? Of what sea is the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb the entrance? Where is the Gulf of Guinea?
Name the most northern cape of Africa. The most western. What noted cape is near the most southern point of Africa? Where is Cape Guardafui (gwar-dahfwe')? "What large island is east of Africa? In what ocean is it? What separates it from Africa? It is a French colony.
What country occupies the northeastern corner of Africa? What river flows through Egypt? Into what sea does the Nile flow? What city is at the mouth of the river?
Where are the Barbary states? What two countries are west of Tunis? Where is Fezzan? To what country does it belong? Where are the Atlas mountains?
What islands are west of Morocco? What great desert is south of the Barbary states?
What region is south of the Sahara? What river flows through the Sudan and enters the Gulf of Guinea (ghin'-ne)? Where is Lake Tchad? Where is Sokoto? Timbuktu? Kuka? Where is Sierra Leone? Liberia? Gold Coast? Belgian Kongo?
What great river crosses the equator twice? What country does it flow through? Where is Lake Victoria? What river rises in this lake? Where is Lake Tanganyika (tan-gan-yee'-kah)? Lake Nyassa?
What British possession is in the southern extremity of Africa? What river crosses the northern part of Cape of Good Hope? What desert is north of Cape of Good Hope? Where is the Orange Free State? The Transvaal? Natal? Rhodesia? Lourenço Marquez? British East Africa?
Where is Mount Kilimanjaro (kil-i-man-ja-ro'). This is the highest peak on the continent. It is always covered with snow. What country is northwest of Somaliland (so-mah'-le-land)?
In what direction is Cape Town from Cairo? In what direction does the Nile flow?
Is more of Africa north or south of the equator? In what zone is most of Africa? What African countries lie wholly within the North Temperate zone? Which lie wholly within the South Temperate? In which zones is Egypt?
Egypt is one of the finest wheat regions on the globe. You may remember that when there was a famine in the country where Jacob lived, he sent his sons down to Egypt to buy wheat there. The country is just as fertile now as then.
The fertility of Egypt is very curious, because not a drop of rain falls on all the land except near the coast of the Mediterranean. What makes this rainless region so rich?
Every year in the summer months the Nile overflows its banks, and the country is like a great lake. After a while the water subsides. The fields are left covered with mud, and the farmers sow their seed upon this.
Use this map in connection with the questions which appear on the opposite page.
Wheat, rice, cotton, sugar-cane, and indigo are the chief products. Groves of date-palms are grown near every village.
Grain, cotton, indigo, and dates are the chief exports. Gold-dust, ivory, and ostrich feathers are brought by caravans from the interior of Africa into Egypt.
The ruler of Egypt is called Khedive (kedeev'), which means prince. He pays tribute to the Sultan of Turkey, but has an English official adviser.
Cairo (ki'-ro), the capital, is the largest city of Africa. Alexandria is the principal seaport.
The Suez canal is a part of the route now taken by vessels carrying tea and other articles from Asia to Europe. Formerly, ships sailed round Africa by way of the Cape of Good Hope in going from India to Europe.
2. The Barbary States.—Journeying westward from Cairo along the Mediterranean shores, we enter Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco, These are called the Barbary states, from the name of the Berbers, who were the native inhabitants.
Tripoli is a part of the Turkish Empire. Fezzan, the great oasis, belongs to Tripoli. Algeria and Tunis are possessions of France. Morocco is ruled by its own sultan.
The red cap called fez, worn in this region, is made by the people of Fez, a city of Morocco.
Grain, dates, and olive oil are the chief products. South of the Atlas mountains is a region called the Land of Dates. It is famed for the yield of this fruit.
The people of the Barbary states are Mohammedans.
The skins of the animals are made into large bottles. The water carriers in the picture have skin bottles filled from the river Nile.
For Recitation.—What are the chief products of Egypt? What are the chief products of the Barbary states?
STUDIES ON THE RELIEF MAP.
Highlands and Lowlands.—Find the highest mountains on the relief map. In what part of the continent are they? Find the highest peaks in the central part. What are their names? What parts of Africa are of a light gray color? What name is given to such parts? Trace the highland along the northern coast. In the southern extremity. What names are given to these ridges? Where is the lowest land in Africa? What color is it? Trace the light green strip along the eastern coast. How wide is it? What have you learned about the lowlands in the north of Africa? What name is given to them? What name is given to the north central lowlands?
Rivers and Lakes.—Find a group of lakes in central Africa. What river rises in one of these and flows north? Find three of its branches. What river rises in this group of lakes and flows west? Trace five of its branches. Find another river flowing east. Find a lake in north central Africa. Can you find rivers flowing into it? Does it have an outlet? Such lakes are usually salt. Can you tell why? Find a river in the western part of Africa. Trace its course, flow does it change its direction? Find a river in southern Africa. How many branches does it have? What is its name?
Coastline.— Trace the northern coast of Africa. What is its direction? What is the inlet called on this coast? Trace the eastern coast. What bodies of water on this coast? Do you find many good harbors? What can you say of the western coast? What great inlet do you find there?
Heat Belts, Plants, and Animals.—In which heat belt is the northern part of Africa? What plants grow there? What kind of animals are found? Find a lake on the map crossed by the equator. What can you tell of the plants of the central part? What animals are found in this part? In which heat belt is the greater part of Africa? Which parts of the continent are in the temperate belt? What can you tell of the plants and animals found in the southern part?
LESSON LXV.
Homes and People at Africa. Study that picture in connection with the descriptions and questions on the opposite page.
​Africa, and is about ten times the size of the great state of Texas.
Most of it is a vast waste of sand and pebbles, where no rain falls. Only here and there are oases, where date-palms and other fruit trees grow.
Caravans constantly cross the desert. They carry gold-dust, ivory and ostrich feathers from the interior of Africa to the coast of the Mediterranean, and take back manufactured articles.
Salt is obtained from various places in the Sahara. Caravans of 1,000 camels go to Bilmah for it.
Crossing the desert.
Let us join a caravan and cross the Sahara. The camel is the only beast of burden that we can use, because he can travel for many days without suffering for want of water.
The driver speaks to our camels and they kneel to let us mount. We now begin our journey. The camels rock us almost as if we were in a little boat on the sea. Some of us feel seasick. Soon something even worse than seasickness comes. A dark cloud is driven toward us by the wind. The air is filled with sand and dust. The sun is darkened. We are in a sandstorm.
The camels turn their backs to the wind, kneel down and put their noses close to the ground. We lie down and cover our faces with handkerchiefs. Soon the storm is over. The camels rise, we shake the sand from our clothes, and begin the journey again.
The sun is scorching hot. The sand almost burns. But as the sun goes down it grows cooler. At last it is really cold. We are thankful for shawls and blankets.
It takes us more than two months to cross the desert from Morocco to Timbuktu on camel-back.
2. The Sudan (soo-dahn'), which we now enter, is a wonderfully different country from the dry Sahara. It is well wooded and very productive.
Cotton and indigo grow wild, and great crops of corn and fruit are produced. Cattle and sheep are raised in vast numbers, and countless herds of antelopes roam over the plains.
The Sudan is the land of the blacks. It contains many independent negro tribes and large cities.
HOMES AND PEOPLE.
In the upper part of the picture on the opposite page we have views of people living in northern Africa. Some of them are called Moors. Their home is in the Barbary states. Can you give the names of these states? Their religion is Mohammedanism. You can see one of their churches in the picture. Five times a day a priest goes into the high tower and calls the people to prayer. Then every good Mohammedan washes himself and prays. The tops of their homes are flat and many people sleep on the housetops. Merchants have their shops on the sidewalk. They sit upon rugs all day selling their goods. Notice that the people dress in long, flowing robes. The women always keep their heads and faces covered when they are out of doors, so that only their eyes peep out.
In the center of the picture you may see some Arab homes, such as they build outside of the cities. You will see that it is merely a tent stretched on poles. These tents are taken down when the Arab wishes to change his home. These people get their living by keeping sheep, camels, and cattle, and they move their homes when they wish to find fresh pasture for their animals. Sometimes many Arabs bring their camels together, forming a caravan, which the merchants employ to carry goods across the desert. You may also see in the center of the picture some negro homes. These homes are built of bamboo sticks covered with leaves and grass, stuck together with mud. They do not have chimneys, as no fire is needed in this warm country. You may see a vast number of elephant tusks in the picture. Long trains of negro porters carry the ivory to the coast.
In the lower part of the picture are some people living in South Africa. The Kaffirs are native negroes, but they keep cattle and build better homes than the negroes of the Kongo. What can you tell about the Boers? In what kind of homes do they live? What use do they make of the ostrich? What other people live in South Africa? Where did they come from?
3. The Belgian Kongo is very productive. Bananas and rice are raised; coffee and cotton ​grow wild. Millions of negroes live there. They used to sell things for shells, called cowries, but now they exchange their coffee, ivory and rubber for cotton goods and other manufactured wares.
Cape Town.
4. The west coast of Africa, part of which is sometimes called Guinea, is one of the hottest and most unhealthful regions in the world. The chief exports are gums, palm-oil, and rubber.
Along the coast the British, French, Germans and Portuguese have settlements, and hold the land as their own. Sierra Leone (se-er'-rah le-o'-ne) is a British colony for negroes. Liberia is a negro republic, founded as a home for freed negroes from the United States.
Dahomey, formerly a negro kingdom, is now controlled by France.
5. The Union of South Africa comprises the British provinces of Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State. This Union has two capitals. One is Cape Town, the chief port of South Africa, where the parliament meets, and the other is Pretoria, where the governor general resides.
The British also own Rhodesia and other regions in South Africa.
Sheep-raising is the chief occupation, and wool is exported. Diamonds and gold are found. Ostriches are raised.
6. The eastern coast is unhealthful like the western. Rubber, ivory, hides, copra, wax, and cloves are the chief exports.
The country on both sides of, the Zambezi belongs to the Portuguese. The British, Germans, and Italians also have possessions on the east coast.
The island of Madagascar exports gold, hides, rubber, wax, and hard woods.
For Recitation.—What can you say of the Sahara? Sudan? Belgian Kongo? What are the exports of the west coast of Africa? Of the east coast? Of South Africa?
Kimberley, the diamond city. The entrance to a mine is shown on the right.
REVIEW OF AFRICA.
Countries.—Where is it?—Egypt. Abyssinia. Morocco. Algeria. Tunis. Tripoli. Sudan. Liberia. Sierra Leone. Belgian Kongo. Cape of Good Hope. Natal. Orange Free State. Transvaal. Rhodesia. Mozambique. British East Africa.
Islands.—Near what part of the coast?—Madeira. Canary. Madagascar. St. Helena.
Mountains.—Where are they, and in what direction do the ranges extend?—Atlas. Kenia. Kilimanjaro. Ruwenzori.
Seas, Gulf.—Where is it?—Mediterranean Sea. Red Sea. Gulf of Guinea.
Straits and Channel.—Connects what waters? Separates what lands?—Gibraltar. Bab-el-Mander. Mozambique Channel.
Rivers.—Where does it rise? Into what does it flow?—Nile, Niger. Kongo. Zambezi.
Lakes.—Where is it?—Victoria. Albert. Tanganyika. Nyassa. Tchad.
Cities.—In what country?—Cairo. Tripoli. Tunis. Algiers. Morocco. Fez. Alexandria. Sokoto. Gondar. Boma. Cape Town. Lourenço Marquez. Pretoria. Freetown. Tananarivo. Monrovia. Pietermaritzburg.