Places and Landscapes Reviewer
Croix Island (in
SSEd 222
Chapter 5 – CANADA
I. The Building of Canada
1. Aboriginal Peoples
▪ When Europeans explored Canada they
found all regions occupied by native peoples
they called Indians, because the first
explorers thought they had reached the East
Indies.
▪ The native people lived off the and, some by
hunting and gathering, others by raising
crops.
▪ The Huron-Wendat of the Great Lakes
region, like the Iroquois, were farmers and
hunters.
▪ The Cree and Dene of the Northwest were
hunter-gatherers.
▪ The Sioux were nomadic, following the bison
▪ The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife.
▪ West Coast natives preserved fish by drying
and smoking.
▪ Warfare was common among Aboriginal
groups as they competed for land, resources
and prestige.
▪ The arrival of European traders,
missionaries, soldiers and colonists changed
the native way of life forever.
▪ Large numbers of Aboriginals died of
European diseases to which they lacked
immunity.
▪ However, Aboriginals and Europeans formed
strong economic, religious and military
bonds in the first 200 years of coexistence
which laid the foundations of Canada.
2. The First Europeans
▪ The Vikings from Iceland who colonized
Greenland 1,000 years ago also reached
Labrador and the island of Newfoundland.
The remains of their settlement, l’Anse aux
Meadows, are a World Heritage site.
▪ European exploration began in earnest in
1497 with the expedition of John Cabot, who
was the first to draw a map of Canada’s East
Coast.
3. Exploring a River, Naming Canada
▪ Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier
made three voyages across the Atlantic,
claiming the land for King Francis I of France.
▪ Cartier heard two captured guides speak the
Iroquoian word kanata, meaning “village.”
By the 1550s, the name of Canada began
appearing on maps.
4. Royal New France
▪ In 1604, the first European settlement north
of Florida was established by French
explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de
SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron
Champlain, first on St.
present-day Maine), then at Port-Royal, in
Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia).
▪ In 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is
now Québec City.
▪ The colonists struggled against a harsh
climate. Champlain allied the colony with the
Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron, historic
enemies of the Iroquois, a confederation of
five (later six) First Nations who battled with
the French settlements for a century.
▪ The French and Aboriginal people
collaborated in the vast fur-trade economy,
driven by the demand for beaver pelts in
Europe.
5. Struggle for a Continent
▪ In 1670, King Charles II of England granted
the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive
trading rights over the watershed draining
into Hudson Bay.
▪ The skilled and courageous men who
travelled by canoe were called voyageurs
and coureurs des bois, and formed strong
alliances with First Nations.
▪ In 1759, the British defeated the French in
the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at
Québec City — marking the end of France’s
empire in America.
▪ The commanders of both armies, Brigadier
James Wolfe and the Marquis de Montcalm,
were killed leading their troops in battle.
6. The Province of Quebec
▪ Following the war, Great Britain renamed
the colony the “Province of Quebec.”
▪ The French speaking Catholic people, known
as habitants or Canadiens, strove to
preserve their way of life in the English-
speaking, Protestant-ruled British Empire.
7. A Tradition of Accommodation
▪ To better govern the French Roman Catholic
majority, the British Parliament passed the
Quebec Act of 1774.
▪ One of the constitutional foundations of
Canada, the Quebec Act accommodated the
principles of British institutions to the reality
of the province.
▪ It allowed religious freedom for Catholics
and permitted them to hold public office, a
practice not then allowed in Britain.
8. United Empire Loyalists
▪ In 1776, the 13 British colonies to the south
of Quebec declared independence and
formed the United States.
▪ More than 40,000 people loyal to the Crown,
called “Loyalists,” fled the oppression of the
American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia
and Quebec.
 ▪ Joseph Brant led thousands of Loyalist
Mohawk Indians into Canada.
▪ In turn, in 1792, some black Nova Scotians,
who were given poor land, moved on to
establish Freetown, Sierra Leone (West
Africa), a new British colony for freed slaves.
9. The Beginnings of Democracy
▪ The first representative assembly was
elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1758.
▪ The Act also granted to the Canadas, for the
first time, legislative assemblies elected by
the people.
▪ The name Canada also became official at this
time and has been used ever since. The
Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas were
known collectively as British North America.
10. A Growing Economy
▪ The first companies in Canada were formed
during the French and British regimes and
competed for the fur trade.
▪ The Hudson’s Bay Company, with French,
British and Aboriginal employees, came to
dominate the trade in the northwest from
Fort Garry (Winnipeg) and Fort Edmonton to
Fort Langley (near Vancouver) and Fort
Victoria—trading posts that later became
cities.
▪ The first financial institutions opened in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. The
Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832.
11. Responsible Government
▪ In 1840, Upper and Lower Canada were
united as the Province of Canada.
▪ Reformers such as Sir Louis- Hippolyte La
Fontaine and Robert Baldwin, in parallel with
Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, worked with
British governors toward responsible
government.
▪ The first British North American colony to
attain full responsible government was Nova
Scotia in 1847–48.
▪ This is the system that we have today: if the
government loses a confidence vote in the
assembly it must resign. La Fontaine, a
champion of democracy and French
language rights, became the first leader of a
responsible government in the Canadas.
▪ Canada is the second largest country on
earth—10 million square kilometres. Three
oceans line Canada’s frontiers: the Pacific
Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the
east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.
▪ Along the southern edge of Canada lies the
Canada-United States boundary.
▪ Both Canada and the U.S.A. are committed
to a safe, secure and efficient frontier.
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II. Regions of Canada
Canada includes many different geographical areas
and five distinct regions.
- The Atlantic Provinces
- Central Canada
- The Prairie Provinces
- The West Coast
- The Northern Territories
1. The National Capital
➢ Ottawa, located on the Ottawa River, was
chosen as the capital in 1857 by Queen
Victoria, the great- great-grandmother of
Queen Elizabeth II.
➢ Today it is Canada’s fourth largest
metropolitan area.
➢ The National Capital Region, 4,700 square
kilometres surrounding Ottawa, preserves
and enhances the area’s built heritage and
natural environment.
2. Province and Territories
➢ Canada has ten provinces and three
territories.
➢ Each province and territory has its own capital
city.
3. Population
➢ Canada has a population of about 34 million
people. While the majority live in cities,
Canadians also live in small towns, rural areas
and everywhere in between.
4. The Atlantic Provinces
➢ Atlantic Canada’s coasts and natural
resources, including fishing, farming, forestry
and mining, have made these provinces an
important part of Canada’s history and
development.
5. Newfoundland and Labrador
➢ the most easterly point in North America and
has its own time zone.
➢ the province has a unique heritage linked to
the sea.
➢ The oldest colony of the British Empire and a
strategic prize in Canada’s early history, the
 province has long been known for its fisheries,
coastal fishing villages and distinct culture.
6. Prince Edward Island
➢ the smallest province, known for its beaches,
red soil and agriculture, especially potatoes.
➢ the birthplace of Confederation, connected
to mainland Canada by one of the longest
continuous multispan bridges in the world,
the Confederation Bridge.
➢ Anne of Green Gables, set in P.E.I. by Lucy
Maud Montgomery, is a much-loved story
about the adventures of a little red- headed
orphan girl.
7. Nova Scotia
➢ the most populous Atlantic Province, with a
rich history as the gateway to Canada.
➢ Known for the world’s highest tides in
the Bay of Fundy , the province’s identity is
linked to shipbuilding, fisheries and shipping.
➢ Nova Scotia is home to over 700 annual
festivals, including the spectacular military
tattoo in Halifax.
8. New Brunswick
➢ Situated in the Appalachian Range, the
province was founded by the United Empire
Loyalists and has the second largest river
system on North America’s Atlantic
coastline, the St. John River system.
➢ Saint John is the largest city, port and
manufacturing centre; Moncton is the
principal Francophone Acadian centre; and
Fredericton, the historic capital.
➢ New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual
province, and about one-third of the
population lives and works in French.
9. Central Canada
➢ More than half the people in Canada live in
cities and towns near the Great Lakes and
the St. Lawrence River in southern Quebec
and Ontario, known as Central Canada and
the industrial and manufacturing heartland.
10. The Prairie Provinces
➢ Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are the
Prairie Provinces, rich in energy resources
and some of the most fertile farmland in the
world.
➢ The region is mostly dry, with cold winters
and hot summers.
11. The West Coast
➢ British Columbia is known for its majestic
mountains and as Canada’s Pacific gateway.
➢ The Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest and
busiest, handles billions of dollars in goods
traded around the world.
➢ Warm airstreams from the Pacific Ocean give
the B.C. coast a temperate climate.
12. The Northern Territories
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➢ Nunavut and Yukon contain one-third of
Canada’s land mass but have a population of
only 100,000.
➢ The North is often referred to as the “Land of
the Midnight Sun” because at the height of
summer, daylight can last up to 24 hours.
➢ In winter, the sun disappears and darkness
sets in for three months.
➢ The Northern territories have long cold
winters and short cool summers.
➢ Because of the cold Arctic climate, there are
no trees on the tundra and the soil is
permanently frozen.
➢ Inuit art is sold throughout Canada and
around the world.
13. Canada’s Future
➢ The Government of Canada and its partners
will close the gaps and divides that exist
between this region, particularly in relation
to its Indigenous peoples, and the rest of the
country.
➢ In the shared future, Canada’s Arctic and
North will no longer be pushed to the
margins of the national community.
➢ Its people will be full participants in Canadian
society, with access to the same services,
opportunities and standards of living as
those enjoyed by other Canadians
➢ We will encourage development that is
environmentally and socially sustainable,
that employs local people and creates
wealth in the region.
➢ We will work to fill knowledge gaps in the
Arctic and the North in a way that is
responsive to the needs of local
governments and people, and enables and
encourages their participation in all aspects
of the research process.
➢ We will support a rules-based international
order in the Arctic that prioritizes human and
environmental security and meaningful
engagement of Arctic and northern peoples,
especially Indigenous peoples.
➢ We know that closing the gaps between the
region and the rest of Canada means closing
gaps between where decisions and
resources are based, and where the needs
are.
14. Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples
➢ Recognizing …the disproportionate socio-
economic and cultural inequity facing Inuit
compared to most other Canadians, and
committing to working in partnership to
create socio-economic and cultural equity
between Inuit and other Canadians.
➢ This commitment includes energetically and
creatively pursuing the
 ➢ socio-economic, cultural, and environmental
conditions of success through the full
implementation of land claims agreements
as well as reconciliation
➢ The negotiation and full implementation of
land claims and self-government agreements
are key components of reconciliation.
➢ They require recognition within the
framework as part of the continuation and
renewal of relationships.
➢ In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
accepted the Final Report of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission on behalf of the
Government of Canada and committed to a
renewed nation-to-nation relationship with
Indigenous peoples based on recognition of
rights, respect, co-operation and
partnership.
➢ In 2016, the Government of Canada
committed to renewing the relationship with
First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples
through the creation of permanent bilateral
mechanisms.
➢ The work of reconciliation is not only
happening at the federal level, it has also
been undertaken by Indigenous peoples, by
Arctic and northern governments and
through other mechanisms.
15. Assuming global leadership
➢ Canada will strengthen its international
leadership on Arctic and northern issues at
this critical time, as the region undergoes
rapid environmental change and
international interest surges.
➢ Canada’s ambition is to robustly support the
rules-based international order in the Arctic,
and all its institutions, and to seek ways to
strengthen and improve those institutions
for the 21st century.
16. Canada will:
➢ work collaboratively with Indigenous
peoples and territorial and provincial
governments in the multilateral forums
where decisions that impact the Arctic are
made, including the Arctic Council and
United Nations organizations
➢ enhance bilateral cooperation with Arctic
and key non-Arctic states and actors
➢ Canadian leadership will be advanced
bilaterally and in multilateral forums in order
to promote Canadian values and interests
such as human and environmental security.
17. Our shared ambition includes:
➢ better leveraging our international Arctic
engagement to address domestic priorities
such as social and economic development
➢ enhanced knowledge of our Arctic and North
➢ environmental protection
SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron
Chapter 6 – JAPAN ENTERS THE MODERN WORLD
❖ Japan is an island country consisting of four
major and numerous smaller islands.
❖ The islands lie in an arc across the Pacific
coast of northeastern Asia, forming a part
of the volcanic “Rim of Fire.”
❖ From north to south this chain of islands
measures more than 1,500 miles, but it is
only about 130 miles across
❖ Its total landmass is just under 150 thousand
square miles.
❖ If placed alongside the Pacific coast of North
America, the Japanese islands would
extend from northern Washington State to
the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico,
and as a result Japan has a wide variation in
climate.
❖ Japan’s closest neighbors are Russia, Korea
and China.
❖ In early history the Korean Peninsula acted
as a bridge between Japan and the vast
expanse of China, where a great civilization
emerged—later on, Japan made
connections with China directly by sea.
❖ The Japanese also controlled international
contact by expanding, narrowing, and
sometimes terminating diplomatic relations
with other nations.
❖ During closed periods, they digested foreign
influences and, based on their tastes and
necessities, transformed those influences
into distinctly Japanese forms and styles.
I. The Regions of Japan
o Japan is officially divided into 8 major
regions, and each one has its own iconic
landmarks, unique culture, things they’re
famous for, and role in Japanese history.
1. Hokkaido is Japan’s Northernmost island.
o It is popular with nature lovers, as it is known
its sweeping landscapes, snow-tipped
mountains, and diverse wildlife.
o Hokkaido was first occupied by an
indigenous people called the Ainu, and many
area names, like Sapporo and Noshappu, are
from the Ainu language.
o Today, the Ainu still reside in small villages
across the region.
o Summer in Hokkaido is notoriously mild,
pleasant, and has some of the most
breathtaking flower fields in all of Japan.
o Winter in Hokkaido is quite harsh, but also
offers perfect, untouched snow and world-
class ski resorts.
o Known for: Incredible nature, Winter sports,
Heavy snowfall, Mild summers, Seafood,
Yubari Melons
2. Tōhoku
 o The region is located on an active volcano
zone, which produces a number of stellar hot
springs and onsens as a result.
o The Tōhoku name gained international
recognition for being the site of the infamous
2011 earthquake and tsunami that
devastated the region and deeply affected
the entire country.
o Tōhoku is also home to a unique dialect. The
Tōhoku dialect differs so greatly from
standard Japanese that on nationwide
television, it is subtitled so that people in
other parts of the country can understand it.
o Known for: Countryside, Mountains, Lakes,
Hot springs, Harsh winters, Tōhoku dialect,
Rice, Aomori apples, Fruits, Sendai beef.
3. Kanto
o the Kanto region is a vibrant, densely
populated metropolis with more residents
than any other region in Japan.
o Kanto includes a variety of modern
attractions, delicious foods, and historic
sites.
o Kanto was the home of the Tokugawa
shogunate.
o During the feudal time, the city of Tokyo was
actually called Edo, and was the military seat
of power in Japan.
o Known for: Populated cities, public
transportation, Lots of restaurants,
“Standard” Japanese
4. Chubu
o Chubu’s name literally means “middle
region”, and this is well-deserved, as it’s the
large region located right in the center of the
main island.
o Because it divides the main Honshu island
into East Honshu and West Honshu, it has a
bit of culture and geography from each side.
o Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji is also in Chubu.
o The north eastern part of Chubu offers great
beaches, and the Sea of Japan off the coast
has plenty of picturesque cliffs, historic
villages, well-preserved temples, and lots of
delicious seafood!
o Known for: Rugged mountains, Historic
villages, Lakes, Cliffs and beaches, Sake,
Green tea
5. Kinki
o The Kinki (also known as Kansai) region is
Japan’s second-largest region, and is home
to a lot of the country’s history.
o Many of the top tourist destinations in
Kansai, such as Kyoto and Nara, actually
served as the nation’s capitals several
centuries ago.
o Therefore, Kansai has an abundance of
world-class castles, temples, shrines,
SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron
museums, and other landmarks that are
household names in Japan.
6. Osaka
o The second-largest city in Japan, Osaka, is
also located in this region.
o Osaka is known as being an entertainment
hub with a food culture that’s dubbed “the
belly of Japan”.
o Osaka was historically the center of all trade
with China and Korea, and became even
more important to Japan when the
legendary ruler Hideyoshi Toyotomi chose it
as the site to build his new fortress – Osaka
Castle.
7. Kansai
o The Kansai region is also famous for the
Kansai dialect, a strong, casual way of
speaking that is incredibly different from
standard Japanese.
o Many famous Japanese comedians and TV
personalities speak with the Kansai dialect,
so it’s often heard in variety programs on
Japanese television.
o Known for: Friendly people, Ancient temples
and shrines, many UNESCO World Heritage
Sites, Kansai dialect, Great food culture
8. Chugoku
o The Chugoku region might be most famous
with international tourists for being the site
of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World
War II.
o Today, Hiroshima City is completely re-built
and full of memorials and museums
dedicated to the lives lost in the bombing.
o Miyajima Island is also incredibly well-known
throughout Japan for the floating torii gate
at Itsukushima Shrine.
o The entire region of Chugoku is nicely
urbanized and industrialized, and because it
is located at the bottom tip of the main
island, it offers access to both the Seto Inland
Sea and the Sea of Japan.
o Known for: Picturesque towns, Islands &
coastal cities, Miyajima’s Floating Tori Gate,
The Atomic Bomb Site and Memorials,
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, Puffer fish,
Fruits
9. Shikoku
o the smallest of the four main islands of
Japan.
o The region got its name from the fact that it
was, at one point in history, actually divided
into four regions.
o Because it is an island, Shikoku has remained
fairly remote and rural compared to other
regions over the course of Japanese history.
 o The land itself is quite rugged and full of
mountains, which makes it difficult to travel
on foot.
o the region is actually famous for a pilgrimage
called the Shikoku Junrei (四国巡礼), a path
that follows the footsteps of the great
Buddhist saint Kobo Daishi, who achieved
enlightenment on this island.
o Known for: Uninhabited nature, Natural
beauty, Remote location, Rough terrain,
Oranges, Udon noodles, Olives, Seafood
10. Kyushu
o The Kyushu region consists of seven
prefectures.
o As it’s showed in the name, there were nine
areas in the Kyushu island that were
different from as you see now.
o the Kyushu region has a much more tropical
climate than the others.
o This part of Japan is also often hit by several
typhoons every year, especially the southern
and eastern points.
o Historically, the island of Kyushu served as a
very important hub for trade between Japan
and other countries, especially with China
and Korea.
o Nagasaki, now known more for being the
site of the second atomic bombing in World
War II, was actually the first port city in Japan
to open up to the West, starting with the
Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries.
o Known for: Tropical climate, Historic sites,
Lush islands, Modern cities, Shochu liquor,
Chicken and beef, Sara-udon noodles
II. The Modernization of Japan
❖ In 1868 the Tokugawa shôgun (great general),
who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his
power and the emperor was restored to the
supreme position.
❖ The emperor took the name Meiji
(enlightened rule) as his reign name; this
event was known as the Meiji Restoration.
1. The Reign of the Meiji Emperor
• When the Meiji emperor was restored as
head of Japan in 1868, the nation was a
militarily weak country, was primarily
agricultural, and had little technological
development.
• It was controlled by hundreds of semi-
independent feudal lords.
• When the Meiji period ended, with the death
of the emperor in 1912, Japan had:
a. a highly centralized, bureaucratic
government;
b. a constitution establishing an elected
parliament;
SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron
c. a well-developed transport and
communication system;
d. a highly educated population free of
feudal class restrictions;
e. an established and rapidly growing
industrial sector based on the latest
technology;
f. a powerful army and navy.
• Japan had regained complete control of its
foreign trade and legal system, and, by
fighting and winning two wars (one of them
against a major European power, Russia), it
had established full independence and
equality in international affairs.
• Japan’s success in modernization has
created great interest in why and how it was
able to adopt Western political, social, and
economic institutions in so short a time.
• This political revolution “restored” the
emperor to power, but he did not rule
directly.
• The feudal lords and the samurai class were
offered a yearly stipend, which was later
changed to a one- time payment in
government bonds.
• The armies of each domain were disbanded,
and a national army based on universal
conscription was created in 1872, requiring
three years’ military service from all men,
samurai and commoner alike.
2. Resistance and Rebellion Defeated
• When the top leadership left to travel in
Europe and the United States to study
Western ways in 1872, conservative groups
argued that Japan should reply to Korean’s
refusal to revise a centuries old treaty with
an invasion.
• But the new leaders quickly returned from
Europe and reestablished their control,
arguing that Japan should concentrate on its
own modernization and not engage in such
foreign adventures.
• For the next twenty years, in the 1870s and
1880s, the top priority remained domestic
reform aimed at changing Japan’s social and
economic institutions along the lines of the
model provided by the powerful Western
nations.
• With the exception of these few samurai
outbreaks, Japan’s domestic transformation
proceeded with remarkable speed, energy,
and the cooperation of the people. This
phenomenon is one of the major
characteristics of Japan’s modern history.
3. Ideology
• In an effort to unite the Japanese nation in
response to the Western challenge, the Meiji
 leaders created a civic ideology centered
around the emperor.
• Although the emperor wielded no political
power, he had long been viewed as a symbol
of Japanese culture and historical continuity.
• He was the head of the Shintô religion,
Japan’s native religion.
• Among other beliefs, Shintô holds that the
emperor is descended from the sun goddess
and the gods who created Japan and
therefore is semidivine.
• The people seldom saw the emperor, yet
they were to carry out his orders without
question, in honor to him and to the unity of
the Japanese people, which he represented.
• In fact, the emperor did not rule. It was his
“advisers”, the small group of men who
exercised political control, that devised and
carried out the reform program in the name
of the emperor.
4. Social and Economic Changes
• The abolition of feudalism made possible
tremendous social and political changes.
• By providing a new environment of political
and financial security, the government made
possible investment in new industries and
technologies.
• Some of the samurai and merchants who
built these industries established major
corporate conglomerates called zaibatsu,
which controlled much of Japan’s modern
industrial sector.
• The government also introduced a national
educational system and a constitution,
creating an elected parliament called the
Diet.
• In the Tokugawa period, popular education
had spread rapidly, and in 1872 the
government established a national system to
educate the entire population.
• By the end of the Meiji period, almost
everyone attended the free public schools
for at least six years. The government closely
controlled the schools, making sure that in
addition to skills like mathematics and
reading, all students studied “moral
training”, which stressed the importance of
their duty to the emperor, the country and
their families.
• To win the recognition of the Western
powers and convince them to change the
unequal treaties the Japanese had been
forced to sign in the 1850s, Japan changed its
entire legal system, adopting a new criminal
and civil code modeled after those of France
and Germany.
5. The International Climate: Colonialism
SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron
• In 1894 Japan fought a war against China
over its interest in Korea, which China
claimed as a vassal state.
• The Korean peninsula is the closest part of
Asia to Japan, less than 100 miles by sea, and
the Japanese were worried that the Russians
might gain control of that weak nation.
• Japan won the war and gained control over
Korea and gained Taiwan as a colony.
• At this time the European nations were
beginning to claim special rights in China —
the French, with their colony in Indochina
(today’s Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia),
were involved in South China;
• The British also claimed special rights in
South China, near Hong Kong, and later the
whole Yangtze valley;
• and the Russians, who were building a
railway through Siberia and Manchuria,
were interested in North China.
• Each of these nations then began to force
China to give it ports, naval bases, and
special economic rights, with Russia taking
the same Liaotung peninsula that Japan had
been forced to return.
III. Expansion, Empire and Defeat
❖ By 1904, when the Russians were again
threatening to establish control over Korea,
Japan was much stronger.
❖ when the Russians were again threatening to
establish control over Korea, Japan was much
stronger. It declared war on Russia and, using
all its strength, won victory in 1905 (beginning
with a surprise naval attack on Port Arthur,
which gained for Japan the control of the
China Sea).
❖ Japan thus achieved dominance over Korea
and established itself a colonial power in East
Asia.
1. The Period 1912-1941
▪ During the Taishô period (1912-1926),
Japanese citizens began to ask for more
voice in the government and for more social
freedoms.
▪ During this time, Japanese society and the
Japanese political system were significantly
more open than they were either before or
after.
▪ The period has often been called the period
of “Taishô democracy”
▪ One explanation is that, until World War I,
Japan enjoyed record breaking economic
prosperity.
▪ During these years Japan saw the emergence
of a “mass society” very similar to the
“Roaring 20s” in the United States.
▪ At the end of World War I, however, Japan
entered a severe economic depression.
▪ The government and military, consequently,
grew stronger, the parliament weaker.
▪ Japan’s need for natural resources and the
repeated rebuffs from the West to Japan’s
attempts to expand its power in Asia paved
the way for militarists to rise to power.
▪ The attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7
[December 8 in Japan], 1941) achieved
complete surprise and success.
▪ It also unified American opinion and
determination to see the war through to a
successful conclusion.
▪ The first years of the war brought Japan
great success. In the Philippines, Japanese
troops occupied Manila in January 1942,
although Corregidor held out until May;
Singapore fell in February, and the Dutch
East Indies and Rangoon (Burma) in early
March.
▪ The Battle of Midway in June 1942 cost the
Japanese fleet four aircraft carriers and
many seasoned pilots, and the battle for
Guadalcanal Island in the Solomons ended
with Japanese withdrawal in February 1943.
▪ After Midway, Japanese naval leaders
secretly concluded that Japan’s outlook for
victory was poor.
▪ When the fall of Saipan in July 1944 brought
U.S. bombers within range of Tokyo, the Tōjō
cabinet was replaced by that of Koiso
Kuniaki.
▪ Many in government realized that the war
was lost, but none had a program for ending
the war that was acceptable to the military.
▪ Great firebombing raids in 1945 brought
destruction to every major city except the
old capital of Kyōto; but the generals were
bent on continuing the war, confident that a
major victory or protracted battle would
help gain honourable terms.
▪ In February 1945 the emperor met with a
group of senior statesmen to discuss steps
that might be taken.
▪ The problem of the new premier, Admiral
Suzuki Kantarō, was not whether to end the
war but how best to do it.
▪ The Soviet government had agreed,
however, to enter the war; consequently, its
reply was delayed while Soviet leaders
participated in the Potsdam Conference in
July.
▪ The Potsdam Declaration issued on July 26
offered the first ray of hope with its
statement that Japan would not be
“enslaved as a race, nor destroyed as a
nation.”
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2. The End of War
▪ Atomic bombs largely destroyed the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9,
respectively.
▪ On August 8 the Soviet Union declared war
and the next day marched into Manchuria,
where the Kwantung Army could offer only
token resistance.
▪ The Japanese government attempted to gain
as its sole condition for surrender a
qualification for the preservation of the
imperial institution; after the Allies agreed to
respect the will of the Japanese people, the
emperor insisted on surrender.
▪ The Pacific war came to an end on August 14
(August 15 in Japan).
▪ The formal surrender was signed on
September 2 in Tokyo Bay aboard the
battleship USS Missouri.
CHAPTER 7 - THE TWO KOREAS
• Located between China and Japan
• Continuous cultural and geopolitical
interactions with China and japan
• Korean language is considered “language
isolate”
MODERN KOREA
• One of the worlds fastest growing
economies
• Korean DGP ranked no.12 in the world
• World's 8th largest exporter
Korean Wave (Hallyu): Korean Cultural Export since
early 1990s
• Korean movies, TV dramas, and pop-music
are very popular around the world; rapidly
spreading beyond Asian countries
• Korea is among the world’s top ten cultural
exporters
Five Thousand Years of Korean History
Go-Joseon-King Dan-gun established Go-Joseon in
2333 B.C.
Three Kingdoms to Goryeo- Buddhism became the
national religion.
• Arts and culture flourished during the Shilla
Dynasty.
Joseon Dynasty- Expanded territory boundary up to
Yalu river in north.
 • Confucianism was promoted by the
government.
• The Korean alphabet was invented.
• Sijo became popular.
Japanese Rule- Japan annexed Korea by force in
1910.
• Japan in 1938 outlawed use of the Korean
language in an attempt to eradicate Korean
national identity.
• Deep lament and resentment toward
invaders prevailed in Korean literature and
music, along with attempts to grapple with
new, modern forms.
Divided Peninsula- In 1945 at Postdam conference
US (Truman), USSR (Stalin) and UK (Churchil)
decided to divide Korean peninsula at 38th parallel
without consulting Koreans.
Korean War- North Korea invaded south by
launching surprise attack on 6/25/50.
• United Nations forces led by US defended
South.
• Many Koreans lost or separated from family
members in both south and north.
Modern Korea- Economic development plan began
after military coup in 1961
• 2009 Korean GDP ranked No.12 in the world.
Korean Alphabet: Hangul
• King Sejong the Great invented Korean
alphabet in 1446.
• Alphabet organizes written language into
syllabic units.
• 14 consonants & 10 vowels
• Easy to learn: "A wise man can acquaint
himself with them before the morning is
over; a stupid man can learn them in the
space of ten days”.
Hangul (Korean Alphabet)
• Purely phonetic alphabet
• 14 consonants
ㄱㄴㄷㄹㅁㅂㅅㅇㅈㅊㅋㅌㅍㅎ
• 10 vowels
아야어여오요우유으이
• Hangul is a scientific system, invented
following the shapes of vocal organs as they
make sounds.
Traditional Arts: Painting
• Typically use few color, leaving background
blank
• Often combined with poem.
• Painters signed their artistic name and
signature stamps
Korean Ceramics
• Celadon with pale jade green glaze and inlaid
pattern was invented in 10th century during
Goryeo dynasty.
Korean Food
• Cooked rice, main dish, and side dishes
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• 3-12 side dishes
• Kimchi
-fermented pickled vegetable with or without hot
pepper, hundreds of variations
• Common elements of cooking
-soy sauce
-soy-bean paste (dyon-jang similar to miso)
-hot-pepper paste (go-chu-jang)
-sesame oil
-Lots of vegetables
Korean Shamanism
-Shamanism has deep roots in folk beliefs.
-Related to the ancient communal worship rites
offered to the gods of heaven.
-Participants seek to resolve human problems
through a meeting of humans and the spirits
mediated by the shaman
-Shaman is about to perform a ritual. The shaman
wears a colorful costume, speaks in a trance as a
spiritual oracle, and sings and dances to music.
Korean Buddhism
-Introduced to Korea druing three kingdom era
(around 372 A.D.)
-Became state religion in three kingdoms and
Goryeo dynasty
-Deep influence in every aspect of Korean life,
culture, and arts
-Currently about 24% of population is Buddhist.
-Buddha’s birthday is national holiday in Korea.
Korean Confucianism
-Joseon dynasty promoted Confucian philosophies
as national philosophy
-Complex system, selectively imported from
China,of moral, social, political, philosophical, and
quasi-religious thought.
-Became an indispensable component of the Korean
moral system, way of life, and laws
-Memorial rite to the kings of the Joseon Dynasty is
performed at Jong-myo Shrine
Korean Christianity
-Catholicism was imported into Korea by a Korean
scholar, Yi Seung-hun, who was baptized while
visiting China.
-Thousands of Catholics were executed during
government persecution inthe late Joseon dynasty.
-103 martyrs were canonized in 1984.
-Protestant missionaries came to Korea during
Japanese rule in the early 20th century.
-Dedicated to higher education and health care
-Catholics and Protestant Christians are more
populous in urban areas and often have higher
education levels.
Ingenious Inventions: Geobukseon (Turtle –Shaped
Warship)
-The world first ironclad warship, Geobukseon
(Turtle-shaped Warship), was built by General Yi
Sun-shin in 1592 during the Japanese invasion.
-The ships had armored and-spiked decks and
cannons and were designed to be highly
maneuverable .
UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritages
-Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
-Changdeok- gung Palace
-Jongmyo Shrine of Joseon Royal Ancestors
-Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks Depository
-Gyeongju Historic Areas
-Dolmen Sites in Ganghwa, Hwasun, & Gochang
UNESCO’s Memory of the World
Movable Metal Type for Printing
• Invented in 13th century (before 1232)
during Goryeo dynasty
• The world oldest extant movable metal print
book is the Jikji (Korean Buddhist document),
printed in Korea in 1377.
• 78 years prior to Gutenburg’s metal type
printing
Printing Woodblocks of the TripitakaKoreana
• Woodblocks for printing Tripitaka (Buddhist
scriptures)
• 81,258 pieces of woodblocks
• Took 16 years to complete the project (1236-
1251)
• Woodblocks were treated by a special
process for long-term preservation
Bulguksa and Seok-gu-ram
Bulguksa,
-Constructed in 751 AD during Shilla kingdom
-Main temple, gates, stone pagodas, bridges are all
architectural masterpieces
Seokguram Grotto
-Granite sanctuary for stone Buddha
-Wearing a serene smile of benevolence
• Hunmin-Jeongum Manuscript: Korean
Alphabet
• Joseon Wangjo Sillok: The Annals of the
Joseon Dynasty
• Jikji (Vol II): Baegun Hwasang Chorok Bjuljo:
“Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen
Teachings”: The first printed book using
movable metal type
• Uigwe: The Royal Protocols of the Joseon
Dynasty
• Donguibogam: Principles and Practice of
Eastern Medicine
• Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka
Koreana and Miscellaneous Buddhist
Scriptures: World oldest printing
woodblocks
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• Seugjeongwon Ilgi: The Diaries of the Royal
Secretariat
Korea: Bridge to the East
• That exact intersection is located near the
heart of the Korean peninsula. It is also quite
close to an important geopolitical feature
called “the demilitarized zone,” or DMZ.
• The DMZ is a temporary political boundary
formed by the Korean Armistice of 1953,
which ended the hostilities of the Korean
Conflict (1950–53).
• The Korean Conflict began as a civil war,
expanded into an international conflict
fought on Korean soil between communism
and capitalism, and has yet to be resolved
after almost fifty years under an uneasy
truce.
• The DMZ divides the peninsula by separating
North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea) from South Korea (Republic of
Korea).
SOUTH KOREA
• At present South Koreans call the peninsula
Hanguk, while North Koreans call the
peninsula Choson.
• South Korea divides itself politically into nine
provinces and six special cities. North Korea
divides itself politically into nine provinces
and three special cities.
• Many South Koreans, especially younger
ones, describe their peninsula as “tiger-
shaped.” The tiger is a traditional symbol
that drives away misfortune, but it also
represents the urban and aggressively
successful modern South Korean economy.
Seoul- South Korea’s capital.
• The fourth-largest urban center in the world,
Seoul has crowded, bustling, streets,
skyscrapers, subways, industries, grime,
smog, and almost ten million inhabitants,
most of whom live in lofty apartments that
resemble thousands of beehives
surrounding the central city.
Pyongyang- To the north of the DMZ (and at a safer
distance from South Korean military forces) is the
city of Pyongyang, the moderately sized and
meticulously clean capital city of North Korea.
• Both of these cities are located near the
western coast and along rivers that flow into
the shallow Yellow Sea.
• The poetic interpretation of the word
Korea—“Land of High Mountains and
Sparkling Streams”—derives from the word
Koryo, the name of an ancient kingdom on
the peninsula. Mountains and streams are
indeed the dominant characteristics of
 Korean terrain. Korean artists over the
centuries have tried to capture the
peninsulas dramatic landscapes of peaks and
valleys in their paintings.
History of Korea
• The Korean peninsula has been inhabited
since Lower Paleolithic times. According to
legend, Korea's first
kingdom, Gojoseon (then called Joseon),
was founded in 2333 B.C.E. by Dangun , who
is said to be descended from heaven.
However, Korean’s history has been one of
constant struggle between forces of
unification and division.
The Three Kingdoms of Korea
1. Goguryeo- Jumong (posthumous name
Dongmyeongseong) founded Goguryeo in 37
B.C.E. the earliest, first among the Three
Kingdoms. King Taejo centralized Goguryeo.
During King Sosurim reign Goguryeo became
the first of the three kingdoms to adopt
Buddhism as the state religion in 372.
2. Baekje- foundation by King Onjo in 18 B.C.E.,
as stated in the Samguk Sagi followed those
of its neighbors and rivals, Goguryeo and
Silla.
• Baekje played a fundamental role in
transmitting cultural developments, such
as Chinese characters , Buddhism , iron-
making, advanced pottery , and ceremonial
burial into ancient Japan .When the Baekje
court retreated to Japan after defeat, other
aspects of culture transmitted to Japan. A
coalition of Silla and Tang Dynasty forces
defeated Baekje in 660.
3. Silla- According to legend, the
kingdom Silla began with the unification of
six chiefdoms of the Jinhan confederacy by
Bak Hyeokgeose in 57 B.C.E., in the
southeastern area of Korea. Its territory
included the present-day port city of Busan
, and Silla later emerged as a sea power
responsible for destroying Japanese pirates,
especially during the Unified Silla period.
• Silla artifacts, including unique gold
metalwork, show influence from the
northern nomadic steppes, with less
Chinese influence than Goguryeo and
Baekje showed.
The Rise of Koryo Dynasty
• Goryeo, founded in 918 and replaced Silla as
the ruling dynasty of Korea by 936. (Goryeo,
is a short form of Goguryeo and the source
of the English name Korea) The dynasty
lasted until 1392.
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• During this period the court codified laws,
and the government introduced a civil
service system. Buddhism flourished, and
spread throughout the Korean peninsula.
• The development of celadon industry
flourished in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries. The publication of Tripitaka
Koreana , and world’s first metal printing
technology in thirteenth century, attests to
Goryeo’s cultural achievements.
North Korea
• The split of Korea into north and south has
precedent in Korean history . The northern
regions of the Korean Peninsula , extending
throughout Manchuria to the border
with Russia and the Sea of Japan (known as
Korean East Sea in North Korea, and ;East
Sea in South Korea), have in pre-936 C.E.
times been within the Korean borders.
• The Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo
, Baekje , and Silla demarcate a historical,
regional, distinction in Korea between the
northern and southern cultures. Even
though Korea is considered 100 percent
homogeneous, the case has been made that
Koreans in the southern part of the
peninsula originated in
indigenous Neolithic peoples while people
in Manchuria and northern part of the
Korean Peninsula originated from China .
South Korea
• The History of South Korea formally begins
with the establishment of South Korea in
1948. South Korea, known as one of the four
tigers of Asia, has risen from the rubble of
the Korean War into one of the world’s
foremost economies and vibrant
democracies. That in the face of a foe bent
on invading, at the first chance, just thirty
miles from the capital city of Seoul.
• South Korea’s history has been marked by
alternating periods of democratic and
autocratic rule.
• Historians have conventionally numbered
civilian governments from the First Republic
of Syngman Rhee to the contemporary
Sixth Republic. The First Republic, arguably
democratic at its inception, became
increasingly autocratic until its collapse in
1960. The Second Republic, strongly
democratic, suffered an overthrown in less
than a year, with an autocratic military
regime taking power. The Third,Fourth, and
Fifth Republics, while nominally democratic,
have been widely regarded as the
continuation of military rule. With the Sixth
 Republic, the country has gradually
stabilized into a liberal democracy.
• South Korea has seen substantial
development in education, economy,
and culture .
• Since the 1960s, the country has developed
from one of Asia’s poorest to one of the top
economies in the world. Education,
particularly at the tertiary level, has
expanded dramatically. Since the 1990s,
Korean popular music, TV drama, and films
have become popular throughout East and
Southeast Asia, in a phenomenon known as
Korean wave.
CHAPTER 8 - AFRICA
• In the 1870s the Belgians began to trade with
Africans in the Congo.
• Fearing they would miss out on various raw
materials, the other European nations
scrambled to establish their presence on the
continent.
Berlin Conference- In 1884, to avoid conflict
amongst themselves, European leaders met at the
Berlin Conference to set up rules for colonizing
Africa. No Africans were invited.
• The European powers agreed that before
they could claim territory they would have to
set up an outpost. Whoever was the first to
build the outpost gained that area of land.
The Boers- In the mid-1600s, Dutch farmers known
as Boers settled in southern Africa in Cape Colony.
The Boers built Cape Town as a supply station.
• In the 1700s, the Dutch herders and ivory
hunters began to move north. The British
then acquired Cape Colony in the early
1800s.
The Anglo-Boer War- In the late 1800s, the
discovery of gold and diamonds in the northern Boer
territory set off the Anglo-Boer war.
• The war was from 1899-1902 and involved
bitter guerrilla fighting. The British won, but
at a great cost.
The Zulus- In the early 1800s in southern Africa, an
African leader named Shaka conquered and united
tribes to form the Zulu nation.
• The Zulus were skilled and organized
fighters. Shaka used his power and fought
against European slave traders and ivory
hunters.
• The Zulus also fought the Boers as they
migrated north from Cape Colony.
The Anglo-Zulu War- The Zulus came into conflict
with the British as well. In 1879 the Zulus wiped out
a British force at the battle of Isandlwana.
• However, it was not long before the superior
weaponry of the British overtook the Zulus
at the battle of Rorke’s Drift.
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European Territory- In 1910, with southern Africa
secure, the British established the Republic of South
Africa and instituted apartheid.
Apartheid – government policy calling for
separation of the races.
EUROPEANS IN AFRICA
1. BRITISH TERRITORY- Britain’s claims in
Africa were second in size only to France, but
included heavily populated areas with
greater natural resources.
• Britain controlled Egypt because of
its strategic location.
1. FRENCH TERRITORY- France was very
powerful in NortH Africa, and later spread
into West and Central Africa. The territory
France controlled was as large as the United
States.
2. GERMAN TERRITORY- The newly formed
German empire had to fight many battles
against African natives to take lands in the
southern half of Africa.
• Germany would lose its colonial
territories after its loss in World War
I.
1. ITALIAN TERRITORY- The Italians crossed the
Mediterranean and conquered Libya. They
then took Somaliland in the horn of Africa,
but were beaten badly by the Ethiopians.
2. BELGIUM TERRITORY- King Leopold and
other wealthy Belgians exploited the riches
of the Congo, and brutalized the natives.
Many Africans were enslaved, beaten, and
killed.
3. Portuguese Territory AND Spanish
Territory- Although the leaders of the old
imperialism, the African claims of the
Portuguese and Spanish were minimal.
LIBERIA AND ETHIOPIA
Independent Africans
• After the slave trade was outlawed,
abolitionists in the United States promoted
the idea of returning freed slaves to Africa.
• In the early 1800s, President Monroe helped
free slaves settle in Liberia. The former
slaves named the capital city Monrovia in his
honor.
• The Ethiopians kept their freedom through a
successful military resistance. Emperor
Menelik II modernized the army, along with
roads, bridges, and schools.
• When the Italians invaded they were
defeated so badly by Menelik that no other
Europeans tried to take Ethiopia.
EFFECTS OF IMPERIALISM
POSITIVE RESULTS
1. Unified national states created
2. Improved medical care, sanitation, and
nutrition
3. Increased agricultural production
4. Improved transportation and
communication facilities
5. Expanded educational opportunities
NEGATIVE RESULTS
1. Encouraged tribal wars by creating artificial
borders
2. Created population explosion 🡪 famine
3. Produced cash crops needed by Europeans, and
not food for Africans
4. Exploited natural resources: minerals, lumber,
rubber, human rights.
5. Downgraded traditional African culture 🡪
westernization
TRADITION AND CHANGE IN AFRICA
The People, Geography and History of Africa
• Africa, Second largest continent on Earth. It
is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the
Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Indian
Ocean and is divided almost equally by the
Equator. Area: 11,642,094 sq mi (30,152,882
sq km).
• Africa is composed largely of a rigid platform
of ancient rocks that underlies vast plateau
regions in the interior. Its average elevation
is about 2,200 ft (670 m), but elevations
range from 19,340 ft (5,895 m) at Mount
Kilimanjaro to 515 ft (157 m) below sea level
at Lake Assal.
• The Sahara, the world’s largest contiguous
desert, occupies more than one-fourth of
the total land area. Less than one-tenth of
Africa’s land area is arable, while nearly one-
fourth is forested or wooded. The
continent’s hydrology is dominated by the
Nile River in the north, the Niger River in the
west, and the Congo River in central Africa.
• The peoples of Africa probably speak more
languages than those of any other
continent.
• Arabic is predominant from Egypt to
Mauritania and in Sudan. Northern Africans
speak a family of languages known as Afro-
Asiatic.
• The vast majority of sub-Saharan peoples
speak Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo
family, while smaller numbers in central
Africa speak Nilo-Saharan languages and in
southern Africa Khoisan languages. Peoples
of European descent are found mostly in the
south; Dutch (Boer) migrations began in the
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17th century, and the English first settled in
what is now Kenya and Zimbabwe in the
19th century.
• Africa as a whole is a developing region.
• Agriculture is the key sector of the economy
in most countries.
• Diamond and gold mining are especially
important in the south, while petroleum and
natural gas are produced particularly in the
west.
• Most African governments are controlled by
the military or a single party. Many legal
systems combine laws introduced by
European powers during the colonial era
with traditional law, though North African
countries derive many laws from Islam.
African leaders have sought to develop a
Pan-African approach to the continent’s
political and military affairs through the
Organization of African Unity and its
successor, the African Union.
• Africa is widely recognized as the birthplace
of humankind.
Islands of Africa
• The islands of Africa can be subdivided into
Indian Ocean Islands and Atlantic Ocean
Islands.[5] The largest number of islands of
Africa are found in the Indian Ocean, with
the sovereign island nations of Comoros,
Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar
located off the southeastern seaboard of
Africa being the most notable.
• The French overseas territories of Mayotte
and Réunion are also located nearby. The
medium-sized islands of Zanzibar and Lamu
of Tanzania and Kenya, respectively, are also
located in the Indian Ocean, in addition to
smaller islands off the coasts of other
continental countries.
• In the Atlantic seaboard, the largest islands
are Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa
and Sao Tome and Principe off the
southwestern seaboard.
• In the Atlantic Ocean, the island of Malabo
and other smaller islands of Equatorial
Guinea are also notable.
• The Canary Islands and other territories of
Spain are present in the Mediterranean Sea
in the north Atlantic Ocean, and the British
possessions of Saint Helena, Ascension
Island, and Tristan da Cunha are located off
the southwestern seaboard of the continent.
All of the islands of Africa, except for Madagascar,
are classified as small islands under the UNESCO
classification system for all islands under 2,000
square kilometres (770 sq mi).
 • Madagascar, in contrast, at 587,041 square
kilometres (226,658 sq mi) is the fourth-
largest island in the world.
Early European Contacts with Africa
European sailors first reached sub-Saharan
Africa in 1442, when Portuguese ships reached the
Senegal river. The Portuguese had been sailing the
coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara since 1413,
when they captured the Moroccan city of Ceuta [still
a Spanish city today].
• By 1471, West African leaders between the
coasts of Senegal and Ghana had established
commercial and diplomatic connections with
Portuguese traders [major early sites of
trade and settlement were on the Gambia
river, Bugendo on the São Domingos river in
Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone].
Portuguese main motivations were:
1. an interest in the extensive gold production of
Bono-Mansu and the Akan states;
2. competition with the Ottoman Empire to access
this gold [the Ottomans had captured
Constantinople in 1453, prompting a crisis in
Christian Europe];
3. the desire to find a trade route to markets in
India around the Cape of Good Hope;
4. ever increasingly, the trade in enslaved persons.
European explorers shared some of the reasons for
travelling round Africa with Muslim fellow travelers,
but had others peculiar to the time. They went in
search of:
• scientific &; geographical knowledge
• fame and celebrity, and
• people to convert to Christianity
POWER AND KNOWLEDGE
European travelers hugely increased a general
understanding of geography, climate and resources.
Some accounts of the people were objective (as far
as an outsider can be objective), others were
willfully misleading. All the information these
travelers brought back - wrong and right -
contributed to devising an imperial strategy for
controlling Africa.
SOURCES OF RIVERS
For Europeans the golden age of traveling was the
early 19th century. The first half of the century was
dominated by a desire to establish the sources of
two of Africa's great trading arteries, the Niger and
the Nile respectively.
CENTRAL AFRICA
• The Englishman Denham and Scotsman
Clapperton set off in 1822 in search of
Central Africa. They argued the entire length
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of their journey from Kano to Lake Chad.
Denham alone reached Mabah on the
northern side of Lake Chad, but failed in his
goal to get to the eastern side of the lake. He
was accompanied by Arab merchant Bhoo
Khaloom and Maramy, a slave of the king of
Kouka.
THE SAHARA
• The German, Heinrich Barth, explored the
major trade routes of Sahara and Sahel, in
particular Sokoto and Borno, writing a
detailed five volume work. Rene Caillie, one
of the few French explorers in West Africa,
was the first European to have entered
Timbuktu in the late 1820’s. He nearly died
crossing the Sahara disguised as a Muslim.
Caillie was accused of making up the
accounts of his trip, until Heinrich Barth
verified it thirty years later.
FALLING OUT
• In East Africa it was the sources of the Nile
which exercised the European imagination.
Commissioned by the Royal Geographical
Society and the Foreign Office, Richard
Burton and John Hanning Speke set off to
find the origins of the Nile.
Richard Burton determined to fulfill an
ambition to go where no man (i.e. European) had
been before. A brilliant linguist, Burton combined
great scholarship with a sexually obsessive, sadistic
turn of mind and sweeping prejudice. He teamed up
with the energetic, boyish, but less bookish John
Hanning Speke.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Perhaps the most famous British traveler of all was
David Livingstone who was the first European,
although not first African, to cross the continent
from the Zambezi to Luanda on the West Coast. His
experiences in Africa were described in sensational
terms by the newspaper reporter turned traveler
Henry Morton Stanley.
Livingstone believed that imperialism would
ultimately benefit people in Africa, but he could be
an observant man with a sense of relative values; he
could see the point of view of those who did not
want to be converted:
“The only avowed cause of dislike was
expressed by a very influential and sensible man, the
uncle of Sechele.”
“We like you as well as if you had been born
among us; you are the only white man we can
become familiar with; but we wish you to give up
that everlasting preaching and praying; we cannot
become familiar with that at all. You see we never
get rain, while those tribes who never pray as we do
obtain abundance.”

This was a fact; and we often saw it raining on the

hills ten miles off, while it would not look at us even
with one eye.
Missionary Travels and Researches in South
Africa, by Dr. David Livingstone.

WOMEN ON THE MOVE

Mary Kingsley was one of the few women travelers
of the 19th century. She moved around West Africa,
finding out more about animals and plant life. She
wrote with an unusual degree of detachment, wit
and observance for her generation of Europeans. In
the 1890's she visited Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Angola and Cameroun. She died while nursing
soldiers during the Boer war in 1900.

Africans Gain Independence

The 6th of March 1957 was set to be one of the most
joyous and memorable days in the history of
modern Africa; this was the date on which Britain
finally agreed to give Ghana, the richest and best
administered of all African colonies, its
independence.

Africa’s Growing Problems

Africa is the world’s second-largest and
second-most-populous continent. It has the
youngest amongst all the continents and hosts a
large diversity of ethnicities, cultures and languages.

All of these features made the continent face the

hardest challenges in the world.
1. Poverty
2. Poor education
3. Health
4. Violence
5. Hunger
6. Access to financing
7. Economic growth rate is far too low

SSED 222 REVIEWER | By: Ivy Angeline Mejica & Alyzza Jazzelle Geron