Sub-Saharan Africa

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sub-saharan-africa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Sub‑Saharan Africa?It is the part of Africa that lies south of the Sahara Desert, including Central, East, West, and Southern Africa. The region has many different landscapes, from rainforests and deserts to savannas.
2. Why is Sub‑Saharan Africa called the "cradle of humankind"?Scientists believe that early humans first appeared in this region. Fossils and DNA show that our species began here.

Homo sapiens: The biological species to which all modern human beings belong.
Sahara pump theory: A hypothesis explaining how fluctuating Saharan climates influenced human and animal migrations out of Africa.
Geopolitics: Politics, especially international relations, as influenced by geographical factors.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.