WWF strives to develop practical solutions to address the conflict that frequently occurs between people and wildlife. Stay safe. This Bantu expansion introduced agriculture into much of the African Great Lakes region. Portugal had first established a strong presence in southern Mozambique and the Indian Ocean since the 15th century, while during this period their possessions increasingly grew including parts from the present northern Mozambique country, up to Mombasa in present-day Kenya. During the following fifteen centuries, the Bantu slowly intensified farming and grazing over all suitable regions of East Africa, in the process making contact with Austronesian- and Arabic-speaking settlers on southern coastal areas. Corrections? An ever-growing population dependent on timber and fuel wood continues to put pressure on this dwindling natural resource. Omissions? My modest aim in this paper is to turn a similar spotlight on the East African coast, to re-examine the little-known set of oral histories that includes those . (RSA) +27 (87) 551-8105 Today they are still used across the Indian Ocean to carry merchandise such as fruits, water, or spices. Location: Africa A blue shark just below the surface about 40km off Cape Point, South Africa Geo Cloete (Photographer of the Year 2018 Top 101), Sail southwest from Cape Point and eventually you will be surrounded by the blue horizon in all directions. This answer is: Attacks followed on Hoja (now known as Ungwana, located at the mouth of the Tana River), Barawa, Angoche, Pate and other coastal towns until the western Indian Ocean was a safe haven for Portuguese commercial interests. The continent is almost centered over the equator stretching from the consistently warm waters of the Mediterranean in the north right down to the frigid South Atlantic in the south. Due to the historical Omani Empire and colonial territories of the British East Africa Protectorate and German East Africa, the term East Africa is often (especially in the English language) used to specifically refer to the area now comprising the three countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Most of the smaller islands are independent nations, or associated with France, and known as luxury beach resorts . Following the Zanzibar Revolution of 1965, the independent state of Tanganyika formed the United Republic of Tanzania by creating a union between the mainland, and the island chain of Zanzibar. Djibouti, as well as the Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia, have also seen relative stability. They are filter feeders by their specialised gills. Aiming to reduce illegal activities, WWF helped the governments of Tanzania and Mozambique agree to work cooperatively on improving forest management. In fact, on the coast of Somalia, many years can go by without any rain whatsoever. Credit: DOI: 10.1038/s41561-021-00809-x. WWF and 1986 Panda Symbol are owned by WWF. Prevailing climatic conditions and the regions' geomorphology allowed the establishment of flourishing European style settlements like Nairobi, Vila Pery, Vila Junqueiro, Porto Amlia, Loureno Marques and Entebbe.[68]. Physical Geography. The school of fish represents the ozone, and the reef below is Earth. The first identifiable building sites are dated from this time, and, according to Arab geographers, the East African coast was then generally thought of as being divided into four: (1) Berber (Amazigh) lands, which ran down the Somalian coast to the Shabeelle River, (2) Zanj proper, (3) the land of Sofala in present-day Mozambique, whence gold was beginning to be shipped by about the 10th century, and (4) a vaguely described land of Waq waq, beyond. 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A gasflame nudibranch in False Bay, Cape Peninsula, South Africa Peet J. van Eeden (Photographer of the Year 2018 Entrant), ? [74] In Ethiopia, there is an estimated population of 102million as of 2016.[75]. [51] The Swahili culture that emerged from these exchanges evinces many Arab and Islamic influences not seen in traditional Bantu culture, as do the many Afro-Arab members of the Bantu Swahili people. The amount of water being transported by the Agulhas . The Afar are found in both Eritrea and Djibouti. Elephants and other wildlife require freedom to roam in search of food and freshwater. Photo Galleries, Photographer of the Year, TRAVEL & CONSERVATION COMPANY Eastern Africa consists largely of plateaus and has most of the highest elevations in the continent. ? This includes: - 3,000 species of molluscs - 1,500 species of fish - 1,000 species of seaweed The Republic of Venice had gained control over much of the trade routes between Europe and Asia. Coastal erosion threatens the nesting beaches of marine turtles and harms mangrove forestswhich are already being battered from increased storm surges, and vulnerable to future sea level rise. Reports show that eight million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year. Shadows in the water at the Aliwal Shoal, South Africa Christophe Lapeze (Photographer of the Year 2017 Entrant), ? The Indian Ocean trade was conducted through the barter system but later coins were used as a medium of exchange. Whales, dolphins, dugongs and whale sharks inhabit these Indian Ocean waters. [citation needed] As cattle terminology in use amongst the few modern Bantu pastoralist groups suggests, the Bantu migrants would acquire cattle from their new Cushitic neighbors. The equator runs through Africa, from Gabon in the west to Somalia in the east, and nearly splits the continent into two equal parts. The construction of Fort Jesus in Mombasa in 1593 was meant to solidify Portuguese hegemony in the region, but their influence was clipped by the British, Dutch and Omani Arab incursions into the Great Lakes region during the 17th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Eastern Africa, 16001800 A.D. Humanities LibreTexts - East Africa and the Horn of Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - East Africa, Ugandan lawmaker introduces new anti-LGBTQ legislation, French court to rule on TotalEnergies' east Africa projects, Jill Biden sees East Africa drought up close, seeks more aid, Kenya labor court rules that Facebook can be sued. At other places on his way, such as the island of Angediva, near Goa, and Cannanore, the Portuguese built forts, and adopted measures to secure the Portuguese supremacy. Such trade goods as they obtained from the interior were apparently bought by barter at the coast. Overharvesting of timber and illegal commercial logging continue to threaten forests in Coastal East Africa. [47] The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency. Fast as they are, I doubt this shark was quick enough to outrun the storm. ~ Adam Mitchell, ? A blacktip shark cruises the lagoon as a storm approaches in Aldabra atoll, Seychelles Adam Mitchell (Photographer of the Year 2017 Top 101), TheAldabra atollhas one of the highest shark densities of anywhere in the western Indian Ocean. Chami, Felix A. In: The Spice Trade of the Roman Empire. The ethnic fabric in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda is much more fragmented, with many smaller peoples intermingled or occupying discrete territories. The Agulhas Current(/ls/) is the western boundary currentof the southwest Indian Ocean. eastern Africa, part of sub-Saharan Africa comprising two traditionally recognized regions: East Africa, made up of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda; and the Horn of Africa, made up of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. With its original speech community centered on the coastal parts of Tanzania (particularly Zanzibar) and Kenyaa seaboard referred to as the Swahili Coastthe Bantu Swahili language contains many Arabic loan-words as a consequence of these interactions. In rural areas, people have lost crops and livestock and face hunger and outbreaks of malaria. We also introduced a new program of raising goats and offered improved husbandry techniques to reduce the animals impact on vegetation and crops. In southwest Africa, the plains and plateaus of Namibia are found . Between the 19th and 20th century, East Africa became a theatre of competition between the major imperialistic European nations of the time. Within this region, WWF works in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique and the western part of the Indian Ocean. Please select which sections you would like to print: Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History, University of Cambridge. Miller, J. Innes. WWF works with communities to identify vulnerabilities to climate change, and help them develop strategies to adapt and increase their resilience. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Learn the historical significance of the Kingdom of Axum and how other . However, the official Omani Arab presence in Kenya was checked by German and British seizure of key ports and creation of crucial trade alliances with influential local leaders in the 1880s. Further information in the sections of Architecture of Africa: Further information in the sections of History of science and technology in Africa: Since the end of colonialism, several East African countries were riven with military coups, ethnic violence and oppressive dictators. East Africa is a region that begins in Tanzania in the south and extends north through the great grasslands and scrub forest of the savannas of Kenya and Uganda and then across the highlands of Ethiopia, including the Great Rift Valley. All travel bookings booked via Trust my Travel are financially protected by them. Vasco da Gama visited Mombasa in 1498. There are protected wildlife areas in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique, but they are separated by areas with large human populations. Climate change is expected to intensify these and other problems. During the period of the Scramble for Africa, almost every country in the larger region to varying degrees became part of a European colonial empire. Coastal East Africa encompasses a beautiful tapestry of land and seafrom mountains and grasslands to mangroves and fringing coral reefs. By the late nineteenth century, the slave trade on the open seas had been completely outlawed by the British and the Omani Arabs had little ability to resist the British navy's ability to enforce the directive. Visit Africa's Gold Coast on the Atlantic Ocean, including Ghana and Senegal, and make a stop at the tropical Cape Verde islands. 82 Likes, 0 Comments - skhathisomusa dumani mthembu (@skhathisomusa) on Instagram: "African East coast | tropics #eastafrica #mombasa #coast #ocean #tropicalparadise #beach #film" Established 1991, BEST SAFARI PRICES The second largest population of savanna elephants in Africa roam across this region in search of food and freshwater. Indo-European languages, such as English, French and Portuguese, remain important in higher institutions in some parts of the larger region. Tanzania and Uganda fought the UgandaTanzania War in 19781979, which led to the removal of Uganda's despotic leader Idi Amin. When we think "Africa," we think of the "Big Five"lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo and rhinosthat crisscross the African Savannah. But also because there are so many different tourist coasts along its length. The region also comprises the countries of Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, which are . The Indian Ocean, meanwhile, tempts travellers with the promise of idyllic islands set amongst calm turquoise waters, including Mauritius, Madagascar, the Maldives and the Seychelles. Over several centuries countless East Africans were sold as slaves by Muslim Arabs to the Middle East and other places via the Sahara desert and Indian Ocean. East Africa is the part of Africa around and east of the Great Rift Valley, a land feature stretching from the Red Sea in the north, the Guardafui Channel in the east, and the Mozambique Channel in the southeast. German East Africa, though very extensive, was not of such strategic importance as the British Crown's colonies to the north: the inhabitation of these lands was difficult and thus limited, mainly due to climatic conditions and the local geomorphology. So vast that it's not known as the 'East Coast', the way the West Coast is known as the 'West Coast' - probably because the Eastern Cape makes up such a large portion of it, leading to confusion. Aksum was at the time ruled by Zoskales, who also governed the port of Adulis. WWF supports the rangers who patrol protected areas in Tanzania and Mozambique. To reduce illegal fishing, WWF supports local rangers who monitor artisanal fisheries. The earliest written accounts of the East African coast occur in the Periplus Maris Erythraeiapparently written by a Greek merchant living in Egypt in the second half of the 1st century ceand in Ptolemys Guide to Geography, the East African section of which, in its extant form, probably represents a compilation of geographic knowledge available at Byzantium about 400. Rising demand and weak enforcement have led to a higher incidence of elephant poaching and increasing ivory markets. The Periplus Maris Erythraei. The east coast of Africa holds a bounty of life that rivals the land. The Kiunga Marine National Reserve in Kenya supports the world's largest breeding colony of roseate terns. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Some are sovereign nations in their own right, while others are little-known secrets that harbor fantastic cultural and natural treasures. WWF helped Mozambique establish the Quirimbas marine reserve in 2002. Trade, which seems to have been by barter, was considerable, with the main export probably of ivory. A new period opened, it seems, in the 9th century. WWF strives to ensure that local people benefit from economic opportunities that come with new tourism enterprises. Turn-of-the-century maritime photographs, dhows off the east African coast Monsoon Dhows Sailors have harnessed the Indian Ocean's monsoon winds for at least two millennia. The east coast of Africa experiences seasonally alternating 'trade' winds which have enabled sailing dhows to travel up and down the coast, fostering the movement of people and goods between the countries of Arabia, the Western Indian Ocean and East Africa for many centuries. The British also held a number of island colonies in the region, including the extended archipelago of Seychelles and the rich farming island of Mauritius, previously under the French sovereignty. It is believed that almost 90% of the entire wildlife of Madagascar is found nowhere else on planet Earth. Because of their early dating and unique physical characteristics idaltu and kibish represent the immediate ancestors of anatomically modern humans as suggested by the Out-of-Africa theory. [40][41], The migration route of the "Out of Africa" theory probably occurred in East Africa however through Bab el Mandeb. A much more vigorous resistance was offered by the Moors of Mombasa. We also work towards MSC certification for the deep water shrimp fishery in Mozambique. [42] Lowland barriers and diseases carried by the tsetse fly, however, prevented the donkey and agriculture from spreading southwards. The traders relied on the monsoon winds to blow their ships to and from the east African coast. [24] Temperatures in East Africa, except on the hot and generally humid coastal belt, are moderate, with maxima of around 25C (77F) and minima of 15C (59F) at an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,921ft). Only with more knowledge can we hope to make informed decisions. East Africa Discover East Africa & the Indian Ocean Islands - Enjoy Breathtaking Scenery, Wonderful Plants & Trees, Countless Varieties of Birds & Abundant Wildlife East Africa is home to some of the continent's most famous sights, but also some of its least explored corners. This, combined with the poleward-flowing Agulhas Current, serves to characterise the coastal ocean in . Apparently established in the 9th century, it is distinguished for its seawalls of coral blocks, each of which weighs up to a ton. KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images. [44] The old kingdom's first mention dates to the 25th century BCE. Though the straits were never completely closed, there may have been islands in between which could be reached using simple rafts. "The Egypto-Graeco-Romans and Paanchea/Azania: sailing in the Erythraean Sea." Inshore, people often mistake the pectoral fin of a sunfish floating on the surface to be that of a sharks dorsal fin. The three main colors of the African country were beige, red, and blue. People here depend on the regions natural resourcesclean freshwater, healthy forests and mangroves, and abundant fish and wildlife. Approximately 55,000 people live in or around the Quirimbas marine reserve off the coast of Mozambique. In March 1505, having received from Manuel I of Portugal the appointment of viceroy of the newly conquered territory in India, he set sail from Lisbon in command of a large and powerful fleet, and arrived in July at Quiloa (Kilwa), which yielded to him almost without a struggle. Eastern Africa has a diverse climate change that consist of hot, dry desert regions, cooler, and highlands. ceo@africageographic.com, Travel & conservation company, since 1991,
, Photographer of the Year 2023 Weekly Selection: Week 3, Photographer of the Year 2023 Weekly Selection: Week 2. It imported large quantities of Islamic pottery and, in the 9th and 10th centuries, Chinese porcelain. Shaped by global plate tectonic forces that have created the East African Rift, East Africa is the site of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, the two tallest peaks in Africa. The eastern coast of Africa looks out over the Indian Ocean, which, though vast, is comparatively easily navigated. The Dragonfly Sea, by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor. Chami, F. A. The most important site of this period yet to have been found is at Manda, near Lamu, on the Kenyan coast. To comment on this story: Download our app here - it's a troll-free safe place . Organised by The Society for Arabian Studies. At the same time, inland areas were restored, enabling mangroves to adapt to sea level rise. This article covers the history of the area from ancient times through the 20th century. External trade was increasing: glass beads were being imported from India, and porcelains, transshipped either in India or in the Persian Gulf, were arriving from China. You really can walk across the Red Sea at Sharm el-Sheik. It spans two oceans as it winds its way down the Atlantic seaboard in the west and up into the warmer Indian Ocean waters to the east. Speakers of Nilo-Saharan languages populate Uganda and the rift valley portions of Kenya and Tanzania, while speakers of Bantu languages constitute much of the remainder of these countries population. [29], According to both genetic and fossil evidence, it has been posited that archaic Homo sapiens evolved into anatomically modern humans in the Horn of Africa around 200,000 years ago and dispersed from there. WWFs goal is to have over 31 million acres of land in Tanzania managed in this way, which will help wildlife migration outside of protected areas. By the 5th/11th century the Indian Ocean trade had shifted to the ports at the head of the Persian Gulf, in particular K and Hormoz (Ricks, pp. Local communities need the ability to protect their resources against illegal activities. Copy. [48] The Bantu expansion was a long series of physical migrations, a diffusion of language and knowledge out into and in from neighboring populations, and a creation of new societal groups involving inter-marriage among communities and small groups moving to communities and small groups moving to new areas. With 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population.Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the . Meanwhile, in 1884, a narrow coastal strip of Somaliland came under British control (British Somaliland). A dense concentration of box jellyfish in the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Town, South Africa Geo Cloete (Photographer of the Year 2018 Semi-finalist), In 2016, I published a photo of an unusual and yet to be described behaviour displayed by box jellyfish. The Arabs reclaimed much of the Indian Ocean trade, forcing the Portuguese to retreat south where they remained in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) as sole rulers until the 1975 independence of Mozambique. Madagascar is by far the biggest, and a continent on its own when it comes to wildlife. There is some archaeological evidence that during the Qin and Han dynasties Chinese shipping technology was already quite advanced (the central rudder was invented around this time). Both the Tigray and the Amhara, another Semitic-speaking group, dominate northwestern Ethiopia. [27] There are differing theories on whether there was a single exodus or several; a multiple dispersal model involves the Southern Dispersal theory. The coastline of South Africa, stretching 1,740 miles (2,800 kilometers) From Mozambique to Namibia, is presided over by two great oceanic systems: a powerful current on one side of the continent . In the high mountains rainfall can be over 2,500mm (98in). This volume contains papers rst presented at the conference, Early Maritime Cultures of the East WMAs create opportunities for wildlife tourism, which directly benefits local communities through jobs and revenue. The Protectorate of Uganda and the Colony of Kenya were located in a rich farmland area mostly appropriate for the cultivation of cash crops like coffee and tea, as well as for animal husbandry with products produced from cattle and goats, such as goat meat, beef and milk. [76][77][78], South Sudan peacefully seceded from the Sudan in 2011, six and a half years after a peace agreement ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. It was last seen in British general knowledge crossword. Here the situation differed somewhat from that in the north, and, though tortoiseshell and rhinoceros horn were exported from thereas were quantities of ivory and coconut oilno mention is made of slaves. [72] In the video games Halo 2 and Halo 3, East Africa is one of the central locations for the campaigns.[73]. Blue sharks have the largest distribution range around the globe, and are unfortunately the shark species targeted the most by fishermen for their fins. ~ Geo Cloete, ? Some of the island's historical buildings could be seen from the ocean, especially the House of . With maximum velocities of around 8.5 km/h, it is one of the fastest and strongest flowing currents in the world. There appears also to have been a rather extensive trade with the island of Madagascar. Linguistic evidence also indicates that Bantus most likely borrowed the custom of milking cattle directly from Cushitic peoples in the area. Africa is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Red Sea to the northeast, Indian Ocean to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. . [50], On the coastal section of the African Great Lakes region, another mixed Bantu community developed through contact with Muslim Arab and Persian traders, leading to the development of the mixed Arab, Persian and African Swahili City States. The East Africa coast supports rich wildlife populations of which 60-70% are found only in the Indo-Pacific and 15% are found nowhere else in the world. The grasslands of Tanzania and Kenya are renowned for their wildlife, in particular large migratory herds of ungulates (e.g., gnus, zebras, and gazelles) and predators (lions, hyenas, and leopards). Aromatic gums, tortoiseshell, ivory, and slaves were traded in return. It is lined with coral reefs, majestic islands, and, under the surface, animals bigger than any of the "Big Five", and none of them are in game parks! Although no houses were being built of coral, stone mosques were being constructed. (US) +1 (786) 655-4040, *Call costs: Local rates apply from South Africa, UK and US otherwise international rates apply, newsletter@africageographic.com [28] Some researchers have suggested that North Africa was the region of Africa from which modern humans who first trekked out of the continent.