GEO2000, World Geography
22 October 2007 TEST Essay Questions 3.) In the second half of the nineteenth century, representatives of European governments and rulers arrived to create or expand African spheres of influence for their patrons. The European colonial powers shared one objective in their African colonies: exploitation. Some colonial powers were themselves democracies (the United Kingdom and France) while others were dictatorships (Portugal and Spain). Colonialism transformed Africa. It made a tremendous impact in their every day ways of living and began to shape their identity. For instance, in Ghana, the Ashanti Kingdom still was fighting the British in the early years of the twentieth century. Yet, by 1957, Ghana was independent again. Also, as a result, poverty entered many aspects of Africa. The cycle of poverty that followed colonialism exacts a high price from African societies. 4.) When it comes to land properties and ownership, Africans value ancestral traditions. An example of one of these traditions is known as land tenure. This refers to the way people own, occupy, and use land. In most of Sub-Saharan Africa, communities, not individuals, customarily hold land. The occupants of this land space have temporary, custodial rights to it and cannot sell it. Yet, when the European colonizers took control of much of Sub-Saharan Africa, their land ownership practices contradicted with those of Africa. The expropriation of