Peoples of the World: Africa and Sahara

This work is intended for the use of junior high and high school students, and it offers a lively and informative introduction to African culture. 32 contemporary African peoples and five early cultures (Axumite, Bantu, Ghana, Mali, Nok and Songhai) are profiled in-depth, and the information is reinforced with maps and illustrations. Featured contemporary cultures include Afrikaners, Ashanti, Betsilio (in Madagascar), Dinks, Ethiopians, Fang, Liberians, Nigerians, Sudanese and Zulu. Also included to help place the cultures are brief summaries of the 45 countries of the area. A dictionary-style definition provides a pronunciation key for the people’s names, describes the group in brief, and furnishes key facts on population, language, and location. A section on geographical setting describes where the people live and makes connections between topography, climate and natural resources and the cultural development of the people. The section on historical background traces the origins of the people, their immigration and migrations, their ties to homelands or regions, their relationships with governing bodies, and the events on Africa that they influenced. The Culture Today section discusses family life, food, clothing, business, religion, education, arts and the future. Included in this section is a selected bibliography for each culture. To help simplify research Peoples of the World: Africans South of the Sahara includes an introduction to Africa, a glossary of unusual or foreign terms, and a general subject index.