Daily Life
Plate 3: Sugarcane, an important crop in Madagascar, is grown on plantations in the northwestern part of the island and on the east coast. Here workers harvest sugarcane.
Plate 5: In 1997 Uganda adopted a policy known as Universal Primary Education to increase school attendance and the level of literacy. These children attend a primary school in Kampala, the country's capital.
Plate 7: Religion plays a significant role in the daily life of Africans. For Muslims that means stopping whatever they are doing five times a day, turning toward the holy city of Mecca, and praying. This Muslim man observes the call to prayer in war-torn Somalia.
Plate 9: Dogon children stand in front of a great house in a village in Mali. Such houses serve as the home of the senior man in an extended family or of the village headman. Grouped around the great house are the small dwellings of the rest of the villagers.
Plate 11: In the Sahara desert, salt is the most important trade good. Men cut slabs of salt from the earth at the mining settlement of Taoudenni in northern Mali. Arranged in rows, the slabs will be carried south across the desert on an old trade route.
Plate 13: The development of oil and natural gas resources has brought new revenue to some countries in Africa. Tunisia has built refineries, such as the one shown here, and oil is now one of its main exports.
Plate 15: Cape Town, the oldest city in southern Africa, was founded in 1652 as a supply base for the Dutch East India Company. Now a major port and manufacturing center, Cape Town is known for its historical buildings and parks. Visitors come to enjoy the nearby beaches, mountains, and vineyards.