Barrels of oil . . . Dazzling diamonds . . . Glittering gold
Plus copper, iron, coal and more!

All of these resources are found on the continent of Africa. Mining is a large part of the economy of African countries. Large amounts of petroleum, which is used to make oil and gasoline, are found in Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Gabon and Angola. Ghana is one of the world's leading exporters of gold. Other African countries supply the world with copper, silver, uranium, and titanium. In the late 1800s, South Africa became one of the leading producers of diamonds and it is still a leader today. With all these valuable commodities, how is it possible that poverty is so widespread?

Essential Question : How can a continent so rich with natural resources have millions of people living in poverty?

Social studies students will write a short research paper about problems facing modern Africa. Students will select a country in Africa and research many aspects of the country (such as environment, religious tolerance, human rights, civil rights, equality for all, life expectancy, per capita income, natural resources, education, government, economy, physical features, health issues, etc.). Students will determine the three major reasons why their country and the people of their country are not more prosperous. Students will develop a three part thesis statement and write a five paragraph paper citing evidence and details to support their thesis.

Students will type or neatly handwrite the final paper. Students will need to include a bibliography of resources used for this project. Mrs. Whalen's classes final papers are due Tuesday, May 13, 2008.

Students are encouraged to use both print and digital resources. Select library books have been put on reserve in the school library. Below are some digital resources students might find useful.

Grolier Online--encyclopedia articles. At-home use requires username and password. Click here for details http://www.ccps.org/ccps/grolier/grolierhome.htm (An email message from Grolier will assign you a personal username and password.) Digital Databases--especially SIRS Discoverer, CultureGrams & SIRS Knowledge Source. At-home use requires log-ins & passwords. See Mrs. Slacum for that info. CultureGrams SIRS Discoverer SIRS Knowledge Source Countries of the World The World Fact Book--select your country from the drop down menu Africare: Where We Work--select your country from a drop down list. War in Africa Africa's Natural Resources at Risk Human Rights Watch—select your country in the lower right side of screen A Troubled Decade for Africa's Children Why is Africa Still Poor? UN Urges Africa to Harness Natural Resources to Beat Poverty Conflicts in Africa Capitalism is the Cure for Africa’s Problems Education in Africa AIDS orphans: Facing Africa’s ‘silent crisis’ Latest African News South Africa : Government take Lead in Tackling HIV-AIDS Crisis HIV Affecting Global Workforce Try using Google to search for other sites. Type:   your country's name +war your country's name +education your country's name +economy your country's name +government your country's name +landforms your country's name +farming Use the suggestions on the left to narrow down your search. Avoid the Sponsored Result (found in the pale blue box). These sites are selling products and not useful for your research.