ThinkQuest—The Living Africa: The Nile River
http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_land/nile_river.shtml
This student-produced site has a large set of resources to help you explore the continent of Africa. This particular section focuses on the Nile. Explore the manmade and natural features that impact the course of this great river. Investigate climate, hydrology, dams, reservoirs, how to navigate cataracts, and many other topics. Click on the “Home” link to learn more about Africa in general. You will find games, online postcards, quizzes, and much more here as well.

University of Colorado at Denver: Aswan Dams
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/stc-link/aswan04/home.html
Students at the University of Colorado produced this informative site about the high and low Aswan dams along the Nile River. Photographs and text help explain the impact of these massive features on the geography, culture, and agriculture of the Nile River basin. Be aware that the authors are engineering students. Sometimes the discussion gets quite technical!

Africa, One Continent, Many Worlds: The Sahara
http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/africa/exhibit/sahara/index.html
In this online Sahara exhibit, you will find photographs and text on various aspects of desert life. For example, learn more about the area’s climate and natural features. The site has information on the Sahel region that borders the desert, the oases that dot the landscape, and the ways of life of nomadic groups such as the Tuareg. Be sure to visit other sections of this large site that explore topics concerning the African continent itself.

Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture: A Background to the Sahel and the Semiarid Region
http://www.syngentafoundation.com/syngenta_foundation_semi_arid_agriculture_sahel_zone.htm
How do people adapt to life in semiarid regions such as the Sahel? How do they deal with the challenges of sustaining a decent quality of life in a region bordering the great Sahara? This site addresses these questions with a variety of resources. The emphasis is on how people use sustainable agricultural techniques to live full and productive lives. Links will take you to information about how individual countries in this region have dealt with the challenging physical qualities of the Sahel. You can also learn about specific crops grown in this region and current related news.

Opportunity International: Giving the Poor a Working Chance
http://www.opportunity.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=193&srcid=-2
Opportunity International is dedicated to helping the poor of the world find employment. You will find information here on micro-loans (small, manageable loans) and micro-entrepreneurship programs. While the scope of this project covers the entire underdeveloped world, you can focus specifically on their projects in Africa by following the clear links. In particular, you might want to explore the “Lending Hope to Africa” and “African Clients” sections. In “African Clients,” you will read about the individual success stories of African women who have started their own businesses and improved their lives.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization—A Path Out of Poverty:
Developing Rural and Women Entrepreneurship

http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=11092
This downloadable PDF file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is an excellent report on how women in Africa and other world regions can succeed as micro-entrepreneurs with the help of financing and education. Wonderful photographs show women involved in these projects around the world. The report covers many strategies for helping empower poor women. You may want to read about some of the African project experiences. Take a look at “Rwanda: Strengthening the Role of Women Entrepreneurs in a Post Conflict Situation” on page 24 and “Kenya: Socio-economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs” on page 30. While this resource may be best suited for older students and their teachers, younger students could also benefit with some assistance.

Country Studies: Nigeria
http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/
This site is an excellent resource to help you better understand the division of Nigeria into three distinct regions. The information is presented in a purely text format. Use the table of contents to find out more about the history, environment, economy, and government of Nigeria. The site also includes extensive coverage of other aspects of life in this nation.

PBS Online NewsHour: Nigeria in Transition
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/nigeria/index.html
This PBS site will help you investigate the cultural and ethnic geography of Nigeria. The country is divided into northern, western, and eastern regions. Use the resources here to learn more about how this division affects tensions within the country as Nigeria struggles to maintain political stability. Major sections will help you explore leadership, economic, and religious issues.

PBS Online NewsHour: Land Redistribution in Southern Africa
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/land/gp_safrica.html
The nations of southern Africa face unique challenges as they struggle to modernize. This excellent PBS site explores those challenges. The site focuses primarily on the redistribution of land that was controlled by the white minority during the apartheid era. You can learn about the political, social, governmental, and economic impact of this redistribution. The countries of Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa are highlighted. You will also find links to timelines, photographs, and maps. A section for students and teachers presents lesson plans and handouts about conditions in South Africa in the apartheid vs. post-apartheid eras.

International Marketing Council of South Africa—South Africa: Alive with Possibility
http://www.southafrica.info/
This site is dedicated to informing the world about the progress and possibilities in post-apartheid South Africa. You can discover a world of information about this fascinating country from this site. Use the navigation tool bar on the left side of the page to find photos, maps, and articles about South Africa. Learn about the country’s government, education, culture, employment, and living conditions. Links will take you to other excellent supporting material.