Africa
Physical Geography Africa is the 2 nd largest continent. Northern countries are covered by the Sahara, the largest desert in the world
Physical Geography Separating the plateaus are steep cliffs or slopes known as escarpments. Rivers spill over these escarpments in thundering waterfalls known as cataracts.
Victoria Falls The most famous waterfall in Africa is Victoria Falls It is more than twice the height of Niagara Falls.
Victoria Falls
Mountains The cone-shaped volcanic peaks of Kenya and Tanzania include Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.
The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley is one of the world’s natural wonders.
Water Systems Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. It is the source of the Nile River
River Systems The Nile is the largest river system in the world, but the largest system south of the Sahara is the Congo.
Natural Resources Diamonds: some of the biggest deposits on earth. Gold: more than half the world’s gold Copper Oil Uranium Manganese zinc
Early Exploration The Portuguese were the first to explore Africa. The Dutch were the first to settle in South Africa. Dutch descendants in South Africa today are called Afrikaners.
Climate Desert: Desert covers 2/5 of Africa’s land area.
Climate Regions Savannas: Tropical grasslands of Africa.
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Poaching: illegal hunting of wild animals. Extinction: the disappearance or end of a species of plant or animal. Habitat: areas that are suitable for certain plants or animals to sustain life.
Climate Regions Tropical Rainforest: This region covers only 8% of Africa The heavy rains leach, or wash away the nutrients in the soil.
Deforestation: The loss or destruction of forests.
Human Characteristics Population: Just over 1 billion Africa has the world’s highest birthrate and the world’s shortest life expectancy
Reasons for Short Life Expectancy Famine and poor nutrition claim many lives, especially infants and children. Some hunger has been caused by corrupt governments focusing on cash crops rather than food crops. Impure water is another cause of death.
Reasons for Short Life Expectancy Insects such as the tsetse fly and mosquitos carry diseases that kill cattle, horses, and people. AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa.
Urbanization: The movement of people from rural areas into the cities.
Human Characteristics Africa is home to hundreds of different ethnic groups, or people with similar histories and cultures.
Human Characteristics Today, Africans speak more than 800 languages. Swahili is one of the major languages spoken throughout Africa This makes Swahili a lingua franca, or a universal language because it is understood almost everywhere in Africa.
Human Characteristics Christianity and Islam are the two major religions in Africa. The people of Djibouti were the first to adopt Islam. Animism: The belief that the spirits of ancestors live in nature.
Family Life: Africans place great emphasis on extended families, or households made up of several generations. In some places, families are organized into clans, or large groups of people related to each other..
Education Literacy Rates: the percentage of people who have the ability to read and write.
Obstacles to Education 1. Low standard of living: many people simply cannot afford to send their children to school. 2. Some parents still believe that their children will benefit more from learning survival skills, such as hunting or farming. 3. Location: lack of schools in rural areas.