The Physical Geography of Africa South of the Sahara Unit 8 The Physical Geography of Africa South of the Sahara Ch 20 PP

I. Section I The Land Ch 20 PP

Africa’s Size Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi. 4 6 0 0 M I L E S 5 0 0 0 M I L E S Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi. 10% of the world’s population. 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

A. Landforms Plateaus, Highlands, & Mountains Africa is the continent of plateaus Escarpments – steep cliffs located near the coasts Cataracts – waterfalls over escarpments Africa has an overall higher elevation than any other continent (because of its plateaus) Ch 20 PP

Highlands & Mountains Eastern Highlands Ethiopian Highlands Mt. Kilimanjaro – highest point Ruwenzori Mountains Drakensberg Range (Cape Mountains) Ch 20 PP

The Great Rift Valley Natural Wonder A large crack in the Earth’s surface Ch 20 PP

B. Water Systems Land of Lakes Most of the lakes are located near the great rift valley Lake Tanganika – longest freshwater lake in the world 420 miles long! Lake Malawi - 3rd greatest lake in Africa Lake Victoria – 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world Source of the White Nile Ch 20 PP Lake Victoria

Lake Chad – threatened w/extinction Drought and irrigation have dried it up! LandSat images of disappearing Lake Chad Ch 20 PP

B. (cont) A Lake Meets Many Needs Lake Volta – One of the largest man made lakes in the world. Rivers (4 Main Ones) **Know what body of water each of these flows into! Niger River – “great river” Main river in western Africa Delta Zambezi River South Central Africa Victoria Falls is located on this river Congo River Central & Western Africa Estuary White Nile Tributary of the Nile Daunting Physical Barriers Deserts & Plateaus have made it very difficult to explore & trade with Africa Victoria Falls Ch 20 PP

C. Natural Resources Oil Gold Uranium Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, and Congo Gold South Africa (has about half of the world’s!), Dem. Rep. of Congo Uranium South Africa, Niger, Gabon, Dem. Rep. of Congo, & Namibia Ch 20 PP Gold Mining

Diamonds South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Dem. Rep. of Congo, & Sierra Leone Diamonds are often the funding for civil war in many African nations! Ch 20 PP

II. Section II Climate & Vegetation Ch 20 PP

A. Climate Climate Factors Three major lines of latitude cross this continent! No other continent covers all three! All of Africa lies within 35 degrees of the equator The great variation in climate comes from the elevation – plateaus, ocean currents, prevailing winds, and latitude Ch 20 PP

B. Tropical Climate Tropical Rain Forest Near the Equator Wettest region Crops & Cutting at a cost Leach – Know what this means! Cash Crops – Bananas, pineapples, cocoa, tea, coffee, rubber, cotton Slash & Burn, Clear Cutting are problems Ch 20 PP

African Rain Forest Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft. Rapid decomposition (very humid). Covers 37 countries. 15% of the land surface of Africa.

Savanna Covers almost half of the continent Ch 20 PP

C. Dry Climates Steppe Desertification Desert Sahel Sahel has undergone much of this Desert Covers 2/5 of Africa Temps can range from 50-120 degrees F Sahara – world’s largest Namib - Southern Africa Kalahari – Southern Plateau of Africa Kalahari Desert scene Ch 20 PP

D. Moderate Climates Less common Found in coastal areas & highlands Map on pg. 506 Ch 20 PP

West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes: How?