Physical Geography Chapter 8, Section 1

Before We Start… Africa is not a country! It is a continent. It is actually about three times the size of the United States. Because it is not economically and politically powerful, it is often depicted on maps and globes as being smaller than it really is.

Before We Start… Exact number of countries in Africa is debatable because of how countries are counted. Generally thought that there are 54 countries and sovereign states and 9 territories. Sovereign state—State with borders where people live, and where a government makes laws and talks to other sovereign states. The people have to follow the laws that the government makes.

Rivers and Deserts Receive very little rainfall throughout the year. Lack of water is a big problem. Sand covers the deserts all year. Water in deserts is only found in oasis areas. Some areas depend upon annual flooding to make soil fertile.

Three Major Rivers Nile Longest river in the world Flows from its source in east central Africa to the Mediterranean in northeast Egypt Tigris and Euphrates Flow southeast from Turkey into the northern end of the Persian Gulf

From Hunter-Gatherers to Farmers Thousands of years ago, hunter-gatherers roamed Africa. People found food by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild grains, fruits, and nuts. For 99 percent of human history, people have been hunters and gatherers. About 8,000 years ago, humans started farming in the valleys of the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers.

From Hunter-Gatherers to Farmers

How Rivers Enrich the Soil Most soil in the desert regions of North Africa and Southwest Asia is not suitable for farming. Soil contains a lot of salt and/or sand. Rivers make farming possible.

How Rivers Enrich the Soil (Cont’d) The Nile River floods because of: Melted snow from the Ethiopian mountains Heavy rains Tigris and Euphrates rivers flood because of melted snow from the Turkish highlands. Floods leave behind fertile soil that is carried from one area to another.

Irrigation Few places in Africa are close enough to the three major rivers to depend upon them for fertile soil. Most farmers have to develop other irrigation methods.

Surrounding Waters Climate, resources, and societies of the region are shaped by: Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Persian Gulf Largest body of water is the Mediterranean Sea. Early civilizations formed on the eastern shores of Mediterranean Sea.

Trade Routes Important trading routes since ancient times: Red Sea Persian Gulf Persian Gulf is in a key position in the middle of oil-rich Southwest Asia.

Energy from an Ancient Sea Millions of years ago, a huge sea covered North Africa and Southwest Asia. When the sea creatures died, the remains sunk to the bottom. Mud, sand, and other debris were deposited on top of them. Heat and pressure changed the dead matter into oil. Working on an oil rig can be dangerous!

Turkey Not all of North Africa and Southwest Asia is hot. Turkey is cooler than the rest of the region and gets more rain. Turkey has grasslands and forests.

Questions