A Satellite View

Africa: Physical (The “Tropical Continent) Tropic of Cancer 20° N Equator 0° Tropic of Capricorn 20° S Prime Meridian 0º

Africa: Physical Features 1

Africa: Physical Features 2

Great Rift Valley 3,000 miles long

Practice Your Geography Skills 1. You are in Egypt. A river meets the sea near the country's capital. What is the name of the river? 2 Flying east from the mouth of the Zambezi River, you come to an island. What is its name, and how is land used there? 3 Now you are traveling west by ship toward the southern tip of Africa. You stop at a port near the Tropic of Capricorn. What country are you in?

Key Terms: Land And Water Plateau Elevation Rift Tributary Fertile

Africa Physical Geography

Land and Water Where is Africa located? What are Africa’s most important landforms?

The Four Regions of Africa Africa can be divided into four regions: (1) North; (2) West; (3) East; and (4) Central and Southern.

North Africa’s physical features include rocky mountains and the Sahara, the world’s largest desert.

West Africa is Africa’s most populated region; its grasslands provide good soil for farming.

East Africa is marked by mountains, hills, and plateaus, large raised areas of mostly level land.

Central and Southern Africa has grasslands, rain forests, mountains, swamps, and deserts, including the Namib and the Kalahari.

Africa’s Major Landforms Africa is called the “plateau continent” because of its high elevation—the height of land above sea level. Each of Africa’s regions has mountains. The highest are in East Africa. There, the continent’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, rises to a height of more than 19,000 feet.

Coastal plains lie along much Africa’s coastline Coastal plains lie along much Africa’s coastline. In some places, the plains end in an escarpment, or steep cliff. The 4,000-mile-long Great Rift Valley in East Africa was formed millions of years ago as continents pulled apart. A rift is a deep trench. Major lakes are in or near the Great Rift Valley.

The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley is so large that more than 30 Grand Canyons could fit inside it.

Africa’s Rivers The Nile: The world’s longest river, it runs more than 4,000 miles. From its two sources, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, it flows north into the Mediterranean Sea. Its floods deposit silt, bits of rock and soil that make the land fertile, or nourishing, to plants. The Aswan High Dam controls flooding and provides electric power from the rushing water.

The Congo: Africa’s second-longest river runs through Central Africa into the Atlantic Ocean, fed by tributaries, small rivers and streams that flow into a larger river. The Niger: Africa’s third-longest river begins in Guinea, running about 2,600 miles and ending in the Gulf of Guinea. The Zambezi: Africa’s fourth-longest river is about 2,200 miles long and runs through six countries in Southern Africa.

I. Land and Water (Question & Answer) What physical features do all of the regions have in common? Why might West Africa be the continent's most populated region? How do Africa's four major rivers affect the lives of its people? How did farming on the Nile change after the Aswan High Dam was built? What landforms and rivers in Africa would you like to visit and why? Explain in 3 Paragraphs

Africa: Physical Features Atlantic Ocean Cape of Good Hope Congo Basin Congo River Indian Ocean Lake Chad Lake Tanganyika Lake Victoria Mediterranean Sea Niger River Nile River Red Sea   Atlas Mountains Great Rift Valley Kalahari Desert Mt. Kilimanjaro Sahara Strait of Gibraltar

Regions of Africa: Physical Features North Africa West Africa Central & South Africa East Africa desert - grassland - rain-forest Plateaus

II. Climate and Vegetation What types of climates and vegetation are found in Africa? How do climate and vegetation affect how Africans make a living? Key Terms: Irrigate, drought, oasis, savanna, nomad

Africa: A variety of climate zones Tropical rainforest Climate– found particularly in the centre of the continent and also along the eastern coast of Madagascar. Humid sub-tropical Climate – found in the southwest.

Mediterranean Climate – mostly on the northwest (Mediterranean) coast and in the southeast Savannah Climate – found to the north and south where it replaces the rain forest. There are distinct wet and dry seasons. Steppe Climate – away from the Equator, to the north and south, the savannah grades into drier steppe.

Desert climate – here there is little rainfall and wide differences between day and night temperatures. The Sahara in the north is the world’s largest desert (only three countries have a greater area – Russia, Canada and China). The Kalahari in southern Africa covers an area larger than France. Highland Climate – largely found in the east, below the Horn of Africa. Marine Climate – largely in the southeast.

Regions of Africa: Climate and Vegetation North Africa West Africa Central & South Africa East Africa ……. -…….. ….. …. -……… -……...

Elevation: Graph

Altitudinal zonation: Different kinds of commercial and subsistence agriculture are practiced at different elevations.

What Influences Climate? The climate in most of Africa is warm because the continent lies along the Equator. The seasons above the Equator are the opposite of those below the Equator.

Countries with higher elevation, such as Ethiopia, tend to have a cooler, moister climate than those at a low elevation.

Lower countries such as Somalia tend to be hot and dry.

Their farmers must irrigate, or artificially water, their crops. Or they must farm near an oasis, a place with springs and underground water. Rainfall in Africa varies greatly, from more than 100 inches per year to almost no rain.

What Influences Climate? Desert and Rain Forest

Vegetation Tropical rain forests once covered much of Central Africa, but much of the forest has been cut down to harvest wood or clear farmland. Loss of the forest causes nutrients in the land to be washed away in heavy rains.

North and south of the rain forests is the savanna, grasslands with scattered trees. The climate in the savanna has a wet season and a dry season.

Between the Sahara and the savanna is a region called the Sahel, which is hot and dry. Nomads are people who move around to various places to make a living. Nomadic traders, hunters, and herders live in the Sahara.

Building Good Health Climate affects the health of people and livestock throughout Africa. The moisture in the rain forest breeds disease-carrying insects.

The tsetse fly is found in nearly one fifth of Africa. The bite of the tsetse fly kills cattle and causes humans to get sleeping sickness. Herders in various countries use poisons and traps to try to control the spread of the tsetse fly.

II. Climate and Vegetation (Review- Question & Answer) Name three factors that influence climate. Give an example of how one of these factors can influence the climate of an area. Identify the types of vegetation found in each of Africa’s regions. What health risks do people and animals in different climate regions of Africa face? In which of Africa’s climate regions do you think you would be least likely to contract malaria?

Natural Resources What are Africa’s major natural resources? How are Africans developing these resources?

Copy the Chart and record your Findings. Key Terms: Subsistence Farming Cash Crop Economy Diversify Copy the Chart and record your Findings.

Agricultural Resources Much of Africa’s land is used for subsistence farming, or raising crops to support one’s own family. Some subsistence farmers also grow a few crops to sell or trade.

Crops raised to be sold are called cash crops. African cash crops include coffee, cacao, and tea. When too much land is used for cash crops and those crops fail, food shortages can occur.

Hardwood trees grow throughout Africa, and many have been cut down for sale. Some countries are replanting hardwoods to save the forests.

From this map you can see how the ways of making a living in Africa vary from region to region. Herding is widespread in the north, and farming takes place throughout the western and central portions of the continent. Other activities such as manufacturing are scattered throughout Africa.

Mineral Resources An economy is a system for producing, distributing, consuming, and owning goods, services, and wealth. Mining is a major part of Africa’s economy. Parts of North Africa, as well as the West African country of Nigeria, have large supplies of a valuable mineral resource: petroleum. It is used to make oil and gasoline.

The country of Ghana was once called the Gold Coast because it was a chief exporter of gold. Other minerals from Africa include copper, silver, uranium, titanium, and diamonds.

Balancing Crops, Minerals, and Industry A specialized economy is one that is dependent on one kind of industry. In Africa, specialized farm economies can be harmed by lack of rainfall or falling crop prices.

African countries are now trying to diversify their economies—that is, to add variety to them. African economies have diversified by producing a variety of crops, raw materials, and manufactured goods.

Pop Quiz 1. The majority of Africa’s farmland is used for ___________. A.Commercial farming B.Subsistence farming C.Cash crops D.Harvesting trees

2. Unlike farmers who raise cash crops, subsistence farmers raise crops to ___________ A.Sell to Western countries. B.Support entire villages. C.Support their families. D.Sell to other African countries.

3. Africa’s most important natural resources are ______________ A.Electricity and trade. B.Crops, minerals, and timber. C.Manufacturing, trade, and crops. D.Solar energy, trade, and timber.

4. Most of Africa’s workers are employed in ________________. A.farming B.trading C.mining D.manufacturing

5. How do producing a variety of crops, raw materials, and manufactured goods affect Africa’s countries? A.They can afford to buy equipment for mining. B.They can protect their economies in an unstable world market. C.They cannot protect themselves if a major cash crop fails. D.They cannot survive a serious drought.

AFRICA: Environmental Problems