Africa

AFRICA Africa is the 2nd largest continent Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Indian Ocean to southeast, Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Suez Canal to the northeast.

AFRICA The climate of Africa varies from tropical to sub-arctic. Deserts, savanna plains, and dense jungles regions can be found in Africa.

AFRICA There are 53 countries in Africa and over two thousand languages.

AFRICAN ANIMALS Giraffes, Elephants, Gorillas, Rhinos, Chameleons, and Cheetahs are all found in Africa. Four of the 5 fastest animals live in Africa.

Natural Wonders of Africa Africa is a huge continent that is filled with natural wonders. Today we are going to learn about seven of those natural wonders! They are the following: Victoria Falls The Nile River Mount Kilimanjaro The Great Rift Valley The Sahara Desert

Victoria Falls Located on the Middle Zambezi River Make up the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The spray from the water goes over a thousand ft. in the air and is visible for 40 mi.

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls on earth. In comparison with Niagara Falls, Victoria is twice as wide and as deep. A large rainforest formed around the falls because of the mist. The Falls Were Created by a massive limestone collapse under the Zambezi River 150 million years ago.

The Sahara Desert The world’s largest desert area! It extends from Africa’s Atlantic Ocean side to the Red Sea. It is about 5,200 miles long. Overall, the Sahara Desert covers 3,500,000 square miles.

The Sahara Desert The Sahara’s climate is very hot and dry. The temperatures can also be very extreme-it can be freezing or over 120 degrees Fahrenheit! Most areas of the Sahara receive less than 5 inches of rainfall per year. (In New Jersey we get about 40 inches a year)

The Sahara Desert The Sahara Desert does have people, despite its harsh conditions. It has a population of about two million. The people that live in the Sahara live in "oases." Oases are places in the desert that have water and can support life. But oases are usually small, and can only support 1 or 2 families.

The Nile River The Nile River is the longest river in the world! There are hundreds of farms along the Nile, and usually farmers use boats to transport items (such as rice, wheat, cattle, and hay) between locations on the Nile.

The Nile River

Mount Kilimanjaro The name is from Swahili and means "the mountain that glitters." It is the highest mountain in Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro The mountain extends for approximately 50 miles (80 km) east to west and contains three cones - Kibo, Mawensi, and Shira.

The Great Rift Valley What is a rift? A fracture or crack in the earth’s crust. The Great Rift Valley was created about 20 million years ago do to very high pressure under the earth.

The Great Rift Valley 1969 American astronauts saw the Great Rift Valley from the moon. What can you infer about the Great Rift Valley?? It is extremely deep and clearly defined!! The Valley is about 31 miles wide and as deep as 2 miles. Contains the planet’s highest population of flamingos!

Africa’s Natural Wonders What were those natural wonders again??? Victoria Falls Mount Kilimanjaro The Nile River The Great Rift Valley Table Mountain The Serengeti Plains The Sahara Desert