The Geography of Africa

Main Ideas Fertile soil along the Nile River encouraged the rise of great civilizations (ex. Egypt) Many geographic features in Africa have prevented contact, trade & unity among peoples Many of these same features limit European knowledge of Africa “the Dark Continent”

Physical Geography PHYSICAL FEATURES Sahara Desert smooth coastline lack of navigable rivers Great Rift Valley high plateau RESULT Groups are kept separate 800 different languages are spoken in modern Africa

More Physical Features Lake Victoria Lake Tanganyika

Diversity leads to Imperialism Raw materials and resources lead to European interest in Africa Africa’s geographical divisions prevents the Africans from cooperating to resist

Interesting Statistics 2nd largest continent- - 11,700,000 square miles! That’s 20.2% of the earth And 3x the size of the USA 1,022,234,000 people 55 countries

Topography Deserts –40% of the land surface of Africa –slows cultural diffusion - does not totally prevent it Sahara -- North Africa –1/3 of the continent (= to the USA!!) –majority is rock and gravel Kalahari--Southwest Africa

True desert spreads into semi- arid regions

Desertification - Causes Farmers use semi-arid land next to desert - yields poor crop Overgrazing by cattle and goats Overcutting of trees for firewood With no grass or tree roots, the topsoil blows away, the desert advancesWith no grass or tree roots, the topsoil blows away, the desert advances

Solutions Crop rotation Terracing to prevent soil from washing away Tree belts to stop erosion and hold soil in place

Mountains East Africa- –caused by volcanic activity –section of the land sank - causing the Great Rift Valley –Atlas (NW) –Drakensberg (SE) –Ethiopian Highlands –Famous peaks - Mt. Kenya & Mt. Kilimanjaro

Rivers Depth varies depending on the season Plateaus prevent easy navigation Therefore,Therefore, the interior of Africa remained largely unexplored in the past

4,180 miles long (world’s longest!!) flows NORTH Source - - Lake Victoria Delta - - Egypt Floods annually –One of the most densely populated region in Africa

Waterfalls and rapids prevent easy navigation Congo miles long Niger - ancient civilizations flourished here Zambezi - Victoria Falls, used for hydro- electric power

Coastline Smooth Few natural harbors - hard to land ships

Climate - determined by rainfall, latitude and elevation Savanna - 40%, safari!! Tropical Rainforest - 8%, Desert - 40% Mediterranean - 12%, good farm land AboutAbout 85% of the land is not suited to farming

Natural Resources Farming –peanuts, cotton, cocoa, coffee Minerals –diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt Water –hydroelectric power

Features to Remember I watch CNN on TV in the AM. Rivers: C: CONGO N: NIGER N: NILE

Lakes Lake VICTORIA Lake TANGANYIKA

Mountains Atlas Mountains