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Africa Physical Geography

Africa – Introduction and Physical Geography  Africa at the center of the world?  Background and fast facts  The “Plateau continent”  Rivers of Africa  The Sahara desert and the “Sahel”  The Great Rift Valley  Resources

Africa at the Center of the World?  Theory of Continental Drift states that all the continents were once connected together –Pangea: The “supercontinent” that existed about 250 million years ago Surrounded by one large ocean - Panthalassa  About 250 million years ago, Pangea begins to break apart –The material under the Earth’s crust acts as a conveyer belt that makes the plates move… –Continents begin to drift apart

180 Million years ago

135 million years ago

The Plates Today

Africa: Background and Facts  Second largest continent (Asia is largest) –Population: over 1 billion, low population density in most places  54 total independent nations; most in world.  Oceans surround the continent –Mediterranean, Red Seas; Atlantic, Indian oceans –Located at the center of what is called the “land hemisphere” Both separate and link Africa to the rest of the world

 Has 5 different regions: North, South, Central, East and West –Regional differences contribute to the diversity of the people  1000s of Different languages

Africa: the “Plateau continent”

Africa – the “Plateau continent”  Africa is essentially a plateau with escarpments (continuous lines of steep cliffs) on many sides –“upside-down pie plate” –Nearly all above 1000 fasl, half above 2500 fasl  Interior dotted with deep basins created by many rivers

Rivers of Africa  Most important river = the Nile river  Other significant rivers = the Congo, Niger and Zambezi rivers  Sources of hydroelectric power – energy created by the movement of water  Escarpments cause cataracts – large waterfalls and rapids

The Nile River Longest river in the world – 4000 miles Flows from south to north Ancient Egypt grew around the Nile Egypt called “The Gift of the Nile” Egyptians depended on the flooding of the Nile for their farming

2 sources – had been a mystery for many years –Blue Nile (Lake Turkana, Ethiopia) –White Nile (Lake Victoria, Uganda.) Sources of the Nile

The Aswan Dam

 Completed in 1970; 365 ft. high, 2 miles wide  Designed to control the flooding of the Nile River –Positives – no flooding, water for regular irrigation –Negatives – relocation, decreased soil fertility, malaria

Lake Nasser

 World’s largest man-made lake  Formed as a result of the construction of the Aswan dam –Forced the removal of people/buildings –Nubians lose farmland/some artifacts at the bottom of the lake

The Sahara

 Largest desert in the world (3000x1200 mi.) –Only 20% actually sand…rest is mountains, rock formations, plains  Great temperature variations –From 136F (day) to below freezing (night)  Most of Africa’s population lives south of the Sahara

The Sahel

 mile wide band of semi-arid land –Stretches across the continent south of the Sahara  Means “shore of the desert”  The Sahara is expanding into this region about 4-5 miles a year –Expansion caused by desertification – creation of desert conditions in areas adjacent to desert **Causes – overgrazing, farming, population

The Great Rift Valley

 Located in the eastern portion of the continent  Over 4000 miles long from Red Sea to southern Africa –Rift: deep trench formed when large sections of earth’s crust drop between parallel faults  Shows that eastern Africa is pulling away from the rest of Africa **Mt. Kilimanjaro is found alongside this geographical feature

Mt. Kilimanjaro  Largest mountain in Africa (19,340 ft.) –Located in Tanzania **Volcanic

Resources  Mineral Resources –Abundant source of **diamonds (50%), gold (30%), uranium (29%), platinum, copper, and other minerals –Have not been used to help African societies  Other Resources –Oil - great supply in Nigeria, Libya, others (7%)  Farming and herding **The main economic activity of Africans –66% are involved in farming and herding

East Africa

North Africa

West and Central Africa

Review  What nickname is given to the continent of Africa?  Which river is the most important in Africa? What do the rivers provide?  What was created as a result of the Aswan dam?  What is the Sahel? What is desertification?  What does the existence of the Great Rift Valley tell us about East Africa?  What resources does Africa have in abundance?