Africa Chapter 1: Physical Geography Pg

Guiding Questions 1.Geography – What are the main physical features of Africa? 5.Economics – What factors influence the ways in which Africans make a living? 2

Section 1 Land and Water Pages

Africa’s Regions and Landforms NorthWest EastCentral/South Four Regions 4

The Four Regions Rocky mountains Sahara Desert – World’s largest desert North Africa Most populated Mostly grassland – Good for farming West Africa Many mountains Plateaus – large areas of mostly level land Mostly grassland Rain forests and swamps Namib and Kalahari desert Central/South Africa 5

The Plateau Continent Much of Africa is made of Plateaus Very high in elevation –H–Height above sea level 6

Mountains All four regions have mountains Highest Mts. In East Africa – Mt. Kilimanjaro Tanzania Tallest Mt. – 19,341 feet – Taller than 385 Holly Shelters 7

The Great Rift Valley Located in East Africa On the edge of Mt. Kilimanjaro Formed millions of years ago – Continents pulled apart Rift – deep trench – 4000 miles long – Most major lakes located here 8

Africa’s Rivers Four large rivers Nile River Congo River Zambezi River Niger River 9

Nile River Longest River in the world 4000 miles long – Twice as long as the Mississippi R. – 2600 miles from Wilmington to LA Tributaries – rivers and streams that flow into a larger river. – Nile Tributaries White Nile Blue Nile Nile flows north to the Mediterranean Sea 10

Farming Along the Nile Thousands of years Floods deposited silt – Silt make soil fertile – Rich in the substances that plants need to grow 1960s – Aswan High Dam – Controlled flooding – Created Lake Nasser – Water from the dam helps Crops grow in the desert Produce electricity 11

Congo River 2900 miles long Second longest in Africa – Still more miles than Wilmington to LA Fed by hundreds of tributaries Economy – Farmers grow yams and cassava – Many types of fish are caught 12

Niger River Starts in Guinea along western coast 3 rd longest –2–2600 miles – still longer than Wilmington to LA 13

Zambezi River Located in Southern Africa Forms boarder for 6 countries 1.Angola 2.Zambia 3.Namibia 4.Botswana 5.Zimbabwe 6.Mozambique 2200 miles long Victoria Falls – Beautiful waterfalls – Major tourist destination 14

Section 2 Climate and Vegetation Pages

What Influences Climate? Key factors Distance from the Equator Elevation Proximity (how close or far) to water Major Landforms 16

Distance From the Equator North Africa summer South Africa winter North Africa winter South Africa summer  Equator runs right through Africa  Most of Africa has a tropical climate  Season in Africa are mismatched 17

Role of Elevation Elevation = height above sea level Higher elevation – cooler temperature Elevations affect on climate – Ethiopia – High plateau Mild temps and good rainfall Farmers grow lots of crops – Somalia – Low elevation Dry and hot Farmers only grow near river or oasis 18

Unpredictable Rainfall West Coast – Wind brings moisture from ocean – Average 100+ inches of rain per year Sahara and Namib deserts – No rain for YEARS Farmers in dry regions plant multiple crops – Hope one will grow 19

Vegetation Regions of Africa Near the Equator = Rain forests On either side of rain forest = Savanna – Region of tall grasses and scattered trees On either side of Savanna = Desert – Sahara in the N – Namib and Kalahari in the S 20

Tropical Rain Forests West and Central Africa – Covers almost 20% or 1/5 of continent Rain supports lots of life in RF Cacao grows here – Plant to make chocolate Logging threatens the rain forest 21

Tropical Savannas Most common in Africa Large herd animals – Think Lion King Two seasons Dry No FarmingRivers dry up Wet Good FarmingEverything Green 22

Deserts in Africa Sahara Desert – Most of North Africa – Almost as big as US – Southern edge = Sahel Hot and dry 4-8 inches of rain per year Namib and Kalahari in S. Africa 23

Desert Living Nomads – people with no permanent home – Mostly herders – Travel to find food and water Camels – Store fat in their hump – Can survive for days w/ no food or water 24

Climate and Health Sleeping Sickness 1/5 of Africa home to Tsetse Fly Kills Cattle Puts Humans to sleep Ways to kill Tsetse Traps Sew into tents nets w/ poison Malaria Spread by Mosquitoes Breed and thrive in warm moist climates Problem in Africa S of Sahara Ways to fight Protective clothing Insecticide 25

Section 3 Resources and Land Use Pages

Agricultural Resources Most Africans farm – Some have fertile land – Some have poor soil or little rain – Some lack land and tools 27

Agricultural Resources Cont’d Farming to Live Subsistence farming – Just enough crops to support family Varies by region Crops for sale Cash Crops – crops raised for sale Coffee, Cacao, and Tea Cash crops fail = Food shortages Harvesting trees Thousands of acres have been cut Some countries are planting more to replace 28

Natural Resources Economy – System for producing, distributing, consuming, and owning goods and services. Farming is important to Africa Mining is just as important 29

Mining Petroleum Used to make gas and oil West and north coast of Africa Gold Ghana is leading exporter “Gold Coast” Other important resources Copper, silver, uranium, titanium, and diamonds 30

Improving Economic Health Specialized Economy – Dependant on one thing – Africa = Farming 31

Strengthening Economies Africa wants to diversify – add variety Diverse economy is best – One piece can fail – Everything else can succeed 32

Where does the Money Go? Foreign companies – Mine Africa – Take the profits Few factories – Africa does not produce much – No production = no money 33