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) _____________________ (2) West; (3) _____________________ (4) Central and Southern.

North Africa’s physical features include _______________________________ ______________________________.

West Africa is Africa’s _____________ __________________; its grasslands provide good soil for farming.

East Africa is marked by _____________ _____________ _____________, large raised areas of mostly level land.

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________.

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

Coastal plains lie along much Africa’s coastline. __________________________________ _________________________________. The 4,000-mile-long _________________ in _____________ was formed millions of years ago as continents pulled apart. A rift is ______________________. Major lakes are in or near the Great Rift Valley.

The Great Rift Valley _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

Africa’s Rivers The Nile: ______________________________, it runs more than ___________ miles. From its two sources, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, it flows north into the Mediterranean Sea. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________. The Aswan High Dam controls flooding and provides ____________ from the rushing water.

The Congo: Africa’s _____________ 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 ______________ river __________________________________ _________________________________. The Zambezi: Africa’s ____________ river is about 2,200 miles long and runs through __________ in __________________.

Climate and Vegetation What types of climates and vegetation are found in Africa? How do climate and vegetation affect how Africans make a living?

What Influences Climate? The climate in most of Africa is warm because __________________________ _________________. The seasons above _________________ are the ___________ of those below the Equator.

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

Lower countries such as Somalia tend to be _________________.

Their farmers must irrigate, or _________ water, their crops. Or they must farm near an oasis, a place _________________________________. __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ _________________________________.

What Influences Climate? Desert and Rain Forest

Vegetation ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ _____________________________. 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 ________, grasslands with scattered trees. The climate in the savanna has a _______ season and a ____________ season.

Between the Sahara and the savanna is a region called the _______, which is hot and _________. ______________ are people who move around to various places to make a living. _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________.

Building Good Health Climate affects the health of people and livestock throughout Africa. The ___________ in the rain forest breeds _____________________ insects.

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

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

Agricultural Resources _______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________. Some subsistence farmers also grow a few crops to sell or trade.

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

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________. Some countries are replanting hardwoods to save the forests.

Agricultural Resources 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 ___________, distributing, consuming, and owning _________________________________. _____ 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: _____________________________. 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 ______________. Other minerals from Africa include ______________________________ ______________________________ _____________________________.

Balancing Crops, Minerals, and Industry A specialized economy is one that is dependent on __________________. 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 ________________________. __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ _________________________________.