Africa Vocabulary

Basin a region drained by a river system

Savanna Tropical grasslands

Rift valley A deep valley formed when the Earth’s crust separated, as in East Africa.

Sahel A semiarid grassland that separates the Sahara in the north from the tropical grassland in the south.

Escarpment A steep slope.

Desertification The gradual transition from fertile to less productive land.

Deforestation Widespread cutting of forests.

Literacy rate Percentage of people who can read and write.

Epidemic & Pandemic Epidemic An outbreak of a disease affecting a great number of the population in a particular community. Pandemic An outbreak of a disease that spreads over a wide geographic area.

Genocide the systematic killing of people because of their national, ethnic, or religious group.

Refugee A person who flees a place to find safety.

Poaching Illegal hunting or fishing

Apartheid The legal separation of the races; a system that denied black South Africans their rights.

Coup A sudden, illegal takeover of government by force.

Malnutrition Lack of enough food or nourishment.

Erosion The process by which rocks and soil slowly break apart and are worn away.