1. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Sub-Saharan Africa

2. The area SOUTH of the Sahara Desert.
“Sub-Saharan”Africa
The area SOUTH of the Sahara Desert.

3. Population – Population refers to the total number
of people living in a country.
Use pages
Nigeria – 162 million
Ethiopia – 87 million
Democratic Republic of Congo – 68 million
Tanzania – 46 million
Kenya – 42 million
I used Junior Scholastic 2012 for these stats!

4. Land Size – Land size refers to the total square miles
or kilometers of a country.
Use pages
Sudan – 967,000 sq. miles
Democratic Republic of Congo – 905,000 sq. miles
Chad – 495,000 sq. miles
Mozambique – 305,000 sq. miles
Madagascar – 227, 000 sq. miles

5. GDP – Gross Domestic Product refers to the
total value of goods and services
produced in a country in one year.
South Africa - $10,700
Gabon - $14,500
Botswana - $14,000
I used Junior Scholastic 2012 for these stats!

6. The equator runs through the continent of Africa. Which
countries does it run through? Use your Nystrom maps to answer:
From East to West
1. Somalia
2. Kenya
3. Uganda
4. Democratic Republic of Congo
5. Republic of Congo
6. Gabon
Label these on your map!

7. The African continent is actually one large plateau. Along the
eastern side of Africa is the Great Rift Valley, an area where
two tectonic plates are moving away from one another. Along
this rift are several lakes, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria.
and huge cliffs called escarpments. When rivers flow over
these cliffs they form waterfalls. Another name for these
waterfalls are known as
CATARACTS.

8. Great Rift Valley

9. Plateaus and Escarpments
Escarpment - steep slopes with nearly flat plateau on top.
These kept people OUT of interior Africa.

10. Cataracts! When rivers flow over these cliffs they
form waterfalls. What is another name
for these waterfalls?
Cataracts!
What impact do these cliffs and waterfalls have on the
rivers in Africa?
Rivers can not be used for transportation
and trade!

11. Mount Kilimanjaro THIS is why we see snow at the Equator!
Click on the link below to watch a video on Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Mount Kilimanjaro
THIS is why we see snow at the Equator!

12. Lake Victoria Lake Tanganyika
World’s longest freshwater lake Africa’s largest lake.

13. landlocked. This means they have no coastlines.
The interior countries of Africa are
landlocked. This means they have
no coastlines.
Use your map on page 517 to name
three landlocked countries:

15. African rivers Nile River
This river flows more than 4,000 miles through
Uganda and Sudan and into Egypt. More than
95% of Egypt’s population lives along this river.
Which river is this?
Nile River

16. African rivers Congo River
This river flows more than 2,900 miles forming
a large network of waterways. But a series of
32 cataracts make large portions of this river
impassable.
Congo River

17. African rivers Zambezi River Victoria Falls
This river provides hydroelectric power and is
home to an enormous waterfall along the
Zambia/Zimbabwe border.
Zambezi River
Victoria Falls

18. The Zambezi River is useful for hydroelectric power. Can
you name the huge waterfall on this river?
Victoria Falls

19. reversed and mirrored ---WHY??F R I C N C L I M A T E
There are similar climate patterns found at the north and the south of the continent EXCEPT that they’re...
reversed and mirrored ---WHY??

21. Climate Regions of Africa
Tropical Wet – The area located at or near the equator.
Tropical Wet and Dry - These areas are known as savannas.
Many of Africa’s nature preserves and
national parks are found here.
The Serengeti! ( Page 578)
Semi-Arid(Steppe) - The region directly south of the Sahara Desert
is Semi – Arid.
Known as the Sahel!
Arid(Desert) – at the extreme north and south of the continent.
List the deserts:
Namib Desert
Kalahari Desert
Sahara Desert
(getting larger due to desertification)

26. The Serengeti

33. Found in Zambia & Zimbabwe
The African continent is rich in mineral
resources. Can you name any?
#25 on HW
Iron Ore
Used for steel
Chromium
All found in Zimbabwe!
Chromium in South Africa too.
Uranium
Used for nuclear power
Found in Zambia & Zimbabwe
Copper
Used for wiring, pipes, and roofing.
Gold
Used for jewelry, electronics, and investing.
Found in
South Africa.
Diamonds

34. The coastline of Africa is very smooth and
does not have natural harbors, or safe places
for ships to harbor. Is this a positive or
negative influence on trading?
Negative!

35. Slash & Burn The soil in the rainforest areas is not
fertile. Crops can be grown on
rainforest soil for only a few years.
What type of agriculture do you think
they use?
Slash & Burn

36. The Afar Depression (also called the Afar Triangle) is a geological depression in the Horn of Africa, where it overlaps Eritrea, the Afar Region of Ethiopia, and Djibouti.

37. Afar Triangle

38. In September, 2005, a team of geologists from the University of Addis Ababa had scarcely stepped out of their helicopter onto the desert plains of Ethiopia when the ground under their feet shook violently.
Before they could scramble back into the helicopter, numerous crevices split open and raced toward them like zippers opening up in the Earth. It took mere seconds. When the ground stopped shaking, the geologists knew they had witnessed history. This was the beginning phases of the birth of an ocean...right in the midst of the African continent.
A human lifetime is far too short to witness an epic event such as the birth of an ocean, river or sea, the rise of a mountain or the opening up of a valley. Yet this is precisely the process which is taking place in northern Ethiopia in a region called the Afar Triangle.

42. This is what Africa will look like in about one million years
This is what Africa will look like in about one million years. Notice that the Persian Gulf does not exist and the horn of Africa is a separate peninsula. This is caused by the movement of tectonic plates.