1. African Geography

2. Africa, is a CONTINENT, NOT a country!

3. Mount Kilimanjaro The tallest mountain in Africa
On the border between Kenya & Tanzania
An extinct volcano – located near the equator
Because of its high elevation – it is snow-covered year-round
ex. of Elevation, countering Location

4. Mount Kilimanjaro

5. Escarpments High, steep cliffs
Located along the southern coastal 1/3 of the African continent
They are the edge of a large plateau that is southern Africa – they separate the plains of the plateau, from the coast
* They slowed the exploration of Africa & have delayed Africa’s development

6. Escarpments @ Cape of Good Hope

7. Cape Town

8. Escarpments – west coast

9. Western escarpments
Namib Desert

10. Drakensberg Range Located along the southeastern coast of South Africa
High mountains block the rains from the east – causing it to fall on the coastal plains & blocking it from the interior to the north and west
This is the concept of a RAIN SHADOW

11. Rain Shadows: Africa The Equator Southern AFRICA The Indian Ocean
The Windhoek
Mnts
Southern
AFRICA
The Drakensberg
Range
The Indian Ocean
The Namib Desert
The Kalahari Desert
Wet Winds
From East
to West
The Atlantic
Ocean
RAIN
The Cape of Good Hope

12. In southern Africa it is opposite from the illustration below – WHY?
Coastal Rainforest
Desert

13. Drakensberg Range – southeast coast

14. Drakensberg Range

15. Kitanga Plateau Located in southern-central Africa
Tilts from south to north
Drains water into the Congo Basin & the East coast – via the Zambezi & Limpopo Rivers – West Coast, via the Congo River
Location of many rich mineral deposits – including one of the world’s largest copper & cobalt mines

16. Katanga Plateau

17. Ethiopian Highlands
Located in Ethiopia & Eritrea & extending south into Uganda
Source of the Nile River

18. Atlas Mountains Located in Morocco – Northwest Africa
Causes a rain-shadow that helped to create the Sahara Desert

19. Atlas Mountains

20. Great Rift Valley A giant fault line in the Earth’s crust
Runs southwest, from Ethiopia, through Kenya & Tanzania
Has high. steep cliffs
Valley has fertile soil and many lakes
Thought by many tribes to be the “end of the Earth” and the “home of the gods”
Area of Africa where human ancestry began

21. Great Rift Valley

22. Cataracts
A Series of rapids or waterfalls – found on many of Africa’s rivers
Caused by sudden changes in elevation as water runs off of plateaus
* Good potential for hydro-electric power
*Obstacles to river transportation
** Areas where many cities developed & sites of cultural diffusion – b/c trade up & down the rivers must stop at these points

23. Cataracts

25. The Nile River World’s longest river
flows north from its source in the Ethiopian Highlands – through Sudan & Egypt
Silt from flooding gave ancient Egyptians – fertile soil for Agricultural surplus
Flooding today – controlled by the Aswan High Dam

26. The Nile

27. Aswan High Dam - Egypt

28. Congo River (Zaire) System
A complex system of rivers that feed into the Congo from surrounding highlands
Located in Central, West Africa (Zaire)
Creates a vast rainforest
Difficult to navigate
b/c of many cataracts

29. Congo River

30. The Niger River Located in Western Central Africa
One of the world’s longest
Flows from the Southern edge of the Sahara Desert – to its delta in Nigeria
The most navigable river in Africa – used for transportation & irrigation

31. The Niger River

32. The Sahara Desert Spread across northern Africa
The world’s largest desert
About 10,000 years ago it was a vast fertile, grassy plain
Acts as a barrier to trade, communication & cultural diffusion
It is still growing

33. The Sahara Desert

34. The Sahel Area of grassy plains and scrub south of the Sahara
Semi-arid region with small farms, nomads & herders
Over-grazing and deforestation are turning this region into true desert as the Sahara expands

35. The Sahel

36. The Namib Desert Located on the west coast of southern Africa
One of the driest places on Earth
Created by a series of rain shadows across southern Africa

37. The Namib Desert

38. General Info
** Regents Point**
Africa’s natural resources are rich and abundant, BUT unevenly distributed and difficult to develop

39. Examples 1. Nigeria, Angola, Gabon & Libya all have OIL
2. Uganda has fertile soil and fresh water
3. Congo/Zaire – has gold, copper, cobalt, rubies & emeralds
4. South Africa, Sierra Leone & Ghana have gold and diamonds