1. Population Distribution in Africa
SS7G3:
The student will explain the impact of location, climate, and physical characteristics on population distribution in Africa.

2. Africa

3. The Sahara Desert

4. The Sahara Desert World’s largest desert
Extends from Atlantic Ocean to Red Sea
Sahel is south of the Sahara Desert
The northern parts are hot and dry with very little rainfall
One of the most difficult places to live on Earth

5. The Sahara Desert
In the few places there is water, an oasis can be found
Most who live here are nomads; they travel by camel looking for water
**Nomad=someone who has no permanent home.**
Hundreds of years ago, gold and salt came across the Sahara on the backs of camels from central Africa to markets
Even today there are parts of the Sahara that are impossible to get across without a camel

6. I. Sahara Desert

7. The Sahel

8. The Sahel
The Sahel is the semiarid region between the Sahara to the north & the savannas and rainforests to the south, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
It is flat with few mountains & hills
Even though there is more rain than in the Sahara, rainfall varies from year to year which makes farming difficult
Desertification is a problem-people cut down trees for fuel
The majority make a living herding animals (nomads) and subsistence farming

9. What is a Semiarid Climate?
Semiarid and desert (arid) climates:
Semiarid and desert climates occur in regions with little precipitation.
Desert climates are drier than semiarid climates.
Semiarid climates usually border desert climates.
In both climate groups, the temperature change between day and night is considerable.

10. The Sahel

11. The Savanna

12. The Savanna The savanna is a region where grass can grow naturally
There is not enough water to grow trees and forests
The grasslands feed many animals
The savanna covers almost half of Africa
It is home to lions, elephants,
buffaloes, giraffes, zebras,
leopards, cheetahs, hyenas,
& rhinos.

13. The Savanna
The biggest threat to the savanna is the increasing number of people; each year, more savanna grassland is fenced in & plowed for crops
Some countries, like Kenya and Tanzania, are setting aside large areas of the savanna as national parks
As growth occurs, many natural animal habitats disappear

14. The Savanna

15. The Rainforest

16. The Rainforest
Rainforests are found in warm humid areas usually near the equator
They contain rich plant life that allow different animals, fish and insects to live there
Africa has the world’s second largest area of rainforests; the largest area in Africa is found in the Congo River Basin

17. The Rainforest
In the 1800’s, Europeans cleared land in the rainforest to build great plantations to harvest rubber
Today rainforests are destroyed from commercial logging (Logging causes deforestation)
Deforestation leads to the extinction (species no longer exist anywhere in the world) of plants and animals
Overpopulation is the biggest factor in the destruction of the rainforest

18. The Rainforest