1. North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia

2. CHAPTER 15: NORTH AFRICA

3. ATLAS MOUNTAINS
4 Tectonic Plates interacting: African, Arabian, Anatolian, and Eurasian
Atlas Mts. is Africa’s longest range
From SW Morocco to NE Tunisia

4. DESERTS Northern edge of Sahara Desert Ergs: sandy dune covered areas
Regs: stony plains with rocky gravel (“desert pavement”)
Hamadas: flat, sandstone plateaus

5. AHAGGAR A large, mountainous plateau region in northcentral Sahara
Highest mt: Mt. Tahat (9,573 ft) in SE Algeria
Extend into Niger (S) and Libya (N)

6. TIBESTI MOUNTAINS NE Niger and S Libya Range is 300 miles long
Highest summit in the Sahara: Emi Koussi (Chad)---11,204 ft.

7. NILE RIVER
Nile: world’s longest river (4,160 mi.); flows north from Ethiopia/Uganda
Nile Delta: very fertile; home to ancient Egypt
Regular flooding spreads ALLUVIAL SOIL: sand and mud deposited by flowing water

8. ASWAN HIGH DAM Built in the 1950s to control flow and flooding of Nile
Also provide irrigation and hydroelectric power
Prevents spread of alluvial soil thus diminishing soil fertility
WADIS: streambeds that remain dry until heavy rains

9. WATER BOUNDARIES Mediterranean Sea separates Africa from Europe
Sinai Peninsula, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden separate N. Africa from the Arabian Peninsula

10. CLIMATE Desert (arid)and Steppe (semi-arid)
Plant life: cacti and shrubs; olive trees, date palms
Small-level farming around oases

11. SAHEL Flat plain stretching for 3,300 miles across south Sahara
Semi-arid (steppe)
Forms the transition zone from desert to savanna

12. NATURAL RESOURCES
PHOSPHATES: natural mineral with chem compounds used in fertilizers
Natural gas and petroleum as well

13. SECTION 2: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA

14. EARLY PEOPLES Settled around 10,000 yrs ago by hunter/gatherers
First to domesticate plants and animals

15. EGYPT Developed 6,000 yrs ago around the Nile River valley
Used sophisticated irrigation
Created a 365-day calendar
Developed HIEROGLYPHICS: writing system in which pictures and symbols represent words or sounds
Brilliant in mathematics and engineering

16. ARAB INFLUENCE A.D. 600s: Arab armies move in from Arabian Peninsula
Bring Islam
Maintain control of region until 1500s
Ottoman Empire takes over
Ottoman control ends in 1918

17. EUROPEAN INFLUENCE Mid-1800s: French invade Algeria
Italy colonizes Libya
Disagreements over who ruled North Africa
European colonials drew GEOMETRIC BOUNDARIES: fixed limit that follows straight lines
No consideration for natural or cultural features

18. INDEPENDENCE Mid-1800s: educated middle class develops in Africa
Nationalist feelings arise
Demand for self-rule
Egypt gains in 1922
Algeria in 1962

19. LIBYA Gained independence from Italy in 1951
Ruled by Western-friendly monarchy
1969: Overthrown by a coup, led by Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi
2010: violent protests overthrow and kill Qaddafi
This sets off the “Arab Spring”--- movements in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia against oppressive, nondemocratic govts

20. POPULATION PATTERNS

21. Berbers Indigenous people of N. Africa 15 million today Mostly farmers
Had been NOMADS: groups of people who move from place to place, following herds

22. BEDOUINS
Def: member of the nomadic desert peoples of N. Africa and SW Asia
Came with Arab invasions of 600s
Arabic speaking
Vast majority are Sunni Muslim

23. NEED FOR WATER
Availability of water has biggest influence on settlement
Major population centers arise around water sources

24. SOCIETY AND CULTURE

25. RELIGION Islam is predominant Prayer 5 times a day
Muezzin (crier) calls for prayer from local mosque
Imam (prayer leader) leads prayer
Bow and kneel before Mecca

26. LANGUAGE
Arabic
Different dialects and accents
Algeria speaks French

27. ECONOMICS Oil and natural gas are main exports Tourism
Small level farming
High rates of unemployment leads to civil unrest