1. World Geography Africa Notes
World Geography Africa Notes

2. Physical

3. Africa
Africa – 2nd largest continent

4. Landforms Plateaus - Huge plateau covers most of Africa,
Basins - huge depressions on plateau
Plateaus separated by escarpments—steep slope with flat plateau on top

6. Landforms
Mountains - Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain

7. Landforms
Valleys – long, thin rift valleys were formed when Pangaea broke apart
Eastern part is still slowly pulling away from Africa

10. Rivers Congo River - Africa’s largest river network (2,900-mile)
32 cataracts (waterfalls) make much of Congo impassable

12. Rivers Nile River—world’s longest river
- Provides 95% of Egypt’s water

13. Aswan High Dam (1970)
Created 300-mile Lake Nasser to regulate the water supply along the Nile
Benefits - Provides regular supply of water for farmers & holds back Nile floodwaters for irrigation
Egypt’s farmable land increased by 50% ( now have two or three harvests a year)

15. Aswan High Dam (1970)
Problems - River no longer deposits rich silt—sediment—on farmland
Irrigation raises water table & river doesn’t flush out salts that decrease soil fertility
Mosquitoes thrive in Lake Nasser, spread malaria, other diseases
Millions of gallons of fresh water lost yearly to lake evaporation

17. Lakes Lake Victoria - Africa’s largest lake
World’s 2nd largest freshwater lake
Victoria Falls – Named after Queen Victoria
DavidLivingstone was the 1st European explorer to see the waterfalls

18. Climates Deserts - Sahara is world’s largest May go years without rain
Temperatures as high as 136 degrees in summer, freezing at night
Fewer than 2 million of Africa’s 800 million people live in Sahara

22. Climates Aquifers - located 6,000 feet under Sahara
creates oasis when water comes to the surface

25. Climates
Sahel - narrow band of grassland runs east-west along southern Sahara edge

26. Climates
Desertification—expansion of dry conditions into nearby moist areas
Human Causes of Desertification - Livestock overgrazing, Water drilling& irrigation increase soil’s salt levels

29. Climates Tropical Savanna - covers half of Africa
- Six-month rainy season
- Longer rainy seasons near equator; longer dry seasons near desert
Tropical Grassland - covers most of Africa dry climate, hard soil prevent growth of trees, crops

31. Climates
Serengeti Plain (northern Tanzania) - best grasslands in the world (Serengeti National Park)
Ideal for grazing animals like wildebeests, gazelles, zebras
Site of largest numbers of migrating land mammals

34. Climates
Mediterranean climate – Located on northern & southern tips of Africa
- Clear blue skies, moderate summers, rain in winter

35. Climates Tropics - Africa has largest tropical area of any continent
- 90% of Africa lies between tropics of Cancer & Capricorn
- High temperatures year around

36. Climates
- Major tropical rain forests are on equator in Congo Basin - Most animals live in canopy—uppermost branches, 150 feet off ground (birds, monkeys, flying foxes, snakes)

38. Natural Resources
Africa’s minerals make it one of world’s richest continents
Oil - Libya, Nigeria, Algeria among world’s leading petroleum producers
Nigeria is world’s 6th leading oil exporter (most shipped to U.S).

41. Natural Resources Coffee - Africa’s second most profitable commodity
-20% of world’s supply is grown there few but only a Africans drink it
42% of world’s cobalt
South Africa is largest producer of chromium, for stainless steel & produces 80% of world’s platinum, & 30% of gold

44. Review Questions What are rift Valleys? What is Africa’s highest peak?
What is an escarpment?
What is the largest lake in Africa?
Africa is the largest continent.
What African country receives 95% of its water from the Nile River?
What is the Serengeti?
What is the Sahel?
Where is a canopy & who lives there?
What is the main purpose of the Aswan high Dam?
What is an aquifer?
What is desertification?
What is the longest river in the world?
What is an oasis?
Where are aquifers in the Sahara Desert?
Name three ways that humans cause desertification?
What is Africa’s 2nd most profitable commodity?

45. Early History Prehistoric remains found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
3100 B.C. - Egyption civilization developed along the Nile
Nile provided water & rich soil
Pharaohs rule Egypt for 2,600 years
Egyptian geometry and medicine are spread by trade

46. Early History
814 B.C. - Ancient city of Carthage was founded in location on Gulf of Tunis peninsula
A.D Ghana, Mali, & Songhai empires grew on Sahara trade routes (gold, salt)

49. Slave Trade & Colonialism
1400s to 1800s - Slave traders exchanged guns & goods for captive Africans
Colonialism – 1800s – Europe began colonizing the region
- Berlin Conference – European powers divided the continent
Effects of Colonialism - Lost resources as well as the cultural & ethnic oppression of people
Little infrastructure or money for transportation, education systems
Most countries gained their independence by 1960s

52. Apartheid in South Africa
White minority government in South Africa instituted apartheid
Complete separation of races in schools, hospitals, & neighborhoods
Blacks make up 75% of population, but owned little land

53. Apartheid in South Africa
Nelson Mandela became leader African National Congress
-Worked to end apartheid & was imprisoned

54. Apartheid in South Africa
1980s - South Africa began reform
-Pressured by international sanctions
F.W. de Klerk became president
Early 1990s - Peaceful revolution ended apartheid
1994 – Nelson Mandela was freed & elected president
New, democratic constitution passed

56. Living in Africa Today

57. Review Questions Trade in the Ghana, Mali, & Songhai Empires was
based on what two products?
What was the main purpose of the Berlin Conference?
What did the rest of the world implement in an attempt pressure South Africa to end apartheid?
 What is infrastructure?

58. Economics Mineral wealth has not created general African prosperity
Most African countries are worse off today than in 1960
- Average incomes have decreased

62. Economics - Worldwide: accounts for 1% of total GNP, 1.5% of exports
- Lack crucial infrastructure (roads, airports, railroads, ports)
- Little access to computers or high technology
manufacturing to achieve economic growth and stability

64. Economics Most countries do little manufacturing
- Sell raw materials to industrialized countries (Serves as the economic base for most African nations)

65. Economics
Agriculture is Africa’s single most important economic activity
- 66% of Africans earn a living farming which accounts for 1/3 of exports

66. Economics
“One-commodity” countries rely on export of one or two commodities (economies unstable)
- Commodity - agricultural or mining product that can be sold (supply and demand)
Economists want Africans to diversify - create variety in economies & promote

68. Education
Uneducated populace is a large barrier to economic development
Brain Drain - Many professionals migrate to Western nations
Average schooling time for women up only 1.2 years in last 40 years

71. Education
less than half the sub-Saharan young adults attended school
- shortage of teachers and secondary schools high dropout rate
Civil wars have destroyed school systems in Angola and Somalia
In Cameroon, most children leave school at age 12
Algeria - 94% get a formal education
83% of Mauritians over 15 are literate

72. Serious Diseases
Epidemic diseases are killing Africa’s people in huge numbers.
Cholera—sometimes fatal infection that is spread by poor sanitation & lack of clean water

73. Serious Diseases
Malaria - often-fatal infectious disease marked by chills & fever
carried by mosquitoes (resistant to drugs due to overuse)

74. Serious Diseases
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (caused by HIV virus)
- 70% of adult & 80% of child AIDS cases are in Africa
Often paired with tuberculosis - infectious respiratory infection

76. AIDS Stalks the Continent
million died from AIDS worldwide
- 2.4 million lived in sub-Saharan Africa
Swaziland, 3 of 4 deaths were from AIDS
- life expectancy has fallen from 58 years to 39
million people in Africa had HIV or AIDS

78. Economic Consequences of AIDS
Sick people work less or not at all, earn less,& slip into poverty
AIDS is lowering South Africa’s GDP
- by 2010, it could be 17% lower compared to without AIDS
UNAIDS estimates $4.63 billion needed to fight AIDS in Africa
UNAIDS—United Nations program studying AIDS epidemic

79. Review Questions What is a commodity?
What is a “one –commodity” country?
What does it mean to diversify a country’s economy?
What is AIDS?
What is cholera & what causes its spread?
What is malaria & what insects carry it?
What is tuberculosis, how is it spread & what other disease does it usually accompany?
What serves as the economic base for most African nations?
What is “brain drain”? 
What disease has the greatest negative impact on Africa?