2. The Geography of Africa

3. What are the main ideas concerning Africa? Fertile soil along the Nile River encouraged the rise of great civilizations (ex. Egypt) Many geographic features in Africa have prevented contact, trade & unity among people Many of these same features limit European knowledge of Africa “the Dark Continent”

4. What are the main physical features of Africa? PHYSICAL FEATURES Sahara Desert smooth coastline lack of navigable rivers Great Rift Valley high plateau RESULT Groups are kept separate - - 800 different languages are spoken in modern Africa

5. How did diversity leads to Imperialism? Raw materials and resources lead to European interest in Africa Africa’s geographical divisions prevents the Africans from cooperating to resist

6. What are some interesting statistics? 2nd largest continent- - 11,700,000 square miles! That’s 20.2% of the earth And 3x the size of the USA 778,000,000 people 55 countries

7. What is the topography? Deserts –40% of the land surface of Africa –slows cultural diffusion - does not totally prevent it Sahara -- North Africa –1/3 of the continent (= to the USA!!) –majority is rock and gravel Kalahari--Southwest Africa

8. True desert spreads into semi- arid regions

9. What are the causes of desertification? Farmers use semi-arid land next to desert - yields poor crop Overgrazing by cattle and goats Overcutting of trees for firewood With no grass or tree roots, the topsoil blows away, the desert advancesWith no grass or tree roots, the topsoil blows away, the desert advances

10. What are the solutions to desertification? Crop rotation Terracing to prevent soil from washing away Tree belts to stop erosion and hold soil in place

11. What are some important information about the mountains? East Africa- –caused by volcanic activity –section of the land sank - causing the Great Rift Valley –Atlas (NW) –Drakensberg (SE) –Ethiopian Highlands –Famous peaks - Mt. Kenya & Mt. Kilimanjaro

12. How do the rivers impact Africa? Depth varies depending on the season Plateaus prevent easy navigation Therefore,Therefore, the interior of Africa remained largely unexplored

13. River (Nile River) 4,180 miles long (world’s longest!!) flows NORTH Source - - Lake Victoria Delta - - Egypt Floods annually –One of the most densely populated region in Africa

14. Waterfalls and rapids prevent easy navigation Congo - 3000 miles long Niger - ancient civilizations flourished here Zambezi - Victoria Falls, used for hydro- electric power

15. How is the coastline of Africa? Smooth Few natural harbors - hard to land ships

16. What is the climate determined by? rainfall, latitude and elevation Savanna - 40%, safari!! Tropical Rainforest - 8%, Desert - 40% Mediterranean - 12%, good farm land AboutAbout 85% of the land is not suited to farming

17. What are some of the Natural Resources that are prevalent to Africa? Farming –peanuts, cotton, cocoa, coffee Minerals –diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt Water –hydroelectric power