1. What are the major geographical features of Africa?
Essential Question
What are the major geographical features of Africa?

2. Africa’s geographical features!

3. Sahara desert in northern Africa
largest desert in the world at 3,500,000 square miles
from Arabic word Al-Sahra

4. Atlas Mountains
mountain range in north Africa between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara desert
extends from Morocco to Tunisia

5. Sahel “Transitional Land”
the transitional land between desert land and savanna
semi arid land, which is still dry but gets more rain than the desert

6. Lake Tanganyika deepest lake in Africa located in central Africa
divided between Burundi, Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia

7. Savanna tropical or subtropical grassland containing scattered trees
receives enough rain to support drought resistant undergrowth but not enough to support “forest type” vegetation

8. Niger River principal river in western Africa
runs through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria
significant water source for the city of Timbuktu

9. Congo River largest river in western central Africa
flows through the third largest rain forest in the world

10. Tropical Rainforest
a forest that receives more water through precipitation than is loses through evaporation
What are these processes?
more than 80 inches of rain per year
1/5 of Africa is rainforest
Africa contains 1 of the 3 major rainforests in the world.

11. Drakensberg Mountains
highest mountains in southern Africa
located in the eastern portion of South Africa and Lesotho

12. Nile River It’s the world’s longest river at 4,150 miles!!!
located in eastern Africa
depended upon for water
Flows north into the Mediterranean sea!

13. Kalahari Desert
located in south Africa and covers Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa
not a “true” desert because it receives 3-10 inches of rain per year
because of the precipitation can sustain some animal life

14. Lake Victoria largest lake in Africa
2nd largest fresh water lake in the world
vital in supporting the millions of people that live nearby

15. Zambezi River
southeast African river flowing through Zambia and Angola, also along many of the borders of many countries
empties into the Indian Ocean
contains Victoria Falls

16. Victoria Falls
It’s the largest and most unique waterfall in the world!

17. Mount Kilimanjaro
It’s the tallest free standing volcanic mountain in the world!
It is the highest peak in Africa at 19,340 feet!