1. Africa! Let’s take a break from Europe

2. Warm up What do you know about Africa? Which is bigger, the US or Africa? What kind of environment do you think Africa has?

3. Africa: An Introduction Theme: Boundaries Africa’s history, geography, culture, economic and political systems have all been shaped by boundaries. Boundaries have limited Africa’s development, isolated its interior people and contributed to the development of multiple cultures.

4. Geography: Africa is the 2 nd largest continent in area.

5. Four major geographic regions: 1. Mediterranean/Coastal Region Includes North Africa, immediate coastal areas and eastern tip of the continent. Densely populated; most urbanized

6. Coastal Africa

7. Cairo, Egypt

8. Algiers, Algeria

9. Lagos, Nigeria

10. 2. Desert Region Includes the Sahara, Namib & Kalahari Major problem is desertification ◦ Sahara is growing by 4-5 miles a year. Sparse population; abundant wildlife

11. Namib Desert, Namibia

12. Cavavan in the Sahara Desert

13. 3. Sahel and Savanna Includes the grassland areas along the edges of the three deserts. Dry grasslands – abundant wildlife Wet grasslands – densely populated; prime agricultural region

14. Cattle Grazing, Ethiopia

15. Zebras in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya

17. 4. Tropical Rainforest Includes the equatorial region both north and south of the equator. Major problem is deforestation. Rich vegetation; vast amounts of wildlife; isolated population centers.