2. The Sahara

4. The Sahara Desert 3,500,000 square miles Covers most of North Africa
Mostly rocky terrain
• Oases allows people can live with grazing animals and grow a few crops.
• Home to a number of plants that can tolerate desert conditions, such as palm trees, olive trees, and cypress.

5. THE PEOPLE
Most people living here are nomads (people who travel from place to place looking for water and food)
Travel by camel— “ships of the desert”
Today, some jeeps are able to be used in the desert. Also, airplanes can travel across
Traders—salt, cattle, grain
Tuareg
Live in villages around oases in houses
When they travel they live in tents

7. Kalahari Desert 362,500 square miles
receives 3 – 7.5 inches of rain each year,
which allows animals and plants to survive
San people (Bushmen) still survive as
hunter/gatherers

8. Namib Desert 31,200 square miles Largely unpopulated
Deposits of salt and diamonds

9. THE SAHEL

11. The Sahel Semiarid region south of the Sahara
Desertification is occurring here
Drought
Erosion
Overgrazing & overfarming

12. Sahel—”The Border” • Covers almost 1.8 M square miles
• It separates North Africa’s Sahara Desert
from a semi-arid savanna.
• Climate is hot and arid with rainfall ranging from 6-20 inches
• Relatively flat with few mountains and hills
• Vegetation is sparse, farming is difficult
• Desertification is a huge problem as people who live here cut down trees for fuel and shelter

13. The People
Most people make a living herding animals and some practice subsistence farming
They grow just enough food for their families
Peanuts and millet (a grain)
People move when water and grass run out for their animals
Rapidly growing population, so food and water are scarce
Houses are made from mud or dung
People travel by car, camel, or foot

15. THE SAVANNA

17. Savanna A savanna is a tropical or semi-arid woodland area.
Grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs. Trees are typically very small and widely spaced and grass is able to grow naturally.
Approximately 4.5 million square miles of Africa are savanna
Savannas are typically well-suited for grazing animals. Home to zebras, lions, elephants, giraffes

18. Savanna Grass fires occur frequently in winter, during the dry months
Biggest threat is the increasing number of people; putting pressure for more open land for farming and ranching, meaning less land for the animals.
Some countries setting aside large areas as national parks and game preserves.

19. The People People live in villages or cities
In villages, people farm, herd cattle, or are tour guides
In houses made from mud, dung, and sticks
Travel by car, animal, or foot
The Masai
In cities, people live like we do here, with all kinds of jobs
In apartments
Travel by car, bus, or bike

21. Tropical Rainforest

23. Tropical Rain Forest Tropical, moist forests in West Africa
Deforestation threatens wildlife,
causes soil depletion and erosion
Timber valuable resource, cut land
used for agricultural crops

24. Tropical Rain Forest • The equatorial region of Africa has high
temperatures year-round.
• These areas typically have inches of
rain per year.
• Warm, humid climate with rich animal and plant life
• The rain forests suit animals such as
chimpanzees, gorillas, hippos, and
African gray parrots.
• Commercial logging destroying more of the natural environment

25. The People The indigenous people living here live in small groups
In villages, in huts or in treehouses
Travel by foot or boat (by Congo river)
Hunt and gather for food—some subsistence farming
Many fruits and nuts, bushmeat, fish
Loggers or miners (diamonds)
Many were forced to work on European plantations during colonialism
Commercial logging is a huge problem
Causes deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification (population growth does all this too)

27. Nile
Niger
Congo

28. Congo River 2,922 miles long Flows through the rainforest
Important for trade
and transportation in the area

29. Niger River 2,600 miles long “boomerang” shape may be the
result of two ancient rivers joining
together
Principal river of West Africa

30. Nile River Longest river in Africa Flows north
White Nile and Blue Nile
are the Nile’s tributaries
Most Egyptians still live
in the Nile River Valley

31. Congo
Nile
Niger
Lake
Victoria
Lake
Tanganyika

32. Lake Tanganyika second largest and second deepest lake in the world
holds at least 400 species
of fish
used for transport, food, and
trade (people sell the fish in
the lake for aquarium pets).
This lake is very important to the daily lives of people living in Africa.

33. Lake Victoria 26,560 square miles
relatively shallow, as a result, easily
affected by climate change

34. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo

36. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo
• Egypt

38. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo
• Egypt
• Kenya

40. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo
• Egypt
• Kenya
• Nigeria

42. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo
• Egypt
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• South Africa

44. SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.
b. Locate on a world and political map:
• Democratic Republic of The Congo
• Egypt
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Sudan