Transcript AFRICA--Physical Geography

AFRICA--Physical Geography
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Africa’s Unique Physical Geography
Intro
• Africa is really a plateau continent with escarpments and rift
valleys- . Below is a picture of the Great Escarpment
(Drakensberg) in South Africa
( show animation)
Plateaus, Mountains, and Highlands:
Africa south of the Sahara is a series of plateaus that rise in
elevation from the coast inland and from west to east.
( show book picture)
• The regions of Africa extend to a sea or ocean
• in all cardinal directions
• Atlantic Ocean to the west,
• Indian Ocean to the east,
• Mediterranean to the north and
• Southern Ocean to the south.
Africa’s mountains
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Africa has no major mountain chains. It has scattered volcanic mountains (like the
Kilimanjaro), the old & worn Atlas Mts. in Morocco.
The Ruwenzori Mountains, which form the border between Uganda and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, are one of the few mountain ranges in
the region.
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Deserts
Major deserts:
Sahara (only slightly smaller than the United States)
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Kalahari in Botswana and a coastal desert, the Namib in Namibia.
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Nubian desert in Sudan
Lybian desert
Africa’s rivers & basins
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Niger River basin :
- Niger river is the main artery in western Africa
it originates in the Guinean highlands & curves southeast to meet the Atlantic coast
of Nigeria (2600 mi. long)
Major means of transportation, tourism & travel
Zambezi River basin:
Has it’s source near the Zambia/Angola border and flows to the east to meet the
Indian Ocean in a delta shape (2,200 mi)
• Congo River: largest network of navigable
waterways in Africa (2,900 mi). The Congo
estuary is 6 miles wide and is easily
Congo River
navigable by ocean vessels
estuary
Elongated lakes and erratic river courses are common in Africa
• Land of Lakes: Most of the region’s lakes are near the
Great Rift Valley.
• Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, lies between the
eastern and western branches of the Great Rift.
Victoria Falls
(pages 500–504)
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
Lake Victoria is
not only the
source of the
Nile, but is also
the largest body
of fresh water in
Africa, and
second largest in
the world after
Lake Superior. It
is bigger than
many countries
Nile River leaves Lake Victoria on a 6,000 kilometer trip.
Atlantic Ocean in Namibia
Ethiopian Highlands
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Why is Africa’s physical geography unique?
• The theory of plate tectonics whereby mountain chains are
created by collision of earth’s crustal plates. (not found in
Africa) did have a big influence in forming Africa’s physical
geography
• When South America and India broke away from Africa, they
left escarpments along the coastlines. East Africa is breaking
away –creating the Rift Valley.
Tectonic Activity
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley, stretching
from Syria to Mozambique, was
formed millions of years ago by
shifting tectonic plates. Along the
axis of the Great Rift Valley, the
earths crust is being spread apart
in a long, ridge like fashion. The
Rift Valley system consists of a
large number of finger-like-troughs,
each ranging in width from about
30 to 60 km, making up the
complex system of plate tectonic
activity
Congo River
<>
Niger River
Great Bend of
the Niger River
“Where the
camel meets
the canoe”
Natural Resources
• Mineral resources of the region include oil,
uranium, diamonds, and about half the world’s
supply of gold. 
• Water is an abundant resource for irrigation and
hydroelectric power, but irregular and unpredictable
rainfall poses a challenge to the control and use of
this power. 
• Solar power provides a vital source of power to rural
areas. Between 1986 and 1996, 20,000 small-scale
solar power systems were installed in Kenya.
Africa’s Hydroelectric Power
on the Congo River
Africa’s Hydroelectric Power
on the Nile River
Aswan High Dam
Gold
South Africa = ½ World’s Gold
Also found in Zimbabwe, D. R. Congo
Tanzania, and Ghana
Uranium is usually found with gold.
Diamonds
And nearly half of all the diamond jewelry in the world is sold in the United States.
Blood Diamonds
In relation to diamond trading, conflict
diamond (also called a converted
diamond, blood diamond, hot
diamond, or war diamond) refers to a
diamond mined in a war zone and sold
to finance an insurgency, invading
army's war efforts, or a warlord’s
activity, usually in Liberia, Angola,
Sierra Leone ,DRC, Cote D’Ivoire
Conflict Diamonds
Natural Resources
Oil
Angola, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo
Nigerian women
occupied a Nigerian
Oil terminal of
Chevron-Texaco
Until they agreed
to hire villagers,
Build schools, &
provide
Electric & water
Getting electricity to the rural poor
Solar Community Kitchen
in Kargi, Kenya, Africa
Waterfalls, cataracts & rapids
Zambezi River
Cape of Good Hope
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Increasing drought in the Sahel area and more
demand for freshwater for irrigation may mean that
Lake Chad will continue shrinking.
Lake Volta, Ghana
Man-made lake: irrigation for farms, hydroelectric power 4 Aluminum plants, fish
Uranium
Iraq sought African Uranium
Diamonds fund Civil Wars
in Angola, D. R. Congo
and Sierra Leone
Chromium
S. Africa & Zimbabwe
Copper & Cobalt Mine
D.R. Congo
Iron Ore
Manganese Mine in
South Africa
Manganese is used
for dry cell Batteries