Transcript Natural Environments of Africa Power Point

Natural Environments of Africa
CHAPTER 21
North Africa
Section 1: Natural Environments
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The Sahara
•Biggest desert in the
world
•One of the harshest
regions on earth,
however people have
adapted to living in
this hot, arid region.
• Most people live
near a desert oasis.
The Desert Environment
•3 main types of landforms
in the Sahara
•Ergs are great seas of
sand with tall sand dunes
(can rise over 400ft.)
•Regs are gravel-covered
plains
•Hammadas are high,
rock-covered flatlands
(some are so tall that maps
show them as mountains)
Adaptations to Life in the Desert
•Many desert nomads belong to a
group called the Taureg
•Taureg are able to identify
landmarks and use the stars to find
their way
The Oasis Environment
• Some oases are
natural – many created
by springs that bubble
up to the surface from
streams underground
Oasis in libya
•Drilling machines are
now being used to dig
deep into the ground to
locate hidden water
Adaptations to Life in
the Oasis
Bahariya Oasis in Egypt
• Most oasis settlements are small
(fewer than 2000 people)
• Trading and farming are the
main economic activities – most
are subsistence farmers
•Growing oasis towns face 2
kinds of water problems: 1) how
to get water to people as town
expands, and 2) water shortages
Gaberoun Lake
in in the libyan
Sahara
The Nile
• The world’s longest river –
made up of 2 main branches:
White Nile (longest branch)
and Blue Nile
•Ethiopia Highlands is the
source of the Blue Nile and
Lake Victoria in Uganda is the
source of the White Nile
The Nile Through the
Desert: Wadis and
Dams
•Nile Flows into Lake Nasser. It’s not a natural lake but a
reservoir (one of the largest in the world) formed in 1970 with
creation of Aswan High Dam
•The dam was built for 2 main reasons – hydroelectricity and
control the river’s flow (prevent massive flooding)
•Negative effects of Aswan High Dam – (1) thousands of
people had to move when Lake Nasser was formed b/c their
homes were covered by water, (2) also the dam traps most of
the rich silt that used to flow to the Egyptian farmlands – result is
less fertile farmlands downstream
CHAPTER 22
West and Central Africa
Section 1: Natural Environments
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• Plains and low hills make up
most of the landscapes of West
and Central Africa.
• All of West and Central Africa
lies within the tropics, so most
areas are warm throughout the
year.
• Environments range from the
arid Sahel in the north to the
Tropical Environments of the
Congo Basin.
The Congo and the Niger
are 2 of Africa’s major
rivers.
• Along the southern edge of the Sahara is a region of
semiarid climate called the Sahel.
• The vegetation of the Sahel includes scattered trees,
shrubs, and grasses.
• The Sahel often suffers from drought.
• The Sahel is being overrun by the
Sahara through a process known as
desertification.
Congo River Basin is a
Large Rainforest
(largest in Africa)
• West and Central Africa have
a wide variety of natural
resources such as tropical
timber, good soils for farming,
and many different minerals.
• The most valuable energy
resource in the region is oil,
particularly in Nigeria.
• West Africa is the world’s
major source of cocoa beans
because of it’s climate.
Shantytowns provide
labor for the oil industry
Oil creates many
environmental
hazards in
Nigeria – oil
spills and oil
fires are all too
common
CHAPTER 23
East
Africa
Section 1: Natural environments
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Section 1
Natural Environments
Landforms in East Africa have been
shaped by tectonic forces.
• The Great Rift Valley—a series of geological faults—is
divided in Western and Eastern branches.
• Lakes have formed in the rifts—Lake Tanganyika, Lake
Victoria, Lake Turkana
• Volcanoes have erupted within or near the rifts—
highlands of Ethiopia, Mt. Kilimanjaro.
• Nile River begins in East Africa at two sources.
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Section 1
Natural Environments
Climates, biomes, and resources:
• highland elevations produce cooler climates, more rainfall,
and thicker forests.
• Farther north and south, seasonal droughts are common;
vegetation is limited and animal life threatened.
• Tsetse fly permits survival of native animal species by
making livestock raising difficult.
• Resources are limited; most important are rich highland soils
(for farming) and scenic beauty (for tourism).
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CHAPTER 24
Southern Africa
Section 1: Natural Environments
Angola
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• Along Southern Africa’s coastline is a narrow coastal plain
and a high plateau lies farther inland.
•Veld-Grasslands area of South Africa
• The Namib Desert & The Kalahari Desert
• The Drakensburg is main mountain range
• Madagascar is known for its biodiversity, particularly the region of
eastern Madagascar.
• The Orange and Zambezi Rivers are 2 of the most
important rivers of the region.
• Tropical wet and dry and semiarid climates are found in much of
Southern Africa.
• The plants in the Namib
Desert get water from dew
and fog rather than rain.
• Further inland, however, the
Kalahari desert receives a little
rain. Some Palm trees and
other plants are able to
survive here.
Main Natural Resources and Energy
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Gold
Platinum
Copper
Diamonds
Coal (used to generate electricity)
Hydroelectricity (b/c of the many rivers)
White Rhino Napping
Penguins in South Africa