Transcript 5.1 Africa PPT

WEST AFRICA
Chapter 5.1
Geography of Africa
• Main Idea 1:
– The landforms, water, climate, and plant life
affected history in West Africa
Geography of Africa
• Africa is the second largest continent in
the world and is shaped like a soup bowl
with mountains on the rim.
Geography of Africa
• The Niger River
became a source of
water, food, and
transportation that
allowed many people to
live in the sub-Saharan
plains,
– The sub-Saharan plains
are the areas in Africa
south of the equator.
Niger
River
Africa’s Four Regions
• The northern part of
West Africa is the
Sahara desert.
– The Sahara Desert is
the world’s largest
desert.
1
2
3
4
Sahara Desert
Sahara Desert
Africa’s Four Regions
• The Sahel is a
semiarid area that
divides the desert
from wetter areas.
– The Sahel has
enough vegetation
to support hardy
grazing animals.
2
3
2
4
Sahel
Sahel
Africa’s Four Regions
• Farther south is the
savannah, which is
an open grass area
with scattered trees.
– Grazing animals
are common there.
3
2
3
4
Savannah
Savannah
Savannah
Africa’s Four Regions
• Rain forests are
moist, densely
wooded areas that
are near the
equator.
– They contain a
variety of plants
and animals.
2
3
4
4
Rainforest
1. Which of the following is
the Niger River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
D.
A.
B.
C.
2. Which of the following is
the Sahara?
A.
1
A
B.
2
B
C
C.
3
2
3
D.
4
D
4
3. The picture below shows
which region of Africa?
A. Sahara
A
B. Rain forest
B
C
C. Sahel
2
3
D. Savannah
D
4
4. Which of the following is
the Sahel?
A.
1
B.
2
C.
3
D.
4
5. Which statement correctly
describes the sahel region of
Africa?
A. A forest area full of different animals and plants
which receives a lot rainfall.
B. A desert area.
C. The region between the desert and wetter areas
where there is barely enough vegetation for animals.
D. A region of grasslands with many grazing animals.
Resources in West
Africa
• Main Idea 2:
– West Africa’s resources included farmland,
gold, and salt.
Resources in West Africa
• West Africa’s land produced many crops,
such as dates and kola nuts.
– Kola nuts could be used for medicine.
Dates
Kola Nuts
Resources in West Africa
• Gold could be used for jewelry or coins.
Resources in West Africa
• Salt was a scarce resource that was found
deep in the earth, from lakes that had dried up.
– In most of West Africa salt was considered to be of
equal value with gold because it was so scarce
Regional Commerce in
West Africa
• Salt was used to preserve and flavor food.
– It was essential to good health. It helped
people replace what was lost through
perspiration.
6. Which of the following was
not a resource that was
frequently traded in Africa?
A. kola nuts
B. ivory
C. salt
D. gold
7. Why were kola nuts
important?
A. Kola nuts preserved and flavored food
B. Kola nuts were often traded for gold
C. Kola nuts were used for medicine
D. Kola nuts were Planters number one snack for
making Saturday nights a party.
8. Which statement is
not true about salt?
A. It was often used for medicine.
B. It was very scarce in West Africa.
C. It was often traded for gold.
D. It helped preserve and
flavor food.