Transcript Ch - Cobb Learning

Geography of Africa
Africa:
The
“Tropical”
Continent
Tropic of Cancer
20° N
Equator 0°
Tropic of Capricorn
20° S
# Second largest
continent 
11,700,000 sq. mi.
# 10% of the world’s
population.
# 2 ½ times the size of
the U. S.
Mediterranean Sea
The
Libyan Desert
Tropic of Cancer
20° N
Sahara Desert
Complete
Topography
Sahel
Nile River
L. Chad-->
L. Albert-->
Δ Mt. Kenya
Equator 0°
L. Victoria
Of
AFRICA
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
L. Tanganyika->
Indian
Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi River
Tropic of Capricorn
20° S
Limpopo River
Orange River
Pacific Ocean
Landforms
• Africa is a large plateau with
escarpments on the edges.
• An escarpment is similar to a cliff
although not as steep.
• Africa has a smooth coastline with few
natural harbors.
Map showing escarpments on the edge of the plateau
and rift valleys in East Africa.
Valleys
&
Plains
Rift Valleys
• Divergent plate activity formed
the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.
• In some areas the Great Rift Valley
is hundreds of miles wide.
• Rift valleys extend from The Red
Sea to South Africa.
Rift Valley, Kenya
Rift Valleys
East Africa has several large lakes that formed in
the bottom of rift valleys.
A. Lake Victoria
B. Lake Tanganyika
•
Great Rift Valley
3,000 miles long
Mountains
&
Peaks
Δ Mt. Kenya
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mountains
• The highest mountains are the Atlas
Mountains in the northwest, near the
Mediterranean Sea. They rise to 13,600
feet (4,160 m) above sea level.
• Sub-Saharan Africa does not have large
mountain ranges, but there are several tall
mountains that are volcanoes.
• The tallest mountain is Mt. Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania at 19,341 feet.
• The second tallest mountain is Mt. Kenya
at 17,058 feet.
Mt. Kilimanjaro:
Snow on the Equator?
Mediterranean Sea
Bodies
Nile River
Of
L. Chad-->
Water
L. Albert-->
L. Victoria
L. Tanganyika->
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi River
Limpopo River
Orange River
Pacific Ocean
Map showing major rivers in Africa
Nile River
• The Nile River is the longest river in the world.
o Flows more than 4,000 miles northward through the
desert
o Formed by the union of two rivers, the Blue Nile and
the White Nile
o Empties into the Mediterranean Sea
• The land along the Nile is very fertile.
o Floods on the river deposit silt, or finely ground fertile
soil, all along the river.
o Before it reaches the sea, the Nile fans out into a
huge fertile delta.
The Congo River Basin
#
Covers 12% of the
continent.
#
Extends over 9
countries.
#
2,720 miles long.
#
99% of the country
of Zaire is in the
Congo River basin.
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
Cataracts or rapids on the Zambezi River
Hydroelectric Power
• Aswan High Damo Controls the Nile
River
o Lake Nasser was
created behind it
o Finished in 1970
o Benefits
• Fewer floods
• More farmable
land
Climate Zones
Vegetation Zones
The African Savannah:
13 million sq. mi.
Savannah
Grasslands
• Savanna is a type of grassland
located in tropical wet and dry
climates.
• Most of the savanna in Africa is
located in east Africa in Kenya or
Tanzania.
• Steppe is a dry grassland located
on the edges of the deserts.
The Sahel
• Sahel- narrow
band of dry
grassland on the
southern edge of
the Sahara.
The Sahel
Libyan Desert
Deserts
Sahara Desert
Sahel
The Sahara
Largest hot desert in the world, covering most of
North Africa
Very dry, so very few people live there
Nearly every settlement in the Sahara is located
near an oasis, a wet and fertile area in a desert
where a spring or well provides water.
Common features in the Sahara include broad
gravel plains, tall sand dunes, and dry streambeds.
Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert
Map that shows the relative location of the Namib and
Kalihari Deserts. Notice how the deserts are in North
and South Africa.
• Desertificationexpansion of dry
conditions into moist
areas that are next to
deserts.
o Major problem for the
Sahel region
Desertification
African Rain Forest
# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
# Rapid decomposition (very humid).
# Covers 37 countries.
# 15% of the land surface of Africa.