Transcript study guide Africa Guided notes

Quote of the Day
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Spencer Shuman
When the rich rage war it’s the poor
who suffer.
Essential Question
How do humans interact with the
extreme African environment?
Objectives
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2.01 Identify key physical characteristics
such as landforms, water forms, and climate
and evaluate their influence on the
development of cultures in selected African,
Asian, and Australian regions.
4.02 Identify the main commodities of trade
over time in selected areas of Africa, Asia,
and Australia and evaluate their significance
for the economic, political, and social
development of cultures and regions.
What caused Africa’s great rift to
form?
(Sections of the African tectonic
plate are slowly pulling apart )
Population Info…
The countries with the largest
populations in Africa are Nigeria
(107,000,000 people), Egypt
(64,800,000 people), and Ethiopia
(58,700,000 people).
Highest and Lowest Points:
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The tallest point in Africa is Mt.
Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania (eastern
Africa). Mt. Kilimanjaro is 19,340
feet (5895 meters) tall. Africa has no
long mountain chains.
The lowest point in Africa is Lake
Assal, in Djibouti (in eastern Africa
near the Horn of Africa); it is 512
feet (156 meters) below sea level.
Lakes:
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Africa's largest lake is Lake Victoria;
it covers 26,836 square miles
(69,500 square kilometers). Other
large lakes in Africa are Lake
Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, and Lake
Chad.
Rivers:
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The longest river in Africa is the Nile
River; it is 4,241 miles (6825
kilometers) long. Other long rivers in
Africa include the Congo River, the
Niger River and the Zambezi River.
Deserts:
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Africa has many vast deserts,
including the largest hot desert in
the world, the Sahara. The Sahara
Desert is located in northern Africa
and covers 3,500,000 square miles
(9,065,000 square kilometers). The
Kalahari, in southern Africa, is
another large desert.
Islands
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The biggest island off Africa is
Madagascar, which is near the coast
of southeast Africa. Madagascar
covers 226,658 square miles
(587,000 square kilometers).
How Is the Land in Africa
Used?
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There is not enough water in Africa. Rivers are very important. Most of the farmland in Africa is
along rivers. In Egypt, the Aswan Dam was built on the Nile River. This dam supplies water to
millions of people. A dam on the Zambezi (zam-bee-zee) River in southern Africa supplies power
for electricity. In West Africa, the Niger River carries goods and people throughout the region.
The land in southern Africa is rich in natural resources. There are gold, diamond, and iron ore
mines. Large areas of copper mines stretch across Zambia.
Many African farmers practice slash and burn farming. This process is a way to clear land for
planting by cutting and burning forests. This process of cutting down or burning all the trees in an
area is called deforestation. Because the tree roots die, they can no longer hold the soil in place.
Wind and rain carry the rich topsoil away.
Deforestation causes floods during the rainy season. On the island of Madagascar, slash and burn
farming has destroyed 80 percent of the island's forests.
Forested Hillside
After
Deforestation
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