Transcript Africa chapter 1, section 1 Land and Water

Africa chapter 1, section 1
Land and Water
Africa’s Regions
and Landforms
-4 regions
-Plateau contnent
-Mountains
-Coastal Plains
-Great Rift Valley
Africa’s Rivers
-Nile River
-Farming along Nile
-Congo River
-Niger River
-Zambezi River
Africa’s 4 regions and landforms
North
Atlas Mts.
Sahara Desert
(largest
desert)
East
many
mountains,
plateaus,
grasslands,
hills
West
most populated
grasslands
good farming
South/central
flat and rolling
grasslands,
hills, rain
forests,
mountains,
swamps,
Namib and
Kalahari
deserts.
The Plateau Continent
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-
Africa is made up of mostly flat land that
drops sharply near the oceans.
This land has a high elevation (height above
or below sea level).
Mountains
- All 4 regions have mountains
- highest are in East Africa
- Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the tallest.
Coastal Plains Edge the Continent
-
Coastal plains run along much of Africa.
either dry and sandy or wet and marshy
Great Rift Valley
- Mt. Kilimanjaro is on the edge.
- Valley was formed 4m years ago. Continents
pulled apart and left a rift, or deep trench.
- This rift is 4,000 miles long.
- Most major lakes are in or near this area.
Africa’s Rivers
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4 rivers carry water from the mountains to the
sea; Nile, Congo, Zambezi, Niger.
Parts of these rivers can be used for travel, but
each is broken by waterfalls and rapids.
Ships cannot navigate these rivers.
The Nile River
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-
Longest river in the world (>4,000 miles)
Two tributaries (rivers or streams that flow into
larger rivers), White Nile in Sudan and Blue Nile in
Ethiopia.
The river flows north into the Mediterranean Sea.
Farming along the Nile
- Flooding from the Nile left silt, making the
soil fertile (rich in nutrients, good for
farming).
- Aswan Dam prevents this flooding and
created Lake Nasser; also produces electricity,
irrigation
2
The Congo River
-
flows through the rain forests of central Africa
(Congo and Dem. Rep. of the Congo)
2nd longest in Africa
hundreds of tributaries from the Congo; farmers use
this area to grow crops
Many different fish to catch.
Niger River
- 3rd longest in Africa
- provides water for farms and fishing
2
Zambezi River
-
4th longest river in Africa.
in Southern Africa; runs through 6 countries
Many waterfalls (Victoria Falls) and rapids.
hydroelectricity
4 Zambezi
4-Victoria Falls