Transcript Africa

Chapter 3
Geography and Early
History of Africa
Section 1- The shape of the land
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LEQ’s
What is Africa’s relative location in the world?
How have landforms influenced movement
across Africa?
What natural resources are important to
African nations?
Vocabulary: Escarpment, cataract,
hydroelectric power
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Describe the relative
location of Africa using the
map on the following slide.
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Relative location of
Africa
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 Centrally located on Earth’s surface
 Straddles the equator
 To the West is the Atlantic Ocean and to the East is
the Indian Ocean. To the North is the Mediterranean
Sea and to the Northeast is the Red Sea.
Regions of Africa
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Landforms
 http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/afnewlnd.gif
Most of Africa is vast plateaus with escarpments
and cataracts
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http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/154792/107629448/stock-photonieuwoudtville-waterfall-on-the-bokkeveld-plateau-in-south-africa-107629448.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Bandiagara_Escarpment_Mali.jpg
Great Rift Valley:
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/uploads/cmimg_72656.jpg
Contains some of Africans most fertile farmland
Rich in minerals and metals
Mining and transportation are difficult due to
steep cliffs , high mountains and deep valleysmakes building roads and railroads dangerous
and costly.
Rivers
 Provide:
 Fish
 Water for irrigation
 Means of transportation
 Source of hydroelectricity
 Nile River
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http://www.globalresearch.ca/articlePictures/nile%20river%20basin.jpg
http://knowledgegeekss.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/nile.jpg
http://ssrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/egypt/The%20Nile%20River%20Gift%20from%20the%20Gods_files/ima
ge002.jpg
Aswan Dam
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http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/34/76234-004-2A9B844D.jpg
Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
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http://www.ethiogermany.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Nile_Basin_Countries.jpg
Major rivers map
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http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/images/africahydrology.jpg
Natural Resources
Rivers are a major source of precious metals
Diamonds and gold
Major reason for Europe's interest in Africa
Mineral exports
Copper, platinum, cobalt, oil.
Most profit from natural resources flow out of Africa
due to foreign companies investing in mining.
Uneven distribution
Few African nations have oil to export so most
countries rely on expensive imported oil.
Much of Africa is not fertile and uncertain rainfall
makes farming difficult. https://www.schoology.com/page/74753779
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Section 2- Climate and
Diversity
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LEQ’s
How do climates differ across Africa?
What way of life did Africans
develop?
How do Africa’s language reflect its
cultural diversity?
Vocabulary: tropics, drought,
leaching, desertification
Climate Regions
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Role of Latitude and
Elevation
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80% of continent is tropics because the
equator runs through the middle so the
area between the Tropic of Capricorn and
Cancer is generally warm all year.
Coolest parts of the region are found in
the highlands because of increased
elevation.
Rainfall
 http://education.randmcnally.com/pdf/edpub/Africa_Precip
itation.pdf
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Four major climate zones
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Tropical wet(rainforest)
Tropical wet and dry(Savanna)
Deserts
Mediterranean
Tropical Wet
(Rainforest)
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 Narrow belt along the equator (8% of Africa)
 Hot and humid all year around
 Average temp 80
 60-120 inches of rain per year
 Plentiful plant and animal life
 Poor soil due to leaching
 Poor place to live due to :
 Disease carrying insects breed in standing pools of water
 Termites attack wood buildings and furniture
 Dampness causes mold and rotting in everyday items.
Tropical Wet and
Dry(Savanna)
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Largest climate zone that covers almost
half the continent.
Warm all year
Summer(rainy season)- hot and wet
Winter(dry season)- warm with little or no rainfall
20-80 inches of rainfall per year (depends on distance
from the equator)
Close to the equator – wetter part and supports
many trees and grasses
Outer edge- semi-arid(very dry) with short rainy
season; scattered grass and small trees.
Tropical Wet and
Dry(Savanna) Continued
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Unpredictable rainfall
Rain may be heavy or light
Come weeks early or weeks late
Drought
Heavy downpours wash away the soil and
cause flooding
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http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/savannah/#/acacia-treeafrica_41_600x450.jpg
Desertification- explain:
Deserts
Cover 40% of Africa
Sahara
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http://www.slideshare.net/Socialesdigital/sahara-
7422704?utm_source=slideshow02&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=share_slideshow
http://www.slideshare.net/pacific2000/sahara-desert-northafrica?utm_source=slideshow02&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=share_slideshow
Larger than the US
Temps reach as high as 130
Can go for 10 years without rainfall
10 inches average rainfall per year
Few grassy areas that can support grazing
animals
Deserts
Continued
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 Kalahari
 Not as dry as Sahara and supports grasses and wild melons
and antelopes graze here.
 Namib
 Driest places on earth; small trees get mist from nearby
Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean
 are cooler and moist
 Summers are hot and dry; winters
 Mild climates and fertile soil support many crops and herding
Population
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 Population: 1.033 Billion (2013) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
lOifKKWLVgM/UF6_nw11znI/AAAAAAAACYg/OojmZVuP3kY/s1600/africa_population_density.jpg
 Most populous countries in Africa:
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Nigeria: 173,611,131
Ethiopia: 95,045,679
Egypt: 82,196,587
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 67,363,365
South Africa: 52,914,243
 What influences where the people live?
Adapting to the land
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 Very diverse cultures that have different histories, religious
beliefs, values and traditions.
 Basic societies in Africa
 Herding
 Fishing
 Hunting- very few societies remain
 Food gathering- very few societies remain
 Urban
 Majority of Africans live in the Savanna
 Cities flourish along the Mediterranean coast, the Savanna of
West Africa and the coast of East Africa.
Languages
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Estimated that 2,000-3,000 different
languages are spoken in Africa. With as
many as 8,000 different dialects
Official Languages of Africa.docx
How does having so many languages and
dialects affect the people?
Religion
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 maps\religions.docx
Christianity- European Christian missionaries
spread their religion to replace traditional
African religion.
Islam- Muslim traders spread the teachings of
Islam.
Traditional African Beliefs- read traditional
beliefs section on page 91 in text and write a
summary of there beliefs.
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 Research a traditional African religion and present
the beliefs to the class.
Social Organization
Family
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