Transcript Africa
Chapter 3
Geography and Early
History of Africa
Section 1- The shape of the land
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
Describe the relative
location of Africa using the
map on the following slide.
Relative location of
Africa
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
Landforms
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/afnewlnd.gif
Most of Africa is vast plateaus with escarpments
and cataracts
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
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
http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/34/76234-004-2A9B844D.jpg
Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
http://www.ethiogermany.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Nile_Basin_Countries.jpg
Major rivers map
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
Section 2- Climate and
Diversity
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
Role of Latitude and
Elevation
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
Four major climate zones
Tropical wet(rainforest)
Tropical wet and dry(Savanna)
Deserts
Mediterranean
Tropical Wet
(Rainforest)
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)
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
Unpredictable rainfall
Rain may be heavy or light
Come weeks early or weeks late
Drought
Heavy downpours wash away the soil and
cause flooding
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/savannah/#/acacia-treeafrica_41_600x450.jpg
Desertification- explain:
Deserts
Cover 40% of Africa
Sahara
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
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
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:
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
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
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
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.
Research a traditional African religion and present
the beliefs to the class.
Social Organization
Family