Transcript North Africa Physical Geography

WORLD GEOGRAPHY
NORTH AFRICA
September 11, 2014
TICKET IN THE DOOR
The United States is known as the land of plenty. I would like you
to compare and contrast the natural resources that we have
here in the U.S. to what is available in North Africa and
Southwest Asia.
AGENDA
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Today we will be covering SSWG 3: A, B, C,D.
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Essential Question: In what ways has the physical geography
and climate impacted the way that societies have developed
in North Africa and Southwest Asia
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Opening: What Are the conditions in this region and how do
they effect the people that live there.
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Learning Objective: The student will have an understanding of
the physical and climatic impacts on the population of this
region
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Activity: Create a map that includes the physical features as
well as the climatic issues of the region.
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA
AFRICA
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Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the
Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic
Ocean. It is divided in half almost equally by the Equator.
Africa's physical geography, environment and resources, and human
geography can be considered separately.
Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the
Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rain forest,
the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa. Some of these regions
cover large bands of the continent, such as the Sahara and Sahel,
while others are isolated areas, such as the Ethiopian Highlands and
the Great Lakes. Each of these regions has unique animal and plant
communities.
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The Sahara is the worlds largest hot desert, covering 8.5 million
square kilometers
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The Sahara makes up 25 percent of the continent.
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It defines Africa’s northern bulge
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The Sahara has a number of distinct physical features
PHYSICAL
FEATURES
Ergs, which cover 20 percent of
the Sahara, are sand dunes that
stretch for hundreds of kilometers
at heights of more than 300
meters (1,000 feet).
Ergs cover most of Algeria and
Libya and parts of Mali and Nigeria.
Ergs can contain large quantities of
salt, which is sold for industrial and
food use.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
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Regs are plains of sand
and gravel that make up 70
percent of the Sahara.
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The gravel can be black,
red, or white.
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Regs are the remains
of prehistoric seabed and
riverbeds, but are now
nearly waterless.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
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Hamadas are
elevated plateaus of rock
and stone that reach
heights of 3,353 meters
(11,000 feet).
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They include the Atlas
Mountains, which stretch
from southwestern Morocco
to northeastern Tunisia; the
Tibesti Mountains of southern
Libya and northern Chad;
and the Ahaggar Mountains
in southern Algeria.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
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An oasis is a hub of water in
the desert, often in the form
of springs, wells,
or irrigation systems.
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About 75 percent of the
Saharas population lives in
oases, which make up only
2,071 square kilometers (800
square miles) of the deserts
vast area.
INTERACTIVE MAP
https://sites.google.com/site/worlddeserts/interactive-mapfeatures
DESERT ANIMALS
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The Sahara's animal and
plant communities have
adapted to the regions
extremely dry conditions.
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A dromedary
camel conserves water by
changing its body
temperature so it doesnt
sweat as the day gets hotter
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The area also includes
scorpions and jerboa (a
large rat)
DESERT WILDLIFE
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Saharan plants survive
thanks to root systems that
plunge as far as 24 meters
(80 feet) underground. In
parts of the Sahara, plants
cannot take root at all.
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In the southern Libyan
Desert, for instance, no
greenery exists for more
than 195 kilometers (120
miles).
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
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According to estimates, the Sahara's entire population
probably equals less than two million people, including those
who live in permanent communities near water sources, those
who move from place to place with the seasons, and those
who follow the ancient trade routes as permanent nomads.
Most have Berber and/or Arabic roots.
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Most of the Sahara's population follows the Islamic religion,
introduced in the seventh century AD.
POPULATION OF THE SAHARA
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The Berbers, speaking
several dialects of the
Berber language, appeared
on the scene at the dawn of
the Sahara's history.
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The Arabs, speaking Arabic,
a Semitic language that
originated in Arabia,
appeared on the scene
thousands of years ago.
An ages Berber
HISTORY
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The Sahara's history is written in
terms of primitive hunting and
gathering, nomadic trade,
agricultural development,
early communities, conquest,
sophisticated civilizations,
monumental architecture,
dynasty, exploration,
colonization and war. It bears
the stamp, not only of the
Berbers and early Arabs, but
also of Egyptians, Nubians,
Phoenicians, Greeks and
Romans.
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In more recent centuries, it
experienced the imprint of
Ottoman, Spanish, Italian,
French and English colonialism.
In the nineteenth century, it
heard the whisper of Roman
Catholicism. During World War
II, it suffered fierce and
destructive battles between
the Germans and the Allies. In
the middle of the last century,
its countries cast off their
colonial yokes and found
freedom.
OBJECTIVES
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Learn about the major landforms of Southwest Asia.
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Find out what the two most important resources in Southwest
Asia are.
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Examine how people use the land in Southwest Asia.
KEY TERMS
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oasis (oh AY sis) n. an area in a desert region where fresh water is
usually available from an underground spring or well
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petroleum (puh TROH lee um) n. an oily liquid formed from the
remains of ancient plants and animals; a fuel
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nonrenewable resource (nahn rih NOO uh bul REE sawrs) n. a natural
resource that cannot be quickly replaced once it is used
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standard of living (STAN durd uv LIV ing) n. a measurement of a
person’s or a group’s education, housing, health, and nutrition
CITY LIFE
CITY LIFE IN TUNIS, TUNISIA
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The city is situated on the
Mediterranean Coast.
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It extends back along the coastal
plain
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The more modern city is wrapped
around the older parts.
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Nearly two thirds of the land in Southwest Asia is desert, and many
parts of the region receive little rain.
Much of Southwest Asia has an arid or a semiarid
climate, with temperatures as high as 125°F during
the day.
In the Arabian Peninsula, the Rub’ al-Khali (“Empty
Quarter”), which is almost as big as Texas, is the
largest all-sand desert in the world.