1. Africa’s Geography

2. Africa There are 53 independent countries in Africa

3. Africa Africa is the 2 nd largest continent(Asia largest) Famine—Extreme shortage of food—MAJOR problem in Africa. Sudan is Africa’s largest Country *Deforestation: Cutting down forests for buildings and houses. Huge problem in Africa. Africa is divided into FIVE geographical regions: North Africa West Africa East Africa Central Southern Africa The Sahara desert divides Africa into two parts: 1. North Africa 2. Sub-Sahara-all countries south of the desert

4. Climate Equator cuts across Africa resulting in hot and tropical region. The major climatic regions of Africa south of the Sahara are: desert-extremely dry, gets less than 10 inches of rain a year semiarid-gets more rainfall than the desert but still receives very little tropical-gets 70 inches of rain per year and temperatures average 80 degrees Temperatures along the coast and in the mountains are more moderate: Highlands-cool climate and rich soil because of ample rainfall South Africa –temperatures can be cold during the winter

5. Waterways-Important to trade Africa’s Rivers Nile River-starts in E. Burundi and flows north emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. World’s longest river. Nile flows over six cataracts on its way to sea Two rivers come together in Khartoum to form the main Nile: White Nile and Blue Nile Other important rivers: Niger River –Western Africa Congo River-Central Africa Zambezi River Africa’s Lakes Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest source of a fresh water lake. VERY IMPORTANT LAKE to Eastern Africans Lake Tanganyika-is the second largest lake in Africa Suez Canal -connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Important to trade!!! Located in Egypt Other important lakes: Africa’s Great Lakes Lake Chad

6. How physical features affect where people live, the work they do, and how they travel. Silt-finely ground fertile soil that is good for growing crops Delta-a landform at the mouth of a river that is created by the deposit of sediment Aswan High Dam-controls flooding along the Nile unfortunately it traps silt which was used a fertilizer along the banks now farmers rely on chemical fertilizers. Oasis-is a wet, fertile area in a desert where a natural spring or well provides water Cataracts-rocky, hilly land that causes rapids in the Nile. These cataracts make sailing on that portion of the Nile difficult. Sahel- a strip of land that divides the Sahara from wetter areas (ex: Mauritania, Chad, Sudan, and Mali) Sahara-Sahara desert world’s largest desert(ex: Egypt Libya,) Rainforest-area near the equator that gets high amounts of rain year round(ex: Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda) Savanna- subtropical grassland with scattering trees and shrubs(ex: Kenya) Monsoons- seasonal winds that bring either dry or moist air (accompanied by rain off the coast of Africa)

7. Physical Features Sahara desert-world’s largest desert, covers almost 1/3 of the continent Atlas Mountains-range stretches along the Northwestern part of Africa Kalahari Desert-found in Southwestern Africa and covers 360,000 square miles, plants and animals are able to live in this desert due to an underground water supply Nile River- located in Egypt, world’s longest river Great Rift Valley- Starts in Ethiopia, Earths crust stretches 3,000 miles to Mozambique Serengeti Plain- migration found in Tanzania covers an area for 1.5 million animals like buffalo, gazelles, and zebras Tropical Rainforest-dense evergreen forest with an annual rainfall of at least 60 inches. Great Lakes region-home of 15 lakes found in East Africa