1. East Africa

2. Physical Features of East Africa The Landscape of East Africa is varied and is also a home to diverse and abundant wildlife. The Rift Valleys cut from north to south across the region. Rift Walls are often steep cliffs that can rise to as much as 6,000 feet.

3. Great Rift Valley

4. Physical Features of East Africa East Africa has many Volcanic mountains. The tallest of these mountains is Mount Kilimanjaro. Even though the mountain is located near the equator, its peak is covered with ice and snow.

6. Physical Features of East Africa Some areas of East Africa are flat plains. The Serengeti Plain in Tanzania is one of the largest. Many kinds of wildlife live here, including elephants, giraffes, lions, and zebras. Tanzania has established much of the Serengeti to be a national park.

8. Physical Features of East Africa There are also many rivers and lakes found in East Africa. The Nile River begins in East Africa. The source of the White Nile is Lake Victoria, and the source of the blue Nile is in the Ethiopian Highlands. Both rivers meet in Sudan to form the Nile. Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake, but many lakes also lie along the rift valleys.

10. Climate and Vegetation of East Africa What is the difference between Climate, and weather? Climate is How the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time. Latitude and elevation affect climate. East Africa has a variety of Climate and Vegetation.

11. Climate and Vegetation of East Africa Areas near the equator receive heavy rains. Farther from the equator, the weather is drier. When little rain falls, Droughts can occur. During a drought, crops fail, cattle die, and people begin to starve. There have been severe droughts in East Africa.

12. Climate and Vegetation of East Africa The Climate south of the equator is tropical savanna. In Savanna, plants include tall grasses and scattered trees, Plateaus and mountains are found north of the equator. They have a highland climate and thick forests. The Highlands receive a lot of rainfall.

15. Climate and vegetation East of the highlands and on the Indian Ocean coast, the elevation is lower. Desert and steppe climates are found here. Vegetation is limited to shrubs and grasses here.

16. Culture of East Africa East Africa’s culture is diverse, the people within the region speak many different languages. French is the official language in Rwanda, Burundi, and Djibouti. English is spoken in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Swahili is an African language spoken by about 80 million East Africans.

17. Culture of East Africa Religion and family traditions are important in East Africa. Religions vary within and among ethnic groups. Most cultures honor ancestors. Many East Africans are followers of animist religions. They believe the natural world contains spirits. Some Africans also combine ancient forms of worship with Christianity and Islam.

18. East Africa Today Rwanda and Burundi Today: Rwanda and Burundi were once German colonies. Both have experienced conflicts between ethnic groups The Tutsi and Hutu. This conflict led to genocide in Rwanda. Genocide is the intentional destruction of a group of people.

20. Rwandan Genocide In 1994 The Rwandan Genocide was the mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people over the course of 100 days. About 20% of the country’s population was lost in this time periods. The Hutu People were the majority of the people, and they tried to Eliminate all of the Tutsi minority. The Hutu people set out to murder all of the Tutsis that they could.