The Geography of Africa
A Satellite View
Africa’s Size Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi. 4 6 0 0 M I L E S 5 0 0 0 M I L E S Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi. 10% of the world’s population. 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.
Libyan Desert Deserts Sahara Desert Sahel Namib Desert Kalahari Desert
The Sahara Desert
Desertification
The Sahel
The Sahel Where the desert meets the savanna. It is a semiarid region between the Sahara in the north and the savanna region in the south.
Africa: The “Tropical” Continent Tropic of Cancer 20° N Africa: The “Tropical” Continent Equator 0° Tropic of Capricorn 20° S
Vegetation Zones
Breakdown of Vegetation Zones
The African Savannah: 13 million sq. mi.
African Rain Forest Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft. Rapid decomposition (very humid). Covers 37 countries. 15% of the land surface of Africa.
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Snow on the Equator?
Topography Of AFRICA Mediterranean Sea Atlas Mts. Tropic of Cancer 20° N Sahara Desert Red Sea Sahel Nile River Niger River Equator 0° Congo River L. Victoria L. Tanganyika-> Indian Ocean Atlantic Ocean Kalahari Desert Tropic of Capricorn 20° S . Pacific Ocean
Natural Resources
What kind of effect do these have on the people of Africa (where they work, live, and their transportation)? Sahara Historically a trade route Work is trade or farming Live near water supplies (scarce) Rely upon camels for transport Sahel People rely upon farming Some areas are rich in natural resources Rely upon camels and waterways for transport Many people live without running water, electricity, or proper sewers Very susceptible to bad weather Savanna -Mostly farming -Wildlife parks/tourism -People gather near good farmland and water supplies (also a source of their jobs) -Roads and waterways for transport Rain Forest -farming, mining, & timber industry= major occupations -deforestation is taking place (cutting down trees so that there is more room for farming) -transportation can be difficult because of poorly maintained roads -people live where the jobs are