AFRICA Geography
Atlantic Ocean Mozambique Channel Strait of Gibraltar Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean Gulf of Guinea
Coastline AAfrica has a regular coastline ––S––Smooth ––F––Few natural ports and harbors ––L––Limits trade CCoastline leads directly to desert or jungle ––L––Limited exploration by the Europeans ––H––Helps to isolate Africa
Lake Victoria Lake Tanganyika Lake Malawi Bodies of Water
Great Rift Valley 4,000 mile canyon in East Africa Natural barrier Site of many archeological discoveries, including “Lucy” or Homo Habilis, by Mary & Louis Leakey.
Great Rift Valley cont’d Great Rift Valley It is believed that Ancient man originated here Skeleton of “Lucy”- Remains of Ancient Female found in GRV
Savannas Tall, mostly treeless grasslands that has both a dry and a wet season. Covers approximately 45% of Africa The majority of people & wildlife live in the savanna region.
Deserts Cover about 40% of Africa Sahara Kalahari Namib Nubian
Mountains Atlas Mts. Drakensburg Mts. Mt. Kilamanjaro Highest mountains are located in eastern Africa.
Climate Zones Africa has very diverse climate regions. Desert Steppe Savanna Rainforest Mediterranean
Sahara Desert Located in Northern Africa Larger than the United States Occupies 1/3 of Africa Not a sandy desert: most of the desert is rock and gravel Causes geographic isolation Serves as a natural barrier separating the people of the Sahara and Southern Africa
Desertification the process of fertile land becoming desert. Causes: – –Overuse/over farming, overgrazing and over cutting of trees for firewood. – –Trees and grasses have root systems that hold topsoil in place, without them erosion blows or washes it away, and the land becomes desert.
Desertification con’t Solutions: – –Crop rotation: moving one type of crop to a different field each year. Prevents the soil nutrients from being depleted year after year. – –Planting tree belts also stops wind erosion
Rivers Nile River Niger R. White Nile Benue R. Blue Nile Congo R. Zambezi R. Victoria Falls
Nile River The longest river in the world at 4,180 miles long. It flows NORTH from the mountainous region of Lake Victoria to the coastal plains of the Mediterranean Sea. Cataracts- places where the river becomes shallow, rocks, rapids and waterfalls prevent navigation Trade/transportation hindered- slowed, prevented by cataracts
Congo (Zaire) River Fifth largest river in the world (2,720 miles) Second longest river in Africa Flows through the rainforest Is unnavigable for over 250 mi due to cataracts (large high waterfalls) Makes travel and trade tough for the people of central Africa
“Gift of the Nile” It is an annual, predictable flood that provides nutrient rich soil for crops to grow surrounded by desert. Rich soil= silt The Nile River valley was home to one of the world’s first civilizations: Egyptian civilization – –The Egyptians created their calendar based off the annual overflow of the nile