1. Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
The
Geography of
Africa
Ms. Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

2. A Satellite View

3. A Satellite View

4. Africa’s Size Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
M I L E S
M I L E S
Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
15% of the world’s population, about 1 billion
2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

6. Bodies Of Water Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Nile River Niger River
L. Chad-->
<--Gulf of Aden
L. Albert-->
Congo River
L. Victoria
L. Tanganyika->
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi River
Limpopo River
Orange River
Pacific Ocean

7. The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

9. The Congo River Basin Covers 12% of the continent.
Extends over 9 countries.
2,720 miles long.
99% of the country of Zaire is in the Congo River basin.

12. The Niger River Basin Covers 7.5% of the continent.
Extends over 10 countries.
2,600 miles long.

14. Hydroelectric Power

15. Mountains & Peaks Atlas Mts. Δ Mt. Kenya Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Rwenzori Mts.
Drajensburg Mts.

16. Drajensburg Mountains
Atlas Mountains
Mount Kenya

17. Rwenzori Mountains : Snow on the Equator?
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Rwenzori Mountains : Snow on the Equator?

18. Libyan Desert
Deserts
Sahara Desert
Sahel
Namib Desert
Kalahari Desert

19. How does it compare to other deserts of the world?
The Sahara Desert
How does it compare to other deserts of the world?

20. The Sahara Desert The word Sahara means “desert” in Arabic
The world’s largest desert (3,500,000 miles)
It runs across the width of northern Africa.
It covers 1/3rd of the continent
It is the hottest desert in the world
It divides the continent into two distinct regions – North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Sahara is covered with sand dunes, rocky hills, and stretches of gravel that continue for miles and miles.
Very few people live in the desert because it is considered one of the harshest places to live in the world
The people who do live here are called nomads
They move from place to place, usually traveling by camel, looking for food & water

21. The Sahara Desert

22. Desertification - type of land degradation in which relatively dry area of land becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as through climate change and through the overexploitation of soil through human activity.

23. The Sahel – “border” or “margin”
A strip of dry grassland that is located between the Sahara
Desert to the north and the grassland and rain
forest to the south
Dry, semi-arid (6-20 inches of rain)
generations of overgrazing and
desertification have caused soil
erosion
flat, few mountains and hills
vegetation is sparse – grass,
shrubs

24. Kalahari Desert located in southwestern Africa
surrounded by semi-arid areas that are slowly becoming more dry
not a “true” desert because it receives 3-10 inches of rain per year
precipitation and underground water supplies allows grass, shrubs, and wild animals to live in the Kalahari desert.

25. Valleys
&
Plains
Great Rift Valley

26. Great Rift Valley 3,000 miles long
Largest seismically active rift in the world

27. Seismic Activity in Africa

28. Africa: The “Tropical” Continent
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Africa: The “Tropical” Continent
Equator 0°
Tropic of Capricorn 20° S

29. African Trade Winds

30. West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes

31. Vegetation Zones

32. The African Savannah 13 million sq miles – largest in the world
hot, dry grasslands that cover almost ½ of Africa
Enough rain to support drought resistant undergrowth; tall, thick grasses; short scattered trees
Large variety of wildlife

33. # Shrinking due to deforestation
African Rain Forest – 2nd largest
# Shrinking due to deforestation
Africa’s tropical rain forest is located along the central coast of Africa, near the Equator.
It lies in the Congo River Basin.
The rain forest covers 1/5th of the land surface of Africa and touches 37 countries.
The rain forest has a hot, humid climate.
The annual rainfall is over 17 feet.
There is a large variety of animals found in this region.
Trees are so thick and tall that sunlight never reaches the forest floor!
The trees grow hundreds of feet tall.
It’s the second largest rain forest in the world; the Amazon rain forest in Brazil is the largest.
Unfortunately, this rain forest has shrunk due to deforestation.
Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
Rapid decomposition (very humid).
Covers 37 countries.
15% of the land surface of Africa.

34. The Complete Topography Of AFRICA
Mediterranean Sea
Atlas Mts.
Libyan Desert
The
Complete
Topography Of
AFRICA
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Sahara Desert
Red Sea
Sahel
Nile River
Niger River
L. Chad-->
Great Rift Valley
<--Gulf of Aden
L. Albert-->
Equator 0°
Δ Mt. Kenya
Congo River
L. Victoria
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
L. Tanganyika->
Indian Ocean
Ruwenzori Mts.
Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi River
Namib Desert
Kalahari Desert
Limpopo River
Tropic of Capricorn 20° S
Orange River
Drajensburg Mts.
Pacific Ocean

35. Natural Resources

36. The African Plateau