1. Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land

2. Highland Features
Plateaus make a series of steps make up most of Africa
Edges of plateaus are escarpments (cliffs)
Most are <20 miles from coast (Map on p. 501)
Hard to travel inland from coast (bad for exploration)

4. Highland Features
Rivers plunge down escarpments making cataracts (waterfalls)
Victoria Falls; b/w Zambia & Zimbabwe

5. Highland Features
Africa has highest overall elevation than any other continent…
But still few mountains
Mts. included in Eastern highlands
Ethiopian Highlands, and volcanoes Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya

6. Highest Free-Standing Mountain in the world
Mt. Kilimanjaro
19,330 ft; in Tanzania
Highest Free-Standing Mountain in the world
Mt. Kenya
17,057 ft; in Kenya

7. Mt. Kenya

8. Highland features Ruwenzori Mts. Drakensberg Range
Divide Uganda & Dem. Rep. of the Congo
Covered in snow and clouds
Drakensberg Range
South Africa
Lots of national parks, wetlands

9. Ruwenzori Mts.; 16,761 ft.
Ice Cap on Mount Margherita….Africa’s 3rd tallest mountain

10. Tugela Falls World’s 2nd tallest waterfall
Drakensberg Range; 11,420 ft.
- “Barrier of Spears” in Zulu
Tugela Falls World’s 2nd tallest waterfall

11. 1
1. Notes:
Africa is one giant plateau w/ coastal lowlands, elevation raises as you go inland.
Africa has high elevation, but few mountains
2. Define Escarpment.
3. Define Cataracts
4. What is the significance of
Mt. Kilimanjaro?
5. Describe the relative location of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the
Drakensberg Range

12. Stretches from Syria to Mozambique
Great Rift Valley
Stretches from Syria to Mozambique
Formed by shifting tectonic plates (what kind??) millions of yrs. ago
Volcanoes & earthquakes continue to shape region TODAY

14. Red Sea

15. Great Rift Valley Forms two branches Eastern branch = volcanic cones
Western branch= lakes
Lake Tanganyika (2nd lgst. freshwater & 2nd deepest in world)
Lake Malawi (mt. rimmed, >2,300 feet deep)
Lake Victoria (2nd widest in world, but shallow; source of White Nile)

16. Lake Malawi
Lake Tanganyika

17. Lake Victoria

18. The African Great Lakes

19. 2 6. Describe the relative location of the Great Rift Valley.
7. What type of plate movements (plate boundaries) caused this?
Name and Describe the boundary
8. NOTES: Great Rift Valley caused Lake Tanganyika (2nd deepest in World), Lake Malawi, & Lake Victoria (2nd Widest in World).
9. What makes Lake Volta different from the lakes above? What kind of power does it provide? For what country?

20. Travel from plateaus in center of cont. to the sea
Water Systems
Lakes & rivers come from basins formed millions of yrs. ago as land uplifted
Travel from plateaus in center of cont. to the sea
Hit escarpments  waterfalls  near impossible to navigate inland/ up river

21. 3 10. The 3 pictures show different characteristics of African Rivers
Describe each picture in 10 words.
11. Describe what it would be like to try to navigate these rivers. What are the problems of each river?

22. Water Systems Lake Chad: West-central Africa
20 mil. ppl in 4 countries depend on it
Faces desertification (droughts + natural climate)
So shallow, affected greatly by climate Δs
1960s = 26,000 km²; 2000= 1,500 km²

23. 4
12. What Lake is picture above? 13. Describe the problem that is occurring above. 14. What do you think could be causing this? 15. What are some ways that you could help fix the problem?

24. Water Systems Lake Volta: Man-made (1 of lgst. in world)
Flooded 700 villages & displaced 70,000 to create
Used for irrigation, fishing, hydroelectric power (Akosombo Dam) for major aluminum plant and ppl of Ghana

25. Akosombo Dam (creates Lake Volta)

26. Water Systems Niger River: “great river” main artery in W. Africa
2,600 miles long (3rd in Africa)
Forms arc across 5 countries
Vital for irrigation & transportation
Splits into Niger Delta in Nigeria (150 X 200 miles)

29. 5
16. Identify the primary country that the following rivers flow through: the Niger River, Zambezi River, and Congo River
17. NOTES: The Congo River is one of the only navigable rivers in Africa.
18. Define Navigable
19. Considering there are very few navigable rivers in Africa, describe the shipping industry in Africa.

30. 6
20. Describe the top picture. What do you think this is a picture of?
21. SHORT ANSWER: Africa has plenty of resources
(oil, diamonds, gold, and water).
However, the continent is
less developed and the countries’
economies are poor. Why do you
think this could happen?

31. Water Systems Zambezi River: Congo River:
Many waterfalls (Victoria Falls- 355 foot drop– 2X size of Niagra)
Congo River:
Meets sea at deep, navigable estuary (only one in Africa)
Largest network of navigable water in Africa
But still has major waterfalls & rapids

32. Zambezi River
Victoria Falls

33. Congo River- 2nd longest

34. 7 22. Explain the difference between the Sahara and Sahel.
23. Is the desert becoming smaller? is it increasing in size?
24. What are some reasons for this occurrence?
25. What can people do to help the issue?

35. Physical Barriers
Sahara prevents travel from North Africa to South/Central Africa
Western deltas were treacherous to sail inland
Eastern highlands made travel inland difficult (cliffs)
Europeans controlled coastal trade and Africans controlled inland trade

36. Mineral resources are abundant
Natural Resources
Mineral resources are abundant
Plentiful oil reserves
Various metals across region
S. Africa has ½ world’s gold, also found elsewhere
Major diamond deposits

37. Natural Resources Water is ABUNDANT
The problem lies with harnessing power (physical & financial problems)
Congo River- More potential hydroelectric power than U.S.
Africa hold’s 25% of the world’s potential for hydroelectricity, but uses less than 10% of it.
More development is occurring
Kenya installed 20,000 rural solar power systems from 86-96

38. Climate Review
Ch 20.2

39. Climate & Vegetation
Match the location with its correct climate region:
Sahel
South Africa
Kalahari
Congo
Sahara
Serengeti Plain
Namib
Desert
Steppe
Savanna
Moderate
Rainforest

40. Climate & Vegetation
How can heavy rains be detrimental to farming in the tropics?
Name 3 factors leading to the desertification of the Sahel.

41. Farming for the Future
Simulation

42. In your Spiral
How did the Impact Cards change your situation as a subsistence farmer?
What do you think would have happened if this cycle of low food production and malnutrition were to continue for several years?
What are structural solutions to the issues of hunger and food security?