1. The
Geography of
Africa

2. A Satellite View

3. 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.
10% of the world’s population.
2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

4. 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

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

6. 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.

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

8. Hydroelectric Power

9. Why are people not able to completely navigate most of the large rivers of Africa?
Waterfalls
Cataracts

10. Impact of Al Wahda reservoir in Morocco
These images illustrate the change in land cover
1987: The area before the construction of dams
2001: The area after the construction of 110 large dams
The center of the Kingdom of Morocco is occupied by the high Atlas Mountains which separate fertile coastal plains from inland pre-Saharan semi-arid areas. In Morocco, the rain rate varies strongly from one region to the other, when going southward or eastward. To reduce the effects of that disparity, Morocco has adopted a policy for transferring water from regions with surplus towards regions with water deficits. The dam policy initiated at the beginning of the 1960s has had beneficial fallouts for social and economic development of the country. There are now 110 large dams in Morocco, with a storage capacity of millions of m3. These two satellite images illustrate the change in land cover before and after the Al Wahda reservoir was constructed.

11. Shrinking Lake Chad shared by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon
Persistent drought has shrunk Lake Chad to about a tenth of its former size
1972: Larger lake surface area is visible in this image
2001: Impact of drought displays a shrunken lake, comparatively much smaller surface area than in 1972 image
Lake Chad, located at the junction of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon was once the sixth-largest lake in the world. Persistent droughts have shrunk it to about] a tenth of its former size. The lake has a large drainage basin—1.5 million km2 (0.6 million square miles)—but almost no water flows in from the dry north. Ninety per cent of lake’s water flows in from the Chari River. The lakebed is fl at and shallow; even before the drought, the lake was no more than 5-8 m (16-26 ft) deep. Considered a deep wetland, Lake Chad was once the second largest wetland in Africa, highly productive, and supporting a diversity of wildlife. The lake is very responsive to changes in rainfall. When rains fail, the lake drops rapidly because annual inflow is per cent of the lake’s volume. Human diversion from the lake and from the Chari River may be significant at times of low flow, but rainfall is still the determining factor in lake level. This image set displays a continued decline in lake surface area from km2 (8 843 square miles) in 1963 to a meager 304 km2 (117 square miles) in 2001.

12. LLaLake Chad – Overpopulation leads to overuse of water
What are the impacts of this trend?

13. Population Growth Around Lake Victoria, Uganda
The population growth around 100 km buffer zone of the Lake Victoria
Population growth around Lake Victoria, East Africa, is the highest in Africa
Population growth around Lake Victoria, Kenya, is significantly higher than in the rest
of Africa because of the wealth of natural resources and economic benefits the lake region offers. Note the increase in population in a 100-km (62 miles) buffer zone around Lake Victoria between 1960 and During each decade, population growth within this zone outpaced the continental average.

14. Mountains & Peaks Atlas Mts. Δ Mt. Kenya Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Ruwenzori Mts.
Drajensburg Mts.

15. The African Plateau

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

17. The Sahara Desert

18. Desertification

19. The Sahel

20. 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.

22. Great Rift Valley
3,000 miles long

23. Lake Kivu-one of Africa’s “killer lakes” Congo/Rwanda
These images show dramatic changes before and after the eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo in 2002
2001: Before the January 2002 eruption
2003: Shows the track of the lava flow
Lake Kivu on the Congo-Rwanda border is the highest lake in Africa at m (4 788 ft). Beneath the lake lie vast reserves of methane gas which has not been exploited. Lake Kivu is also an important tourist center. These satellite images of Lake Kivu show dramatic changes before and after the eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo in January The 2003 image clearly shows the track of the lava flow, which traveled through Goma town and into the northeastern part of the lake, contaminating its waters. Lake Kivu is one of Africa’s “killer lakes,” containing a volatile combination of methane and carbon dioxide gases with the capacity to kill thousands of people.

24. Seismic Activity in Africa

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

26. African Trade Winds

27. West African Monsoon (winds)

28. West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes

29. Vegetation Zones

30. Breakdown of Vegetation Zones

31. Undergoing Steady Urban Growth - Tripoli, Libya
*Grasslands have been converted into agricultural fields
*Urban expansion is especially notable in Libya (shades of grey)
Libya began using their oil resources when planting trees along their Southern border in order to stop desertification.
Tripoli, the capital city of Libya, is located on the country’s Mediterranean coast along a narrow band of fertile lowlands that quickly give way to a vast interior of arid, rocky plains and seas of sand. Tripoli has undergone steady urban growth over the past thirty years. These three satellite images, from 1976, 1989, and 2002, document some of the major changes. Urban areas appear as shades of grey. Darker patches south of the city, visible in both the 1976 and 1989 images represent grasslands that have been converted to agricultural fields. Bright green areas are planted croplands. In the 2002 image, urban expansion is especially notable. The irregular brown patch in the upper far right of this image, south of Al Hamidiyan, is perhaps the last remaining vestige of natural vegetation in the Tripoli region.

32. The African Savannah: 13 million sq. mi.

33. African Rain Forest Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
Rapid decomposition (very humid).
Covers 37 countries.
15% of the land surface of Africa.

34. Impact of Civil Wars on Guinea
These images show impact of civil wars in Liberia on neighboring Guinea
2002: The light green color is the result of deforestation in the “safe area” where refugees set up camp
Between Sierra Leone and Liberia, there is a small strip of land belonging to Guinea known as the “Parrot’s Beak.” As civil wars raged in Sierra Leone and Liberia, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to relative safety in Guinea, many of them settling in the Parrot’s Beak. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that the refugee population constitutes up to 80 per cent of the local population there (UNEP 2000). The 1974 image of the Parrot’s Beak in Guinea (left) shows the surrounding territory of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Scattered throughout the deep green forest of the Parrot’s Beak region are small flecks of light green, where compounds of villages with surrounding agricultural plots are located. Several dark spots in the upper left of the image are most likely burn scars. The 2002 image (facing page) shows the Parrot’s Beak region clearly defined by its light green color surrounded by darker green forest. The light green color is the result of deforestation in the “safe area” where refugees have set up camp. Many of the refugees integrated into local villages, created their own family plots, and expanded the zones of converted forest area until they all merged into the larger defined area. In the upper part of the 2002 image the forest devastation is especially obvious, as areas that were green in the 1974 image now appear gray. Logging interests also moved into the higher elevations of this region, expanding the deforested zone visible in the upper left corner of the image. Overall impoverishment of the environment of the Parrot’s Beak is directly related to the rapidly increasing population in the area, mainly due to immigration, and a growth rate of about three per cent among the indigenous population. Natural resources are being exploited to create more arable land for crops, wood for charcoal, firewood and construction materials, and commercial logging for revenue.
*The civil wars resulted in
refugees creating camps in
neighboring countries which
causes deforestation.

35. Tai National Park, Côte d’Ivoire – site of world’s highest deforestation rate
These images show deforestation rate in Cote d’Ivoire, believed to be one of the highest in the world
1988: Shows destruction of small forest fragments
2002: The lighter green strip bisecting the images shows the result of extensive deforestation and intensive cultivation
The deforestation rate in Côte d’Ivoire is thought to be one of the highest in tropical regions worldwide. Conservation of large forested areas, such as those within the boundaries of the Tai National Park, is of primary importance, especially from a continental perspective. Conservation of smaller forested areas is also essential, both for biological conservation purposes and to meet the needs of rural communities. A comparison of these satellite images from 1988 and 2002 shows the destruction of small forest fragments due to increased pressure from coffee and rubber plantations as well as their exploitation for fuel wood. The lighter green strip bisecting the images is the result of extensive deforestation and intensive cultivation between the protected Grebo National Forest and the Tai National Park. Encouragingly, the boundaries of the protected areas have remained relatively intact.
*Intensive cultivation is
causing extensive
deforestation

36. Mt. Kilimanjaro: Snow on the Equator?

37. 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

39. Natural Resources

40. 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