1. Geography and it’s Effect on Africa’s People
October 21, 2014

2. Physical Features and Their Effect
Africa is home to many different types of landforms: desert, grassland, tropical rainforest, etc.
Each of these landform types affects the people living in Africa in several different ways
Where they live
The type of work they do
Transportation

3. The Sahara Desert
The Sahara covers much of the entire northern part of the continent
Very few people are able to live there
There are some nomads (people who move from place to place looking for food) who live in the Sahara
They usually travel by camel, carrying trade goods from the Mediterranean coast to the southern edges of the desert
As they encounter other nomads, they trade with each other for what they need

4. The Sahel
The Sahel forms a wide band of dry grassland stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea
While there is some rainfall in the Sahel, farming is still difficult because desertification is an issue
Most people who live in the Sahel are semi- nomadic and move to a new location when they run out of food or water
Others practice subsistence farming (only growing enough to survive) or try to grow enough to sell in small marketplaces

5. The Savanna
The African savanna is the largest in the world, covering almost half of the continent
Many animals (lions, zebras, giraffes, etc.) live there and grass is able to grow naturally
More people are moving into the savanna as the population of the continent grows
This is harming the animals because people are building roads and towns and forcing natural animal habitats to disappear

6. The Rainforest
Rainforests are found in Africa in the Congo River Basin and other areas near the equator
The rainforests are home to small groups of people who live by gathering food or live on small subsistence farms
Today, their way of life is being destroyed by deforestation.
This leads to the extinction of species of plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world

7. Questions 1. What are 3 ways that Africa’s landforms affect people?
2. What type of people live in the Sahara?
3. What is a nomad?
4. How do nomads travel?
5. How do nomads get the goods that they need?
6. Why is farming difficult in the Sahel?
7. What is subsistence farming?

8. Questions 8. What is happening to the population of the savanna?
9. What is happening to the animals of the savanna?
10. What types of people live in the rainforests?
11. What is causing the way of life to change in the rainforest?
12. How is deforestation affecting the plants and animals of the rainforests?