1. Africa
Physical Geography

2. Landforms and Resources
The geographic features of Africa include:
plateaus
basins
rivers
rift valleys
mountains

3. Plateau
an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain that is raised significantly above the surrounding area, often with one or more sides with steep slopes
The Semien Mountains with the tallest peak Ras Dashen (4,550 m) in the Ethiopian Highlands
Highveld in winter in Gauteng Province north of Johannesburg.

4. Basins a depression, or dip, in the Earth’s surface
Major basins include the Congo,
Chad, Sudan, and Djouf basins
Each basin is more than 625 miles acr across and as much as 5000 feet
deep

5. Chad Basin
Wetland in Chad Basin National Park

6. Sudan Basin

7. Congo Basin

8. Djouf Basin

9. Rivers The Nile is the world’s longest river at more than 4000 miles
flows through Uganda and Sudan into Egypt
95% of Egyptians rely on the Nile for water
populations density along Nile = 3,320 people per sq mile
average in Egypt is 177
Helena = 1724

10. Nile River

11. Rift Valleys Rift Valleys are long, thin valleys
formed when the continental
plates pulled apart over millions
of years and huge cracks appeared
in the earth
eastern Africa is pulling
away from the rest of Africa

12. Lakes Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world
420 miles long and
depth of up to 4700 feet

13. Lakes Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake
the world’s 2nd largest freshwater lake

14. Mountains Africa contains mainly volcanic mountains
Mt. Kilamanjaro in Tanzania is Africa’s highest mountain

15. Africa’s Resources
Africa has a huge amount of the world’s minerals but many of the countries lack the industrial base and money to develop them
Africa’s minerals make it one of the richest continents
S. Africa is world’s largest producer of chromium and produces 80% of world’s platinum and 30% of gold

16. Africa’s Resources
In the 19th and 20th centuries, European colonial rulers developed natural resources for export
many African nations have been slow to turn these resources into valuable products

17. Africa’s Resources
Africa is home to 1/10th of the world’s oil reserves
Libya, Nigeria, Algeria, and Angola are among the world’s leading oil producers
Angolan government used money from oil production to pay for long running civil war that started shortly after the country gained independence from Portugal

18. Major commodities Africa produces 12% of the world’s coffee
lumber
sugar
Cote d’Ivoire is world’s largest cocoa bean exporter
Agriculture is Africa’s most important activity

19. Climate and Vegetation
Africa lies almost
entirely between
the tropic of Cancer
and the tropic of
Capricorn

20. The Deserts The Sahara is the largest desert in the world
3000 miles from Atlantic to Red Sea and 1200 miles north to south
136 degrees in summer and below freezing in winter
not all sand- only 20%
mountains, rock formations, gravelly plains
aquifers, huge stores of underground water, lie 6000 feet underground
come to surface as an oasis
map 421

21. Rainfall Rainforest in Central Africa receives most rain
closer to equator = longer rainy season
closer to desert = longer dry season
Liberia = 120” rain/year
average in Africa = 20”
Helena = ??
11.6

22. Rainfall Mediterranean climate on northern and southern tips
clear, blue skies
rain only in winter
December and January in North
June and July in South
Summer temps in Johannesburg, South Africa average 68

23. Vegetation mirrored north and south vegetation contains
grasslands, rain forests,
other plant life

24. Tropical Grassland covers most of the continent
Serengeti Plain in northern Tanzania

25. Rain Forest stretches across Central Africa
on the equator in Congo Basin
huge variety of trees and birds
slash-and-burn agriculture endangers the rain forest
destroyed up to 90% of the rain
forests in the West

26. Human-Environment Interaction
Desertification: expansion of dry conditions into moist areas next to deserts
Normally naturally occurring but can be sped up by human activity
Human causes of desertification
overgrazing of vegetation by livestock
farming
increasing population (indirect) ???

27. Human-Environment Interaction
Oil in Nigeria
discovery in 1956 made
Nigeria one of Africa’s
richest countries
80-90% of Nigerian income

28. Human-Environment Interaction
Oil in Nigeria
1970’s = high oil prices = wealthy Nigeria
Government borrowed against high oil prices
Oil prices dropped, sent Nigeria into huge debt
Nigeria ended up poorer than before oil boom

29. Human-Environment Interaction
Oil in Nigeria
Severe environmental damage
over 4000 oil spills
slow cleanup
fires
acid rain
respiratory disease
over 2000 deaths from explosion
some intentionally set

30. Human-Environment Interaction
Controlling the Nile
Aswan High Dam completed in 1970 to control cycles of flooding and drought along the Nile
Benefits
regular supply of water
holds floodwater
farmers can have 2-3 harvests/year
farmland increased by 50%

32. Human-Environment Interaction
Controlling the Nile
Aswan High Dam completed in 1970 to control cycles of flooding and drought along the Nile
Problems
people and treasures had to be relocated
permanent change to way of life
decreased soil fertility around Nile
increase in malaria and other diseases
water loss due to evaporation