1. Africa: Chapter 18
Unit 6 Day 1

2. What are the landforms of Africa?
Over 50 countries
Africa’s Plateau
Basins lie throughout the plateau
Span over 625 miles each
Some up to 5,000 ft. deep
There are 57 countries in Africa
Africa moved very little when Pangea broke up about 200 million years ago
Huge plateau covers most of Africa, called plateau continent
Basins span over 625 miles each and can be as much as 5000 feet deep

3. What rivers are in Africa?
Nile River (world’s longest river at 4,160 miles)
Africa’s rivers contain waterfalls, rapids and gorges
2,900 mile long Congo River has many waterfalls
Many people rely on the Nile water (95% of Egyptians) Irrigation and people live closer to the river than they do in other parts
Congo river contains many waterfalls and that causes many parts of the river to be impassable

4. What other landforms are in Africa?
There are NO large mountain chains in Africa
Great Rift Valley: long, thin valleys from the earth sinking
Some lakes form in the rifts and basins
Lake Victoria is the largest
Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain

5. What is the climate in Africa?
Most of Africa has warm, tropical temperatures
Desert: Largest Desert in the world is the Sahara at around 3,000 miles
Tropics: Large tropical area in central Africa
During the summer, temps can rise above 130 deg, which is hot enough to cook an egg on the sand but in the winter the temps can reach below freezing at night
Camels are used for travel and can go up to 17 days without water
Temperatures do not vary between summer and winter in the tropics. Night time is called the winter of the tropics.

6. Turn and Talk
The Sahara is only about 20% sand. The rest is mountains, rocks and gravel. Some say that the Sahara is expanding. Turn and talk to your groups: If the Sahara is expanding, what could this mean for people living in or near the Sahara Desert?

7. What about the grasslands?
Tropical grassland occurs in Africa as well
The Serengeti Plain is located in eastern Africa
Home to huge herds of animals (wildebeests, gazelles, zebras)
Grass can grow taller than the average person
Herds of wildebeests, gazelles and zebras

8. How do Africans work with the environment?
Desertification: moist areas next to deserts are dried up
Drilling for oil also destroys the land
Aswan High Dam on the Nile River
Benefits: stops flooding, gives farmers water, increases crop growth
Problems: Mosquitoes & Disease increase
Watering hole dried up in Sahel
Irrigation dries up the land, cutting down forests and overgrazing of farm animals
Dam: stops flooding, gives farmers water and increases farming seasons
But also people relocated to build dam, mosquitos increase and disease does as well since there are more waterways
Also lose water because of evaporation