1. What is Africa? A country? A continent? A state?
GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA
What is Africa?
A country?
A continent?
A state?

2. AFRICA TODAY Second largest continent
There are 53 countries in Africa.
It contains the world’s longest river and the largest desert!

3. AFRICA TODAY What is the name of the world’s longest river? The Nile
What is the name of the world’s largest desert?
The Sahara

4. HIGHS AND LOWS Three important features of Africa’s geography are:
Mountains
Rifts: long, deep valleys formed by the movement of the earth’s crust
Plains: wide, flat areas
Let’s look at the map- page 113

5. FIND A FEATURE
Name a mountain range
Name a rift
Name a river

6. FOUR REGIONS
West Africa is made up of four main regions that spread like bands across the continent
the Sahara
the Sahel (also called steppe)
Savannah
Rain forests
Have you heard of these before?

7. THE SAHARA The world’s largest desert Made up of sand and gravel
Little rain, less than 4 inches a year (Fresno’s average rainfall is about 11 inches a year)
Temperatures above 120 F

8. SAHARA It includes areas of numerous sand seas, and oases.
It ranges in elevation from 100 ft. below sea level, to peaks of 11,000 ft.

9. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA What does the prefix “sub” mean?
What do these terms have in common?
Subway
Substandard
Subfloor
Submarine

10. SUBWAY

11. SUBMARINE

12. SUBFLOOR

13. SUBSTANDARD

14. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
What would SUBSAHARA mean?

15. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
The parts of Africa that are below the Sahara desert are called sub-Saharan Africa.

16. THE SAHEL
A semi-arid strip of land that divides the dry Sahara from the wetter lands to the south.
What does arid mean?

17. SAHEL
Although it’s dry- the Sahel or steppe has enough vegetation to support hardy grazing animals
There can be 8-10 month stretches of no rainfall
Average rainfall 6-20 inches a year

18. SAVANNAH The band below the Sahel Open grassland with scattered trees
Tall grasses and shrubs grow here
Grazing animals are common
Rainfall average: inches a year

19. SAVANNAH ANIMALS

20. Which looks like a milder climate?

21. RAIN FOREST Wet, densely wooded areas Rainfall: 63-79 inches a year
Near the equator
What is the equator?
Many plants and animals

22. GREAT RIVERS There are three main rivers in sub-Saharan Africa
the Congo
the Zambezi
the Niger
Why would people want to live by the water?

23. The great civilizations in West Africa grew around the Niger River.

24. NIGER RIVER What does it provide?
Water, food, transportation
The four regions all surround the Niger
The Niger’s middle section is an area of lakes and marshes called an inland delta
Many animals live here

25. SALT & GOLD Important trading resources
Think about why these might be important- we will be discussing it later.

26. WEST AFRICA’S RESOURCES
Land
-Multiple climates = many crops
Minerals
-ancient lakes dried up and left salt
Gold
-mine locations kept secret, used for jewelry/coins

27. REVIEW QUESTION 1
The large geographical feature that covers much of North Africa is called the
A. Kalahari Desert
B. Sahara Desert
C. Gobi Desert
D. Thar Desert

28. REVIEW QUESTION 2 Great civilizations in West Africa arose
in the Sahara Desert.
along the Atlantic coast.
along the Niger River.
in the Atlas Mountains.

29. REVIEW QUESTION 3
The entire region south of the large North African desert is called
South Africa
extended Africa
sub-Saharan Africa
the sub-savannah

30. REVIEW QUESTION 1
The large geographical feature that covers much of North Africa is called the
A. Kalahari Desert
B. Sahara Desert
C. Gobi Desert
D. Thar Desert

31. REVIEW QUESTION 2 Great civilizations in West Africa arose
in the Sahara Desert.
along the Atlantic coast.
along the Niger River.
in the Atlas Mountains.

32. REVIEW QUESTION 3
The entire region south of the large North African desert is called
South Africa
extended Africa
sub-Saharan Africa
the sub-savannah