1. Physical Geography of Africa – The Land
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2. Landforms Continent of plateaus series of plateaus rise from W to E
escarpments – steep cliffs separating plateaus
highest and broadest in SE
continent with highest overall elevation

3. The topography of Africa features a series of relatively flat plateaus and saucer-shaped basins, broken by highlands, mountain ranges, and valleys. Northern and western Africa, widely known as Low Africa, has much lower mean elevations than the south and east, often called High Africa.

4. Landforms Mts. and Highlands Atlas Mts. – NW
Ethopian Highlands – S. of Sahara & E. down to S. Africa
Drakensberg Mts. – SE
Ruwenzori Mts. – Central & E. Africa
Mt. Kenya & Kilimanjaro highest – 19,340 ft.

5. Mt. Kenya
Ruwenzori Mts.
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Drakensberg Mts.

6. Drakensberg Mts.

7. Mt. Kilimanjaro

8. Landforms Great Rift Valley natural wonder
Jordan River to Zambezi R. in Zimbabwe
trench 3,500 mi. long
believed to have been caused by Pangea split
Africa had volcanic activity as result

9. Great Rift Valley

10. Water Systems Chain of Lakes
Lake Victoria – 2nd largest freshwater lake, Central & E.
Lake Tanganyika – 420 mi. long – longest freshwater lake
Lake Malawi – many fish species, S & E
Lake Chad – created by dam near Chad

11. Lake Malawi

12. Lake Malawi forms most of Malawi’s eastern border with Tanzania and Mozambique. The lake, situated in Africa’s Great Rift Valley, has a significant fishing industry and provides a transportation route for the surrounding areas.
Lake Malawi

13. Water Systems Rivers and Basins
Nile – N. Africa with tributary from Lake Victoria
Congo – longest S. of Sahara, 2,700 mi. long, crosses equator south
10 million gal. per sec.
Niger – empties into Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi – empties into Indian Ocean

15. Formed by the junction of the Lualaba and Luvua rivers in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo flows northward to Stanley Falls and then south and west to the Atlantic Ocean. The Congo, the second longest river in Africa after the Nile, is largely navigable and useful for both commercial and passenger transportation. Unlike many other major rivers, there is no delta at the mouth of the Congo.

16. Niger River
The Niger River forms an interior delta in Mali. It is a lifeline for local residents, providing fish and rich soil and irrigation for growing food.

18. Zambezi River

19. Physical Geography of Africa – The Climates and Vegetation
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21. Deserts and semi-desert
Covers 2/5 of Africa
Namib Desert – coast of Namibia, SW
Kalahari Desert – Southern plateau, covers most of Botswana
vegetation – cactus, shrubs
temps vary from 120°-50°F
PBS Website on Africa’s Climates and Vegetation

22. Kalahari and Namib Desert

23. Kalahari Desert - family

24. Namib Desert

25. Desert Oases Okavango – river that empties into Kalahari Desert
Called “the Delta”
Angola
Namibia
Botswana

26. Desert Oases Okavango – river that empties into Kalahari Desert
Called “the Delta”

27. The Sahel Steppe grasslands – wide grassy plains
Seasons – long dry one, short wet one
Less water in recent years – caused by drought
Problems – famine, death, migration

28. The Sahel

29. Tropical Savanna vegetation – grassland and scattered trees
rainfall – in. per year
elephant grass – grows 15 ft. or taller

30. Tropical Rainforests cover 8% of Africa located near equator
Rains daily
poor farmland
Soil gets leached – nutrients washed away
products from rainforest
Cocoa – chocolate
Rubber
Palm oil
lumber

32. Cocoa

33. Moderate climates highlands of Kenya southern tip – S. Africa
three characteristics of location of population
Fertile soil
Adequate rain
Favorable climate