1. Chapter 18 Physical Geography of Africa: The Plateau Continent

2. Chapter 18 Section 1 Landforms & Resources
Vocabulary: Basin, Nile River, Rift Valley, Mount Kilimanjaro, & Escarpment

3. A Vast Plateau Africa moved very little during continental drift
Plateaus are Africa’s most prominent physical features
Several basins lie throughout the plateaus
The Nile River is the longest river in the world covering more than 4,000 miles (flows north!)
Source of the Nile River: Lake Victoria, 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world.
Africa contains waterfalls, rapids, & gorges

4. Distinctive African Landforms
As continental plates pulled apart, it formed Rift Valleys in Africa
Lakes are formed at the bottom of the rift valleys
Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world located within the rift valley
Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain
Great Escarpment: marks the edge of the continent’s plateau in Southern Africa
Escarpment: a steep slope with a nearly flat plateau on top

5. Africa’s Wealth of Resources
Africa has a large amount of resources but lacks the industrial base & money to develop them
Africa has large quantities of gold, platinum, chromium, cobalt, copper, phosphates, diamonds, & other minerals
Due to European colonial rule, African nations have been slow to develop the infrastructure & industries to turn the resources into valuable products
Libya, Nigeria, & Algeria have oil reserves

6. Oil in Angola
Has huge, untapped oil reserves – will soon become Africa’s most oil-rich country
These valuable resources don’t benefit all Angolans
American oil companies pay Angola a fee for drilling rights and the oil
Angolan government spends the money on an ongoing civil war – not on schools, hospitals, or other public infrastructure

7. Diversity of Resources
Coffee is the most profitable commodity in Africa
They grow 20% of the world’s supply
Lumber is another important commodity in Africa
Other major commodities include sugar, palm oil, & cocoa
66% of Africans earn their living from farming

8. The Nile River has supported life for thousands of years: irrigates farmlands and provides transportation.
Abundant resources in Africa: gold, platinum, chromium, cobalt, copper, phosphates, diamonds, & other minerals. This great mineral wealth does not equal economic prosperity.
The Angolan government charges a fee for oil drilling rights but uses little of the money for education, public health, etc.
Main Ideas – Section 1

9. Chapter 18 Section 2 Climate & Vegetation
Vocabulary: Sahara, Aquifer, Oasis, Serengeti Plain, & Canopy

10. A Warm Continent
The Sahara is the largest desert in the world, that stretches 3,000 miles across the continent
Temperatures can rise as high as 134 degrees during the day but freezing at night
Travelers rely on camels who can go up to 17 days without water
Underground water called aquifers are located below the desert
Oasis support vegetation & wildlife
Only a small portion is sandy. The rest contains rocky, gravelly areas and some mountains

11. Sunshine & Rainfall
Rainfall in Africa is often a matter of extremes; some areas get too much rain, while other parts receive too little
It also varies year to year & season to season
Central Africa receives the most precipitation, as rain falls throughout the year
In the Sahara may not see rain for years

12. A Grassy Continent
Africa’s vegetation consists of grasslands, rain forests, & a wide variety of other plant life
The Serengeti Plain has dry climate & hard soil that prevents the growth of trees & many crops
However it has a vast quantity of grass
Located in northern Tanzania

13. Africa’s Extremes
The major rain forest of Africa is on the Congo Basin
The massive number of plants, leaves, & trees block out much of the sunlight
Most animals in the rain forest live in the canopy (uppermost layer of branches)
Farmers use slash & burn to clear the land

14. Physical Geography of the Sahara: only a small portion is sandy
Physical Geography of the Sahara: only a small portion is sandy. The rest contains rocky, gravelly areas and some mountains
General Pattern of Rainfall: the closer to the equator, the more rainfall an area receives
The grasslands of the Serengeti provide wildlife with an abundant food supply
Main Ideas – Section 2

15. Unit Atlas: begins on page 402
Map directions:
NEATLY label the bodies of water, countries, and cities.
You DO NOT have to answer the questions!
Add:
Nile River
Lake Victoria
Mount Kilimanjaro
Serengeti Plain (look at a map online)
Shade the Sahara Desert in one color
Shade the Sahel in another color
Create a map key!

16. Chapter 18 Section 3 Human-Environment Interaction
Vocab: Niger Delta, Sahel, Desertification, Aswan High Dam, & Silt

17. Desertification of the Sahel
Sahel: narrow band of dry grassland that runs along the Sahara
Desertification is an expansion of dry conditions into moist areas that are next to deserts
Human causes of desertification include overgrazing, farming, irrigation, & overpopulations
Desertification is destroying land & is difficult to slow down

18. Harming the Environment in Nigeria
Niger delta: region containing most of Nigeria’s oil
Oil accounts for 80% of Nigeria’s income
Nigeria’s government owed millions of dollars in loans to drill more oil
Mismanagement, poor planning, corruption, & decline in oil prices has left Nigeria poorer than before the oil boom.
4,000 oil spills have occurred & very little clean up is done
Nigeria has started economic reforms & trying to find ways for Nigeria to benefit again

19. Controlling the Nile
Egypt has faced issues controlling the floodwaters of the Nile River
They built the Aswan High Dam that keeps the water year round & releases its for farmers
The dam has increased farmable land by 50%
However it causes issues with no deposits of silt (sediment) & less fertile soil

20. Desertification is affecting people’s lives in the Sahel: they are losing farmland for crops and grasslands for their animals
Nigerian oil industry: careless extraction of oil has led to massive fires, acid rain, oil spills, soot deposits, and health issues
Aswan High Dam problems: farmers now have to use artificial fertilizers and field drains, people have to be relocated, and the still waters behind the dam have increased rates of mosquito-born diseases
Main Ideas – Section 3