Africa’s Geography
General Information
o ____________ largest continent
o ____________ times larger than US
o 20.2% of Earth’s land
o 878 million people
Remember: _____________________________________________________________
The Land
Much of Africa covered by ___________________
Because there are Plateaus…
o _____________________ - steep cliffs at edge of plateaus
o _____________________ - large waterfalls & rapids at edge of plateaus
Based on this information, why do you think Europeans did not settle in the interior of Africa until the 1800s?
Great Rift Valley
o Series of mountains & valleys
o Run ____________ to ____________ along eastern Africa for 3,000 miles
(from northern Sudan to central Mozambique)
Mt. ____________________________
o Highest Peak in Africa (19,340 ft.)
o Located along Great Rift Valley
Rivers and Lakes
Used for:
o Irrigation
o Transportation
o Power (hydroelectric dams)
Nile River
o World’s ___________________ river (4,150 miles)
o Nile begins in the northern Great Rift Valley
o Aswan Dam
What direction do ALL rivers flow?
Lake Chad
o Located where Niger, Nigeria, and Chad meet
o ___________________________ is causing Lake Chad to decrease in size
o Desertification - the ___________________ of semi-desert __________ ________________; This is often caused by people, not nature.
Lake Victoria
o ___________________ Lake in Africa & __________ largest freshwater lake in the ________________ (26,830 sq. miles)
o Located in the Great Rift Valley
Victoria Falls
o 1 mile wide with a maximum drop of 420 feet
o Southern Africa (not near Lake Victoria)
_____________ River
_____________ River & Congo River Basin
Natural Resources
o Many countries ______________ _________________ to develop resources
o _______________ _________________________ of resources
o Examples: Precious metals, Industrial Metals, Oil
Rainfall
o _______ __________________: wet & dry
o seasons __________________ on either side of __________________
o Rain amounts vary greatly
Climate Zones
Desert
o Over ______% of Africa is desert
Sahara
o About __________ of the continent
o ______________ desert in the _____________ (Antarctica does not count!)
o Size of US(3.5 million sq. mi)
o Rock-strewn plains, rolling sand dunes, mountains, and sand seas
Why is “Sahara Desert” redundant?
____________________ Desert
o Covers much of Botswana, southwest South Africa & western Namibia
o Some rain; grasses, shrubs & some animals
o Namib Desert along the coast
_________________ ____________ & _____________ Climate Region
o Largest climate zone in Africa
o _____________________
o Unpredictable rain
o Population growth causes deforestation & desertification
_________________
o Area ______________________ the savanna from the Sahara
o Receives little rain
o _______________ populations are _______________ its ____________________ (desertification)
Tropical Wet Climate Region
o ______________________
o _______________ part of Africa
o ____________ _______________
o Diseases make it difficult to live in
Mediterranean Climate Zone
o Mild climate (like Los Angeles)
o _____________ _________________ - crops & herding
o ______________ European ______________________
4