Geography of Africa

The “Plateau Continent”•Huge plateau covers most of Africa except

Somalia and Mozambique•Within the plateau are many basins

(depressions) that are as much as 5000 feet deep

Rivers•World’s longest river, Nile River, most

people in Egypt live and depend upon the Nile

•Many of the rivers contain waterfalls, rapids, and cataracts which make them difficult to use for transportation

Most distinctive landforms•Rift Valleys: cracks formed by

continental drift which formed long, thin valleys

•Lakes form at the bottoms of some rift valleys: world’s longest freshwater lake – Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s largest lake – Lake Victoria

Resources•Africa is rich in gold, platinum, chromium

(stainless steel), cobalt (steel for aircraft), diamonds, oil

•However, 19th and 20th centuries European countries exported many African resources to manufacture goods in Europe

•Result: many African countries have been slow to develop infrastructure and industries to develop these resources

Oil•Libya, Nigeria, Algeria among world’s

leading petroleum producers•U.S. pays Angola for drilling rights;

however, Angola’s government spends the money to fund civil wars resulting from ethnic divisions created by colonialism rather than investing in education, hospitals, and infrastructure

Commodities•After oil, coffee is most profitable

commodity in Africa•Cote d’Ivoire is world’s largest exporter of

cocoa beans•Agriculture is Africa’s single most

important economic activity

HEI: Desertification of the Sahel “shore of the desert”Causes: •Overgrazing•Animals trample soil causing erosion•Farming•Drilling for irrigation•Increased population•Burning more wood for fuel

DesertificationEffects:•Large forests disappear•Destroys tropical rainforests

HEI: Environmental Damage to NigeriaCauses:•Drilling for oil (accounts for 80% of their

income)Effects:•Debt to other nations (U.S.-borrowed against

future sale of oil)•Country is poor (oil prices fell, corruption)•Oil spills, fire, acid rain•(Intentional) explosions result in deaths

(drain oil to resell illegally)

HEI: Aswan High DamCauses:•Control floods of the NileEffects:•(Pos.) Lake Nasser created – artificial lake•Fresh supply of water to farmers•Two or three harvests instead of one for

farmers•Farmable land increased by 50%

Aswan High DamEffects:•(Neg.) Relocation of people during its

construction•Relocation of temples and treasures or

loss of•Decreased fertility of soil (silt - sediment)•Salt decreases fertility of soil (is no longer

flushed from water)•Increased diseases (malaria – from still

water)•Evaporation of Lake Nasser