Physiographic Features of Africa

• Mosque and rock formations in the Sahara

Dune and Palm tree in the Grand Erg Occidental.

A caravan among the dunes in the Sahara.

• Oasis at Um Al Ma Salt Lake, Sahara Desert, Libya

• Sandstorm in an oasis, Sahara Desert.

• Ethiopian Highlands: the Teff croplands below the mountains.

Coffee in the Ethiopian Highlands

• The preparation of coffee, and the coffee ceremony in Ethiopia, can take up to four hours. A coffee com-pany executive described the coffee as unbelievably wonderful, nothing like our coffee in the U.S.

Coffee Bushes in Tanzania

• Flower and Coffee Cherries on Arabica coffee plant

Ripe coffee cherries

Coffee in the Ethiopian Highlands

Dried coffee beans from the High-lands of East Africa. Blending and roasting determine the final taste of the brewed coffee.

Mount Kilimanjaro, tallest mountain in Africa

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake

Sign at

a sailing

club on

Lake

Victoria.

Women and children sun-curing fish on the shores of Lake Victoria. The Lake is extremely important in agriculture, fishing, and tourism.

Nile River, longest river in Africa

Egypt’s ancient civilizations began and flourished along the Nile. This is the Temple of Luxor.

Felucca on the Nile

White Nile and the Sudd (marshes whose name, “Sudd”, means “obstacle”

The Ti Isat Falls of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia

The Blue Nile

African Rainforests

• Bwindi is the largest rainforest in Africa. The rainforest or “jungle” extends through most of western central Africa, from south of the Congo through the Cameroons.

A lush rainforest scene in Africa

Rainforest Canopy Isolated due to deforestation

• Commercial logger cutting down tree in African rainforest. Some areas are protected, but may be logged anyway. The demand for exotic hardwoods floors and furniture combined with local poverty and corruption make logging tempting and profitable.

An armed ranger guarding a protected national forest

The Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari is the

largest desert in south-

ern Africa. It has sandy

areas and dunes, but its

dunes are not usually

high in elevation, or as

varied in shape, as

Saharan dunes.

A desert village on the edge of the Kalahari.

Much of the Kalahari is actually dry “scrub” and dry grasslands; someareas receive enough seasonal rains to turn green in the spring.

Meerkats sunning themselves on the Kalahari

• Goats at Pond Oasis, the Sahel

Doing Laundry on the Niger River

Some parts of the Sahel can support agriculture.

• Millet is a grain grown in the Sahel; it can tolerate fairly dry conditions. Peanuts are also grown in the area. Frequent plagues of locusts put crops at risk; locusts recently caused three years of famine in the area

Niger River Delta

The Atlas Mountains of Northwest Africa

Atlas Mountains with sheep

The Zaire River, formerly called the Congo River. The Congo Basin was named after the colonial name for the river.

Kinshasa and Brazzaville on the Zaire River.

Trade on the Zaire

• A barge hauling goods on the Zaire.

• This river is an important conduit for goods moving through Central Africa.

Traditional fishing boats on the Zaire.

The Indian Ocean

A sailboat on the Indian Ocean

off the Maldives.

The Great Rift Valley of Africa

A major fault line causes the rift in the Great Rift Valley. The rift is gradually opening wider, allowing the sea to come inland. Eventually the Arabian Peninsula will split completely away from Africa and the sea will come miles inland up the Valley. Lake Victoria and several other major

lakes lie along this line.

Serengeti Plains

• A storm over the savannahs of the Serengeti Plain in Tanzania.

• An Acacia tree on the Serengeti Plain.

Lion and Lioness on the Serengeti

Elephants in a wildlife preserve on the

Serengeti.

Wildlife on the Serengeti

Madagascar

• One of the most famous and valuable crops of Madagascar is the Madagascar vanilla bean, a descendent of the original Mexican vanilla orchid. These are vanilla flowers.

Vanilla beans

Vanilla beans are har-

vested, sorted, and

allowed to dry. Inside

the bean is a dark,

sticky substance that

contains the flavor and

scent of vanilla. The

beans are soaked to

extract the essence of the

bean.

Madagascar landscapesBaobab trees in theMadagascar forest. Madasgacar is famous for its natural beauty, including rain forests unusual species of animals. Unfortunately, deforestation is threatening the forests of Madagascar.

Atlantic Ocean at Jerba, Tunisia

Mediterranean Sea at Sid Bou Said, Tunisia

The Suez Canal as its flows into the

Mediterranean Sea.

The Red Sea at Aqaba

The Sinai PeninsulaYou can see the

Mediterranean Sea

at the top of the photo,

the Gulf of Suez to the

left, the Gulf of Aqaba

to the right, and the

Red Sea at the bottom

of the photo. Africa is

on the left, the Arabian

Peninsula on the right.