The African landscape:

North Africa:

North Africa:Physical Features:

• The Nile (union of Blue and White Nile)

• Silt deposits • Aswan High Dam • The Sinai Peninsula (E.of

Nile)• Suez Canal between Sinai

and Egypt - connects Red Sea to Med.

• The Sahara: world’s largest desert– Sand dunes and dry streambeds

• Atlas Mountains N.west side of Sahara (13,600 ft)

North Africa

• 3 Main Climates: 1)Desert (136 deg.

In Libya)2)Mediterranean

(mild)3)Steppe

(between Sahara and coast)

• Oil & gas (Libya, Algeria & Egypt)• Moroccan mines iron ore & minerals • Sahara coal, oil, natural gas

Climate: Resources:

West Africa:

West Africa: Physical Features:

• Plains & Highlands

• Coastal plan has lots of cities

• Interior plain people farm

• Plateaus & cliffs in SW • Tibesti Mountains • The Niger River =

most impt. Flows into interior of region bringing life giving water to W. Africa

• Transportation and divides into channels swamps and lakes

Climate & Vegetation

• 4 Different Climates: 1) Desert- Sahara zone • Sahel- strip of land

that divides desert from wetter areas

2) Steppe – varied rainfall

3) Tropical Savanna 4) Humid Tropical Resourcv

East Africa:

East Africa: Physical Features• The Rift Valleys- land

arches and splits- volcanoes & thick rock

• The Great Rift Valley – E & W up to 6,000 ft. high

• Mt. Kilimanjaro- highest mtn, in Africa 19,340 ft. High

• Ethiopian Highlands: rugged with deep River Valleys

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya http://my.hrw.com/ss2/ss06_07_08/student/flash/wgeaf_m5enf_phL2/assets/video.html

The Ethiopian Highlands

East Africa Rivers & Lakes

• Nile begins in E Africa flows N.

• Lake Victoria • Chain of lakes in W.

rift valleys• Some lakes near east

rift so hot cannot even swim

Climate & Vegetation: • Some areas cooler

climate further from Equator drier and suffer from drought

• Nth of Eqtor -plateaus, mtns, and highland climate, forests

• South of Eqtor: Tropical Savanna

• Rift floor dry with grasslands & shrub

• Areas of East highlands of I.O. are at a lower elevation – desert and steppe climates

Central Africa:

Central Africa: Physical Features:

• Landforms: • Congo Basin• Lake Nyasa (Malawi) &

Tanganyika • Rivers: Congo River- fed

by 100s of smaller ones • Swampy basin • Zambezi River flows E.

toward I.O. Victoria Falls • Rapids and waterfalls –

make it difficult for ships

Climates, Vegetation & Animals

• Central Africa- low latitude along Equator

• Humid tropical climate • Nth and Sth of Congo

savanna climate • Large dense tropical

forest – few light • Gorillas, elephants

wild boar & okapis, birds,, monkeys, bats, snakes, and insects

• Endangered species (hunting, logging, and farming)

Victoria Falls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzN1sMcLWEo

Central Africa: Resources:

• Good farming- most were subsistence farmers- now selling their crops

• Periodic Markets- an open air-market set up 1-2 times a week

• Forests provide timber• Rivers- travel & trade• Dams-hydroelectricity• Oil, Nat. gas, coal • Minerals- Copper, Uranium, tin, Zinc, • Diamonds, gold and cobalt

South Africa:

Physical Features: • Plateaus and Mtns: most of

South Africa lies on large plateau (4,000 ft. above sea level)

• Escarpment: Steep face at edge of plateau

• SE Africa Drakensburg “Dragon Mtns.” 11,425 ft.

• The Okavango River – from Angola swampy inland delta

• Orange River flows to Atlantic • Limpopo River flows into IO

waterfalls• Kalahari desert- most of

Botswana

Climate & Vegetation:

• Wettest = Madagascar (winds from Indian Ocean bring moisture)

• Savanna & deserts • Veld- open grassland areas• Driest = Namib desert on

Atlantic coast ½ and in. of rain a yr.

• Tropical forests – Madagascar- lemurs & endangered species

South Africa:

South Africa:

• Resources: • Madagascar- forests

timber • Rivers hydroelectricity • Farming • Minerals (gold)• S. Afr., Botswana, &

Namibia diamonds • Coal, Platinum, rubber,

iron

Source

• Google Images • HOLT World Cultures