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Physical Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa: The Land

Physical Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa: The Land. **about 9.5 million square miles **2 nd largest continent in the world **bounded by . . . N = Sahara Desert, E = Indian Ocean, S =Cape of Good Hope (where Indian Ocean & Atlantic Ocean meet), W = Atlantic Ocean.

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Physical Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa: The Land

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  1. Physical Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa: The Land

  2. **about 9.5 million square miles **2nd largest continent in the world **bounded by . . . N = Sahara Desert, E = Indian Ocean, S =Cape of Good Hope (where Indian Ocean & Atlantic Ocean meet), W = Atlantic Ocean

  3. I. Overall Landscape *higher elevation than any other continent in the world -called “plateau continent” –rise in elevation from the coasts inland and from W to E (from 500-8,000 feet) -Why?

  4. *escarpments (steep, often jagged slopes or cliffs) are found in this region about 20 miles from the coast -rivers flow over escarpments and form cataracts (towering waterfalls) Devil’s Cataract - Zimbabwe

  5. -Africa can be divided into 5 regions . . . • North Africa • West Africa • Central Africa • East Africa • South Africa

  6. II. Highlands/Great Rift Valley *most mountains/highlands areas in eastern and southern Africa -Why?

  7. A. The Great Rift Valley -Syria in southwest Asia to Mozambique in southeast Africa -formed by shifting tectonic plates -2 branches . . . 1. eastern branch (made up of mainly volcanic mountains like Mount Kilimanjaro) 2. western branch (made up primarily of lakes like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi)

  8. B. Eastern Highlands (part of Great Rift Valley) -stretch from Ethiopia in NE almost to Cape of Good Hope in the S -includes Ethiopian Highlands, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Mt. Kenya *Mt. Kilimanjaro = highest point in Africa (19,340 ft.) *Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya are both freestanding mountains

  9. Ethiopian Highlands Mount Kilimanjaro

  10. C. Ruwenzori Mountains -divide Uganda & the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa -also called “Mountains of the Moon”

  11. D. Drakensberg Range -southern coast of Africa

  12. III. Lakes *most of the region’s lakes lie within eastern and western branches of Great Rift Valley – formed by tectonic activity – water filled in rifts from monsoon rains

  13. A. Lake Victoria *largest lake in Africa *2nd largest freshwater lake in the world (behind Lake Superior) *source of the White Nile River

  14. B. Lake Tanganyika -longest freshwater lake in the world

  15. C. Lake Chad *currently shrinking in size – water either evaporates or seeps into the ground, because it is so dry here

  16. D. Lake Volta *largest man-made lake *supplies irrigation, fishing, and hydroelectric power *created in 1960 by the damming of the Volta River

  17. IV. Rivers A. Niger River (2,600 miles long) *originates in Guinea highlands in northwest Africa *empties into the Gulf of Guinea * irrigation and transportation

  18. B. Zambezi River (2,200 miles long) *originates near Zambia-Angola border in south- central Africa *fans out into a delta and empties into Indian Ocean *Victoria Falls – where the Zambezi River falls 355 feet (about 2 times the drop of Niagara Falls)

  19. C. Congo River (2,900 miles long) *empties into Atlantic Ocean through an estuary that is 6 miles wide (passage where freshwater from river meets seawater)

  20. **Overall, the landforms of this region are very daunting. Travel is difficult because of the Sahara Desert to the north, massive sand and silt deposits, and rapids and waterfalls.

  21. Climate & Vegetation of Sub-Saharan Africa

  22. I. Climate Variations

  23. *rainfall, ocean currents, wind patterns, elevation, and latitude cause great variations in climate and vegetation of this region

  24. *8 climate types total are located here: A. Tropical Climates 1. tropical rain forest 2. tropical savanna B. Dry Climates 3. steppe 4. desert C. Moderate Climates 5. marine west coast 6. Mediterranean 7. humid subtropical D. Highlands Climate

  25. II. Tropical Climates

  26. A. Tropical Rain Forest 1. Characteristics -located near the Equator -wettest climate region in Africa (more than 60 in. rainfall annually) and warm all year

  27. 2. Vegetation -natural vegetation = • shrubs, ferns, mosses cover the rain forest floor (6-10 feet tall) • trees and palms (60 feet tall) hover over the lower level of vegetation • tall leafy trees with orchids, ferns, mosses, woody vines (150 feet tall) create a canopy over the entire forest

  28. -crops= *although heavy rains often leach (remove) nutrients from the soil, various crops are still grown in this region • bananas, pineapples, cocoa, tea, coffee, palms for oil, rubber, cotton

  29. 3. Deforestation of the Rain forest -farmers are cutting down forests to create additional farm land -commercial loggers sell the timber -people are concerned forests and forest animals may disappear if deforestation continues

  30. B. Tropical Savanna 1. Characteristics -covers almost ½ of Africa -alternating wet and dry seasons (about 35 to 45 inches rainfall annually) *it rains almost continuously for 6 months & for the other 6 months, it is very dry

  31. -trade winds • harmattan (NE trade wind) – hot, dry air from the Sahara • dries up moisture left by heavy summer rains • southwest winds – cool, humid air from Atlantic • What do you think happens when these air masses meet?

  32. 2. Vegetation -natural vegetation • trees, tall grasses -crops • some coffee, rice, etc. Bermuda grass Baobab tree elephant grass

  33. 3. Animals -Serengeti Plain – one of world’s largest savanna plains -gnu, zebras, gazelles, hyenas, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, and other animals

  34. III. Dry Climates *away from the Equator, tropical climates fade into semiarid areas

  35. A. Steppe • Characteristics -stretch from below Sahara Desert to the southwestern tip of Africa -separates the savanna from the deserts -on average, receive 8 inches of rain annually (rains are concentrated in June, July, & August) -Sahel – northern steppe (band of dry land from Senegal to Sudan)

  36. 2. Vegetation -natural vegetation • low-growing grasses, shrubs, and acacia trees -crops • really too dry umbrella acacia tree

  37. Desertification -over the last 50 years, the Sahel has undergone much desertification -climate changes in this area bring long periods of dryness *humans strip trees for firewood and clear too much land for farming, while livestock overgraze short grasses *as a result, land is depleted and topsoil is further eroded

  38. B. Desert 1. Characteristics -isolated parts of Africa have a desert climate -less than 5 in. rain annually -Namib Desert – along Atlantic coast of Namibia -Kalahari Desert – eastern Namibia, most of Botswana, and part of South Africa *temperatures range from 120 F during day to 50 F at night 2. Vegetation -short grasses and trees

  39. Kalahari Desert sand dune in Namib Desert Namib Desert Weavers in tree in Kalahari Desert

  40. IV. Moderate Climates

  41. -coastal area of South Africa and highlands regions in East Africa enjoy moderate climates with comfortable temperatures and enough rainfall to sustain farming

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