World Geography Africa Notes

1. World Geography Africa Notes

2. Physical

3. Africa • Africa – 2nd largest continent

4. Landforms • Plateaus - Huge plateau covers most of Africa, • Basins - huge depressions on plateau • Plateaus separated by escarpments—steep slope with flat plateau on top

6. Landforms • Mountains - Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain

7. Landforms • Valleys – long, thin rift valleys were formed when Pangaea broke apart • Eastern part is still slowly pulling away from Africa

10. Rivers • Congo River - Africa’s largest river network (2,900-mile) • 32 cataracts (waterfalls) make much of Congo impassable

12. Rivers • Nile River—world’s longest river - Provides 95% of Egypt’s water

13. Aswan High Dam (1970) • Created 300-mile Lake Nasser to regulate the water supply along the Nile • Benefits - Provides regular supply of water for farmers & holds back Nile floodwaters for irrigation • Egypt’s farmable land increased by 50% ( now have two or three harvests a year)

15. Aswan High Dam (1970) • Problems - River no longer deposits rich silt—sediment—on farmland • Irrigation raises water table & river doesn’t flush out salts that decrease soil fertility • Mosquitoes thrive in Lake Nasser, spread malaria, other diseases • Millions of gallons of fresh water lost yearly to lake evaporation

17. Lakes • Lake Victoria - Africa’s largest lake • World’s 2nd largest freshwater lake • Victoria Falls – Named after Queen Victoria • DavidLivingstonewas the 1st European explorer to see the waterfalls

18. Climates • Deserts - Sahara is world’s largest • May go years without rain • Temperatures as high as 136 degrees in summer, freezing at night • Fewer than 2 million of Africa’s 800 million people live in Sahara

22. Climates • Aquifers - located 6,000 feet under Sahara • creates oasis when water comes to the surface

25. Climates • Sahel - narrow band of grassland runs east-west along southern Sahara edge

26. Climates • Desertification—expansion of dry conditions into nearby moist areas • Human Causes of Desertification - Livestock overgrazing, Water drilling& irrigation increase soil’s salt levels

29. Climates • Tropical Savanna - covers half of Africa - Six-month rainy season - Longer rainy seasons near equator; longer dry seasons near desert • Tropical Grassland - covers most of Africadry climate, hard soil prevent growth of trees, crops

31. Climates • Serengeti Plain (northern Tanzania) - best grasslands in the world (Serengeti National Park) • Ideal for grazing animals like wildebeests, gazelles, zebras • Site of largest numbers of migrating land mammals

34. Climates • Mediterranean climate – Located on northern & southern tips of Africa - Clear blue skies, moderate summers, rain in winter

35. Climates • Tropics - Africa has largest tropical area of any continent - 90% of Africa lies between tropics of Cancer & Capricorn - High temperatures year around

36. Climates - Major tropical rain forests are on equator in Congo Basin - Most animals live in canopy—uppermost branches, 150 feet off ground (birds, monkeys, flying foxes, snakes)

38. Natural Resources • Africa’s minerals make it one of world’s richest continents • Oil - Libya, Nigeria, Algeria among world’s leading petroleum producers • Nigeria is world’s 6th leading oil exporter (most shipped to U.S).

41. Natural Resources • Coffee - Africa’s second most profitable commodity • -20% of world’s supply is grown there few but only a Africans drink it • 42% of world’s cobalt • South Africa is largest producer of chromium, for stainless steel & produces 80% of world’s platinum, & 30% of gold

44. Review Questions What are rift Valleys? What is Africa’s highest peak? What is an escarpment? What is the largest lake in Africa? Africa is the largest continent. What African country receives 95% of its water from the Nile River? What is the Serengeti? What is the Sahel? Where is a canopy & who lives there? What is the main purpose of the Aswan high Dam? What is an aquifer? What is desertification? What is the longest river in the world? What is an oasis? Where are aquifers in the Sahara Desert? Name three ways that humans cause desertification? What is Africa’s 2nd most profitable commodity?

45. Early History • Prehistoric remains found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania • 3100 B.C. - Egyption civilization developed along the Nile • Nile provided water & rich soil • Pharaohs rule Egypt for 2,600 years • Egyptian geometry and medicine are spread by trade

46. Early History • 814 B.C. - Ancient city of Carthage was founded in location on Gulf of Tunis peninsula • A.D. 800 -1591 - Ghana, Mali, & Songhai empires grew on Sahara trade routes (gold, salt)

49. Slave Trade & Colonialism • 1400s to 1800s - Slave traders exchanged guns & goods for captive Africans • Colonialism – 1800s – Europe began colonizing the region • - Berlin Conference – European powers divided the continent • Effects of Colonialism - Lost resources as well as the cultural & ethnic oppression of people • Little infrastructure or money for transportation, education systems • Most countries gained their independence by 1960s