World Geography Africa Notes

1. World Geography Africa Notes

2. Physical

3. Africa – 2nd largest continent Africa

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

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

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

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

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

13. 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) Aswan High Dam (1970)

15. 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 Aswan High Dam (1970)

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

18. 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 Climates

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

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

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

29. 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 Climates

31. 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 Climates

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

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

36. - 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) Climates

38. 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). Natural Resources

41. 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

42. History ofAfrica

43. Prehistoric remains found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania • 3100 B.C. - Egyptian 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 Early History

45. 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) Early History

46. 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 Colonialism

49. Apartheid South Africa

50. What is Apartheid • Separation of whites and non-whites in South Africa • “Apartness” • Implemented in 1948