1 / 55

Chapter 18

Chapter 18. Physical Geography of Africa. CHAPTER 18, SECTION 1 NOTES. 1. Most of Africa is a plateau. Not much continental shelf. A. Initially made it hard for colonization – will change with industrial revolution. 2. Has several large basins (e.g. Chad Basin)

gella
Download Presentation

Chapter 18

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 18 Physical Geography of Africa

  2. CHAPTER 18, SECTION 1 NOTES. • 1. Most of Africa is a plateau. Not much continental shelf. • A. Initially made it hard for colonization – will change with industrial revolution. • 2. Has several large basins (e.g. Chad Basin) • A. Span more than 625 miles and can be as deep as 5,000 ft.

  3. 18-1 • 3. Rivers • A. Nile River - longest river in world (4000 miles) • (1) Flows south to north - prevailing winds north to south

  4. 18-1 • B. Most of rivers have many waterfalls, rapids, and gorges. • C. Congo River (2,900 miles) provides largest network of waterways - but has 32 cataracts. • D. Niger river starts in W. Africa and flows towards Sahara • A. Meanders - not good for navigation.

  5. 18-1 • 4. Rift Valleys and Lakes • A. Rift valleys formed via plate tectonics as east Africa has been slowly pulling apart from remainder of Africa.

  6. 18-1 • (1) Rift valley stretch over 4,000 miles (from Jordan to Mozambique) • B. Lakes form at bottom of rift valleys • (1) Lake Tanganyika - longest fresh water lake in world • (a) 420 miles long = depth up to 4,700 ft.

  7. 18-1 • (2) Africa’s largest lake is Lake Victoria - Second largest in the world

  8. 18-1 • 5. Mountains - mainly volcanic • A. Mount Kilimanjaro largest in Africa

  9. 18-1 • B. Great escarpment in southern Africa - volcanic • (1) marks edge of southern plateau

  10. 18-1 • 6. Africa’s Resources: • A. Africa has worlds richest mineral deposits • (1) Gold, (30 % of world’s gold) platinum (80% of global resources), chromium, cobalt (42% of world cobalt), copper, phosphates, diamonds, and many others.

  11. 18-1 • B. Only now is Africa starting to benefit from rich mineral wealth • (1) In past - European countries carved up Africa (colonization)

  12. 18-1 • 7. Oil • A. Libya, Nigeria, & Algeria major producers of petroleum • (1) Angola & Gabon huge untapped reserves • 8. Coffee, and Lumber (Nigeria largest exporter in Africa - 8th in world) are also important commodities in Africa, followed by sugar, palm oil, cocoa (Cote d’ Ivoire)

  13. 18-1 • 9. Approx. 66% of Africans are farmers. Farming approx 1/3 of its • total exports.

  14. Chapter 18 Section 2 • 1. Most of Africa is warm/tropical (between tropics Cancer/Capricorn) • 2. Sahara - largest desert in world (3,000 W. to E.) (1,200 N. to S.) • A. Temps up to 136.4 degrees F. during day - can freeze at night • B. Consists of 20% sand. Remainder - mts., rock formations, and gravel • C. Aquifers - large underground water deposits • (1) Oasis - water comes to surface

  15. 18-2 • 3. Rainfall • A. Most precipitation in Central Africa. • B. Tropical Savanna - stretch through middle of continent covers approx. ½ of total African surface area • (1) Closer to equator - longer rainy season. Closer to desert - longer dry season • C. Most of other parts of Africa experience dry/wet seasons • (1) North Africa - rainfall winter. South Africa - rainfall -summer

  16. 18-2 • 4. Mediterranean climate on the northern and southern tips of • continent. • 5. Tropical Grassland - covers much of Africa (e.g. Serengeti Plain - Tanzania) • A. Home to many herd animals • B. Annual migrations

  17. 18-2 • 6. Rain Forest at the equator (Congo Basin). • A. Many different types of flora/fauna found here. • B. Fast forest floor decomposition. • C. Most animals live in the canopy (upper branches of trees) • (1) Up to 150 ft. high. • D. Slash/burn farming methods endangering

  18. 18-3 • 1. Sahel (shore of the desert) is a narrow band of dry grassland • from east to west of southern edge of Sahara. • A. Farming/herding found here • (1) As a result of this and natures long-term cycle, Sahara is expanding south (desertification)

  19. Desertification • Sahel-transition zone for Sahara • Productive land turns into desert • Soil no longer holds moisture-becomes desert • Happens due to drought (1960-1990) • Constant farming on the same portion of land, becomes arid,dry,-famine

  20. 18-3 • (2) Irrigation (via drilled wells) increases salt levels in Sahel • (3) Population growth puts stress on Sahel • Groundwater • Build dams to store water/irrigate lands

  21. Nigeria

  22. 18-3 • 2. Environment • A. Nigeria, 6th largest exporter of oil has damaged environment. • (1) Oil - 80-90% of Nigeria’s income • (2) Problems: Mismanagement, poor planning, corruption and drop in oil prices have left Nigeria in poverty (3) More than 4,000 oil spills have occurred in the Niger delta over past 4 decades

  23. 18-3 • (4) Oil fires cause acid rain and soot causes respiratory diseases (5) Bandits do major damage to pipelines during theft of oil • (6) New President Obasanjo attempting to clean up corruption

  24. Current-Nigeria • Periodic blackouts • Spoilage of foods-poor suffered • Telephone inadequate • Scarcity of clean water • Roads-in poor state • Acid rain • Massive deposit of soot

  25. Nigeria Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 when it elected Olusegun as President He fired all the corrupt officials Not attached to army

  26. 18-3 • 3. Nile • A. First Aswan Dam completed in 1902 to control flooding • B. Aswan High Dam completed in 1970s • (1) Lake behind dam is Lake Nasser

  27. Nile River • Building of Answan High Dam to control flooding of Nile • Egypt &Sudan shares Lake Nasser

More Related