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Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land

Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land. Ch. 20 Sec. 1. Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land. Ch. 20 Sec. 1. Highland Features. Plateaus make a series of steps  make up most of Africa Edges of plateaus are escarpments (cliffs) Most are <20 miles from coast (Map on p. 501)

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Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land

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  1. Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land Ch. 20 Sec. 1

  2. Sub-Sahara Africa: The Land Ch. 20 Sec. 1

  3. Highland Features • Plateaus make a series of steps make up most of Africa • Edges of plateaus are escarpments (cliffs) • Most are <20 miles from coast (Map on p. 501) • Hard to travel inland from coast (bad for exploration)

  4. Highland Features • Rivers plunge down escarpments making cataracts(waterfalls) Victoria Falls; b/w Zambia & Zimbabwe

  5. Highland Features • Africa has highest overall elevation than any other continent… • But still few mountains • Mts. included in Eastern highlands • Ethiopian Highlands, and volcanoes Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya

  6. Highland features • Ruwenzori Mts. • Divide Uganda & Dem. Rep. of the Congo • Covered in snow and clouds • Drakensberg Range • South Africa • Lots of national parks, wetlands

  7. Drakensberg Range; 11,420 ft. - “Barrier of Spears” in Zulu Tugela Falls World’s 2nd tallest Waterfall

  8. Great Rift Valley • Stretches from Syria to Mozambique • Formed by shifting tectonic plates (what kind??) millions of yrs. ago • Volcanoes & earthquakes continue to shape region TODAY

  9. 6,000 Miles Long!

  10. Great Rift Valley • Forms two branches • Eastern branch = volcanic cones • Western branch= lakes • Lake Tanganyika (2nd lgst. freshwater & 2nd deepest in world) • Lake Malawi (mt. rimmed, >2,300 feet deep) • Lake Victoria (2nd widest in world, but shallow; source of White Nile)

  11. Water Systems • Lakes & rivers come from basins formed millions of yrs. ago as land uplifted • Travel from plateaus in center of cont. to the sea • Hit escarpments  waterfalls  near impossible to navigate inland/ up river

  12. Water Systems • Lake Chad: • West-central Africa • 20 mil. ppl in 4 countries depend on it • Faces desertification (droughts + natural climate) • So shallow, affected greatly by climate Δs • 1960s = 26,000 km²; 2000= 1,500 km²

  13. Water Systems • Lake Volta: • Man-made (1 of lgst. in world) • Flooded 700 villages & displaced 70,000 to create • Used for irrigation, fishing, hydroelectric power (Akosombo Dam) for major aluminum plant and ppl of Ghana

  14. Water Systems • Niger River: • “great river” main artery in W. Africa • 2,600 miles long (3rd in Africa) • Forms arc across 5 countries • Vital for irrigation & transportation • Splits into Niger Delta in Nigeria (150 X 200 miles)

  15. Water Systems • Zambezi River: • Many waterfalls (Victoria Falls- 355 foot drop– 2X size of Niagra) • Congo River: • Meets sea at deep, navigable estuary (only one in Africa) • Largest network of navigable water in Africa • But still has major waterfalls & rapids

  16. Physical Barriers • Sahara prevents travel from North Africa to South/Central Africa • Western deltas were treacherous to sail inland • Eastern highlands made travel inland difficult (cliffs) • Europeans controlled coastal trade and Africans controlled inland trade

  17. Natural resources • Mineral resources are abundant • Plentiful oil reserves • Various metals across region • S. Africa has ½ world’s gold, also found elsewhere • Major diamond deposits

  18. Natural Resources • Water is ABUNDANT • The problem lies with harnessing power (physical & financial problems) • Congo River- More potential hydroelectric power than U.S. • Africa hold’s 25% of the world’s potential for hydroelectricity, but uses less than 10% of it. • More development is occurring • Kenya installed 20,000 rural solar power systems from 86-96

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