1 / 70

World Geography Africa Notes

World Geography Africa Notes. Physical . Africa – 2 nd largest continent. Africa . Plateaus - Huge plateau covers most of Africa, Basins - huge depressions on plateau Plateaus separated by escarpments —steep slope with flat plateau on top. Landforms.

eydie
Download Presentation

World Geography Africa Notes

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. 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

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

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

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

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

  9. 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)

  10. 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)

  11. 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

  12. 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

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

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

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

  16. 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

  17. 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

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

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

  20. - 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. History ofAfrica

  24. 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

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. Apartheid South Africa

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

More Related