GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA

1. GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA

2. BASIC FACTS • Second largest continent • Could fit 3 of the U.S. • Most independent countries (54)

4. 11,668,545 square miles • that’s over 11 billion football fields. • If you were to give each person on earth - that's almost 6 billion people - land in Africa, you could give everyone almost two football fields • Pennsylvania = 46,058 square miles Approximately 253 PA’s would fit inside Africa!

5. What is significant about Africa’s location?

7. Location • Distance north and south of equator • 80% of Africa is in the TROPICS • CANCER-CAPRICORN • Climate: Warm all year

8. REGIONS • North Africa (Morocco-Egypt) • West Africa (Sahel: Coastline) • East Africa • Central Africa • Southern

9. Natural Resources • West: Gold Coast • Copper: Zaire • Platinum: S.A. • Oil: Libya

10. Looking at your large map…what do you notice about the elevation of Africa?

12. Elevation • Height above sea level • Temperature drops as elevation increases • Accra, Ghana: 80’s • Nairobi, Kenya: 60’s

13. LANDFORMS • Mostly plateaus (Tilts to NW) • Escarpments: Steep cliffs • Cataracts: Waterfalls

14. Landforms • Great Rift Valley • Volcanic activity • Why historically, might this area be significant?

15. The Great Rift Valley

16. The Great Rift Valley • Huge “cut” in the Earth’s crust • Extends from Syria to Mozambique • Formed when tectonic plates pulled away from one another – land slid between the plates creating a valley

17. Land formsEscarpments • Steep cliffs that divide the Plateau from the costal plain

19. What do you think is the most important geographic feature of Africa?

21. RIVERS • Key to African society Why? Food Irrigation Transportation

22. What major rivers exist in Africa?

23. Egypt Longest river (4160 miles) Early civilizations Aswan Dam Central Africa Can’t travel on NILE ZAIRE

24. Nile River • Longest river in the world. 4160 miles. • Played a key role in human development

28. ASWAN HIGH DAM

30. ASWAN HIGH DAM • Why Built? • Irrigation • Feed growing population • Power • Protects vs flooding • Symbol of Nasser’s Power

32. Provides water for farmers Major source of fish Victoria Falls Kariba Dam provides hydroelectric power NIGER ZAMBEZI

33. ZAMBEZI • Kariba Dam provides hydroelectric power

34. Negative Impact: • The dam causes flooding in other regions • Diseases have increased since its construction • SCHISTOSMIASIS • FROM PARASITIC WORMS

39. 4 CLIMATE ZONES • Tropical Wet • Savanna • Desert • Mediterranean

41. Tropical Wet • Central and West Africa • Avg Temp: 80 degrees • Rainfall: 60-120 in • Leaching: Minerals dissolved • Disease: Malaria, Tsetse Fly

42. West Africa Tropical wet- Hot humid, lots of rainfall

43. Savanna • Largest climate zone • Grasslands • Summer: Hot+Wet • Winter: Warm+Dry • Drought: Periods w/o rain • Desertification: land into desert

44. Savanna-½ of Africa is Tropical Wetand Dry-largest climate in Africalittle rain in Winter

45. DESERTS • Covers 40% of Africa • Sahara • LARGER THAN U.S. • 10 YEARS W/O RAIN • Kalahari: South Africa • Namib: One of driest places

46. Desert-Sahara-130 degrees

48. Deforestation

49. Desertification Desertification could displace up to 50m people over the next decade The process of land turning to desert

50. Deserts Tree-planting schemes may put pressure on scarce water resources