**about 9.5 million square miles

**2nd largest continent in the world

**bounded by . . .

N = Sahara Desert,

E = Indian Ocean,

S =Cape of Good Hope (where Indian Ocean & Atlantic Ocean meet),

W = Atlantic Ocean

*higher elevation than any other continent in the world

-called “plateau continent”

–rise in elevation from the coasts inland and from W to E (from 500-8,000 feet)

-Why?

*escarpments (steep, often jagged slopes or cliffs) are found in this region about 20 miles from the coast

-rivers flow over escarpments and form cataracts (towering waterfalls)

Devil’s Cataract - Zimbabwe

-Africa can be divided into 5 regions . . .

A. North Africa

B. West Africa

C. Central Africa

D. East Africa

E. South Africa

*most mountains/highlands areas in eastern and southern Africa

-Why?

A. The Great Rift Valley

-Syria in southwest Asia to Mozambique in southeast Africa

-formed by shifting tectonic plates

-2 branches . . .

1. eastern branch (made up of mainly volcanic mountains like Mount Kilimanjaro)

2. western branch (made up primarily of lakes like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi)

B. Eastern Highlands (part of Great Rift Valley)

-stretch from Ethiopia in NE almost to Cape of Good Hope in the S

-includes Ethiopian Highlands, Mt.Kilimanjaro, and Mt. Kenya

*Mt. Kilimanjaro = highest point in Africa (19,340 ft.)

*Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya are both freestanding mountains

Ethiopian Highlands

Mount Kilimanjaro

C. Ruwenzori Mountains

-divide Uganda & the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa

-also called “Mountains of the Moon”

D. Drakensberg Range

-southern coast of Africa

*most of the region’s lakes lie within eastern and western branches of Great Rift Valley – formed by tectonic activity – water filled in rifts from monsoon rains

A. Lake Victoria*largest lake

in Africa

*2nd largest freshwater lake in the world (behind Lake Superior)

*source of the White Nile River

B. Lake Tanganyika

-longest freshwater lake in the world

C. Lake Chad

*currently shrinking in size – water either evaporates or seeps into the ground, because

it is so dry here

D. Lake Volta

*largest man-made lake

*supplies irrigation, fishing, and hydroelectric power

*created in 1960 by the damming of the Volta River

A. Niger River (2,600 miles long)

*originates in Guinea highlands in northwest Africa

*empties into the Gulf of Guinea

* irrigation and transportation

B. Zambezi River (2,200 miles long)

*originates near Zambia-Angola border in south-central Africa

*fans out into a delta and empties into Indian Ocean

*Victoria Falls – where the Zambezi River falls 355 feet (about 2 times the drop of Niagara Falls)

C. Congo River (2,900 miles long)

*empties into Atlantic Ocean through an estuary that is 6 miles wide (passage where freshwater from river meets seawater)

**Overall, the landforms of this region are very daunting. Travel is difficult because of the Sahara Desert to the north, massive sand and silt deposits, and rapids and waterfalls.

*rainfall, ocean currents, wind patterns, elevation, and latitude cause great variations in climate and vegetation of this region

*8 climate types total are located here:

A. Tropical Climates1. tropical rain forest

2. tropical savanna

B. Dry Climates3. steppe

4. desert

C. Moderate Climates5. marine west coast

6. Mediterranean

7. humid subtropical

D. Highlands Climate

1. Characteristics -located near the Equator

-wettest climate region in Africa (more than 60 in. rainfall annually) and warm all year

2. Vegetation

-natural vegetation = o shrubs, ferns, mosses cover the rain forest

floor (6-10 feet tall)

o trees and palms (60 feet tall) hover over the lower level of vegetation

o tall leafy trees with orchids, ferns, mosses, woody vines (150 feet tall) create a canopy over the entire forest

-crops=

*although heavy rains often leach (remove) nutrients from the soil, various crops are still grown in this region

o bananas, pineapples, cocoa, tea, coffee, palms for oil, rubber, cotton

3. Deforestation of the Rain forest-farmers are cutting down forests to create additional farm land

-commercial loggers sell the timber

-people are concerned forests and forest animals may disappear if deforestation continues

1. Characteristics

-covers almost ½ of Africa

-alternating wet and dry seasons (about

35 to 45 inches rainfall annually)

*it rains almost continuously for 6 months & for the other 6 months, it is very dry

-trade windso harmattan (NE trade wind) – hot, dry

air from the Saharao dries up moisture left by heavy summer rains

o southwest winds – cool, humid air from Atlantic

o What do you think happens when these air masses meet?

2. Vegetation

-natural vegetationo trees, tall grasses

-cropso some coffee, rice, etc.

Baobab tree

Bermuda grass

elephant grass

3. Animals

-Serengeti Plain – one of world’s largest savanna plains

-gnu, zebras, gazelles, hyenas, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, and other animals

*away from the Equator, tropical climates fade into semiarid areas

1. Characteristics-stretch from below Sahara Desert to the southwestern tip of Africa

-separates the savanna from the deserts

-on average, receive 8 inches of rain annually (rains are concentrated in June, July, & August)

-Sahel – northern steppe (band of dry land from Senegal to Sudan)

2. Vegetation

-natural vegetationo low-growing grasses, shrubs, and acacia trees

-cropso really too dry

umbrella acacia tree

3. Desertification

-over the last 50 years, the Sahel has undergone much desertification

-climate changes in this area bring long periods of dryness

*humans strip trees for firewood and clear too much land for farming, while livestock

overgraze short grasses

*as a result, land is depleted and topsoil is further eroded

1. Characteristics-isolated parts of Africa have a desert climate-less than 5 in. rain annually-Namib Desert – along Atlantic coast of Namibia-Kalahari Desert – eastern Namibia, most of

Botswana, and part of South Africa*temperatures range from 120 F during day

to 50 F at night

2. Vegetation-short grasses and trees

Kalahari Desert

Weavers in tree in Kalahari Desert

sand dune in Namib Desert

Namib Desert

-coastal area of South Africa and highlands regions in East Africa enjoy moderate climates with comfortable temperatures and enough rainfall to sustain farming