The Plateau

Continent

AFRICA

Africa

• 2nd largest continent

• Plateaus cover much of

Africa

– Shaped like an upside

down pie plate

• Elevations of Africa

– Red = 4500 Ft above and greater

– Blue = Sea Level

Sahara

• Sahara means desert in Arabic

• Largest desert in the world

• 2000 miles East/West, 1200 miles

North/South

• Only 20% of the Sahara consists of sand

• Fossil water is located 6,000 ft under the

Sahara’s surface

Nile River 1. Over 4,000 mi,

long

2. 95% of Egyptians

depend on the Nile

for water---

irrigation, drinking

3. One of the most

densely populated

places in the world

- 3,320 people per

sq. mile

4. Lots of water falls

and rapids along the

Blue Nile

Sahel • Large area of grassland,

short trees

• Transition zone between

Sahara and central Africa’s

rainforest

• At risk for desertification

– Semi-arid climate

– Climate changes

(drought) causing loss of

vegetation

– Overgrazing has caused

loss of area

Niger River

• 3rd largest river in Africa

• Niger Delta

– Oil rich area

– 606 oil fields

– The U.S. imports 40% of

the oil from this Delta

Lake Chad

• Sits on the edge of

the Sahara and Sahel

• Intermittent lake-

grows and shrinks

with the season

• Freshwater lake

– Used to be considered

a wetland

– Has decreased in size

due to drought in the

Sahel

Mountains of Sub-Saharan Africa

• The majority of Africa’s mountains are dormant

volcanoes.

– Mt Kenya

– Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro is Africa’s

highest peak.

Why does Kilimanjaro

have snow covered

peaks, if it is located

near the equator?

Rift Valley • Valley created due to divergent

tectonic plate movement

• Located on the eastern coast

of the African continent

• Clusters of lakes formed at the

bottom of these valleys

– Lakes are long and deep

– Lake Tanganyika: longest

fresh water lake in the

world

– 420 Miles long,

4700 ft. deep

The Congo Congo Basin

• Large low-lying area

sitting at the center of the

continent

– Drains other smaller rivers

into the Congo River

Congo River

• 2,500 miles long

• Contains waterfalls and

rapids which make

transportation difficult

– 2nd to the Amazon in terms

of water flow

– Used for hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity

Victoria Falls

Devil’s Whirlpool

Southern Africa’s Deserts

Kalahari Desert

Namib Desert • Extremely arid-

unpredictable rainfall

• Shifting sand dunes

• Rugged mountains

• Humans have removed

much of the vegetation

Africa’s Abundant Resources

• Mines in Southern Africa

– Gold

– Diamonds

– Platinum

• Oil reserves in Libya, Nigeria,

and Algeria

• Forestry in Central Africa

• Agriculture

Agriculture • Farming is the most important economic activity

– Subsistence farming is crucial to survival

• Most people in Africa are very poor (live in rural areas, less

economic opportunities, government corruption, lack of education,

etc.)

• As Sub-Saharan Africa becomes more arid, subsistence

farmers will need to survive on less food per day.

2/3 of Africa’s

population is

rural

If most people are

subsistence farmers,

what does this tell

you about the level of

development in

African countries?

Climate Regions

•Arid zones?

•Sahel?

•Tropical zones?

•Highland zones?

Primary

influences on

climate-

•Latitude

•Wind systems

Tropics

• 90% of Africa is located between the Tropic of

Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn

• July temps average 110-115F everyday

Rainforests • Located on the equator

– Central Africa

– Tropical climate zone

• Diversity in trees, birds,

animals

• Deforestation becoming

a problem

– Less than 50% of a tree is

used in the timber

industry

Tropical Grasslands

• Serengeti Plains

– Extensive grasslands

(savanna) in Tanzania

– Very few trees

– Serengeti National

Park

• Herds of Wildebeests,

gazelle, zebras graze

here

After the Notes

• How does the geography of

Northern Africa differ from Sub-

Saharan Africa?

– Use at least 4 features from your notes

– Write in complete sentences