Download Terms to know for Africa: You will use the following terms to

Terms to know for Africa: You will use the following terms to complete the attached
questions. All questions should be answered in complete sentences.
Africa has over 1000 languages and 3000 ethnic groups
It has 13% of the world’s population (780 million)
91 people per square mile or 424 PPSM on only arable land
Only 6% of Africa is arable
Nigeria is the most populated country (10th in the world)
Cairo is its most populated city (16 million)
It has 53 nations and is 3x the size of the US
the hottest temperature recorded was in Libya at 136 degrees in 1922
The poorest countries have an average income of less than $100 a year
50% of Africa’s population is under the age of 15
It is like an upside down pie
Birth rate is 43 per 1000 & the death rate is 13 per 1000
Largest country is Sudan named after the Arabic Bilad as-Sudan or “land of the
blacks”
Atlas Mountains—mountains in NW Africa
North West Africa (Mahgrib)
Rock of Gibraltar – name comes from the Arabic “Jebel Tarik” or “Tarik’s
Mountain” who was the Muslim Berber who landed there in 711 launching an
Islamic invasion of Europe through the Iberian Peninsula
Strait of Gibraltar is 9 miles at its narrowest
Sahel—area between the Sahara and savanna
North Africa/Sahara (3.5 million sq. miles/ ¼ of Africa)
Oasis-A small patch of vegetations surrounded by desert (an awesome rock band
from the 90’s, a Mediterranean restaurant near my home in Lexington
Hammads/Hamadas- Elevated plateaus of rock (Atlas Mountains)
Ergs- Seas of sand dunes that make up 20% of the Sahara with little to no
vegetations
Tuareg- A mainly nomadic people that live in the Sahel and Sahara region
Arid- A land or climate having little to no rain
Desertification- A land degradation problem, turning productive land into nonarable land due to poor management
Regs- A mixture of sand and gravel, described as desert pavement, makes up 70%
of the Sahara, remnants of sea beds
Wadi- the bed of a river or gulley that is normally dry except during the rainy
season
Marginal land- Land unsuited for food crops, difficult to cultivate
Pastoral Nomads- Groups of people in North Africa who are dependent on and
move from place to place with their cattle
Shifting Agriculture- growing cycle in which farmers clear land, plant crops,
harvest then allow land to grow over and clear again
Drought- Extended dry period due to lack of precipitation
Desert- Dry often sandy regions existing at low latitudes, covers 1/5 of the Earth’s
surface
Nomad/Bedouin- Arabic term for ‘one who lives out in the open desert’ their
population numbers about 4 million
Cash crops- Crops that are grown and sold for profit
Great Rift Valley—where the earth is pulling apart
Sinai Peninsula—located between Africa and Asia
Horn of Africa—where Somalia is located
Suez Canal--Connects the Med to the Red. Built by the French in the 1860s
Nile River—longest in the world; 4160 miles long
Aswan Dam along the Nile in Egypt built in the 1960s
Niger River—main river in West Africa; 2590 miles long
Congo River—main river in central Africa; 2900 miles long
Zambezi River – located in southern Africa; 4th longest in Africa; 1600 miles
long
Victoria Falls—largest waterfall in the world; 5604’ wide (comparison—Niagara
Falls is only 3947’)
Mount Kilimanjaro—highest mountain in Africa; 19340’; means “that which
cannot be conquered”
Lake Tanganyika—Deepest lake in Africa, 2nd deepest lake in the world, 4th
largest lake in the world. Home to Gustave—a 20 foot man eating crocodile
Lake Malawi/Nyasa—4th deepest lake in the world & 2nd deepest in Africa
Namib Desert—highest sand dunes in the world; located in Namibia & 2nd
largest desert in Africa
Namib Desert—1200 miles long; means “place of no people”
Kalahari Desert—”means “the great thirst”
Lake Assal—lowest elevation in Africa; -512’ feet below sea level
Lake Victoria—largest lake in Africa and third largest in the world
Chad and Lake Chad. Named after the word for “Lake”
Savanna—grassland in Africa
Diseases & Death in Africa River Blindness—spread by the black fly
Nodding Syndrome
Guinea Worm Disease
AIDS
Malaria
Diarrhea
AIDS
Epidemic a disease that affects a large number of people in an area
Pandemic infectious disease that spreads over a large area (AIDS)
Madagascar –4th largest island in the world
Rwandan Civil War led to the deaths of over 800,000 in 100 days in 1994 as
Hutu and Tutsis slaughtered each other
Darfur area of Sudan fighting between ethnic groups has killed over 400,000 and
displaced over 1 million. Also involves a civil war in Chad.
Monrovia, Liberia –capitol named after US President James Monroe
The country named after the Latin word “liber” for “liberty”
Cape of Good Hope—southern tip of Africa; reached by Dias in 1488
South Sudan—newest country in the world
Nigeria—most populated country in Africa. 148 million—8th most populated in
the world. Average per capita GDP is $1500