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Africa Physical Geography • Africa is the 2nd largest continent. • Northern countries are covered by the Sahara, the largest desert in the world Physical Geography • Separating the plateaus are steep cliffs or slopes known as escarpments. • Rivers spill over these escarpments in thundering waterfalls known as cataracts. Victoria Falls • The most famous waterfall in Africa is Victoria Falls • It is more than twice the height of Niagara Falls. Victoria Falls Mountains • The cone-shaped volcanic peaks of Kenya and Tanzania include Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. The Great Rift Valley • The Great Rift Valley is one of the world’s natural wonders. Water Systems • Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. • It is the source of the Nile River River Systems • The Nile is the largest river system in the world, but the largest system south of the Sahara is the Congo. Natural Resources • Diamonds: some of the biggest deposits on earth. • Gold: more than half the world’s gold • Copper • Oil • Uranium • Manganese • zinc Early Exploration • The Portuguese were the first to explore Africa. • The Dutch were the first to settle in South Africa. • Dutch descendants in South Africa today are called Afrikaners. Climate • Desert: Desert covers 2/5 of Africa’s land area. Climate Regions Savannas: Tropical grasslands of Africa. • HowStuffWorks Videos “ • Poaching: illegal hunting of wild animals. • Extinction: the disappearance or end of a species of plant or animal. • Habitat: areas that are suitable for certain plants or animals to sustain life. Climate Regions • Tropical Rainforest: This region covers only 8% of Africa • The heavy rains leach, or wash away the nutrients in the soil. • Deforestation: The loss or destruction of forests. Human Characteristics • Population: Just over 1 billion Africa has the world’s highest birthrate and the world’s shortest life expectancy Reasons for Short Life Expectancy • Famine and poor nutrition claim many lives, especially infants and children. • Some hunger has been caused by corrupt governments focusing on cash crops rather than food crops. • Impure water is another cause of death. Reasons for Short Life Expectancy • Insects such as the tsetse fly and mosquitos carry diseases that kill cattle, horses, and people. • AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa. • Urbanization: The movement of people from rural areas into the cities. Human Characteristics • Africa is home to hundreds of different ethnic groups, or people with similar histories and cultures. Human Characteristics • Today, Africans speak more than 800 languages. • Swahili is one of the major languages spoken throughout Africa • This makes Swahili a lingua franca, or a universal language because it is understood almost everywhere in Africa. Human Characteristics • Christianity and Islam are the two major religions in Africa. • The people of Djibouti were the first to adopt Islam. • Animism: The belief that the spirits of ancestors live in nature. • Family Life: Africans place great emphasis on extended families, or households made up of several generations. • In some places, families are organized into clans, or large groups of people related to each other. . Education • Literacy Rates: the percentage of people who have the ability to read and write. Obstacles to Education • 1. Low standard of living: many people simply cannot afford to send their children to school. • 2. Some parents still believe that their children will benefit more from learning survival skills, such as hunting or farming. • 3. Location: lack of schools in rural areas.