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The Physical Features of Africa
Chapter 19, Section 1
Setting the Scene
Africa is gigantic. It is 3
times the size of the U.S.
and it contains about
1/5th of the world’s land.
Africa is also one of the
most diverse places on
the earth; containing
harsh deserts, huge
jungles, grasslands, giant
mountains and deep rifts.
Africa’s Contrasting Geography
• Africa can be divided
into 4 regions:
– The North
– The West
– The East
– Central and Southern
• Each of these regions
contains many different
physical features and
climates.
Africa’s Contrasting Geography
• North Africa contains
rocky mountains and the
Sahara Desert, which is
the largest in the world. It
is about the size of the
U.S.
• West Africa is the
continent’s most
populated region. It
consists mostly of
grasslands and the soil
there is good for farming.
Farmers in the Fouta Djallon region.
Africa’s Contrasting Geography
• East Africa contains many
mountains and plateaus.
– Plateaus are large raised
areas of mostly flat land.
• Central and Southern
Africa are very diverse
regions. Though they are
mostly grasslands, they
also contain jungles,
mountains and huge
deserts like the Namib
and the Kalahari.
Africa’s Major Landforms
• Africa is called the
“plateau continent”
because the elevation of
much of the land is so
high.
• Each of Africa’s four
regions has mountains,
but the highest are in
East Africa.
• Mount Kilimanjaro is
Africa’s tallest at 19,341
feet.
Africa’s Major Landforms
• Much of Africa’s coast is a flat plain. In some places it
is sandy and in others it is rocky and marshy, but
nearly everywhere it gives rise to an escarpment
(steep cliff.)
• Think of Africa as an upside down pie pan. The edges
are flat, but they quickly rise into a plateau.
Africa’s Contrasting Geography
• The Great Rift Valley, in
East Africa, was formed
millions of years ago
when Pangaea pulled
apart.
– A rift is a deep trench.
• The rift cuts through
4,000 mile of east Africa
and contains most of
Africa’s major lakes.
The Rivers of Africa
• Four major African rivers
carry water from the
mountains to the sea:
The Nile, Congo,
Zambezi and Niger.
• Though they are useful
for many purposes, it is
impossible for ships to
sail along Africa’s rivers
from the interior to the
sea because cataracts
interrupt the flow.
• Cataracts are
rock-filled rapids.
The Rivers of Africa
• Other transportation barriers include waterfalls.
• Transportation barriers are physical features
that make it difficult to travel or transport goods
from one region to another.
The Rivers of Africa
• The Nile, at over 4,000
miles long, is the longest
river in the world.
• The Nile River is located
in northeastern Africa.
• The Nile greatly affects
the lives of Africans,
who have farmed the
land around the river for
thousands of years.
The Rivers of Africa
• The Nile floods its banks
regularly and leaves behind
a layer of fertile dirt called
silt.
• Many crops can be planted
in soil that is fertile.
• Farmers still plant their
crops to match the flooding
of the river.
• The Nile also provides
hydroelectricity since the
Aswan High Dam was built.
The Rivers of Africa
• The Congo River runs
through the rain forest of
the Congo, and is Africa’s
second longest river. It is
fed by hundreds of
tributaries.
– A tributary is a small river
or stream that flows into a
larger river.
• People in this region
depend on the Congo for
fish and to plant Cassava
– a potato-like crop.
Who’s eating who?
The Rivers of Africa
• The Niger is the next
longest river. It runs its
way across West
Africa.
• The Zambezi River in
Southern Africa
plunges over Victoria
falls and eventually
empties into the Indian
Ocean.
Humans and the Physical
Environment
Chapter 19, Section 2
Africa’s Climate
• Most of Africa lies
between the Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn, which means
that most of Africa is in a
tropical climate region.
• Africa’s climate is mostly
effected by its location
near the equator, its
elevation, its landforms
and its relationship to
large bodies of water.
Tropic of
Cancer
Tropic of
Capricorn
Africa’s Climate
• The closer a place is to the
equator, the _________ it
is.
• The higher a place is in
elevation, the _________ it
is.
• Ethiopia and Somalia are
the same distance from the
equator, but have very
different climates because
Ethiopia is on a high
plateau.
Africa’s Climate
• Ethiopia has much more
mild weather where crops
like bananas, coffee and
dates can grow.
• Because Ethiopia usually
gets plenty of rain, most
farmers do not have to
irrigate (to artificially
water crops.)
• Because Somalia is low, it
is hot and dry, and crops
can only be grown near an
oasis (desert spring.)
Adapting to the Land
• The tropical rain forests of
Africa used to be much
larger, but have shrunk due
to a warming climate.
• People have also cleared
much of the forest to farm.
Without the tree roots to
keep the soil in place, many
of the nutrients wash away
and the area becomes
desert.
Africa’s Climate
• Most of the land at the
edges of the rain
forest is savanna.
• The savanna is a
region of tall grasses,
thorny bushes and
scattered trees.
• The climate there is
tropical and has both a
wet and a dry season.
During the dry season,
farming is impossible.
Adapting to the Land
• Many of the people that live in the deserts of
Africa are nomads.
• Nomads make their living by traveling through
the desert looking for water and food for their
herds.
• Some nomads are traders and others hunt game
or gather food. Most herd goats, camels or
sheep.