Download 1. Characteristics

**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 southcentral 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 Climates
1. tropical rain forest
2. tropical savanna
B. Dry Climates
3. steppe
4. desert
C. Moderate Climates
5. 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 winds
o harmattan (NE trade wind) – hot, dry
air from the Sahara
o 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 vegetation
o trees, tall grasses
-crops
o some coffee, rice, etc.
Bermuda grass
Baobab tree
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 vegetation
o low-growing grasses, shrubs, and acacia trees
-crops
o 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
sand dune in Namib Desert
Namib Desert
Kalahari Desert
Weavers in tree in Kalahari Desert
-coastal area of South Africa and highlands
regions in East Africa enjoy moderate
climates with comfortable temperatures and
enough rainfall to sustain farming