Download Introduction to Africa

Introduction to Africa
Location
• Africa is centrally located on
the Earth’s surface. It straddles
the Equator, extending for
thousands of miles north and
south of that line.
• It stands between two major
oceans as well as two major
seas.
• Waterways set Africa apart
from rest of the world-also
facilitates trade.
A Vast Continent
• Africa is the world’s second largest
continent.
• It is more than 3X the size of the United
States.
• It contains more independent nations than
any other continent on earth (50 something
in all!)
The Regions of Africa
Region
• The main regions of
Africa:
• North Africa
• West/East Africa
• Central Africa
• Southern Africa
• Geographic features give
each region its own
identity, although great
variety also exists within
each region.
• Regional differences
contribute to the diversity
of the African peoples
Region
(a group of places with at least one common characteristic)
• Africa has wide
deserts, high
mountains and vast
forests that divide one
region from another.
• What physical feature
separates North Africa
from the rest of the
continent?
Movement
• The Straight of
Gibraltar separates
Africa from Europe.
• What two bodies of
water does it connect?
• How might this effect
movement?
Place
(physical/human characteristics)
• South of the
Sahara-Africa is a
vast plateau
interrupted by
basins.-What basin
is located in central
Africa?
Landforms
• Most of Africa is a vast plateau
• As you move from the plateaus toward the coast,
the land drops sharply-in places escarpments or
steep cliffs, divide the plateau from the coastal
plain.
• These changes in elevation affect course of riversthey tumble over a series of cataracts, or large
waterfalls and rapids.
• Initially, the land discouraged early Euro explorers
Rivers
• Rivers provide fish,
water and
transportation. Also a
source of hydroelectric
power.
• The Nile-flows for
4,160 miles. It is the
longest river in the
world.
The Nile
• Until recently, the Nile
flooded each year-the
water depositing silt
and nutrients in the
soil.
Natural Resources
• For thousands of years,
people have sifted through
riverbeds to uncover gold
and diamonds.
• Mineral exports-copper,
cobalt and platinum
• Uneven distributionAfrica is rich in resourcesmany must rely on
importing goods
The roles of Elevation and
Latitude
• Equator runs thru
middle of Africa-much
is tropic. Some of
Africa is desert, while
some regions are cool.
• Africa has all four
major climate zones
Unpredictable rainfall
• Rainfall in many regions
is unpredictable and
droughts are common.
• Natural forces and human
action have caused
desertification-the turning
of semidesert land into
desert
Human Interaction with the
Environment
• The most common cause
of desertification is the
overcultivation of desert
lands. Over-cultivation
causes the nutrients in the
soil to be depleted faster
than they are restored.
Desertification and poverty
•
•
Desertification often causes rural
lands to become unable to support
the same sized populations that
previously lived there. This results
in mass migrations out of rural
areas and into urban areas,
particularly in Africa.
Migrations into the cities = large
numbers of unemployed people
who end up living in slums.
What land regions border or lie close to
Africa?
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