africa’s geography and climate. location 1000s of miles north and south of the equator 2 nd...
TRANSCRIPT
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Location
1000s of miles North and South of the Equator
2nd largest continent Regions
North Africa: Morocco to Egypt
West Africa: To the Atlantic (S of the Sahara)
East Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Central Africa: DRC, on the Equator
Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, South Africa
Landforms
Escarpments: Steep cliffs that divide the plateau from the coastal plain
Cataracts: Large waterfalls
Great Rift Valley: Series of mountains and valleys in East Africa (rich in minerals and metals)
Rivers
Provide hydroelectric power The Nile
Flows over 4000 miles north into Egypt and empties into the Mediterranean Sea
Rich farmlands used to support the Nile
Aswan Dam: Built in the 1970s in the upper Nile Supplies hydroelectric power
The Congo Drains in Central Africa:
many waterfalls Niger River in Sierra Leone
and Guinea: used for irrigation
Natural Resources
DRC: copper South Africa, DRC:
Diamonds and cobalt
Nigeria, Angola: Oil
Uneven distribution in resources
Climate
80% lies in the Tropics 4 Climate Zones
1. Tropical Wet Hot and humid all year 60-120 inches of rainfall
2. Tropical Wet and Dry Largest in Africa Wet and dry season Savanna, a grassland, covers almost ½ the
continent Issues:
Drought Desertification: Turning of semidesert land into
deserts
Climate Part 2
3. Deserts 40% of Africa Sahara: highway for
traders, Kalahari (Southern Africa), Namib (1 of the driest places on earth)
4. Mediterranean Climate Southern tip and
northern coast Mild (similar to LA) Supports many crops