North Africa

Physical Geography

Landforms• Atlas Mountains are

located in the northwest in Morocco.

• Sinai Peninsula is part of Egypt to the east.

• Sahara Desert is in southern North Africa.

Bodies of Water• Nile River is in Egypt.• Suez Canal connects the

Red and Med. Seas.• Mediterranean Sea is to the

north.• Red Sea is to the east.• Atlantic Ocean is to the

west.• Strait of Gibraltar separates

Africa from Europe

Physical Map of North Africa

Pictures of North Africa

Satellite Image of the Nile River

Nile River

Sahara Desert

Pictures Continued

Sahara Desert

Suez Canal in Egypt

Sinai Peninsula

North Africa’s Resources

• Oil is the main natural resource of North Africa.

• Hydroelectric power is generated on the Nile River by the Aswan High Dam.

• The Nile River provides water for farmers.

North Africa’s Religion

• Most people in North Africa follow Islam.• Islamic Law rules their daily lives in

business, government, banking, and family.

• Islamic Law prohibits alcohol, pork, lying, stealing, gambling, and murder.

• The holy book is the Quran.• Muhammad is the founder of Islam.

Religion Picture

Countries following Islam

Egypt Pictures

Egyptian Mosques

North Africa’s people

• Most people are Arab or Berber.• The two major languages are Arabic and

Berber. • Many people in rural areas are farmers

along the Nile or an oasis.• Many people in cities work as architects,

bus drivers, scientists, or bankers.• Some people work in markets or in crafts.

North Africa’s countries

Egypt• Cairo is the capital with a

population of 10 million people.• Most people follow Sharia or

Islamic Law.• Most people live along the Nile• ½ of Egypt’s people live in cities.• Egypt’s farmers in rural areas are

called the fellaheen.• The open air markets in Egypt are

called bazaars.• Some parts of Cairo are modern

and some are over 1,000 years old.

Algeria• More than 80% of the country

is a desert.• Algeria’s farmers grow wheat,

barley, and raise livestock.• Most of Algeria’s people are

Arabic, but some are Berber.• Most people live along the

Mediterranean coast.• People who live in the desert

live near an oasis.• At the heart of Algerian cities

are mosques and market places.

Egypt Challenges

• People can farm along the Nile River year-round because of the Aswan High Dam.

• The Aswan High Dam has caused the Nile Delta to shrink because it blocks the silt and farmers must use chemical fertilizers.

• Fertilizers threaten Egypt’s water supply.

Egypt Continued

Sphinx

Nile River

Pictures

Cairo, Egypt Pyramids in Egypt

Pictures

The End