what do you think of when you hear the term “africa?” let’s be honest…
TRANSCRIPT
What do you think of when you hear the term “Africa?”
Let’s be honest…
Disney’s Lion King?
Recent Ebola outbreak?
Perhaps you are a bit more knowledgeable and remember Nelson Mandela?
The truth is that there is a lot more to Africa than we tend to think—
both related to physical and cultural geography.
Let’s begin with physical geography. You’ve been working
on your Africa map, so you’re familiar with SOME of this.
A Satellite View shows us
different climate zones.
Africa’s Size
# Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi.
# 10% of the world’s population.
# 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.
5000
MILES
4 6 0 0 M I L E S
Bodies
Of
Water
Nile River
Congo River
Zambezi River
Niger River
Orange River
Limpopo River
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
L. Victoria
L. Albert-->
L. Chad-->
L. Tanganyika->
<--Gu
lf of A
den
The Mighty Nile River:
“Longest River in the World”
flows south to north
The Congo River Basin
# Covers 12% of thecontinent.
# Extends over 9countries.
# 2,720 miles long.
# 99% of the countryof Zaire is in theCongo River basin.
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
Hydroelectric Power
Impact of Al Wahda reservoir in Morocco
These images illustrate the change in land cover
• 1987: The area before the construction of dams
• 2001: The area after the construction of 110 large
dams
Shrinking Lake Chad shared by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon
Persistent drought has shrunk Lake Chad to about a tenth of its
former size
• 1972: Larger lake surface area is visible in this image
• 2001: Impact of drought displays a shrunken lake,
comparatively much smaller surface area than in 1972
image
LLaLake Chad – Overpopulation leads to overuse of water
What are the impacts of this trend?
Population Growth Around Lake Victoria, Uganda
• The population growth around 100 km buffer zone
of the Lake Victoria
• Population growth around Lake Victoria, East Africa, is
the highest in Africa
Draje
nsburg
Mts
.
Ruwenzori M
ts.
Δ Mt. Kenya
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mountains
&
Peaks
Atlas Mts.
The African Plateau
Deserts Sahara Desert
Sahel
Kalahari
Desert
Nam
ib D
esert
Libyan Desert
The Sahara Desert
Desertification
The Sahel
Valleys
&
Plains
Gre
at R
ift
Val
ley
Great Rift Valley
3,000 miles long
Lake Kivu-one of Africa’s “killer lakes”Congo/Rwanda
These images show dramatic changes before and after the eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo in 2002
• 2001: Before the January 2002 eruption
• 2003: Shows the track of the lava flow
Seismic Activity in Africa
Africa:
The“Tropica
l”Contine
nt
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Tropic of Capricorn20° S
Equator 0°
African Trade Winds
West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes
Vegetation Zones
Undergoing Steady Urban Growth - Tripoli, Libya
*Grasslands have been converted into agricultural
fields
*Urban expansion is especially notable in Libya
(shades of grey)
•Libya began using their oil resources when planting
trees along their Southern border in order to stop
desertification.
The African Savanna:
13 million sq. mi.
African Rain Forest
# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
# Rapid decomposition (very humid).
# Covers 37 countries.
# 15% of the land surface of Africa.
Impact of Civil Wars on Guinea
These images show impact of civil wars in Liberia on neighboring
Guinea
• 2002: The light green color is the result of
deforestation in the “safe area” where refugees set
up camp
*The civil wars resulted in refugees creating camps in neighboring countries which
causes deforestation.
These images show deforestation rate in Cote
d’Ivoire, believed to be one of the highest in the
world
• 1988: Shows destruction of small forest fragments
• 2002: The lighter green strip bisecting the images
shows the result of extensive deforestation and intensive cultivation
Tai National Park, Côte d’Ivoire – site of world’s highest deforestation rate
*Intensive cultivation iscausing extensive
deforestation
Mt. Kilimanjaro:Snow on the Equator?
The
Complete
Topography
Of
AFRICA
Nile River
Congo River
Zambezi River
Niger River
Orange River
Limpopo River
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
L. Victoria
L. Albert-->
L. Chad-->
L. Tanganyika->
<--Gu
lf of A
den
Drajensburg Mts.
Ruw
enzori Mts.
Δ Mt. Kenya
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Sahara Desert
Sahel
Kalahari
Desert
Nam
ib D
esert
Libyan Desert
Gre
at R
ift
Val
ley
Atlas Mts.
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Tropic of Capricorn20° S
Equator 0°
What kind of effect do these have on the people of Africa (where they work, live, and
their transportation)?• Sahara – Historically a trade route– Work is trade or farming– Live near water supplies (scarce)– Rely upon camels for transport
• Sahel– People rely upon farming– Some areas are rich in natural resources– Live near water supplies (scarce)– Rely upon camels and waterways for transport– Many people live without running water, electricity, or proper sewers– Very susceptible to bad weather
• Savanna-Mostly farming-Wildlife parks/tourism-People gather near good farmland and water supplies (also a source of their jobs)-Roads and waterways for transport
• Rain Forest-farming, mining, & timber industry= major occupations-deforestation is taking place (cutting down trees so that there is more room for farming)-transportation can be difficult because of poorly maintained roads-people live where the jobs are