Physical Geography of Africa
 2011 Clairmont Press
Atlas Mountains
•Located along the of
the Mediterranean Sea
•Separates the coastal
regions from the
Sahara Desert
Sahara Desert
•Runs across the width of
northern Africa
•World’s largest desert
•Comprised of sand dunes,
rocky hills, and wide
stretches of gravel
•Few people live there
•Traders cross the desert to
trade
Sahel
•Located south of the
Sahara
•A dry, semi-arid region
that is slowly turning
into desert
•Little rainfall
•People have tried to live
there, but generations
of overgrazing and
deforestation have
caused soil erosion
Savanna
•Located near the Equator
•Vast area of grassland
and more tropical
habitats
•Large variety of wildlife,
including lions and
elephants
•Farming is good, when
there is good rainfall
Rainforest
•Located along the central
coast
•Hot and humid climates,
with dense forests with
trees that are hundreds
of feet tall
•Large variety of animals
•Biggest threat: population
growth that requires logs
for fuel
Kalahari Desert
•Located in the
southern part of Africa
•Surrounded by semi
arid areas that are
slowly becoming drier
Nile River
• World’s longest river
• Flows northward for over
4,000 miles and empties into
the Mediterranean Sea
• White Nile and Blue Nile are
tributaries
• Provides water for Sudan and
Egypt
Nile River
1. Why do you think the area around the Nile River looks green
from space?
2. What is the term used to describe what happens at the mouth
of the river, shown above?
Lake Victoria
•Largest lake in Africa
•White Nile begins here
•Located in central Africa
Congo River
•Flows through central
and west Africa, through
the largest rainforest in
Africa and the second
largest in the world.
• Begins in central Africa,
near Lake Tanganyika
• Flows almost 3,000
miles before it reaches
the Atlantic Coast
Lake Tanganyika
•One of the largest
freshwater lakes in the
world
•Located in central Africa
•One of the deepest lakes
in the world
Niger River
•Third largest river in Africa
•Flows from Guinea over 2,600
miles to the coast
•Mouth of the river flows into a
large delta, sometimes
referred to the “Oil Delta”
because of the petroleum
industry centered there