Geography Review ---- Study Guide (Africa)
Part I : Identify all counties and geographical features and place them on the blank maps provided. Use a
current map or atlas (The world map found in your textbook is not recommended). You need to use both a political
map and physical (topographical) map.
A. Countries (current boundaries)/ Islands
Egypt
Sudan
Libya
Tunisia
Algeria
Morocco
Western Sahara
Mauritania
Mali
Niger
Chad
Cameroon
Nigeria
Benin
Togo
Ghana
Burkina Faso
Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Liberia
Sierra Leon
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Senegal
Gambia
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Somalia
Djibouti
Kenya
Uganda
Rwanda
Brundi
Tanzania
Malawi
Central African Republic
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Congo
Democratic Republic of
Congo (former Zaire)
Angola
Zambia
Mozambique
Madagascar
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Namibia
South Africa
Lesotho
Swaziland
B. The following cities and geographical features
Nile River
Niger River
Congo River
Zambezi River
Gulf of Guinea
Lake Victoria
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Nyasa
Lake Chad
Lake Volta
Sahara Desert
Sahel (Sudan)
Kalahari Desert
Congo Basin
Atlas Mountains
Ethiopian Plateau
(Ethiopian Highlands)
Drakensberg Mountains
Cape of Good Hope
Horn of Africa
Suez Canal
Strait of Gibraltar
Cairo
Lagos
Nairobi
Casablanca
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Part II : Basic Geography Review (Africa): Students are expected to be familiar with these information.
1.
Africa is the second largest continent in the world. The large area north of equator is covered by a great desert,
called the Sahara. (This word itself means “desert” in Arabic)
2.
The Nile River is the longest river in the world. Its source stems from Lake Victoria and pours into the
Mediterranean through Sudan and Egypt.
3.
The Suez canal connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, allowing ships to travel between Asia and
Europe without having to circumnavigate the African continent. Constructed in the 19th century under French
supervision, the canal was controlled by the British until the mid 20th century.
4.
By 750 CE, North Africa had been conquered by Islamic forces. The region has remained a stronghold of
Islam ever since. Islam spread southward into West Africa through the trans-Saharan Trade (trade across the
Sahara).
5.
The Sahel is a semi-arid region immediately south of the Sahara, stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal. The
region is also referred as the “Sudan.” (The term, “Sudan” derives from the Arabic bilad as-sudan, “land of the
black peoples.”)
6.
The Niger is the major river system in West Africa. The river runs though the Sahel region of West Africa and
pours into the Gulf of Guinea through Nigeria. Several important Medieval African kingdoms, such as Mali and
Songhay, flourished in this region. The city of Timbuktu, located on the Niger was known as the center of the
learning in Medieval Africa.
7.
The Horn of Africa is an area in which countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia is found.
8.
Highlands cover much of Ethiopia. Ethiopia flourished in ancient times due to its location on the trade route to
the Red Sea (The Queen Sheba who visited King Solomon was believed to come from Ethiopia). In the 4th
century, Ethiopia accepted Christianity. Along with Islam, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity remains an important
religious force in Ethiopia.
9.
Control of Africa was split among the European powers during the late 19th to early 20th centuries (New
Imperialism). There were only two exceptions to this European domination of Africa; Ethiopia and Liberia, a
country in West Africa, founded in 1821 for freed slaves from the United States. Although only a small minority
(2.5 %), the descendants of immigrants from the US, have been the dominant political group in this country. This
disparity created conflict between Americo-Liberians and African-Liberians.
10. The Congo River runs through Central Africa, supporting the rainforest of Congo Basin.
11. The current political boundaries of most African nations largely reflect the boundaries of the colonial period,
which started in the late 19th and early 20th century. Most African nations gained their independence during the
1960s.
12. The Democratic Republic of Congo was formerly known as Zaire. The area was formally under the control of
Belgium (Congo Free State, Belgian Congo), whereas the Republic of Congo had formerly been under French
control (also known as Middle Congo or French Congo).
13. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, and includes such ethnic groups
as the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Fulani. About half of the population are Muslims that live mostly in the northern
part of the nation. Christians constitute approximately 40% of population and live almost exclusively in the
south. The Southern section of the nation is rich in petroleum and Nigeria is a member of OPEC (Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
14. East Africa has been part of the Indian Ocean Trade network throughout history. Since the Arabs were the
principle agents of trade, a mixture of Arabic and African cultures, known as Swahili (“coast” in Arabic), emerged
in East Africa. Today, the Swahili Language is widely used as a Lingua Franca of East Africa. The Gujarati
people from northwest India also played an important role in this area.
15. Madagascar is a large island located off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The Island had been
colonized by Austronesian people, and the language spoken in Madagascar, Malagasy, is related to languages
such as Indonesian and Malay.
16. Since the 17th century, the moderate climate of South Africa attracted Europeans to settle in the region since it
did not have the tropical diseases that had killed so many Europeans in other parts of Africa. The Dutch (known
as Boers) who established a colony at the Cape of Good Hope controlled the region. The area eventually came
under British colonial control. The white minority became the politically and economically dominant group and
practiced a strict policy of segregation, known as Apartheid. The Apartheid system was not abolished until the
1990s. The area is rich in mineral deposits that include diamonds and gold.