A Satellite View
Africa’s Size
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# Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
# 10% of the world’s population.
# 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.
Africa
• There are 53 independent countries in Africa
• Africa
• Africa is the 2nd largest continent(Asia largest)
• Famine—Extreme shortage of food—MAJOR
problem in Africa.
• Sudan is Africa’s largest Country
• Deforestation: Cutting down forests for buildings
and houses is a HUGE problem in Africa.
ADD these 4 to the TOP of the backside of your paper…
• Africa is divided into FIVE geographical regions:
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North Africa (desert)
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South Africa (some desert)
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East Africa (lakes)
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West Africa (rich in resources and mountains)
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Central Africa (rainforest)
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The Sahara desert divides Africa into two parts:
1. North Africa
2. Sub-Sahara-all countries south of the desert
Climate
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The equator cuts across Africa resulting in hot and tropical regions.
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The major climatic regions of Africa, south of the Sahara are:
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desert-extremely dry, gets less than 10 inches of rain a year
• semiarid-gets more rainfall than the desert but still receives
very little
•
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tropical-gets 70 inches of rain per year and temperatures
average 80 degrees
Temperatures along the coast and in the mountains are more
moderate:
• Highlands-cool climate and rich soil because of ample
rainfall
• South Africa –temperatures can be cold during the winter
Important Waterways for Trade
& Survival
Africa’s Rivers
Africa’s Lakes & Canal
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Nile River-starts in E. Burundi
and flows north emptying into
the Mediterranean Sea.
World’s longest river.
Stretches from Egypt to
Eastern Africa.
Other important rivers:
Niger River –Western
Africa
Congo River-Central Africa
•
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Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest
fresh water lake. VERY
IMPORTANT LAKE to Eastern
Africans
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Lake Tanganyika-is the second
largest lake in Africa, located
below Lake Victoria
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Suez Canal -connects the
Mediterranean Sea to the Red
Sea. Important to trade!!!
Located between Egypt & Israel
How physical features
affect where people live,
the work they do, and
how they travel.
Sahel- a strip of land that divides the Sahara from
wetter areas (Mauritania, Chad, Sudan, and Mali)
Sahara-Sahara desert is the world’s largest desert
(Egypt Libya,)
Rainforest-area near the equator that gets high
amounts of rain year round
(Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda)
Savanna- subtropical grassland with scattering of trees
and shrubs(Kenya)
Oasis-is a wet, fertile area in a desert where a natural
spring or well provides water
Physical Features
•Sahara desert-world’s largest desert; covers almost 1/3
of the continent
•Atlas Mountains-mountain range stretches along the
Northwestern part of Africa
•Kalahari Desert-found in Southwestern Africa and covers
360,000 square miles; plants and animals are able to live in
this desert due to an underground water supply
Physical Features
•Nile River- located in Egypt and runs through several
African countries; world’s longest river
•Rainforest- found in Central Africa and provides a lot of
rain for the area
•Lake Tanganyika –large lake in Central Africa. Second
deepest freshwater lake in the world.
•Lake Victoria- Africa’s largest fresh water lake, which is
located in East Africa. Second largest freshwater lake in the
world.
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWS1vKhryBs