physical geography of africa -...
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S
Physical Geography of Africa
Sahara
S World’s largest desert—3.3 million sq. miles; 25 percent of Africa
S Sahara is Arabic for “desert”
S Is a border between the black African south & Arab-influenced north
Sahel S Narrow band of semi-arid land south of the
Sahara
S Widely French-speaking, Islamic
S Means “shore” in Arabic
S One of the poorest & environmentally damaged areas on earth
Ethiopian Highlands
S “cradle of humanity” because human history dates back millions of years
S 80 percent of Africa’s tallest mountains
S Aksum—ancient civilization
S Suffers from drought, soil erosion, famine
Savanna
S Mostly grassland
S Serengeti is the most famous & a World Heritage site
S Olduvai Gorge—Serengeti region where early man first appeared 2 million years ago
S Masai & Kikuyu farmers (Kenya)
Swahili Coast
S Edge of the Indian Ocean
S One of Africa’s most distinct regions
S Influenced by traders from Europe, Middle East, & Asia
S Rich in trade
Great Lakes
S Lake Victoria—2nd largest freshwater lake in the world
S Lake Tanganayika—one of the deepest lakes in the world
S Each has their own ecosystem
S Rich soil in the region
S Problems—pollution, over-fishing
Lake Tanganayika
Rainforests
S Home to half of Africa’s animal species
S Problems: deforestation, road construction, slash-and-burn farming S 90 percent of W. Africa’s rainforests gone
S Governments torn between protecting rainforests & money from logging companies
Congo Basin
S 2nd largest rainforest in the world
S 1999—six countries of the Congo Basin formed a system to police logging & poaching
S Tri-national Sagha Park—a reserve that will cover the rainforests in Cameroon, Central African Republic, & the Congo
Southern Africa S Kaapval craton—massive geologic formation
over 2.6 million years old under Southern Africa
S Contains deposits of gold, diamonds, platinum, etc.
S Discovery of diamonds caused conflict
S European controlled the area S Competition for land & growth of conflict
between Africans & Europeans
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