Post on 16-Feb-2016
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Physical Geography
Sub-Saharan Africa
Where is Sub-Saharan Africa???
Four Regions
Plateaus make up most of Africa. A plateau is an area of high, flat land The edges of plateaus are marked by
escarpments. The escarpments cause waterfalls, rapids, and
prevent interior trade. Lowlands (plains) border the Atlantic and
Indian Ocean.
Landforms: Plateaus and Lowlands
Landforms: Escarpment
Africa is a large plateau with escarpments on the edges.
An escarpment is similar to a cliff although not as steep.
Africa does have scattered volcanic
mountains, the old and worn Atlas mountains in the northwest, and the Ethiopian highlands
In the Ethiopian Highlands, population is high due to climate, resources.
The Drakensberg Range is found in Southern Africa.
Landforms: Mountains
A rift valley is large break in the Earth’s surface
formed by shifting plate tectonics. (divergent plates)
The Great Rift Valley stretches from Southwest Asia to southern Africa about 4,000 miles.
The valley has rich volcanic soil good for agriculture.
This is an area of earthquakes.
Landforms: The Great Rift Valley
Part of rift valleys have filled with water
forming Africa’s characteristic elongated lakes. Along the Great Rift Valley people have settled
near Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi because of the access to fresh water.
Areas around Lake Victoria have a high population density due to climate and fresh water.
Landforms: Lakes
The Sahara, the world's largest non-polar
desert, covers an area of 3,500,000 square miles. The Sahara limits migration between northern
and southern Africa. Namib and Kalahari Desert in southern Africa
have low population density and little economic activities due to arid climate.
Landforms: Deserts
Sahel: the semiarid region of Africa between
the Sahara to the north and the savannas to the south
Nomadic farming is the type of subsistence farming found along the Sahel and east Africa due to climate.
Desertification: is the drying up of land along a desert.
Landforms: Sahel
It lies in the tropical climate zone and as a
result people participate in hunting, herding, and farming ecosystems.
Landforms: Serengeti
The tropical climate allows for forestry and
some agriculture due to the abundance of rain as compared to other regions.
Deforestation: rainforests are being cleared for farmers, materials, and fuel
Ecotourism- tourism that helps preserve the environment.
Landforms: Congo Basin
Africa is the only continent that is centered on
the equator. As a result, the climates and vegetation of
Africa are symmetrical about the equator
Climate
Oil is the principle export for many countries
along the African coast. Natural gas is found along the Atlantic Coal deposits are located in central Africa. Large deposits of diamonds, emeralds, rubies,
sapphires, and gold are also found in Africa
Mineral Resources
Subsistence Agriculture: producing enough
food to meet a family’s needs Herding of animals Crop cultivation Mixed farming cultivation and animal herding