Introduction to Africa

Location

• Africa is centrally located on the Earth’s surface. It straddles the Equator, extending for thousands of miles north and south of that line.

• It stands between two major oceans as well as two major seas.

• Waterways set Africa apart from rest of the world-also facilitates trade.

A Vast Continent

• Africa is the world’s second largest continent.

• It is more than 3X the size of the United States.

• It contains more independent nations than any other continent on earth (50 something in all!)

The Regions of Africa

Region

• The main regions of Africa:

• North Africa• West/East Africa• Central Africa• Southern Africa

• Geographic features give each region its own identity, although great variety also exists within each region.

• Regional differences contribute to the diversity of the African peoples

Region(a group of places with at least one common characteristic)

• Africa has wide deserts, high mountains and vast forests that divide one region from another.

• What physical feature separates North Africa from the rest of the continent?

Movement

• The Straight of Gibraltar separates Africa from Europe.

• What two bodies of water does it connect?

• How might this effect movement?

Place(physical/human characteristics)

• South of the Sahara-Africa is a vast plateau interrupted by basins.-What basin is located in central Africa?

Landforms

• Most of Africa is a vast plateau• As you move from the plateaus toward the coast,

the land drops sharply-in places escarpments or steep cliffs, divide the plateau from the coastal plain.

• These changes in elevation affect course of rivers-they tumble over a series of cataracts, or large waterfalls and rapids.

• Initially, the land discouraged early Euro explorers

Rivers

• Rivers provide fish, water and transportation. Also a source of hydroelectric power.

• The Nile-flows for 4,160 miles. It is the longest river in the world.

The Nile

• Until recently, the Nile flooded each year-the water depositing silt and nutrients in the soil.

Natural Resources

• For thousands of years, people have sifted through riverbeds to uncover gold and diamonds.

• Mineral exports-copper, cobalt and platinum

• Uneven distribution-Africa is rich in resources-many must rely on importing goods

The roles of Elevation and Latitude

• Equator runs thru middle of Africa-much is tropic. Some of Africa is desert, while some regions are cool.

• Africa has all four major climate zones

Unpredictable rainfall

• Rainfall in many regions is unpredictable and droughts are common.

• Natural forces and human action have caused desertification-the turning of semidesert land into desert

Human Interaction with the Environment

• The most common cause of desertification is the overcultivation of desert lands. Over-cultivation causes the nutrients in the soil to be depleted faster

than they are restored.

Desertification and poverty

• Desertification often causes rural lands to become unable to support the same sized populations that previously lived there. This results in mass migrations out of rural areas and into urban areas, particularly in Africa.

• Migrations into the cities = large numbers of unemployed people who end up living in slums.

What land regions border or lie close to Africa?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPjQGYaBDtg