Africa Geographic Understandings (Physical)
Mar 27, 2015
Africa
Geographic Understandings(Physical)
GPS and E.Q.
• GPS: SS7G1.a. The student will locate on a world and regional political-physical map: the Sahara, Sahel, savanna, tropical rainforest, Congo River, Niger River, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Atlas Mountains, and Kalahari Desert.
• E.Q.: How do I locate selected features on a map of Africa?
• Africa is an enormous continent.
• It has almost every type of climate and geography.
Atlas Mountain Range
• Northern Africa• Group of mountains• Separates coastal regions from Sahara
Sahara
• Across entire width of northern Africa
• Largest desert in the world
• Has sand dunes, rolling rocky hills, and gravel plains
• Few people live here• Travel by caravan,
jeeps and trucks
Sahel
• South of Sahara
• Dry, semi-arid region • Desertification –
people cut down trees and let animals overgraze – causes drier soil and erosion
savanna
• Middle of Africa, close to equator
• Grassland• Many animals (lions,
giraffes, elephants, zebras…)
• Farming good when it rains
Tropical Rainforests
• Along central coast• Hot, humid climate, dense, tall trees• Home to many species• Threat: rapid population growth – fuel needs
= more trees cut down than can be replanted
Kalahari Desert
• Southern part of Africa• Surrounded by semi-arid areas –
desertification here, too
Lake Victoria
• Largest lake in Africa; largest tropical lake in the world
Lake Tanganyika
• 2nd largest & deepest freshwater lake in the world (4820 feet deep)
Nile River
• Longest river in the world
• Begins in central mountains as White Nile & Blue Nile
• Flows NORTH 4000+ miles to Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria, Egypt
• White Nile begins at Lake Victoria
Congo River
• Flows 3,000 miles through central and west Africa
• Through largest rainforest in Africa (2nd largest in the world)
• Begins near Lake Tanganyika
• Empties into Atlantic Ocean
Niger River
• 3rd largest river in Africa• Flows from Guinea
2,600+ miles to Atlantic Ocean
• Mouth of river is called “oil delta” because of petroleum industry there
Independent Work
• Using a map of Africa, locate and label the following geographic features:
• Sahara and Kalahari Deserts• Sahel• Savanna• Tropical rainforests• Congo, Niger, and Nile Rivers• Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria• Atlas Mountains
Summary
• How is Africa similar to the U.S. geographically? How is it different?