Geography- Sub-Saharan Africa

Sahara Desert

largest hot desert (3.6mil square miles) and located in North Africa

Great Rift Valley

formed by tectonic plates and located in Eastern Africa, holds Lake Tanganyika and Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro

highest mountain in the world (19,341ft.) and located in Tanzania. Composite volcano with three peaks: Mawenzi, Shira, Kibo - highest and dormant -

Congo Basin

sedimentary washed in West Africa, world’s 2nd largest lung (traps 80% of forest carbon)

Kalahari Desert

semi-desert located in Southern Africa, consists of valleys and salt pans.

Namib Desert

coastal desert located in Namib, only true desert in Africa, and important for mining tungsten, salt, and diamonds.

Nile River

longest river in the world (4,130mi.) and transverses 11 countries. White Nile: from Lake Victoria (Tanzania) and Blue Nile: from Lake Tana (Ethiopia)

Zambezi River

4th largest river in Africa, hydroelectric power from Kariba dam and Cahara Bassa Dam

Niger River

main artery in Western Africa, 3rd largest river in Africa, and important for fishing and farming.

Congo River

2nd largest river in Africa and deepest in the world (720ft), major trade: sugar coffee, copper, and cotton

Atlantic Ocean

borders Africa’s west coast, 1498: Vasco de Gama reached India by sailing around Africa's southern tip.

Indian Ocean

Borders Africa’s east coast until it becomes red sea, 40% of offshore oil comes from indian ocean

Red Sea

world’s northern most tropical sea, bordered by Suez Canal and created by Arabian Peninsula

Lake Victoria

Africa’s largest lake and world’s 2nd largest freshwater lake by area and located bewteen Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania

Victoria falls

considered largest in the world, holds elephants, hippos, corcs, giraffes, and zebtas

Iron ore

most used metal in the world. producers: Mauritania, Ageria, and South Africa

Uranium

18& production in Africa. producers: Niger, Namibia, and South Africa

Oil

a valuable natural resource in Sub-Saharan Africa, produced: Nigeria, Angola, and Gabon

diamonds

precious gemstones mined in countries like Botswana, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

gold

usually Afrcia is world’s leading gold producer and Johannesburg was founded because of a gold rush. prudcers: Ghana, Burkina, and Mali

Sahel

means “short or edge” and is transition zone between Sahara and congo basin

Tropical Wet

most common in West Africa

Tropical Wet-Dry

known as savanna and usually close to equator

Serengeti Plain

one of the world’s largest savannas

Desert Climate

like Sahara, Kalahari, and Namib

Midlatitude Regions

most common in East Africa

West Africa

Senegal, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana

Central Africa

Tanzania, Rwanda, Dominicon Republic of Congo, Gabon

East Africa/ Horn of Africa

Ethiopia, Samalia, KENYA

Southern AFrica

Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia