Sub-Saharan Africa Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards based on the lecture notes about Sub-Saharan Africa, covering geographic themes, physical geography, climate, ecosystems, and deforestation.

What makes Sub-Saharan Africa a distinct region from North Africa?

Historical, cultural, and physical features differentiate it from North Africa. The Sahara Desert and Sahel serve as major barriers to human habitation, leading to separate development.

Describe the physical geography of the African continent.

It is a large raised platform or plateau with few natural harbors and narrow coastal lowlands.

What are escarpments?

They are long, steep cliffs that mark the transition between the plateau and the coasts.

Name the four major rivers in Africa.

Nile, Congo, Zambezi, and Niger.

Name two high volcanic peaks in Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

What desert covers more than 1/3 of the African continent?

The Sahara Desert.

What is the Sahel?

Arid grassland that transitions between the Sahara and the savannas to the south.

Describe the climate of sub-Saharan Africa.

Most of the region is tropical, with seasonal variations based on rainfall rather than temperature.

What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?

A band of atmospheric currents that circles the globe around the equator, causing copious rainfall as warm winds converge and rise.

Why is the 'Horn of Africa' desert and steppe?

The ‘Horn of Africa’ receives little rainfall due to volcanic highlands modifying temperatures.

What are the types of ecosystems?

Terrestrial, saltwater, and freshwater ecosystems.

What are the causes of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss?

Unsustainable land use, deforestation, and desertification.

What are direct human impacts on biodiversity?

Land use change, pollution, exploitation of organisms, and the invasion of alien species.

What is fragmentation in the context of ecosystems?

Ecosystems broken down as larger land tracts are reduced via agriculture, cities, highways, or dams.

What is contamination?

Introducing pollutants into the air, water, and/or soil.

What is deforestation?

Converting forest to other land uses, especially when trees are cleared away.

To what do trees contribute?

Climate regulation (temperature, CO2 storage), fuel, natural control of pests & diseases, food, biodiversity, construction material, mental health, preventing soil degradation.

What is carbon sequestration?

Removal and storage of carbon taken from the atmosphere, with trees absorbing CO2 as they photosynthesize.

What is afforestation?

Trees are planted on land not previously forested or forests grow back.

Who founded the Green Belt Movement?

Dr. Wangari Maathai of Kenya.

What is subsistence agriculture?

Small farms using mixed agriculture and livestock, primarily providing food for the farmer’s family.

What is 'mono-cropping'?

Growing one crop (bananas, coffee, tea), often requiring heavy inputs of chemicals and irrigation and making farmers vulnerable to crop failure and unstable global prices.