African Geography
General Facts:
- Africa is the world’s second largest continent.
- It is home to over 50 Countries and over 800 million people.
- 10% percent of the world’s population lives in Africa.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Atlas Mountains</b>
- The Atlas Mountains span across northwestern Africa, more specifically, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
- They separate the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline from the Sahara Desert.
- The Atlas Mountains provide mountain pass trade routes connecting the regions.
- The Atlas Mountains are home to several small villages rather than large cities.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Sahara Desert</b>
- The Sahara is the world’s largest desert.
- It runs across the width of Northern Africa and covers one-third of the continent.
- It divides the continent into two distinct regions - North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
- Very few people live in the desert because it is considered one of the harshest places to live in the world.
- The people who do live there are called nomads, which means they move from place to place, usually travelling by camel, looking for food and water.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Sahel</b>
- The Sahel is a strip of dry grassland that is located south of the Sahara.
- The word “Sahel” means “border” or “margin”.
- People have tried to live here but generations of overgrazing and desertification have caused soil erosion.
Desertification
Desertification is the process through which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Savannahs</b>
- Savannahs are hot, dry grasslands that are located near the Equator and cover almost half of Africa.
- They actually cover regions just north and south of the rainforests that lie along the equator.
- The African Savannah is the largest in the world.
- The variety of wildlife includes lions, zebras, & elephants.
- Farming is good if there is good rainfall, and grasses and grains like wheats, oats, and sorghum are grown in the region.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Tropical Rainforests</b>
- Africa’s tropical rain forest is located along the central coast of Africa, near the Equator.
- It lies in the Congo River Basin
- The rainforest covers one-fifth of the land surface of Africa and touches 37 countries.
- The Rainforest has a hot, humid climate.
- The annual rainfall is over 17 feet! (In comparison, Seattle gets just over 3 feet)
- Trees are so thick and tall that sunlight never reaches the forest floor!
- It is the second largest rainforest in the world; the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is the largest.
- Unfortunately, this rainforest has shrunk due to deforestation.
Deforestation
Deforestation is the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses because of humans.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Congo River</b>
- The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa.
- It is over 3,000 miles long.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Niger River</b>
- The Niger river is located in western Africa.
- It flows through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria.
- The Niger River is the THIRD largest river in Africa.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">The Nile River</b>
- The Nile river is the world’s longest river at 4,150 miles.
- It provides water for Sudan and Egypt.
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;">Kalahari Desert</b>
- The Kalahari Desert is located in southwestern Africa.
- It covers parts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
- It is not a “true” desert, because it receives 3-10 inches of rainfall per year.
- Because of the precipitation and underground water supplies, grass, shrubs, and wild animals manage to live in the Kalahari desert.