The Government is Corrupt

Nile River- World’s longest river at 4,135 miles; flows North through 11 countries; supports agriculture and transportation

Lake Victoria- Africa’s largest lake; 2nd largest in the world; transportation and tourism

Chad Basin- Covers 8% of northern-central Africa; natural resources, water, biodiversity

Sudan Basin- Central-eastern Africa; access to water, agriculture, hydropower, and economy

Congo Basin- 2nd largest rainforest; home to many plant and animal species; home to Indigenous people (Pygmies); people are challenged by deforestation, climate change, and a decrease in biodiversity

Congo River- 2nd longest river after the Nile; West-central Africa; transportation, and biodiversity, support the Congo basin

Atlas Mountains- Separates the Mediterranean basin and the Sahara Desert; North African mountain range

Niger River- Crucial waterway for West Africa; supports agriculture, fishing, biodiversity, and transportation; flows through many countries around Niger and Nigeria

Lake Nyasa- HIGH biodiversity; 9th largest, 3rd deepest; Southern end of the East African Rift Valley

Mount Kilimanjaro- has Africa’s highest peak; dormant volcano w/ glaciers on top; tourism; the altitude causes snow and ice at and near the peak

Sahel Region- (Atlantic Ocean) Mediterranean basin to the Red Sea (across Africa); semi-arid climate; agricultural land that many countries used; a victim of desertification

Tropical wet- consistently high temperatures, abundant rainfall year-round; equatorial regions (Congo Basin and East Africa)

Tropical wet and dry- “Savanna” climate; distinct wet and dry seasons w/ mild temperatures (60s- high 70s); Across East, West, and Southern Africa

Highland- temperatures vary with elevation (typically cold), high rainfall (80 in annually); Ethiopia Mts and Northeast Africa

Savanna- Wet and dry seasons; warm temperatures year-round; rainfall (10-30) inches annually; great agricultural area

Desert- extremely arid, high temperatures, significant temperature swings; little to no rainfall; Sahara and Kalahari 

Desertification- expansion of dry conditions over moist areas near deserts; human activity speeds this up; 

Oil in Nigeria- Oil was discovered in Africa in 1956, 8th leading oil producer; 80%-90% of the country’s income; mismanagement, corruption (colonialism), and a decline in oil prices left Nigeria extremely poor; many uncleaned oil spills and fires created a breeding ground for diseases; (2007) Umaru Musa Uar’Adua “find ways for Nigeria to benefit from oil again”

Controlling the Nile River- Egyptians worked to control the Nile since antiquity; Aswan High Dam was finally built in 1970; helped Egypt’s agriculture and avoided droughts and floods

Niger Delta- contains most of Nigeria’s oil; poor management of this area led to fires and explosions that kill thousands of Nigerians

Causes of Desertification- overgrazing, overuse of the soil, increase in population/demand for food; also leads to deforestation

Silt- Dams prevent silt from reaching the farmlands (con)

Lake Nassar- Result of the Aswan High Dam; stretches about 300 miles

Sahara Desert- covers about 31% of Africa; Expansion of this desert causes problems for agriculture (farmers)

Highest point in the Sahara- The point of Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft) “Uhuru” peak

What is the evidence that suggests the Sahara was once a lush savannah?- ancient rock paintings that depicted animals, plants, and humans; fossils of savannah animals; sediment cores with more pollen than dust (indicating a wetter climate)

Significance of european colonialism- resulted in economic, social, and political transformations and European dependency; caused worse issues like environmental degradation and ethic tensions

Why did europe want to colonize Africa?- They sought to expand their influence and compete with other European powers; Lake Chad and the Nile were available to them from Oubangui-Chari

How did europeans divide africa effect the continents future?- it resulted in political instability, tensions, and economic dependence; impacted borders, government, and development