A Satellite View

Africa’s Size

# Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi.

# 10% of the world’s population.

# 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

5000

MILES

4 6 0 0 M I L E S

Five Geographic Areas of Africa

North Africa• Mountain Ranges

(Atlas Mountains)

• Sahara Desert (World’s Largest)

North Africa

West Africa

• Grasslands

• Most Populated

West Africa

East Africa

• Mountainous• Plateaus• Grasslands• Hills

East Africa

South Africa

• Namib & Kalahari Deserts

• Drakensberg Mountain Range

South Africa

Central Africa

• Equator

• Rain Forests

Central Africa

Bodies

Of

Water

Nile River

Congo River

Zambezi River

Niger River

Orange River

Limpopo River

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Indian Ocean

Red Sea

L. Victoria

L. Albert-->

L. Chad-->

L. Tanganyika->

<--Gu

lf of A

den

The Mighty Nile River:

“Longest River in the World”

The Congo River Basin

# Covers 12% of thecontinent.

# Extends over 9countries.

# 2,720 miles long.

# 99% of the countryof Zaire is in theCongo River basin.

The Niger River Basin

# Covers 7.5% of the continent.

# Extends over 10 countries.

# 2,600 miles long.

Draje

nsburg

Mts

.

Ruwenzori M

ts.

Δ Mt. Kenya

Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mountains

&

Peaks

Atlas Mts.

Deserts Sahara Desert

Sahel

Kalahari

Desert

Nam

ib D

esert

Libyan Desert

The Sahara Desert

The Sahel

Desertification

• Desertification – The spread of a desert region.

• The region of Sahel is most affected by the spreading desert.

Valleys

&

Plains

Gre

at R

ift

Val

ley

Great Rift Valley

3,000 miles long

Africa:

The“Tropica

l”Contine

nt

Tropic of Cancer 20° N

Tropic of Capricorn20° S

Equator 0°

Climate and Diversity

• The equator runs nearly through the center of Africa

• 80% of the nation is tropical

• Further from equator = colder

• Higher Elevation = colder

The African Savannah:

13 million sq. mi.

African Rain Forest

# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.

# Rapid decomposition (very humid).

# Covers 37 countries.

# 15% of the land surface of Africa.

Mt. Kilimanjaro:Snow on the Equator?

The

Complete

Topography

Of

AFRICA

Nile River

Congo River

Zambezi River

Niger River

Orange River

Limpopo River

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Indian Ocean

Red Sea

L. Victoria

L. Albert-->

L. Chad-->

L. Tanganyika->

<--Gu

lf of A

den

Drajensburg Mts.

Ruw

enzori Mts.

Δ Mt. Kenya

Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro

Sahara Desert

Sahel

Kalahari

Desert

Nam

ib D

esert

Libyan Desert

Gre

at R

ift

Val

ley

Atlas Mts.

Tropic of Cancer 20° N

Tropic of Capricorn20° S

Equator 0°

Natural Resources

Africa: Where Civilization Began

• Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania.

• Archaeologists Mary and Louis Leakey discovered bone in Olduvai Gorge that was over 2 million years old.

• This has led scientists and historians alike to believe that the first people were from Africa.

Issues in Africa Today

• Struggling with the independence

• Economic concerns

• Civil War

• Exploitation of natural resources

• AIDS/other diseases

• Genocide

• Corrupt governments

Disease Statistics

Major infectious diseases > Degree of risk

Very highVery high

Drug access 50%50%

HIV AIDS > Adult prevalence rate 4.1%4.1%

HIV AIDS > DeathsHIV AIDS > Deaths 78,00078,000

Hospital beds > per 1,000 peopleHospital beds > per 1,000 people 0.920.92

Malaria cases > per 100,000Malaria cases > per 100,000 4646

Physicians > per 1,000 peoplePhysicians > per 1,000 people 0.080.08

Life expectancy at birth, years > Life expectancy at birth, years >

Total populationTotal population 4949

Maternal mortalityMaternal mortality 510 per 100,000510 per 100,000

Children living with AIDS (per Children living with AIDS (per

capita)capita) 4.03388 per 1,000 people 4.03388 per 1,000 people

Cool FYI

• Mali King Mansa Musa reigned for 30 years.

• His story was so inspiring it lead to Mr. Daniel’s all-time favorite Disney movie… The Lion King