Land and Water

Africa

Individual Work

• Define– Plateau– Escarpments– Cataracts, – continental drift– Plains– Great Rift Valley

Relative Location

• Find Relative location of Ghana, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt– Include

• Location relative to the equator• Bordering countries• Natural vegetation• Landforms• climate

Ghana

• North of the Equator

• Bordered by:– Togo– Burkina Faso– Cote D’Ivoire– Atlantic Ocean

• Vegetation: Hills, Plains, Basins

• Climate: Savanna, Steppe

Zimbabwe

• South of Equator• Bordered by:

– Botswana– South Africa– Mozambique– Zambia

• Vegetation: Grass and Broadleaf Trees• Landforms: Hills• Climate: Steppe

Gabon

• South of Equator

• Bordered by:– Atlantic Ocean– Congo Republic– Cameroon

• Vegetation: Broadleaf trees

• Landforms: Tablelands and Hills

• Climate: Tropical Rainforest

Kenya

• North and South of the Equator• Bordered by

– Indian Ocean– Somalia– Ethiopia– Sudan– Uganda– Tanzania

• Vegetation Grass and Shrubs• Landforms: Widely spaced Mountains• Climate: desert and steppe

Egypt

• North of Equator• Bordered by

– Red Sea– Mediterranean Sea– Libya– Sudan

• Vegetation: Shrubs and Mixed Trees• Landforms: Plains, Basins, Hills• Desert

The Four Regions

1. North

2. West

3. East

4. Central and Southern

Plateau Continent

• Africa is often called the “plateau continent” because the elevation of much of the land area is high.

Coastal Plains Edge the Continent

• Along the coast

• Dry and sandy at some points

• Marshy and moist at other places.

The Great Rift Valley

• Mount Kilimanjaro is located here in East Africa

• It was formed millions of years ago when the continents pulled apart.

• A rift is a deep trench

• East Africa’s rift is 4,000 miles long

• Most major lakes are located in or near the Great Rift Valley

The Nile River

• Longest river in the world

• 4,000+ miles long

• Sources are the White Nile in Sudan and Blue Nile in the highlands of Ethiopia

• At one time the Nile flooded its bands regularly and farmers planted their crops to match the flood cycle of the river.

The Congo River

• Runs through Congo in Central Africa.• 2,900 miles long• Africa’s second largest river• Fed by hundreds of tributaries (small rivers and

streams that flow into a larger river.• People in the region grow grains and cassava• Cassava is a starchy plant • They also catch fish in the Cango

The Niger river

• Africa’s third-longest river

• Begins its journey in Guinea

• Flows north and then bends south for 2,600 miles

• Provides water for farms in the river valley

• People make a living catching fish

The Zambezi River

• The fourth-longest of Africa’s rivers• Southern Africa• Runs through the borders of six countries

1. Angola2. Zambia3. Namibia4. Botswana5. Zimbabwe6. Mozambique

Let’s review

1. Why is Africa called the “plateau continent?

2.(a) How do people use the rivers of Africa? (b) What makes them difficult to use?