Physical Features of Africa

SSWG4a Describe the location of major physical features and their impact on Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mountains/Highlands

• Major Features: Ethiopian Highlands/Plateau, Mt. Kilimanjaro

• Ethiopian Highlands were created because of volcanic eruptions long ago

• Kilimanjaro an inactive stratavolcano and highest peak in Africa

Mountains

Ethiopian Highlands/Plateau Mt. Kilimanjaro

Choose the BEST answer to complete the sentence below.

"If you in the highlands of Africa you,

A.) probably are a fisherman."

B.) probably wear heavy clothes in winter."

C.) probably are Muslim."

D.) probably are a vegetarian."

Rivers

• Major Rivers: Nile, Congo, Zambezi, Senegal, Niger, Orange

• Nile is the longest river in the world (flows north)

• Congo River flows through Africa’s central rainforest.

• Victoria Falls is part of the Zambezi River System

Rivers

Nile River Zambezi River

Which of these rivers flows through the central rainforest of Africa?

A.) Orange

B.) Zambezi

C.) Niger

D.) Congo

Valleys/Plains/Basins

• Major features: Congo Basin, Great Rift Valley

• The Congo Basin contains almost 20% of the world's rain forest.

• Great Rift Valley is a great depression in eastern Africa

Valleys/Plains/Basins

Great Rift Valley Congo River Basin

What is the difference between a valley and a basin? (You may choose

more than one)

A.) Basins are deeper than valleys

B.) Valleys are deeper than basins.

C.) Valleys are carved by a river.

D.) Basins often have a river running through it.E.) I can eat soup from a basin, but I'll spill if I use a valley.

Deserts

• Major features: Sahara, Kalahari, Namib• Covering almost one-third of the continent,

the Sahara is the largest desert in the world• The Kalahari, covered largely by reddish sand,

lies between the Orange and Zambezi rivers

Deserts

Sahara Desert Kalahari

Deserts are considered to be deserts because

A.) they have no plants.

B.) it is always hot.

C.) it does not recieve a lot of rain.

D.) it has a low population density.

Lake

• Major Features: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa, Lake Chad

• Most are precious water sources and have high population density around them.

• Lake Victoria is the largest African lake• Lake Chad is shrinking because of its

location.

Lakes

Lake Chad Lake Victoria

Lake Chad is the largest lake in Africa, but it is not any more.

A.) True

B.) False

Additional Land Features

• Major Features: Horn of Africa, Sahel• The Sahel is on the southern edges of the

ever-expanding Sahara Desert. It’s a transition zone between the dry areas of the north and the tropical areas of the south.

• Horn of Africa is the peninsula on the eastern side of the continent.

Other Land FeaturesHorn of Africa Sahel

The Sahel (you may choose more than one)

A.) is in Africa.

B.) exists because the Sahara Desert is spreading.

C.) is a place where there is a lot of farming.

D.) probably has a high population density.

E.) is north of the African rainforest.