Post on 22-Dec-2015
transcript
Physical features of Africa
Atlas Mountains
Sahara Desert
Kalahari Desert
Namib Desert
Horn of Africa
Great Rift
Valley
Sahel
Nile RiverNiger River
Congo RiverLake Victoria
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Nyasa
Major rivers and lakes
Zambezi River
Quiz time ….Which country is the only country to border both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean?
Which country is the only country to border both the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean?
Morocco
South Africa
Cape of Good HopeCape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas – southernmost point of African continent and dividing line
between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Place (What makes Africa different from
other places?)
• What types of climate does Africa have?
• What types of physical features are there in Africa?
Physical features of Africa
Atlas Mountains
Sahara Desert
Kalahari Desert
Namib Desert
Horn of Africa
Great Rift
Valley
Sahel
Sahara Desert
• Largest HOT desert in the world• Temperatures can reach 136 F during the
day and below freezing at night!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7XrabWYHSg
Sand blowing from the
Sahara … taken from
orbiting satellite
Namib Desert
Stretching 1,200 miles in length, but averaging a width of only 70 miles, the
Namib Desert is home to the highest sand dunes in the world. Nicknamed the
world’s oldest desert.
Although a vast, dry desert, it doesn’t mean it is void of life!
Let’s take a closer look …
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLNycAyuhF8
Savanna • A tropical grassland - warm temperatures year-round & highest seasonal rainfall in the summer.
• characterized by grasses & small & dispersed trees that do not form a closed canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the ground.
• 2 million large plant-eating mammals live in the savannas.• Serengeti Plains – largest diversity of hoofed animals in the world including antelopes,
wildebeest, buffalos, zebras, & rhinos. • Other animals include – lions, African wildcats, monitors and puff adders
The Serengeti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko-tNQbWCbQ
Nile RiverNiger River
Congo RiverLake Victoria
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Nyasa
Major rivers and lakes
Zambezi River
Lake Tanganyika• Second largest lake of Africa• Longest lake of the world• Deepest lake on the African
continent• Second deepest in the world
(Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest)
• Oldest lake in Africa and perhaps in the world
Let’s take a closer look …
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqu9KV18xbQ
Victoria Falls Victoria Falls is twice as wide and twice as deep as
Niagara Falls
Thus creating the largest curtain of
water in the world!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_nEi-tCGBA
To experience Victoria Falls, click on the following link and view the video!
Mountains of Africa
The snow-capped
mountain is located in Tanzania and is the
highest point in Africa.
However, Kilimanjaro may not always be snow-capped! The glaciers of Kilimanjaro are melting at an alarming rate!
Let’s watch this video …
• http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/tanzania_kilimanjaro
If the current rate of melting continues, scientists predict that the glaciers that have covered Kilimanjaro for over 12,000 years will be totally gone by
2020 – less than 15 years from now!
African tectonic plate
Arabian tectonic plate
Great Rift
Valleyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5I0TWwxcY&list=PLDXs8wt_v70m8kJOow67QP-SNJVdyFZXC
• Vast geological feature that runs north to south for 6,000 miles
• From Syria in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in East Africa
As the tectonic plates continue to break apart,
the rift will become bigger and bigger until finally breaking off from the rest of the continent
of Africa … in about 20 billion
years! Thus, creating a whole
new island continent!
Words and places to know…• Sahara Desert• Savanna• Sahel• Congo River• Nile River• Zambezi River• Niger River• Atlas Mountains
• Kalahari Desert• Namib Desert• Lake Tanganyika• Lake Victoria• Lake Nyasa• Great Rift Valley
In which hemisphere is Africa located?
How is this different from other continents in the world?
What does hemisphere mean?
Which country is the only country to border both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean?
Which country is the only country to border both the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean?
What type of climates are found in Africa?
Sahara Desert • _________________ desert in the world• Temperatures can reach ______________
in the day and _______________ at night!
Namib Desert• Nicknamed – world’s
_____________________ desert• Located in __________________ Africa,
along the _________________________
Savannas• Tropical _________________________ • ________________ temperatures &
highest seasonal rainfall in the ________________all / dispersed trees
• Most famous - ____________
Lake Tanganyika • ___________________ lake in the world• _______________ largest lake in Africa • ____________ lake on African continent• ____________ deepest lake in the world• Perhaps, the ___________________ lake
in the world
Africa – Physical & Political Maps
Victoria Falls • Located in ________________________• Located on the _______________ River• Largest ___________________ of water
in the world • Twice as wide and twice as deep as
________________________________
Mt. Kilimanjaro• _______________ point in Africa• Located in ________________________• Snow-capped – however – what is
happening to Kilmanjaro’s glacier?
Great Rift Valley • Created by ________________ &
_________________ tectonic plates separating
• Stretches ______________ miles – north to south – from __________________ to Mozambique in East Africa
Words and places to know … • Sahara Desert• Savanna• Sahel• Congo River• Nile River• Zambezi River• Niger River• Atlas Mountains• Kalahari Desert• Namib Desert• Lake Tanganyika• Lake Victoria• Lake Nyasa• Great Rift Valley