Ms. BindrimMs. Bindrim

A Satellite View

Africa’s Size

# Second largest

continent

#10% of the

world’s populatio

n

Bodies

Of

Water

Nile

R.

Congo R.

Niger R.

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

Red Sea

Lake Victoria

The Congo River Basin

# Covers 12% of continent

# Crosses over 9countries

Congo Rain Forest• high temps year-

round

• Yearly rainfall ~50-60 in.

• Chimps, gorillas, hippos, and parrots live here

African Rain Forest

# Annual rainfall up to 17 ft

# Covers 37 countries

# 15% of the land surface of Africa

# Central Africa covered by the Congo Rain Forest

The Niger River Basin# Covers 7.5% of the continent

# Extends over 10 countries

Hydroelectric Power

Deserts Sahara Desert

Sahel

Kalahari

Desert

Desertification•Spreading of the desert

•Causes: drought, or lack of rain

•Without plants growing, soil blows away leaving a dry, barren landscape

•Effect: widespread hunger in many African countries

The Sahel: The “Shore” of the desert

• A semiarid region south of the Sahara

• high temperatures, but more rainfall than desert

•Part of the Niger River

Basin

The African Savanna:

13 million sq. mi.• Found in both semiarid and tropical areas

•Flat grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs

• Animals like lions, elephants, giraffes, and zebras live here

• Has 2 brief dry seasons each year

Valleys

&

Plains

Great

Rift

ValleySavanna Plains

Great Rift Valley•Formed by 2

divergent plates• Been pulling apart for 50 million years• East Africa may become an island

Fun Fact: Madagascar was created by divergent

tectonic plates

Fun Fact: Madagascar was created by divergent

tectonic plates

Mt. Kilimanjaro:Snow on the Equator!

• Name from the Swahili phrase “kilima

njaro” meaning “shining mountain”

• The sun reflection on snow makes it

appear to be shining

• Peak has snow all year

Africa:

The“Tropica

l”Contine

nt

Tropic of Cancer 20° N

Tropic of Capricorn20° S

Equator 0°

Vegetation Zones

Plateaus of Africa• Southern Africa is

covered in plateaus

• African plateau rises from coastal plains

• Steep cliffs line Southern and Eastern coasts

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°