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Africa Human-Environment Interaction
Africa
Human-Environment Interaction
Already KNOW
NEED to Know
Will Learn
Words to KnowCongo RiverNiger RiverSaharaSahelNile RiverLake TanganyikaLake Victoria
Atlas MountainsKalahari IrrigationSoil QualityAIDS/HIV
Malaria
Malnutrition/Famine
Graphic Organizer
Environmental Disaster
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
Key Physical Locations
SahelThe area that
separates the Sahara from tropical rain forests.
The Sahara Desert
The world’s largest HOT desert, covering most of North Africa.
SavannaRolling grassland
and scattered trees and shrubs. The most famous savanna is the Serengeti, straddling the borders of Kenya and Tanzania
Tropical Rain ForestThe central African
tropical rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the 2nd largest in the world. Approx 90% of the African rainforest have been deforested due to logging, road building, and over grazing
African Rain Forest
# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.# Rapid decomposition (very
humid).# Covers 37 countries.# 15% of the land surface of
Africa.
Congo River The Congo River is the
2nd longest river in Africa, and the 5th in the world.
Covers 12% of thecontinent.
Extends over 9countries.
2,720 miles long.
The Niger River Basin
# The main river of Western Africa. Five African nations depend on it for their water.
#Covers 7.5% of the continent.#2,600 miles long.
Nile RiverThe world’s longest
river (4150 miles).
Lake TanganyikaIs the longest
lake as well as the 2nd deepest lake in the world.
Lake VictoriaIs the headwaters for
the Nile River and the largest lake in Africa. It is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world.
Atlas Mountains Kalahari desert
Summarizing ActivityTHINK-PAIR-SHARE
How are humans affected by the natural features of Africa?
Environmental Issues Most of Africa’s environmental issues
are a result of climate and poverty. Soil is depleted by slash-and-burn
agriculture. Contributes to deforestation and
desertification.
Water quality is a problem. Other concerns:
Oil extraction
Toxic-waste disposal
Wildlife preservation
DesertificationWhen good soil turns into desert land due
to erosion.
The area is suffering from desertification.
Causes of Deforestation-Soil Degradation-
Desertification
Slash and burn agriculture--cutting down trees and vegetation to clear a field for planting. The field is only good for a few years before you have to do it again. The land you leave is useless because you have depleted it of nutrients
Desertification makes poverty worse since there are even more limited resources. Africa, with around sixty-six percent of its land either desert or dry lands, is particularly affected by desertification.
The region is afflicted by frequent and severe droughts
Graphic Organizer
Environmental Disaster
Desertification
Interactive Notebook QuestionsWhy is desertification taking place in Africa?
What do you think can be done to stop or prevent desertification from taking place?
Impact of Water Water is a very important resource in Africa.
Some places have an excessive amount of water while other regions have very little.
Population Distribution is typically centered around large amounts of available water.
Very few people choose to live in a desert. WHY?
Unequal distribution of water and water pollution have impacted several areas.
Irrigation
Trade
Industry
Drinking water
Summarizing Activity
THINK-PAIR-SHARE How does the
availability of water impact population distribution in Africa?
Based on the graph, how has the availability of water changed in Africa since 1990?
Irrigation Nile River has provided a water resource for
many countries throughout Africa. Fertile land surrounding the Nile are used for
farming. Irrigation is used to increase the amount of
arable land for agriculture. Drought and dams built along the river can impact
the amount of water used for irrigation.
Negative impact of dams
Fertile silt is now trapped behind the dam – preventing fertilization down the river.
Loss of silt results in erosion of riverbanks and loss of vegetation and animal life.
Water Pollution Pollution is caused by environmental
concerns – not industry. Snails, worms, insect larve and other parasites
are the main cause of water pollution. These organisms cause waterborne diseases
which reduce life expectancy, lessen the quality of life and slow economic development.
The lack of safe drinking water impacts the development of the region. Less than 50% of the population in sub-Sahara
Africa has safe access to drinking water.
Water Quality Only 47 percent of sub-Saharan Africans
have access to safe drinking water. However, unlike other regions of the world (ASIA) , industry is not the primary cause of water pollution in Africa. Natural phenomena, such as snails, worms, insect larvae, and other parasites, are the main factors affecting Africa’s poor water quality. These organisms cause waterborne diseases which reduce life expectancy, lessen the quality of life, and stifle economic development.
River Blindness Human disease caused by a filarial worm native to Africa but also
found in parts of tropical America and transmitted by several blackflies.
The flies that transmit the disease breed on rivers and mostly affect riverine populations.
Blindness is caused by dead microfilariae — the larvae that can be produced for some 15 – 18 years by adult worms — inside the eye. River blindness is common in savannah areas of Africa and in Guatemala and Mexico.
Guinea Worm Disease
a parasitic worm infection that occurs mainly in Africa. It is also called dracunculiasis [dra-KUNK-you-LIE-uh-sis].
People get infected when they drink standing water containing a tiny water flea that is infected with the even tinier larvae of the Guinea worm.
Inside the human body, the larvae mature, growing as long as 3 feet. After a year, the worm emerges through a painful blister in the skin, causing long-term suffering and sometimes crippling after-effects.
Infection can be avoided, even in areas where the disease is very common. Use only water that has been filtered or obtained from a safe source. Keep people with an open Guinea worm wound from entering ponds or wells used for drinking water.
Graphic Organizer
Environmental Disaster
Desertification No/Little Water Access
Interactive Notebook Question
3-2-1What are 3 natural causes of water pollution?
List 2 water borne illnesses.What percentage of Africans have safe access to drinking water?
Soil Quality Animal grazing and subsistence
farming have eroded Africa’s soil fertility. Large scale export of raw materials has
negatively impacted Africa’s soil fertility. Rubber, Ivory, Palm oil, Timber and
Copper
Infertile soil contributes to deforestation and desertification. Can be corrected through composting,
fertilizers, small scale irrigation, pest management and crop rotation.
Another major factor that results in deforestation is the excessive need of fuel. Most Africans use wood and charcoal to heat their food, since there
are no other cheap energy sources available for them. When the lumberjacks destroy one forest they move to another one,
then farmers move into the deforested land, and since the land doesn’t stay fertile for a long period of time, they need more deforested land soon after.
Key Facts about deforestation in Africa. Almost 6.8 million square kilometers of Africa were originally
forested. Within the Congo Basin, between 1980 and 1995, an area about the
size of Jamaica was cleared each year (1.1 million ha). In Africa, for every 28 trees cut down, only one tree is replanted.
Desertification
Over-cultivation Population growth has put pressure on the farmland to produce more
food. This extensive use of land exhausts the nutrients.
Overgrazing Livestock graze on marginal land closer to the desert. When the protective vegetation cover is eaten away the soil becomes
vulnerable to erosion.
Deforestation 80% of domestic energy comes from burning firewood. Increased population means increased demand for wood. Land is cleared of trees, again the soil becomes vulnerable to erosion.
Climate Change Less rainfall means poorer grazing and lower crop production. Underground water reserves have been used up.
Graphic Organizer
Environmental Disaster
Desertification No/Little Water Access
Deforestation Overgrazing
Key Facts On the southern corner of the Sahara, an area the size of
California and Oregon has become desert over the past 50 years.
Areas of West Africa, it’s estimated that the desert is expanding by more than 3 miles per year.
1/3 of Africa is facing desertification Lands can no longer produce crops, provide food for
livestock, or provide wood for fuel.
Overpopulation (In certain areas*)
Demographics that are typical of a developing nationlow per capita GDPlow life expectancyHigh population growth ratesHigh infant mortalitylarge percentage of the population
under the age of 15low literacy rates
Summarizing Activity
THINK-PAIR-SHARE How does slash-and-burn agriculture increase
deforestation?
How does deforestation lead to desertification?
How much of Africa is at risk for desertification?
Health Issues in Africa
Overview AIDS stands for
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome:Acquired means you can get infected with it; (bodily fluid contact)
Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the body's system that fights diseases.
Nowhere has the impact of HIV/AIDS been more severe than Sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS is the #1 killer in Africa.
According to UN AIDS, an estimated 3.2 million adults and children in Sub-Saharan Africa became infected with HIV during the year 2003.
Graphic OrganizerHIV/AIDS
Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa is home to just over 10% of the world’s population but more than 60% of all people living with HIV worldwide reside here.
Poor economic conditions (leading to the use of dirty needles in healthcare clinics) and lack of education contribute to high rates of infection.
In South Africa, former President Thabo Mbeki (later became the president of the African Union)
has questioned in the past the connection between HIV and AIDS - instead hinting at the possibility of factors such as undernourishment being one of the causes of the disease.
Today, South Africa is attempting to educated and prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS.
The distribution of required supplies are difficult because of the governmental problems.
Droughts and other natural disasters have also contributed to the problem of AIDS/HIV in Africa.
How does a drought affect the economy, government, and healthcare?
It is estimated that two-thirds of HIV/AIDS cases reported globally are in Africa.
The 21 countries worldwide with the highest HIV prevalence are in Africa.
At the individual level, the risk is horrific. In Zimbabwe and Botswana, one in four adults carries the virus. A child born in Zambia or Zimbabwe today is more likely than not to die of AIDS.
There are 13 million children orphaned by AIDS Worldwide, 10 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease
caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die. Each year 350-500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria still claims about as many African lives as AIDS.
Malnutrition/Famine
Many Africans are starving to death due to drought, conflict, desertification, lack of agricultural equipment.
Refugee Camp---Likelihood of disease in this camp?
Graphic OrganizerHIV/AIDS Malaria Malnutritio
n/Famine
Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
The area does have substantial mineral wealth.
EX: diamonds, gold, alloys
The region is a major exporter of raw materials, but this leads to a high trade deficit.
What does the map tell us about the distribution of Natural Resources in Africa?
Poorly developed infrastructure.Large numbers of landlocked
states.Makes it difficult to trade with the
rest of the world-----WHY?????
Summarizing Activity 2(Left hand side)Explain how the characteristics
in the Sahara, Sahel, Savanna, and Tropical Rain Forest affect where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
