Physical Geography of Africa

Location•Where is Africa located?

•What are the major landforms of Africa?

Africa is the only continent in the world that is located in all four hemispheres!

First, let’s label our

maps.

Atlantic Ocean

Mediterranean Sea

IndianOcean

Red Sea

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Rwanda

Dem. Rep. of the Congo

Sudan

South Sudan

Egypt

Nigeria

Kenya

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

Now that our maps are labeled, let’s take a closer look at Africa!

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?

Mediterranean

Mediterranean

Desert

Desert

Desert

Rainforest

Steppe

Savanna

What are the major physical

features of 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

But it wasn’t always a dry, inhabitable

place!

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 Victoria

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Nyasa

The Great Lakes of Africa

Longest lake in the world

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika –As seen from space

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

Located in Zimbabwe

on the Zambezi

River

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!

The Zambezi River flowing into Victoria Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_nEi-tCGBA

To experience Victoria Falls, click on the following link and view the video!

Mt. Kilimanjaro

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!

Any questions?

Study this tonight!Who knows … there just

might be a pop quiztomorrow!

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