The Sahara

The Sahara Desert•3,500,000 square miles•Covers most of North Africa•Mostly rocky terrain• Oases allows people can live with grazing animals and grow a few crops.• Home to a number of plants that can tolerate desert conditions, such as palm trees, olive trees, and cypress.

THE PEOPLE• Most people living here are nomads (people

who travel from place to place looking for water and food)

• Travel by camel— “ships of the desert”– Today, some jeeps are able to be used in the desert.

Also, airplanes can travel across• Traders—salt, cattle, grain• Tuareg

– Live in villages around oases in houses – When they travel they live in tents

Kalahari Desert

•362,500 square miles•receives 3 – 7.5 inches of rain each year,which allows animals and plants to survive•San people (Bushmen) still survive ashunter/gatherers

Namib Desert

• 31,200 square miles• Largely unpopulated• Deposits of salt and diamonds

THE SAHEL

The Sahel• Semiarid region south of the Sahara • Desertification is occurring here

•Drought•Erosion•Overgrazing & overfarming

Sahel—”The Border”• Covers almost 1.8 M square miles• It separates North Africa’s Sahara Desert from a semi-arid savanna.• Climate is hot and arid with rainfall ranging

from 6-20 inches• Relatively flat with few mountains and hills• Vegetation is sparse, farming is difficult• Desertification is a huge problem as

people who live here cut down trees for fuel and shelter

The People• Most people make a living herding animals and

some practice subsistence farming– They grow just enough food for their families– Peanuts and millet (a grain)

• People move when water and grass run out for their animals

• Rapidly growing population, so food and water are scarce

• Houses are made from mud or dung• People travel by car, camel, or foot

THE SAVANNA

Savanna

• A savanna is a tropical or semi-arid woodland area.

• Grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs. Trees are typically very small and widely spaced and grass is able to grow naturally.

• Approximately 4.5 million square miles of Africa are savanna

• Savannas are typically well-suited for grazing animals. Home to zebras, lions, elephants, giraffes

Savanna• Grass fires occur frequently in winter,

during the dry months• Biggest threat is the increasing number of

people; putting pressure for more open land for farming and ranching, meaning less land for the animals.

• Some countries setting aside large areas as national parks and game preserves.

The People• People live in villages or cities• In villages, people farm, herd cattle, or are tour

guides– In houses made from mud, dung, and sticks– Travel by car, animal, or foot– The Masai

• In cities, people live like we do here, with all kinds of jobs– In apartments– Travel by car, bus, or bike

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rain Forest

•Tropical, moist forests in West Africa•Deforestation threatens wildlife, causes soil depletion and erosion•Timber valuable resource, cut landused for agricultural crops

Tropical Rain Forest• The equatorial region of Africa has high temperatures year-round. • These areas typically have 50-60 inches of rain per year.• Warm, humid climate with rich animal and

plant life• The rain forests suit animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, hippos, and African gray parrots.• Commercial logging destroying more of

the natural environment

The People• The indigenous people living here live in small groups

– In villages, in huts or in treehouses– Travel by foot or boat (by Congo river)– Hunt and gather for food—some subsistence farming

• Many fruits and nuts, bushmeat, fish– Loggers or miners (diamonds)

• Many were forced to work on European plantations during colonialism

• Commercial logging is a huge problem– Causes deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification

(population growth does all this too)

Congo

NileNiger

Congo River

•2,922 miles long•Flows through the rainforest•Important for tradeand transportation in the area

Niger River

•2,600 miles long•“boomerang” shape may be theresult of two ancient rivers joiningtogether•Principal river of West Africa

Nile River

•Longest river in Africa•Flows north•White Nile and Blue Nileare the Nile’s tributaries•Most Egyptians still livein the Nile River Valley

Congo

NileNiger

Lake Victoria

LakeTanganyika

Lake Tanganyika

•second largest and seconddeepest lake in the world•holds at least 400 speciesof fish•used for transport, food, andtrade (people sell the fish inthe lake for aquarium pets).This lake is very important to the daily lives of people living in Africa.

Lake Victoria

•26,560 square miles•relatively shallow, as a result, easilyaffected by climate change

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo• Egypt

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo• Egypt• Kenya

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo• Egypt• Kenya• Nigeria

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo• Egypt• Kenya• Nigeria

• South Africa

SS7G1 The student will locate selected features of Africa.

b. Locate on a world and political map:

• Democratic Republic of The Congo• Egypt• Kenya• Nigeria

• South Africa• Sudan