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Physical Geography of Africa

Sahara

S World’s largest desert—3.3 million sq. miles; 25 percent of Africa

S Sahara is Arabic for “desert”

S Is a border between the black African south & Arab-influenced north

Sahel S  Narrow band of semi-arid land south of the

Sahara

S  Widely French-speaking, Islamic

S  Means “shore” in Arabic

S  One of the poorest & environmentally damaged areas on earth

Ethiopian Highlands

S  “cradle of humanity” because human history dates back millions of years

S  80 percent of Africa’s tallest mountains

S Aksum—ancient civilization

S  Suffers from drought, soil erosion, famine

Savanna

S Mostly grassland

S Serengeti is the most famous & a World Heritage site

S Olduvai Gorge—Serengeti region where early man first appeared 2 million years ago

S Masai & Kikuyu farmers (Kenya)

Swahili Coast

S Edge of the Indian Ocean

S One of Africa’s most distinct regions

S Influenced by traders from Europe, Middle East, & Asia

S Rich in trade

Great Lakes

S  Lake Victoria—2nd largest freshwater lake in the world

S  Lake Tanganayika—one of the deepest lakes in the world

S  Each has their own ecosystem

S  Rich soil in the region

S  Problems—pollution, over-fishing

Lake Tanganayika

Rainforests

S Home to half of Africa’s animal species

S  Problems: deforestation, road construction, slash-and-burn farming S  90 percent of W. Africa’s rainforests gone

S Governments torn between protecting rainforests & money from logging companies

Congo Basin

S  2nd largest rainforest in the world

S  1999—six countries of the Congo Basin formed a system to police logging & poaching

S Tri-national Sagha Park—a reserve that will cover the rainforests in Cameroon, Central African Republic, & the Congo

Southern Africa S  Kaapval craton—massive geologic formation

over 2.6 million years old under Southern Africa

S  Contains deposits of gold, diamonds, platinum, etc.

S  Discovery of diamonds caused conflict

S  European controlled the area S  Competition for land & growth of conflict

between Africans & Europeans