Quiz on Wed or Thur 12/14 or 12/14.
Locate nations from Flip Pages paper in your notes. If you want a blank map of Africa, Google "Africa Blank Map" and sites will let you print your own to practice.
Below are the "Geographic Class Notes" for completing the descriptions on the Flip Page paper.
Geographic Features Class Notes for Flip Pages
Atlas Mountains: Located in northwestern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea which are of generally low elevation but appear higher when viewed from the Sahara.
Sahara Desert: Largest desert in Africa stretching more than 3000 miles from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. About70% is made up of plains covered with a mixture of sand and black, red, and white gravel. Only 20% consists of large sandy areas called ergs.
Sahel: Semi arid region south of the Sahara. Suffering from desertification---process by which desert spreads due to overgrazing, deforestation, and drought. Area where desert meets the grasslands of the savanna.
Savanna: Large grassland that is located south of the Sahel and runs to southern Africa. The savanna remains hot all year. It is also near the equator. Rain is heavy in the summer and light in the winter. Elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, and giraffes live there.
Tropical Rain Forest…Congo Basin and Congo River: Large rainforest area in central Africa that is surrounded by higher ground and mountains to the east. Close to the equator it is covered with jungles and many rivers. Home to gorillas, monkeys, and other primates. Suffers from deforestation as large trees are cut down.
Niger River: Begins in highland tropical rainforest in west Africa flowing northeast through the savanna and into the Sahel before turning south to flow through Nigeria to the Gulf of Guinea. It fans out into swamps in southern Mali. Used for transportation and trade. The delta area contains large deposits of petroleum.
Nile River and Great Rift Valley: A rift valley is a large, visible break in the Earth’s surface. The Great Rift valley stretches about 4,000 miles from Syria to Mozambique, formed by shifting tectonic plates. Jagged mountains and deep lakes are the result of volcanic action. It has rich volcanic soil to support farming.
Ethiopian Plateau [Highlands]: Volcanic mountain peaks including Kilimanjaro. Area marked by escarpments with steep jagged cliffs and flat topped mountains. Escarpments create barriers to trade by blocking ships from sailing between the interior and the sea.
Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika: Victoria is the largest and the source of the White Nile. Tanganyika is the longest and the deepest. Both located and a result of the forces that created the Great Rift Valley and provide freshwater and fishing to people who live nearby.
Serengeti Plain: Broad level area of land located in north central Tanzania and extends east of the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria. Large herds of wildebeests, zebras and other mammals migrate searching for seasonal grasslands. This area is fertilized by the manure of millions of these animals. Part of the savanna.
Kalahari and Namib Deserts: The Kalahari in Botswana is covered by vast stretches of sand. It has high temperatures and little rainfall. When it rains it is immediately absorbed by the sand, leaving the surface very dry. Certain areas of the Kalahari have trees with long roots that reach the moisture in deep sand. The Namib in Namibia is made up of rocks and dunes. It is arid but receives breezes off of the Atlantic Ocean. Fog forms which adds moisture for succulents or cacti.
Orange River and Drakensburg Mountains: Located in the southeastern coast of South Africa reaching above 11,000 feet and run for about 700 miles. The mountains are said to look like giant spears sticking out of the ground. The Orange River flows out of the Drakensburg Mountains and skirts the Namib Desert as it flows to the Atlantic Ocean.
So where do you think this picture is?
