Physical Geography

Sub-Saharan Africa

Where is Sub-Saharan Africa???

Four Regions

Plateaus make up most of Africa. A plateau is an area of high, flat land The edges of plateaus are marked by

escarpments. The escarpments cause waterfalls, rapids, and

prevent interior trade. Lowlands (plains) border the Atlantic and

Indian Ocean.

Landforms: Plateaus and Lowlands

Landforms: Escarpment

Africa is a large plateau with escarpments on the edges.

An escarpment is similar to a cliff although not as steep.

Africa does have scattered volcanic

mountains, the old and worn Atlas mountains in the northwest, and the Ethiopian highlands

In the Ethiopian Highlands, population is high due to climate, resources.

The Drakensberg Range is found in Southern Africa.

Landforms: Mountains

A rift valley is large break in the Earth’s surface

formed by shifting plate tectonics. (divergent plates)

The Great Rift Valley stretches from Southwest Asia to southern Africa about 4,000 miles.

The valley has rich volcanic soil good for agriculture.

This is an area of earthquakes.

Landforms: The Great Rift Valley

Part of rift valleys have filled with water

forming Africa’s characteristic elongated lakes. Along the Great Rift Valley people have settled

near Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi because of the access to fresh water.

Areas around Lake Victoria have a high population density due to climate and fresh water.

Landforms: Lakes

The Sahara, the world's largest non-polar

desert, covers an area of 3,500,000 square miles. The Sahara limits migration between northern

and southern Africa. Namib and Kalahari Desert in southern Africa

have low population density and little economic activities due to arid climate.

Landforms: Deserts

Sahel: the semiarid region of Africa between

the Sahara to the north and the savannas to the south

Nomadic farming is the type of subsistence farming found along the Sahel and east Africa due to climate.

Desertification: is the drying up of land along a desert.

Landforms: Sahel

It lies in the tropical climate zone and as a

result people participate in hunting, herding, and farming ecosystems.

Landforms: Serengeti

The tropical climate allows for forestry and

some agriculture due to the abundance of rain as compared to other regions.

Deforestation: rainforests are being cleared for farmers, materials, and fuel

Ecotourism- tourism that helps preserve the environment.

Landforms: Congo Basin

Africa is the only continent that is centered on

the equator. As a result, the climates and vegetation of

Africa are symmetrical about the equator

Climate

Oil is the principle export for many countries

along the African coast. Natural gas is found along the Atlantic Coal deposits are located in central Africa. Large deposits of diamonds, emeralds, rubies,

sapphires, and gold are also found in Africa

Mineral Resources

Subsistence Agriculture: producing enough

food to meet a family’s needs Herding of animals Crop cultivation Mixed farming cultivation and animal herding