Entry Task: What landforms are found in Africa? Give specific names if you can!

Objective: ◦The students will be able to identify and describe the physical features (landforms) of Africa.

Africa is DIVERSE!

Biodiversity = the variety of life◦Plants and Animal Species◦Environments, Ecosystems and Habitats

“There are few things as beautiful and inspiring as the diversity of life that exists on Earth.”

Interactive Notebook: Title = Physical Map of Africa

Complete the physical map of Africa as we explore the various physical features of the continent!

Deserts

Sahara Desert

Sahel

Kalahari

Desert

Namib Desert

Sahara DesertSahel DesertKalahari DesertNamib Desert

Cross off Nubian Desert!

Sahara Desert: The Sahara is the largest hot

desert in the world. With a total area of more than 9,400,000 km², it is almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The Sahara is increasing due to global warming, a process known as desertification.

Sahara Desert

•5-25 mm rainfall annually•30 – 55 degrees Celsius!

•Extremely windy: hot, dust-filled winds create dust devils which make temperatures feel hotter.

•70 species of mammal•90 species of birds•100 species of reptiles

The SahelSahel means “edge” or “shore” of the desert.

Kalahari Desert

Means “The Great Thirst”

Not actually a desertWorld’s Largest Sand

BasinAntelopes, hyenas,

lions, giraffes, meerkatsDiamond mines

The Kalahari Desert: Not your typical sandy desert.

The Kalahari experiences lots of rainfall but what makes it a desert is that the rainfall is sporadic and it never settles on the surface making vegetation and the survival of the tribes of the Kalahari and animals a challenge.

Bodies Of Water:

Nile River

Congo River

Zambezi River

Niger River

Orange River

Limpopo River

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Indian Ocean

Red Sea

L. Victoria

L. Albert-->

L. Chad-->

L. Tanganyika->

<--Gulf of Aden

Mediterranean SeaAtlantic OceanIndian OceanCongo RiverNiger RiverNile RiverZambezi River

The Nile River: The Nile is currently the longest

river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean.

The Nile River Basin(Longest River in the World?)

Geography for the Nile River valley was important for early civilization. The Nile would flood each year starting July – Nov. This flood would provide with new, rich soil and wash away waste.

Lake Victoria: Lake Victoria is the world’s

second-largest freshwater body. It is close to the source of the Nile River. It was named after the British Queen Victoria, as Uganda was a colony of Britain.

Victoria Falls Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gQ8xnI2LVk

Drajen

sbur

g

Mts.

Ruwenzori Mts.

Δ Mt. Kenya

Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mountains Atlas Mts.

Atlas Mountains Mt. KenyaMt. Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro: The largest mountain in Africa. The

mountain’s snow caps are diminishing, having lost more than 80 percent of their mass since 1912. In fact, they may be completely ice free within the next 20 years, according to scientists.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Snow on the Equator?•Composed of 3 extinct volcanoes: Kibo, Mawenzi, &

Shira

•Kibo may be completely gone within 20 years due to the melting glaciers.

•25,000 people a year attempt to climb the mountain. •Ms. Haines!!

Great Rift Valley•4,000-mile crack in the earth's crust•Greatest rupture on Earth’s surface•Contains lowest place below sea level•Includes Africa’s tallest mountain: Kilimanjaro•Some of the world’s deepest lakes•Can be seen from the moon•Many hot springs

The Great Rift Valley: Approximately 3,700 miles in

length, it runs from northern Syria in Southwest Africa to central Mozambique in East Africa. It contains some of the deepest lakes in the world, including Lake Tanganyika & Lake Victoria (Africa’s Great Lakes).

Other maps of Rift Valley

Use this source to complete the physical map! http://lizardpoint.com

/geography/africa-physical-quiz.php

The Congo River Basin • 90 inches of rain

yearly• Because of the

heat around the equator, it is home to hippos, manatees, snakes, crocs, tortoises, elephants, mosquitos

• The grasslands are home to buffalo, antelope, zebras, gazelles, and giraffes.

• People grow peanuts, cotton, sugarcane

The Congo Rainforest, Democratic Republic of Congo

The second-largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. Ivory, diamonds, timber, and gold are some of the natural resources found in the jungle and the river basin.

African Rain Forest# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.

The Niger River Basin

#11th largest river in the world#Oil is one of the main sources of income from this river.

Cape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope was originally named the Cape of Storms by Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias in 1488. Dias became the first European to travel around the tip of Africa.

The Cape was renamed the Cape of Good Hope by Portugal's King John II because it allowed an easier trade route with India.

The Cape of Good Hope has a reputation for being the southernmost tip of Africa, but the most southern point is actually Cape Agulhas, the official division between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

The African Savannah:

The Serengeti PlainsThe Serengeti Plains are a grass

savanna that has very dry but nutrient-rich volcanic sand. Around 2 million large plant-eating mammals live in the savanna. There are 45 species of mammals, almost 500 species of birds, and 55 species of acacia tree in the biome.

Vegetation ZonesDesertsGrasslandsTropical ForestsMediterranean

http://mapmaker.education.nationalgeographic.com/cMCDuTOxy3gSE4Rf7dMybp/

http://www.purposegames.com/game/28f6f9c0a3