By Mr. MulliganNORTH AFRICA

The Big Idea

North Africa is a dry region with limited water resources.

Main Ideas

• Major physical features of North Africa include the Nile River, the Sahara, and the Atlas Mountains.

• The climate of North Africa is hot and dry, and water is the region ’s most important resource.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

The Nile River is the longest river in the world. Flows more than 4,000 miles northward through the desert Formed by the union of two rivers, the Blue Nile and the

White Nile Empties into the Mediterranean Sea

The land along the Nile is very fertile. Floods on the river deposit silt, or finely ground fertile

soil, all along the river. Before it reaches the sea, the Nile fans out into a huge

fertile delta. The Aswan High Dam controls fl ooding on the Nile.

Because of the lack of silt, farmers need to use fertilizer to grow crops.

MAJOR PHYSICAL FEATURES

• The Sinai Peninsula is east of the Nile. It is mostly rocky and barren.

• The Suez Canal separates the Sinai peninsula from the rest of Egypt. Ships carry oil and goods from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea through the canal.

SINAI AND SUEZ CANAL

SINAI PENINSULA

• Several mountain ranges can be found in the Sahara.

• The highest mountains are the Atlas Mountains in the northwest, near the Mediterranean Sea. They rise to 13,600 feet (4,160 m) above sea level.

MOUNTAINS

THE SAHARA

Largest desert in the world, covering most of North Africa

Very dry, few people live theresettlements are located near an oasis,

(a wet and fertile area in a desert where a spring or well provides water.

Common features include broad gravel plains, tall sand dunes, and dry streambeds

THE SAHARA

Three main climates:Desert: very dry and hot temperaturesMediterranean: coastal; mild winters and warm summers

Steppe: found between the coast and the desert

CLIMATE

Rain is rare making water a valuable resource.

Oil and gas=Libya, Algeria, and Egypt.

Morocco= iron ore.Coal, oil, and natural gas= Sahara.

RESOURCES OF NORTH AFRICA

Rich in Islamic culture

• North Africa’s history includes ancient Egyptian civilization.

• Islam influences the cultures of North Africa and most people speak Arabic.

HISTORY AND CULTURE OF NORTH AFRICA

• Egyptians, Berbers, Bedouins, and people of mixed ancestry live in North Africa.

• The majority of people in the region speak Arabic.

ISLAMIC INFLUENCES

• By 1912 European countries such as Britain, Spain, France, and Italy had taken over North Africa

• They created colonies.• North Africa regained independence beginning in the

1920s. • Last country to become free was Algeria in 1962.

EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

75 millionPeople are poor famersRepublicCapital is CairoLimited resourcesPetroleum and tourism $$99% of population live in Nile Valley and

DeltaMore then ½ live in rural areas and

villages

EGYPT

EGYPT

Much is desertCapitol is TripoliAquifers beneath sand w/ pipelines to carry

waterOil pays for new infrastructure , hospitals,

and schoolsLed by powerful dictator Qaddafi until his

death in 2011Now is a parliamentary republic

Trade sanctions were placed on Libya for want of nuclear weapons (punish country by using trade barriers)

LIBYA

LIBYA

Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco make up Maghreb Countries“The land farthest west”

Economy based on oilWesternmost part of Arab speaking

Muslim world

MAGHREB COUNTRIES

MAGHREB COUNTRIES

North Africa’s smallest countryTunis is capitalIndependent in 1956 (France)Presidents have tried to provide

education and health care, giving Tunisia one of lowest poverty rates in Africa.

Women have more rights than other Arab nations

TUNISIA

TUNISIA

North Africa’s largest countryAlgiers is the capitalEconomy depends on oil and natural

gas pumped from SaharaShortage of work1830-1962 ruled by French, won

independence after civil war (1954-1962)

Republic w/ president and legislature

ALGERIA

ALGERIA

Leading producer of phosphatesBecame independent in 1956Constitutional Monarchy

King holds great influenceControls Western Sahara, seized the

land in 1975 the Western Saharans want freedom, but can’t get it.

MOROCCO

MOROCCO