Geography of Africa An Introduction Note for Midterm Make sure you are taking comprehensive notes on...
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Transcript of Geography of Africa An Introduction Note for Midterm Make sure you are taking comprehensive notes on...
Geography of Africa
An Introduction
Note for Midterm
• Make sure you are taking comprehensive notes on the geographic features of Africa and their impact on the continent.
• Both the positive and negative effects for each geographic feature need to be identified with historical evidence.
• This material will be the basis for the short answer on the midterm.
Africa’s Location and Size
AFRICA: LOCATION AND SIZE • Africa is positioned astride the Equator, reaching as far
north as the latitude of Richmond, Virginia, and as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• The continent has no Pacific coastline and is located at the heart of the land hemisphere.
• Africa has an area of 30,186,000 square kilometers (11,698,111 square miles) which represents about 20 percent of the total planetary surface (world total land is 149,961,000 square kilometers or 57,900,000 square miles).
• Africa had a population of 861,000,000 people in 2003, which accounts for 13.6 percent of the world total population.
Africa’s Size
# Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi.
# 10% of the world’s population.
# 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.
5000
MILES
4 6 0 0 M I L E S
Africa’s Population Growth Trends
• 1950: 64 million
• 2000: 250 million
• 2050: 779 million
In 100 years Africa:
• Population grew 10x
• Second most populous region in the world
In 2050:
•1 of 4 humans live in Africa
•1 of 3 Africans live in East Africa
Africa’s Geography: People
• In 2007 Africa was home to more than 965 million people
• More than 60% of Africa’s population was still living in rural areas in 2005
• Africa now has the fastest urban growth rate in the world
• 2.7% of Africa’s population lives within 100 km of the coast
• 56.6% of African labour force is engaged in agriculture
Africa’s population grew 2.32% annually between 2000 and 2005—nearly double the global rate of 1.24% per year
Africa’s Changing Population
Africa’s “Shrinking” Land Base
1950
1970
1990
2005
2050
Increased population increases pressures on the land and its resources. In a hypotheticalsituation whereby land is shared equally among its population, each individual’s share of land would decrease with the increase in population as time passes, putting more pressure on resources.
Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
# 4,000 miles long
#The Great Rift Valley is rich in minerals and metals
#Good soil for farming
#Because of volcanic ash there are well preserved bones and the world’s oldest human fossils have been found there
#2 largest lakes in Africa are along the Great Rift Valley: Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi
John Walter Gregory, a British geologist, named the Great Rift Valley
The valley is a treasure trove to all walks of science.
Compared to the rest of the world, the valley itself is very new, yet it contains the first signs of early man.
Sodium Carbonate is found in its pure form in the valley. It is the reason so many lakes support abundant colonies of algae and fish.
Flower farms are one of the fastest growing industries in the Great Rift Valley
Gre
at R
ift
Val
ley
Great Rift Valley
• Great Rift Valley – 4,000 mile giant fault, or break in the earth’s crust.
• From Red Sea to Zambezi River.
• Evidence has found that the earliest Africans first lived in this area.
Great Rift Valley
4,000 miles long
• Along these rift valleys lies the most popular mountain in all of Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro.
Rift Valleys
Often have long, narrow lakes
Rift Valley, Kenya
Volcanoes• Near rift valleys
• Eastern Congo
• Mt. Kenya
• Mt. Kilimanjaro…
Mt. Kenya
Lakes of Africa
Rift Valley Lakes
• East Africa has several large lakes that formed in the bottom of rift valleys.
A. Lake Victoria
B. Lake Tanganyika
Flamingos at Lake Naivasha feed on the rich algae.
Lakes in the valley range widely from very acidic to alkaline.
Rift Valley Lakes
• Lake Tanganyika
• Lake Malawi
Lakes of Africa
• Lakes– Lake Victoria– Lake Tanganyika– Lake Malawi (Nyasa)
• Many of the rivers in Africa occupy the trenches cutting through the East African Plateau
This lake is formed over the top of the separating plates of Africa and is the second
deepest lake in the world.
Lakes• Lake Victoria in GRV, 2nd
largest freshwater lake in the world, source of White Nile.
• Lake Tanganyika (420 miles) 1st largest lake in world.
• Lake Malawi in GRV• Outside GRV: Lake Volta,
Lake Chad (no natural outlet-loses water through evaporation.
Lake VictoriaAfrica’s largest lake by area
largest tropical lake in the world
world's second largest freshwater lake by surface area
Africa's largest inland fishery
Coastline
• Smooth coastline
• Few natural harbors - hard to land ships
• Narrow continental shelf
Bodies
Of
Water
Indian Ocean
Nile River
Congo River
Zambezi River
Niger River
Orange River
Limpopo River
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Red Sea
L. Victoria
L. Albert-->
L. Chad-->
L. Tanganyika->
<--Gu
lf of A
den
Rivers in Africa provide fish for food; water for irrigation; transportation routes; hydroelectric power (energy produced by moving water); and, are a source of precious metals.
Rivers of Africa
Rivers
• Depth varies depending on the season-if it’s the rainy season or the dry season
• Plateaus prevent easy navigation due to water falls.
• Therefore, the interior of Africa remained Therefore, the interior of Africa remained largely unexplored largely unexplored
Major Rivers1. Niger
2. Congo
3. Blue Nile
4. Victoria/White Nile
5. Zambezi
Rivers
• The rivers in Sub-Saharan Africa are difficult to navigate because they have many waterfalls and rapids.
Cataracts or rapids on the Zambezi River
Victoria Falls• On Zambezi River
– Zim/Zam border
Beautiful Waterfalls
Blue Nile Falls
Victoria Falls
Rivers • Rapids and Waterfalls…– Limits transportation
• Congo…– Good for Tourism
• Whitewater Rafting– Hydroelectric Production
Hydroelectric Power
Major Rivers• Nile River –
– world’s longest (4,000 + miles)
– Sources: White Nile (Uganda) & Blue Nile (Ethiopian highlands)
– flows into the Mediterranean
• Congo River – – Central Africa – – through rain forests, – 2,720 miles long
• Niger River –– Africa’s third longest- – 2,600 miles long. – Begins in West Africa
(Guinea)• Zambezi River –
– Fourth longest– 2,200 miles– – Southern Africa; – contains Victoria Falls;– flows into the Indian
Ocean
• The Congo and Niger river are the two largest rivers in West and Central Africa.
• The Congo flows northward from Zambia toward the Congo (DROTC) and then takes a West then South West course until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean on the border of the Congo and Angola.
• The Niger flows Northeast through the Sahel and then the Sahara until it reaches central Mali.
• It then flows Southwest until it empties into the Gulf of Guinea in Nigeria.
• Waterfalls and rapids prevent easy navigation
• Congo –over 2, 700 miles long
• Niger - ancient civilizations flourished here
• Zambezi - Victoria Falls, used for hydro-electric power
The Zambezi River
Victoria FallsLargest waterfall in the
worldconsidered to be among the
Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Rivers of Southern Africa
The Okavango River flows out of Angola to form a swampy delta in Botswana that is home to many animals.
The Orange River in South Africa flows over many waterfalls before it reaches the Atlantic.
The Limpopo River flows to the Indian Ocean. Waterfalls and other obstacles prevent ships from sailing up the river.
Example: Nile River
“Egypt, the gift of the Nile.”~ Herodotus, Greek historian (484-432 B.C.E.)
Examine this quote:
What do you infer from this quote, what did Herodotus mean by it? PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Nile River
• 4,180 miles long (world’s longest!!)
• flows NORTH
• Source - - Lake Victoria
• Delta - - Egypt
• Floods annually – One of the most densely populated region in
Africa
Nile RiverThe Nile is the world’s longest river at 4,160 miles.The Nile flows NORTH.The source (start) of the Nile is at Lake Victoria.
The Nile River• Length: From White Nile Source to Mouth- 4184 miles, longest river
in the world• Name: The Nile gets its name from the
Greek word "Nelios", meaning River Valley.• Sources: The White Nile: Lake Victoria, Uganda. The Blue Nile: Lake Tana, Ethiopia.
The Mighty Nile River:“Longest River in the World”
Geography of Egypt• The Nile flooded every year
– Predictable floodwaters with spring rains
– Left rich, black silt
• Narrow band of fertile soil
• Became home of Egyptian civilization
Geography and Early Egypt• The Nile
– Most important physical feature in Egypt
– 4,000 miles long; flows through the Sahara Desert
• Without the Nile’s waters, no one could live there.
• Nile afforded protection itself
• Flowed through cataracts to the south
• Currents and waterfalls made sailing impossible
• Not an easy invasion route
Cataracts
• Egypt’s most fertile soil in Nile Delta
• Silt deposits at mouth of river
• Black Land of rich arable soil
• Red Land unlivable but afforded protection
Delta
Geographical Features
• 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 flooding on the Nile.
– Because of the lack of silt, farmers need to use fertilizer to grow crops.
• Two rivers form in Northern Sudan to make the Nile River---The Blue Nile and the White Nile.
• The headwaters of the Nile River are located in two different countries.
• The White Nile’s origins are in Lake Victoria and run northward until it meets with the Blue Nile near Khartoum, Sudan.
• The Blue Nile’s origins are in the Ethiopian Highlands and run south-southeast before taking a West- Northwest turn into Sudan.
Blue Nile Falls
Example: Congo River
The Congo River# Produces hydroelectric power.
# Has many waterfalls and rapids preventing boats from traveling the entire river.
# 2,922 miles long
# Africa's most powerful river and the second most voluminous river in the world with a discharge of 1,500,000 cubic feet of water per second.
# It is the fifth longest river in the world, draining a basin of nearly 1.5 million square miles
The Congo River Basin covers the area (forested and non-forested)
drained by the Congo River.
The Congo River Basin
# Covers 12% of thecontinent.
# Extends over 9countries.
# 2,720 miles long.
# 99% of the countryof Zaire is in theCongo River basin.
Congo RiverDeepest river in the world
(measured depths of 750 ft+)
Navigable only in section (not navigable from the sea)
Three major waterfalls
Potential source of hydroelectric power
Region built by Region built by movementmovement::
a.a. The big river, The big river, CongoCongo & its & its tributaries:tributaries:
Total Total 9,0009,000 mostly navigable mostly navigable milesmiles
Living-Highway providing, Living-Highway providing, foodfood, water and , water and transporttransport
CONGO RIVERCONGO RIVER
b.b. Boats travel from areas Boats travel from areas deep deep within the countrywithin the country to to KinshasaKinshasa
c.c. However, below Kinshasa are However, below Kinshasa are waterfalls and rapidswaterfalls and rapids
CONGO RIVERCONGO RIVER
The Congo River at Sunset
Example: Niger River
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
#Used for irrigation and transport
Niger River
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
Niger RiverPrincipal river of western Africa
Floods yearly
Flows into the Niger River Delta
Used for irrigation and electricity
Navigable only part of the year
Niger River
Water Issues in Africa
High None
Stress
Fig. 11-6, p. 241
Stress on World’s River Basins
North America
Europe
Asia
Australia
Africa
South America
Water Pollution• Many countries in Africa do not have enough clean water
even though they have large rivers.• The Nile River runs the length of Egypt and most Egyptians
live along its banks. • The river is used for water and transportation, however,
overpopulation and poor sanitation regulations have made life along the Nile more difficult.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8iuyaS16-c&feature=related
• Many who study this region believe Africa is headed for a “water war”.• The Nile River runs through Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt and they all
have growing populations and growing needs.• The Niger River supplies the dry Sahel area before flowing into Nigeria.
As more water is drawn for the Sahel, less is available down the river.• Clean water is needed for basic health and sanitation and those who are
not able to have access to it are at risk for many diseases.• Lack of clean water to wash with also increases the frequency of skin
and eye infections. • Some people in Africa also face the problem of water borne diseases
spread by parasites living in standing water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xel82kovCgI&feature=related
Water Pollution Issues
• Less than 50% of the population in sub-Saharan African has access to safe drinking water from environmental pollution.
• This has caused a decrease in the country’s economic growth.
• Some governments ignore industrial pollution of major rivers and waterways because they want their industries to make more profits.
WATER QUALITY ISSUES
% of disinfected and contaminated water supply
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Africa Asia LA&C
Per
cent
age
Disinfected
Contaminated
WHO et al. (2000)
260 international basins: +/- tensions: longstanding, always, growing with demand
“Fierce competition for fresh water may well become a source of conflict & wars in
the future.” Kofi Annan, March 2001
21
The risks of water insecurity• What are the potential implications of an increasingly ‘water insecure’
world?
Water supply problemsIncreasing water shortages
may be more important than energy shortages-
because there is no alternative!
Water conflictsWhere demand exceeds supply and no effective management
operates, then there will be conflicts between the various
players involvedWater geopolitics
The conflicts between nation states, despite the international agreement called the Helsinki Rules designed to create more
equitable use of water extending across boundaries
Water transfersOf this precious resource by either diverting the actual river, or using
canals . Long carried out at a small scale but increasingly over larger
distances, and even transboundary
Present and potential water conflict hotspots• As water supply decreases, tensions will increase as different players try to access common water supplies• Many conflicts are transboundary in nature, either between states or countries
Insert Figure 2.11 page 47
River basins currently in dispute
River basins at risk in the future
Large International drainage basins
Zambezi
Orange
Okavango
La Plata
Mekong
Ganges
Ob
Lake Chad
Nile hotly disputed between Ethiopia and Sudan ,who control its headwaters, and Egypt .
Tigris-Euphrates Iraq + Syria concerns that Turkey’s GAP project will divert their water
The Aral Sea, an inland drainage basin, once the world’s 4th largest inland lake has shrunk sine the 1950s after the 2 rivers feeding it: the Amu Dayra and Syr Darya were diverted for irrigation. By 2007 the sea was 10% of original volume and split into 2 lakes. The ex soviet states are in conflict: Uzbekistan , Turkmenistan and Kazakstan.
Colorado: disputes between the 7 US states and Mexico it flows through. The river is so overused, that it no longer reaches the sea!.90% abstracted before reaches Mexico
Note: although there have been rising tensions globally, many areas demonstrate effective management to diffuse the situation and create more equitable and sustainable demand-supply balance, such as the Mekong River Committee,& the Nile River Initiative
Evidence of more effective co-operation• The Nile Basin Initiative, system of
cooperative management which started late 1990s
• All countries except Eritrea working with The World Bank and bi-lateral aid donors .
• Community level involvement .• Managers visited Colorado River recently to
see how effectively the 1922 River Water Compact and its ‘law of the river’ works
Hydropolitics and geopolitics
•The Nile is the world’s longest river , 6,500kms, 2.9km2 catchment,10% of Africa, running through 10 countries with 360 million people depending on it for survival.•Growing issues of desertification & salination and increased evaporation linked to climate change•About 85 % water originates from Eritrea and Ethiopia, but 94 % is used by Sudan and Egypt.
• 1996 Helsinki Rules on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers - regulating how transboundary rivers and groundwater are managed
• The Nile Basin is an example that ‘Water Wars’ may be averted
History of hydropolitics in Nile Basin•tensions due to the dominance of Egypt• civil wars in Sudan Ethiopia • tensions from Egypt’s treaties dating back to the 1929 and 1959 Nile Water Agreements.• Upstream states increasingly challenging Egypt’s dominance.•Ethiopia wants to use the Nile River for HEP plants and industrial development.
Tech Fix ;The megaprojects of dams like Aswan are
famous. Latest high tech is the 1990sproject called
‘Tecconile’ a joint GIS system to help monitor
and plan the basin
Political negotiations centred on conflicts over the shared use of water sources
Some facts about structural inequalities in access to safe, sufficient water
• The minimum amount of water needed for drinking, cooking, bathing, and sanitation is 13 gallons (50 liters) (WHO figure)
• The average person in the United States uses between 65 to 78 gallons of water (250 to 300 liters) per day for drinking, cooking, bathing, and watering their yard.
• The average person in the Netherlands uses only 27 gallons (104 liters) per day for the same tasks.
• The average person in the African nation of Gambia uses only 1.17 gallons (4.5 liters) of water per day.
• 12 percent of the world's population uses 85 percent of its water• Global consumption of water is doubling every 20 years, more than twice
the rate of human population growth.• Presently, 1.2 billion people lack access to improved water supply and 2.4
billion to improved sanitation -- i.e. one in six people still have no regular access to safe drinking water
• Lack of clean drinking water leads to nearly 250 million cases of water-related disease each year and between 5 and 10 million deaths.
Factors Influencing Water Scarcity
Hydrologic Cycle
Population Growth
Poverty
Use Patterns
Contamination
http://www.wmo.int
Water scarcity
WORLD WATER CHALLENGES
Evolution of water shortages in 100 years
Africa’s Geography: Water Resources
• It is estimated that over 300 million people in Africa face water scarcity
• • Per capita water consumption in
Africa is 31m3 per year
• About 75% of the African population relies on groundwater as its major source of drinking water
• Renewable water resources for the whole of Africa amount to about 3 930 km3
Africa’s Changing Environment
Natural Change and Population Africa’s population grew 2.32% annually between 2000 and 2005—nearly double the global rate of 1.24%
Air and Atmosphere Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change - towards the end of the 21st century, climate change will have caused sea-level rises that will affect Africa’s highly populated low-lying coastal areas Land Cover and Land Use
Africa is losing more than four million hectares of forest every year—twice the world’s average deforestation rate
Water By 2050 it is expected that areas experiencing water shortages in sub-Saharan Africa will have increased by 29%
Biodiversity Africa contains 3 044 protected areas including 198 Marine Protected Areas, 50 Biosphere Reserves, 80 Wetlands of International Importance, and eight of the world’s 34 international biodiversity hotspots
Africa’s Changing Environment
Renewable Water Africa’s freshwater supplies represent less than 9% of global renewable water resources
Water StressIt is estimated that over 300 million people in Africa face water scarcity conditions
Water StressPer Capita Renewable Water
WATER STRESS – FACTS• Africa
– 12 African countries considered to be in a “Water Stress” situation.
– Further 10 African countries will be stressed by 2025 (1.1 billion people or 2/3’s Africa’s population).
NON-IRRIGATION CONSUMPTION
Total non irrigation water consumption by region
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Con
sum
ptio
n(cu
bic
km)
1995 2025
Rosegrant et al. (2002)
DAILY PER CAPITA WATER USE (EAST AFRICA)
Mean daily percapita water use by type of use
0
10
20
Wat
er u
se(l
itre
s)
Piped
Unpiped
Thompson et al. (2001)