Transcript The Geography and Climate of Africa

The Geography and Climate
of Africa
World Studies
Africa
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Africa is the 2nd largest
continent in both land
area and population after
Asia.
Approx. 1 billion humans
live in Africa.
The continent is made up
of a vast variety of
human, physical and
political features.
Political Africa
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Africa is made up of 58
countries.
The countries vary in
terms of language,
ethnicity, religion,
government, economy,
and level of wealth.
Problems facing many
African nations include
extreme poverty, AIDS,
civil war, malaria,
starvation, government
corruption, and
joblessness.
Physical Africa
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Africa is made up of a
variety of physical
features including:
rivers (Nile, Congo)
lakes (Victoria)
deserts (Sahara,
Kalahari)
mountains (Atlas)
The continent also has
many natural resources
including minerals, oil,
gold, and diamonds.
Regions of Africa
Religion in Africa
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Christianity (4045%)and Islam (4045%) are both
dominant.
Approx. 15% practice
traditional Animist
religions.
Has led to conflict in
certain areas of
Africa.
Language in Africa
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Between 1,000 and 2,000 languages are
spoken in Africa.
Many Africans speak one or more African
languages, as well as a European
language.
Major African languages: Swahili, Yoruba,
Afrikaans, Berber, Hausa
Major non-African languages: English,
French, Arabic.
Climates of Africa- Savanna
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The African continent is
made up of 4 major
climate zones.
Tropical Wet and Dry
Savanna- Grassland with
scattered trees and
bushes.
Enough rain to support
some farming but when it
does not rain, drought
occurs.
Makes up about 50 % of
Africa.
Most Africans live here.
Climates of Africa- Desert
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Desert is extremely
dry, unable to support
most forms of life.
Two major deserts in
Africa include the
Sahara and the
Kalahari.
Desert makes up
about 40 % of Africa.
The Sahara
Climates of Africa- Rainforest
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Tropical Wet
Dense, hot, and
humid forest located
along the equator.
60-120 inches of rain/
year
Soil is bad due to
leaching.
About 10% of Africa is
rainforest.
Climates of Africa- Mediterranean
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Northern coast and
Southern tip of Africa
Similar to LA, Cali.
Good farming
conditions
Very small amount of
total land.
Africa’s Climate Zones
Vegetation in Africa
Environmental challenges facing
Africa
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Deforestation
Desertification
Drought
Pollution