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Welcome to Africa! On this vast continent, you can find an incredible array of people, places, and animals. Africa has had a tumultuous history and continues to be plagued by a wide range of difficult issues. Some of the world’s poorest people can be found on this continent, but some of the world’s most valuable natural resources can be found here as well. In this unit we will explore the people, places, and problems of Africa and learn about what makes this region of the world intriguing and unique.

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Let’s go back to Google Earth and complete the following tasks to get you ready to start our unit on Africa. Remember that you can view the tutorials if you need help. (Tutorials are provided on the website demonstrating how to type a location into the search box, select 3-D buildings and then obtain a view of the region at street level.)

Complete the following tasks:

1. Zoom in on Africa to within 3200 km at Eye Altitude (this measurement appears in the lower left hand corner of the map). What types of geological features (lakes, rivers, mountains, canyons) can you see? How do the geological features compare to those in the United States?

2. Now zoom in to within 750 km at Eye Altitude. What types of geological features appear on your map? Are there any symbols that allow you check out a panoramic view or a YouTube video?

3. Now scroll to the east and west of the continent and look at the many islands off the coast of the mainland continent. Zoom to within 3200 km at eye altitude. What types of features do you see?

4. Go back to the mainland of Africa and zoom in closer to ground level, try to locate some interesting features. What do you find? How does this landscape compare to the U.S., Canada, and South America?

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Hello again and welcome to Africa!

Africa

is the world's second-largest and second most-populous

continent. There are 53 countries, over a bill

ion people and more than 1000 indigenous languages

on the continent! What an incredible place! Africa is a place of breathtaking beauty and vast natural

resources, but it is also a place where most of the

continent is in dire poverty – living on less than $2

a day – and disease ravages the population. In this

unit we will explore the natural wonders of this

great continent as well as look at the struggle

this continent has undergone in history and continues

to struggle with to this very day. Ar

e you ready to learn more? Let’s go!

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This interactive map of the world shows the various regions we are going to cover in this course. Select a region to zoom in and see the different countries within each region. Explore Africa to learn a little about the geography of the region we are covering in this unit. Then download the following map (DOCX) and StudyGuide (DOCX) to help you study the capitals of Africa.

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There are 53 countries on this vast continent! The continent is generally divided into five regions:

Northern Africa

Eastern Africa

Southern Africa

Western Africa

Central Africa

Northern Africa - The most notable aspect of the geography of Northern Africa is the Sahara Desert. The countries of North Africa generally include Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

Eastern Africa – East Africa is a large area comprising 19 territories! East Africa is known for its stunning landscapes and incredible animals. Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria are both found in Eastern Africa. Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are often the countries considered to be part of Eastern Africa.

Southern Africa – Southern Africa has the world’s largest resources of platinum. It is also a source for diamonds, uranium, gold, and other minerals. The United Nations considers the following five nations to be part of Southern Africa – Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland.

Western Africa – West Africa is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara Desert. Historically, Western Africa was known for having a series of corrupt and oppressive governments plagued by political unrest, ethnic rivalries, and brutal civil wars. Sixteen countries are part of the region known as Western Africa – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Central Africa – The central region of Africa is sometimes referred to as Central Africa or Middle Africa. The Atlantic Ocean borders Central Africa to the west. The climate is mainly a humid tropical climate that supports a large tropical rain forest. The United Nations classifies the following nine countries as part of Middle Africa – Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

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Comparing the Continent … Countries North and South of the Sahara and Equatorial Africa

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Comparing the Continent … Countries North and South of the Sahara and Equatorial Africa

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The Sahara divides the continent of Africa into North and Sub-Saharan Africa. The Sahara Desert region is not lush in vegetation, except in the Nile Valley basin. The Sahara is home to a number of peoples and languages. Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Sahara, from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Most of the 2.5 million people in the Sahara region reside in Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria.

The Sahara covers huge parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. It is one of three distinct physiographic provinces of the African massive physiographic division. The Sahara is expanding south by as much as 30 miles (48 km) per year, overwhelming degraded grasslands.

The area north of the Sahara is mostly thought of as part of the Arab World. The area includes geographical features such as the Atlas Mountains. Good farming land can be found in Northern Africa in the valleys of the Atlas Mountains as well as the Nile Valley and Nile River delta. Sub-Saharan Africa, the area below the Sahara Desert, is a much larger area. The Sub-Saharan region is sometimes referred to as “Black Africa” due to its "black" populations. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the poorest people of the world. Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are among the least-developed countries in the world, with high infant mortality rates and low life expectancies.

Within the region of Sub-Saharan Africa can be found a region sometimes referred to as Equatorial Africa. Equatorial Africa is a relatively vague term that could be used to refer to the tropical region of Africa or the region of Sub-Saharan Africa crisscrossed by the equator.

Small countries such as Equatorial Guinea and large countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are located along the equator. Lake Victoria – the largest body of water on the continent – is also found along the equator.

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There are many famous natural wonders throughout the continent of Africa.

The Nile River is the longest river in Africa – and, in fact is thought to be the longest river in the world!

Victoria Falls, located at the base of the Nile River, is located in Lake Victoria between Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Lake Victoria is the largest body of water in Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, is located in Tanzania. Mount Kilimanjaro is an inactive volcano with three cones. Due to Kilimanjaro's equatorial location and high elevation, almost every climate type on earth is represented, including a year-round snow-topped summit!

The Congo River runs roughly down the middle of Zaire – the Congo River is also sometimes referred to as the Zaire River. The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa and the deepest river in the world.

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Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and is located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River. The spectacular waterfall is protected by two national parks in Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the largest waterfall based on both its width of about one mile and height of 360 feet. Another name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders” in the language of the nineteenth century Kololo tribe.

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Most of Egypt is desert except for the fertile land found around the Nile River Delta. This region is green on the image with a large area of fertile land in the north along the Meditteranean Sea and south along the banks of the Nile River.

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Angola is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and by three different countries to the north, south, and east. Angola is one of the world’s leading producers of diamonds and petroleum but has some of the world’s worst statistics for infant mortality and life expectancy with an incredible amount of poverty throughout the country.

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South Africa is located at the southernmost region of Africa, with a long coastline that stretches more than 1,550 miles. South Africa is surrounded on three sides by ocean. The interior is generally sparse and flat.

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Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. Due to its harsh desert climate, Chad is sometimes referred to as the “Dead Heart of Africa.” The areas in the north and the south have a distinctly different geographical appearance because of the deserts there. Chad is divided into three distinct zones, from the Sudanese savanna in the south to the Sahara Desert in the north.

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Look at this satellite image of Morocco. Morocco has a large border on the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlas Mountains form the backbone of Morocco. The Sahara Desert is found in the south east portion of the country – there are few people in this region.