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Physical Processes and Systems of Africa

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Physical Processes and Systems of Africa

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Africa is a land of beautiful natural wonders and rich natural resources. In this section, we will explore the physical systems and processes of this vast continent and take a close look at the abundance of natural resources throughout different regions. We will also look at how these natural resources were the impetus for the European Scramble for Africa and how European colonialism has had a lasting impact on this continent.

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The Land of Africa: Geographical Terminolo

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The Land of Africa: Geographical Terminolo

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Africa is a wonderful place to study geography. This great continent has large stretches of desert, beautiful lakes and powerful rivers, enormous mountain ranges, tropical rain forests, coastal wetlands, and just about every climate you can imagine! What do you think of when you think of Africa? Most people think of the desert or wild animals like elephants, wildebeests, and lions. While Africa does have these incredible animals and a wide swath of desert, Africa also has so much more! Let’s review a few geographical terms that are pertinent to understanding the geography of the African continent.

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is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting primarily from natural activities and influenced by climatic variations. Desertification is a major issue in Africa! It is estimated that the Sahara Desert is expanding every year – creeping slowly into the savanna region and altering ecosystems.

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A savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees. When you thought about Africa, perhaps this region is what you pictured in your head? Africa's great savannas are a place dominated by sky and rolling grassland. The wildlife of the African savannas has long been the focus of filmmakers, photographers, writers, and now tourists. Of Africa's great plains regions, the Serengeti is the most famous.

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is a shrubland or heathland plant community found in the South African Cape Region. In South Africa, the ecosystem is referred to as Fynbos. In Afrikaans, the word fynbos means "fine bush." The Fynbos ecoregion of South Africa stretches out along a thin coastal belt on the Western cape.

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is the longest and most important river in Africa. Egypt has been called the gift of the Nile because the soil flooded by the Nile River every year provided the region with fertile farmland and allowed the Egyptian civilization to flourish. This soil is known as alluvial soil. Alluvial soil is material which has settled out of water carried by a stream or river. Alluvial soil can be found along the banks of the Nile River and other rivers in Africa.

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People have depended on the Nile River for over 6,000 years. Ancient Egyptian Civilization was only possible due to the existence of the Nile River. The river provided water to grow crops.The yearly flooding brought in new, fertile soil. A surplus of food meant more people could live in the valley of the Nile. The land was so fertile, some people didn't have to work on farms, but could help build temples and pyramids

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Ancient Egypt has been referred to as the "gift" of the Nile because of the fact that the Nile River provided the area with food and water, an important method of transportation, and helped the people of the region launch a trading empire while developing a system of taxation and advanced math. Without the Nile River, there would be no Egyptian Civilization. Without the Nile River, it would be impossible to support a society in this desert region, for as you can see the Nile carves a path of green through an otherwise Sahara Desert.

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The Nile is the longest river in the world. It is 4,100 miles long and drains the water from 10 countries. It rises in the equatorial tropics and flows north through the desert.

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Navigate through slides to learn more the different parts of the Nile. Please learn about all five parts of the Nile River before continuing with the tutorial.

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The Nile Delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas, covering some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline, and has been a rich agricultural region for over 5,000 years

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Lake Nasser – Lake Nasser is actually a reservoir, not a natural lake. It was created when the country of Egypt constructed dams across the Nile. The lake is named for President Gamal Abdel Nasser, a former president of Egypt.

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The White Nile is the longest branch of the Nile River at around 2,300 miles long and begins at Lake Victoria.

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The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It's shorter than the White Nile, but supplies over 50% of the water that flows through Egypt.

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Lake Victoria – Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world. It borders the countries Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, and has over 3,000 small islands along it's shoreline, many of which are inhabited.

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The basin system of irrigation was developed thousands of years ago; it is now used only in parts of southern Egypt and northern Sudan. The basin system only supports one main crop because it is dependent on the annual flooding of the Nile.

The perennial system of irrigation, less dependent on the Nile flood, is used more widely. The perennial irrigation system allows farmers to plant multiple crops.

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The Egyptian government built the New Aswan High Dam to improve irrigation and provide hydroelectric power. The dams also prevent most of the annual flooding of the Nile in Egypt.

The receiver behind the dams, Lake Nasser, allows the government to release water throughout the year for irrigation and navigation on the Nile.

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The Nile River was, and still is, a gift to the people who live close by. Six thousand years ago it provided water, food, and a way to travel through Egypt by boat. A great civilization grew up along its banks because of this gift of water, and to this day a great many people in Africa benefit from the bounty of this magnificent river.

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There are three main types of farming in Africa: sedentary agriculture, subsistence agriculture, and commercial agriculture. Farming in Africa has evolved over time and continues to undergo a transformative process throughout the region

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Sedentary farming is a system in which the farmer remains settled in one place. This contrasts with shifting cultivation and nomadic pastoralism, frequently found throughout African history, where the people of a region would constantly move to follow herds of animals and different horticulture. Nomadic pastoralism is a farming system where animals (cattle, goats, camels) are taken to different locations in order to find fresh pastures. Shifting cultivation is moving from plots of land when the land becomes exhausted – it is still practiced by some primitive tribes in the Congo Basin. The shift toward sedentary farming has truly changed African society. The growth of sedentary farming throughout history has greatly accelerated the pace of technological and social change.

Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only what they need to survive. The crops and animals raised are only for the use of the farm family – nothing is sold to others. The problem with this approach is that if your family traditionally grows maize and there is an incredible drought and your maize does not grow, then your family has no food. In recent years there has been a push for farmers to move away from this subsistence farming approach and plant crops that are drought-resistant and could also be sold. If a farmer grows cotton and maize, for example, and the maize does not grow, at least the cotton can be sold so the farmer can buy some food for his family. It has been incredibly difficult to convince farmers to take this approach and part with their traditional agricultural practices. Farmers are beholden to certain crops and certain animals – particularly cattle. Cattle are considered sacred to some, and in places like Swaziland, cattle are even given free veterinary care. Unfortunately, being tied to crops like maize and refusing to part with their cattle results in increasing poverty in rural areas.

Commercial farming is the raising of crops and livestock for sale and can be done on a large scale using modern machines and technology. Commercial farming can also be as simple as the previous example of farmers growing cotton to sell for food. The World Bank sees the development of commercial farming as the way to get many rural Africans out of poverty. Some people would say that there is no such thing as a subsistence farmer anymore. Peasant farmers are developing cooperative ventures, pooling their lands to grow items for sale overseas, and even individual farmers sell some things to the market.

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Ecosystems of Africa: The Sahara and the Serengeti

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Ecosystems of Africa: The Sahara and the Serengeti

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Africa is home to six distinct ecosystems: Mediterranean, Tropical Grassland, Hot Desert, Mountain Region, Dry Grassland, and Tropical Rainforest. In this section, we will take a closer look at two of these ecosystems – the hot desert and the dry grasslands.

The dry grassland region of Africa is known as the African savanna. Of the many African savannas, the Serengeti is most well known for its vast herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebras. Many people travel to the Serengeti for animal safaris to watch the herds of wild animals as well as the incredible birds. It is also home to one of the highest concentrations of large predators in the world. The following animals are just a few of the species you can find in the Serengeti.

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Almost never without its herd, wildebeest are one of the most distinctive groups on the Serengeti. Each year, over 1 million wildebeest travel in a circular migration according to seasonal rains across the Serengeti plains.

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Most African lions live on the open plains. They live in small family units that move with a larger group of up to 40 members.

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The gerenuk is also known as the gazelle-giraffe because of its long giraffe-like neck. When standing on four legs, it is just over 4 feet tall, but due to an evolutionary adaptation, the gerenuk is also able to stand on its hind legs, and extend its forelegs.

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The most famous desert region of Africa is the Sahara. The Sahara is the largest desert in the world and covers over 1/3 of the continent of Africa. The Sahara Desert is roughly the same size as the entire mainland United States. Over 25 percent of the Sahara's surface is covered by sand sheets and dunes, while most of the Sahara is made up of gravel plains and a small area is made up of rocky plateaus. The Sahara experiences unreliable precipitation and excessive heat. The Sahara’s average annual rainfall is 3 inches – however, that 3 inches of rainfall might come all at once and then not rain again for over a year! There is vegetation in this region, but it must be able to adapt to these unique characteristics. Most of the Sahara is uninhabitable.

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The continent of Africa is a land of vast resources. Spend a few minutes online doing an Internet keyword search for: Africa Resources Map.

One of the first and most well-known explorers to penetrate the interior of Africa was Dr. David Livingstone, a British physician and missionary. Born in Scotland, David Livingstone arrived in Africa in 1840 at the age of 27 as a missionary and physician. For centuries Africa was known as the 'Dark Continent,' since, except for its coastal regions, little was known of the land. The immediate effect of the explorations of men like Dr. Livingstone and other explorers such as Burton, Speke, and Stanley was that their explorations contributed to the potential desirability of parts of Africa for economic purposes – although that was not necessarily their intent while initially exploring the continent.

The Scramble for Africa officially began in 1881, when France moved into Tunis. After centuries of neglect, Europeans began to expand their influence into Africa. The end of the slave trade, exploration, capitalism, steam engines, medical advances, politics, and military innovations were all factors leading to the Scramble for Africa. Soon, it took on a full-fledged land grab in Africa by European powers - this is why it came to be called the Scramble for Africa.

The discovery of gold and diamonds in places like South Africa was a further catalyst for the exploration and subjugation of the continent. The quest for diamonds, gold, oil, and other minerals continues to impact the continent of Africa. On the next page, you will learn about conflict diamonds, sometimes called Blood Diamonds, and learn more about their impact on the countries and people of Africa.

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The profit from selling “Blood Diamonds” or conflict diamonds is used to fund the purchase of weapons for civil war. African countries most noted for the conflict diamond trade are Sierre Leone, Angola, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. Warlords would run illegal mining operations and force men and women and children to mine diamonds. Concerned about using diamonds to fund rebellion, the United Nations introduced a process to “certify” diamonds that were “free of conflict” called the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The process included a set of steps designed to control the production and trade of rough diamonds.

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Raising crops for use by the family

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Raising crops in one place

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Shrubland or health land plant community

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Rolling grassland with scattered shrubs

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Raising crops for sale

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Sediment left behind by the river

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Afrikaans word meaning 'fine bush'

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Extension of desert areas