Africa

Africa
-Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian
Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean.
-It is home to 54 countries, 1,000 different languages, and 800 million people.
-10% of the world’s population lives in Africa
-The vast African continent has almost every type of landform and climate.
-Africa can be divided into several regions, including the Sahara, the Sahel, the savannahs, and the
tropical rain forests.
The Sahara desert

-The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert(3,500,000 miles).
-It runs across the width of Northern Africa And covers 1/3rd of the continent.
-It divides the continent into two distinct regions – North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
-The name Sahara comes from the Arabic word for desert.
-It covers many countries including Egypt,Libya,Chad,Algeria,Morocco,Niger,Sudan, and Tunisia.
-Very few people live in the desert because it's considered one of the harshest places to live in the
world.
Sahel
-The Sahel is a strip of dry grassland that is located south of the Sahara and north of the equator that
separates the desert from tropical rainforests.
-The word “Sahel” means “border” or“margin”.
-It is a dry, semi-arid region that is slowly turning into desert.
-It is relatively flat with few mountains and hills.
-Vegetation is sparse here-grasses and shrubs are unevenly distributed.
Savanna
-The African savannas are hot, dry grasslands that are located near the Equator and cover almost half
of Africa.
-The African savanna is the largest in the world(over 4.5 million square miles).
-There is a large variety of wildlife in the African savannas, including lions, zebras, & elephants.
-Farming is good here, but only if there is good rainfall.
-Grasses and grains like wheat, oats, and sorghum grow in the region.
-The area receives enough rain to support drought resistant undergrowth, but not enough to support
forest-type vegetation.
-Grasses are tall and thick, while trees are short and scattered.
Tropical Rainforest
-Central Africa is dominated by the Congo Basin.
-The vast forest of the Congo Basin is the second-largest tropical rainforest on Earth and serves as the
lungs of Africa.
-It is an area rich in mineral resources and rare metals.
-It covers 1/5th of the land surface of Africa and touches 37 countries.
-The rain forest has a hot, humid climate with an annual rainfall of over 17 feet.
-It is the home to a large variety of animals.
-It is found near equator and in Madagascar,island off southeast coast
-Trees are so thick and tall that sunlight never reaches the forest floor
-The trees grow hundreds of feet tall.
Nile River
-The Nile River lies in Eastern Africa.
- It is the longest river in the world and is called the father of African rivers.
- It starts in the mountains of central Africa and flows northward through eastern Africa and empties
into the Mediterranean Sea
-.The Nile is composed of two tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
-The White Nile, which is the longer of The two, begins at Lake Victoria in Tanzania and flows north
until it reaches Khartoum, Sudan, where it converges with the Blue Nile
-The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast.It’s an
important waterway for transporting people and goods.
-The Nile also provides a source of irrigation for agriculture.
Kalahari Desert
-The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area that’s located in southwestern Africa.
-It covers parts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
-The region is surrounded by semi-arid areas that are slowly becoming drier due to desertification.
-It is not a “true” desert because it receives 5-10 inches of rain per year.
- Because of the precipitation and underground water supplies,grass, shrubs, and wild animals manage
to live in the Kalahari desert.
South Africa
-Southern Africa consists mainly of hilly grasslands,deserts, and high coastal strips of land.
-Region experiences mild Mediterranean climate, warm temperatures and both summer, winter rains.
How is Africa connected to Asia?

-The Isthmus of Suez in eastern Egypt connects the continents of Africa and Asia and separates the
Mediterranean and Red Seas.
-The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the
Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez .

Africa

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Africa

The Sahara desert

How is Africa connected to Asia?

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