AF Module 1:1 Flashcards
Africa Continent
20% of land area
Tropical wet near the equator
Arid conditions near the tropics
The Sahara
Largest hot desert 3.5M sq mi
Ergs
Large sand dunes
Make up 20% of Sahara
Contain salt**
Algeria, Libya, Mali, Nigeria
Regs
Plains of sand and gravel (black, red, white)
Remains of prehistoric seabeds and riverbeds
70% of Sahara
Oasis
Springs, wells, irrigation
75% of Africa’s population
Hamadas
Plateaus of rock and stone
Atlas, Tibetsi
Sahel
Transition zone between the Sahara and Savannas
Flat, barren plains
Contains Nile delta
Arabic word for “shore”
Plants in Sahel
Baobabs, Acacia, Cram Cram
Ethiopian Highlands
Rose 75 million y/a when magma lifted up a dome of rock that later split and created the Great Rift valley system.
80% of Africa’s tallest mountains
Savanna
Half of Africa 13 million sq km
Central Africa
Serengeti Plains 30k sq km
Swahili Coast
1,610 km along Indian Ocean Coast, Somalia to Mozambique
Coral reefs, barrier islands, mangroves
Rainforest
Destroyed by development, agriculture, forestry
80% along Congo River Basin
African Great Lakes
Lake Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi, Turkana, Tanganyika, Victoria
Southern Africa
Kaapvaal Craton (2.6B y/o)
Plateaus and Mountains
Epicenter of Africa’s reserves
Cape Floral Region (20% of flora, King Protea)