AF Module 1: Mastering a Continent Flashcards
AF1.1
.
Who was the first man and woman of Africa?
Man: Kikuyu
Woman: Mumbi
What does the story of Kikuyu and Mumbi tell?
mountains and ridges
Which is the great Mountain in Africa? What is unusual about this mountain?
Mount Kilimanjaro of Tanzania
- Mount Kilimanjaro stands on the Equator, but because of the mountain’s great height, its summit is covered in snow all year.
Africa is the _____ largest continent.
2nd
Africa contains more ______ states than any other continent on Earth - 55 in all
INDEPENDENT states
Africa straddles the _____
equator
What is to the West and East of Africa? What about the North and Northeast?
West: Atlantic
East: Indian
North: Mediterranean
Northeast: Red Sea
Although _____ set Africa apart from other regions, they also link it to the rest of the world. Explain.
OCEANS
- ships sailed along the Mediterranean and Red Sea. These ships carried people, ideas, and goods.
North Africa stretches from ______ in the West to _____ in the East.
Morroco; Egypt
- because of its location, it always had close contact with Europe and the Middle East
- it is also closely linked to the regions of the south of the Sahara, also called sub-Saharan Africa.
The region of Southern Africa includes ____
the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean
Most of Africa is
a vast plateau
The highest plateaus of Africa are in
the East and South
Escarpments
steep hills that divide the plateau from the coastal plain
Changes in elevation affect ______
the course of Africa’s rivers
Cataracts
large waterfalls, and rapids
Great Rift Valley
runs through the Eastern part of the continent
- runs from the Red Sea to the Zamebi River
What region contains some of Africa’s most fertile farmland?
Great Rift Valley
What are Africa’s rivers used for?
they provide fish, water for irrigation, and a means of transportation.
- They are also a source of hydroelectric production, or energy produced by moving water.
How did the Nile have a key role in human development?
one of the earliest civilizations developed in the fertile Nile Valley of northeastern Africa.
What is a split in the African continent?
The Rift
FIll in the blanks:
____ has deposited rich soil in the base of the Rift Valley. _____ has created mountains, such as Mount Kilimanajro and Mount Kenya.
- erosion
- volcanic activity
How does the rift zone support economic activities?
- Volcanic soil provides fertile farmland.
- Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, two of the Earth’s deepest lakes, are sources of salt and soda ash.
- Steam and hot springs lie below the surface of the valley.
The volcanic ash is a good agent for ____
preserving bones
Explain the significance of the Aswan Dam.
created by the Egyptians in 1970,
- supplies hydroelectric power
- created a vast lake that stores water for irrigation
Congo River
- many tributaries
- carries enormous volume of water
- hydroelectric power
- not much transportation
Niger River
- pump water to irrigate rice and millet
- catch fish
- larger riverboats carry cargo
Zambezi River
- rushes over Victoria Falls
- provides border between Zimbabwe and Zambia
- provides hydroelectric power to both nations
What are some natural resources Africa has that are exported?
minerals and metals
- West Africa: Gold
- DR Congo and Zambia: Copper
- Nigeria, Angola: oil deposits
- platinum, cobalt
Describe Uganda and its stand in exports.
few mineral resources, but rich in soils and abundant water
- Ugandan farmers produce a variety of crops
______ makes farming in Africa difficult.
Uncontrolled rain
AF1.2
.
What determines the climate of Africa?
rainfall
- Indeed, people of Botswana consider rainfall so important and call their money ‘pula,’ which means rain.
What percent of Africa is tropics?
80%
- Africa is between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
The coolest regions of Africa are found in ______. Explain.
HIGHLANDS
- temperatures drop as elevation increases
Seasons vary ________.
north and south of the Equator.
- father north or south from the Equator, the shorter the rainy period and longer the dry season is.
Because of _____, almost every type of _____ can be found in Africa.
- size
- climate and vegetation
Name the types of climates in Africa.
- tropical wet
- tropical wet and dry
- desert
- Mediterranean
rain forests cover _____
8% of Africa.
- hot and humid
- soil is very poor
- many disease-carrying insects
- dampness can cause items to become moldy and rot.
Savanna
covers half of Africa
- like a home to most Africans
- mostly hot and wet
Population growth causes serious problems in drier parts of the ____.
SAVANNA
- people seeking land move into semiarid areas, and chop down trees to develop Africa’s socieities.
- this leads to desertification, or the turning of semidesert land into desert.
Describe the Kalahari and Namib Deserts compared to the Sahara.
- The Kalahari is not as dry as Sahara.
- The Namib Desert is one of the driest places on Earth.
Describe some of Africa’s most deadly diseases.
- Malaria: spread by mosquitos killing up to 1 million children yearly
- Sleeping sickness: carried by tsetse fly, infects both people and livestock. Many Africans have little meat in their diet as this disease kills cows.
- River blindness: losing sight
- Bilharzia: transmitted by snails and parasitic worms, when people swim in streams where snails are
Where are the most populated areas of Africa?
- southern part of West Africa
- (Morroco, Algeria, Nile Vlley)
5 types of societies
- farming
- herding
- fishing
- hunting, food gathering
- urban
Deserts cover
40 percent of Africa.
Describe how we can learn about the early movement of African people by studying the language.
Arabs from the Middle East traded with local African people.
- result was a new language, Swahili, which is spoken by many people in East Africa today.
AF1.3
.
Where does the Sahara’s name come from?
Arabic word for “tan,” the color of desert
Sahel
the Sahara’s southern sub-desert fringe
- originates from the Arabic word for “shore.”
___ and ___ have significantly shaped African economic development.
Geography and climate
- In eastern African plains, the humans hunted wild animals, while the drier regions favored herdin. Wetter savanna regions encouraged grain-based agriculture. Tropical rainforests favored hunting and gathering.
Ethiopians
the ancient Greeks called the people who lived south of the Sahara Ethiopians
- means “people with burnt faces”
The Berbers
- termed as “Akal-n-Iquinawen,” which serves today as Guinea.
- Arabs used term “Bilad al-Sudan,” which survives as Sudan.
- The Berber and Arab terms both mean “land of the blacks.”
