geography "Africa" Flashcards
How many people live in Africa
Over 1 billion
Where is Africa located
South of Europe
Southwest of Asia
How many countries are in Africa (it’s the most on one continent)
54
What is the largest desert in Africa that is also the largest desert in the world
What does the name mean
Sahara
“Desert” in Arabic
What is the longest river in Africa that is also the longest in the world
Nile
Climate zones with the same average temperature and the same average precipitation
Biome
What are the three main biomes in Africa
What is the fourth less common one
Desert
Rain forest
Savanna
Chaparral
How many inches of rain does the desert get
Less than 10 inches of rain a year
How much rain does the rain forest get
At least 70 inches of rain a year
What biome is nearly 1/2 of Africa
Savanna
Wide open grasslands
Savanna
What are the major rivers in Africa
Nile
Congo
What is the 9th longest river in the world
Congo
What are the major seas in Africa
Mediterranean
Red
What are the major oceans in Africa
Where are they located
Atlantic - east
Indian - west
What does Africa have an abundance of
Natural resources
What is wrong with the natural resources
They are not evenly distributed between countries or within countries
What has led to wars between nations and civil war inside of same nations
Natural resources
What has the fight for natural resources led to
Wars between nations and civil war inside of some nations
The world’s longest river, flowing over 4000 miles
Nile river
Where does the Nile river flow
Through the Sudan Basin into Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt
A long, thin valley created by the moving apart of the tectonic plates
Present in East Africa, stretching over 4000 miles from Jordan in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in Southern Africa
Rift Valley
Where is the Rift Valley present
Where does it stretch
East Africa
From Jordan in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in Southern Africa
A steep slope with a nearly flat plateau on top
Escarpment
The largest desert in the world, stretching 3000 miles across the African continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, and measuring 1200 miles from north to south
Sahara
Where does the Sahara stretch
Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea
A place where water from an aquifer has reached the surface; it supports vegetation and wildlife
Oasis
An area in Tanzania containing some of the best grasslands in the world and many grazing animals
It has a high climate
Serengeti Plain
A narrow band of dry grassland, running east to wear on the southern edge of the Sahara, that is used for farming and herding
Sahel
An expansion of dry conditions to moist areas that are next to deserts
Desertification
A dam in the Nile River in Egypt, computed in 1970, which increased Egypt’s formable land by 50% and protected it from droughts and floods
Aswan High Dam
Loose sedimentary material containing very small rock particles, formed by river deposits and very fertile
Silt
Where is the Sahel located
Southern edge of the Sahara
What marks the edge of Africa’s plateau in Southern Africa
The Great Escarpment
Compare Africa’s size and population to that of the UnitedStates.
Africa has a larger land mass and population compared to the United States
How much larger in terms of population and size is Africa compared to the UnitedStates?
3x the U.S. population
4x the U.S. land mass
What independent nations appear on the map of Africa in 1913 and also appear on the map of Africa today?
Union of South Africa
Ethiopia
Liberia
Which two European powers controlled the most land in Africa in 1913?
Which country controlled the least amount?
France
Britain
Which three African countries emerged from colonialism with the most territory?
Democratic Republic of Congo
Sudan
Algeria
What religion is the most dominant
Christianity
What are the two largest cities
Cairo
Lagos
What is Africa ranked in the largest continents
2nd
Only Asia surpasses it
Where does most of the continent lie
At least 1,000 feet above sea level
What do geographers often call Africa
The “Plateau Continent”
What do Africa’s rivers contain much of
Waterfalls
Rapids
Gorges
What impact do the waterfalls, rivers, and gorges have on the rivers
They cannot be used for traveling or trading goods
What is the largest mountain on the continent
Mount Kilimanjaro
What kind of mountains does Africa mostly contain
Volcanic
Who tried to take Africa’s goods
Europeans
Who send 40% of their oil to us
Nigeria
What places on the continent produce about 1/10 of the world’s oil
Nigeria
Libya
Algeria
Angola
What are the two most profitable commodities
Oil
Coffee
What can temperatures rise above in the summer in the Sahara
130°
What can temperatures fall below at night in the Sahara in winter
Freezing
What part of the Sahara consists of sand
What are the other parts made of
20%
Mountains, rock formations, gravelly plains
What animals is used most commonly for travel in the Sahara
Why
Camel
They can go up to 17 days without water
Many parts of Africa get how much rain a year
Less than 20 inches
Where in Africa may rain not fall for years
Sahara and other deserts
What covers most of Africa
Tropical grassland
Has a dry climate and hard soil, preventing the growth of trees and many crops, but it’s perfect for growing grass
The Serengeti Plain
What animals roam on the grassy plains of Africa
Huge herds of wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras
What is endangering the existence of the rain forest
Farmers using the slash-and-burn technique
What do experts estimate about the African rain forest
That over 1/2 of the African rain forest has been destroyed
