Africa is the second largest continent consisting of 4 subregions: North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Central and Southern Africa. It has significant physical features including the Sahara desert in North Africa, the Niger River in West Africa, the Great Rift Valley and Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa, and the Congo Basin and River in Central and Southern Africa. The climate varies across regions from Mediterranean in North Africa to tropical wet or dry near the equator, influenced by physical geography like proximity to the Sahara desert or Ethiopian Highlands. Vegetation also differs, ranging from desert scrub in North Africa to tropical grasslands, broadleaf forests, and chaparral in other regions.

1. AFRICA: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Chapter 20

2. GENERAL INFORMATION
 Second largest continent
 Atlantic Ocean = West Coast
 Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea = North Coast
 Made up of 4 subregions
 North Africa
 East Africa
 West Africa
 Central and Southern Africa

3. PHYSICAL FEATURES
 “Plateau Continent”
 Plateau: Large flat area
 Basins on the plateau
 Basin: low-lying area
 North Africa
 Sahara: the world’s largest desert
 Atlas Mountains in the northwest part of the region
 West Africa
 Sahel: dry grassland
 Niger River: 3rd longest river in Africa
 Runs through the western Sahel
 Lake Chad

4. PHYSICAL FEATURES CONT’D
 East Africa
 Great Rift Valley
 Lake Tanganyika: longest freshwater lake in the world
 Lake Victoria: second largest freshwater lake
 Lake Malawi: ninth largest freshwater lake
 Mount Kilimanjaro
 East of Lake Victoria
 Highest point in Africa
 Ethiopian Highlands
 North of Lake Victoria
 Covers 2/3 of Ethiopia

5. PHYSICAL FEATURES CONT’D
 Central and Southern Africa
 Congo basin: At the center of the continent
 Congo River: goes through the Congo Basin and
empties into the Atlantic
 Zambezi River: Many waterfalls, including Victoria Falls
 Two deserts
 Namib desert
 Kalahari desert

6. CLIMATE
 Equator runs through middle of Africa
 Climate is warm all year
 Some regions wet
 Others very dry
 North Africa
 Mediterranean climate: warm all year with dry summers
and short, rainy winters.
 West Africa
 Northern part: arid and semi-arid
 Southern part: tropical wet and dry
 Near the equator
 Coastal areas: tropical wet

7. CLIMATE CONT’D
 East Africa
 Close to the Sahara: arid or semi-arid
 Ethiopian Highlands/Mt. Kilimanjaro
 Highlands-higher land is cooler and wetter, lower land is
warmer and drier
 Southern part: tropical wet and dry
 Central and Southern Africa
 Near equator: tropical wet
 Farther south: tropical wet and dry → arid or semi-arid
 Southernmost part
 Coastal areas near Indian Ocean = marine west coast: warm
summers, cool winters, rainfall year-round

8. CLIMATE CONT’D
 Central and Southern Africa cont’d
 Other coastal areas: humid subtropical = hot summers
with heavy rain, mild winters with some rain
 Madagascar (island)
 Eastern half: tropical wet
 Northwestern and central: tropical wet and dry
 Southwestern: semiarid
 Vegetation
 2/5 of land is tropical grassland: also known as savanna
(short and tall grasses, shrubs, trees)

9. VEGETATION CONT’D
 North Africa
 Desert scrub: small trees, bushes and other plants
adapted to a dry climate
 Along the Mediterranean Sea = chaparral: small trees
and bushes are adapted to long, dry summers.
 Broadleaf evergreen forest runts along the Nile River
through Egypt.
 Tropical grasslands in the southern edge of the Sahara.
 West Africa
 Mostly tropical grassland
 Some desert

10. VEGETATION CONT’D
 West Africa cont’d
 Southern part = broadleaf evergreen forest (rainforest)
 East Africa
 Tropical grassland
 Some coastal lands = broadleaf evergreen forests
 Ethiopia = highlands: plants change with altitude
 Central and Southern Africa
 Congo basin = broadleaf evergreen forest
 Namib and most of the Kalahari = desert/desert scrub
 Eastern Kalahari = tropical grassland
 Mountain ranges in Southern Africa = highlands
 Southern tip = chaparral