The document summarizes key physical geography and human geography aspects of Africa. It describes several major land features, water features, and trade routes on the continent. It also outlines Africa's key natural resources such as gold, diamonds, oil, natural gas, and forests. Regarding human geography, it notes that Africa's current population is over 1.3 billion people and the median age is 19.7 years. Population density varies significantly across the continent.

1. AFRICA

2. Physical geography (land, water features,
trade routes, natural resources)
02
01 03 The geopolitical engagements among the state
in the continent in 1. Local level, 2. Regional
level
CONTENTS
Human Geography (population, population
density, general culture)

3. Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the
Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and
the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided in half almost
equally by the Equator.
Land Features of Africa

4. Sahara
The Sahara is the worlds largest hot desert, covering 8.5 million square
kilometers (3.3 million square miles), about the size of the South American
country of Brazil. Defining Africa's northern bulge, the Sahara makes up 25
percent of the continent.
Land Features of Africa

5. The Sahel is a narrow band of semi-arid land that forms
a transition zone between the Sahara to the north and
the savannas to the south. It is made up of flat,
barren plains that stretch roughly 5,400 kilometers (3,300
miles) across Africa, from Senegal to Sudan.
Sahel

6. Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands began to rise 75
million years ago, as magma from
Earths mantle uplifted a
broad dome of ancient rock. This dome was
later split as Africa's continental crust
pulled apart, creating the Great Rift Valley
system. Today, this valley cuts through the
Ethiopian Highlands from the southwest to
the northeast. The Ethiopian Highlands are
home to 80 percent of Africas tallest
mountains.

7. Savanna
Savannas, or grasslands, cover almost half of
Africa, more than 13 million square kilometers
(5 million square miles). These grasslands make
up most of central Africa, beginning south of
the Sahara and the Sahel and ending north of
the continents southern tip.

8. Swahili Coast
The Swahili Coast stretches about 1,610
kilometers (1,000 miles) along the Indian
Ocean, from Somalia to Mozambique. The
nearby coral reefs and barrier islands
protect the coast from severe weather

9. Rain Forest
Most of Africas native rain forest has been destroyed
by development, agriculture, and forestry. Today, 80
percent of Africas rain forest is concentrated in
central Africa, along the Congo River basin.
The African rain forests plant community is even more
diverse, with an estimated 8,000 plant species documented.
More than 1,100 of these species are endemic, or found
nowhere else on Earth. Only 10 percent of the plants in
the African rain forest have been identified.

10. Water Features of Africa
- Africa’s rivers contain many waterfalls, rapids and
canyons, which make it less useful for
transportations
- Africa has the longest river in the world

11. - Longest river in World, with 4,000 miles long
- Starts from Sudan and Uganda to Egypt (south-to-
north direction)
- Water provides irrigation for the region for
thousands of years
- 95% of Egyptians live along the banks (drinking
water, irrigation)
Nile River

12. - Found in the south central part of Africa, 2900 miles
long
- Second largest river in Africa
- One of the most dangerous rivers in the continent
- Fast flowing, 10 million gallons per second (which
makes it Hydroelectricity source potential)
- There are also 32 waterfalls make it harder for
travelling purposes
- There are also large network of waterways (however,
not the place that people will use as way of
transportation)
Congo River

13. - 1640 feet high, twice as tall as Niagara Falls in NY
- Only 270 feet deep
- Africa’s largest and the world’s second-largest
freshwater lake by area
- Named by John Hanning Speke, British Explorer after
Queen Victoria of The UK
- Famous tourist attraction for its features such as
the Devil’s Pool/Armchair
Lake Victoria and its Falls

14. - Africa’s second-largest lake by area (420 miles)
- second-deepest in the world with over 4,700 feet ,
next to Lake Baikal
- Contains seven times as much as water as Lake
Victoria (due to the depth)
- Forms the boundary between countries such as:
o Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC)
o Part of the boundary between Burundi and the
DRC
o Part of the boundary between Tanzania and
Zambia.
Lake Tanganyika

15. Lake Malawi
- Africa’s third-largest lake by area and the
southernmost of the Great Rift Valley lakes
- Found between the nations of Malawi, Tanzania (Lake
Nyasa), and Mozambique (Lake Niassa); thus name is
disputed.
- Contains hundreds of species of endemic fish,
especially 700 species of cichlids.

16. - The largest man-made lake (by area) in the world
- Created by the construction of Ghana’s Akosombo Dam
across the Volta River in the 1960s.
- The Akosombo Dam can provide over a gigawatt of
power, enough to supply nearby aluminum smelters
utilizing the energy-intensive Hall-Héroult process
and the needs of the rest of the country.
Lake Volta

17. Trade Routes of Africa
-Trade routes of Ancient Africa played an important
role in the development of their empires (in keeping
their economy moving)

18. Ancient Africa
Trans-Saharan Route
-The main trade route of Africa was the track across the Saharan Desert, nowadays called the Trans-
Saharan Highway.
-used primarily until around 1500 AD
-used to transport items such as gold and salt from Western and Central Africa to more distant African
countries.
-It was also used to trade with the port cities built along the northern coast of the continent.
-also used to trade with other continents such as Europe and Asia
-West-east trade happened before through this route in large parties called CARAVANS

19. Camel – main mode of transport to move both people and items, are well-suited to surviving
desert conditions.
Barter System – common system of Commerce in Africa where goods would be traded for other
goods.
The gold mines of West Africa - supplied the empires of Africa (the Ancient Egyptians, and
the Kingdom of Mali) with a steady supply of wealth, and enabled trade.
Ivory - another valuable material used for trade aside from cloth, slaves, metal, and bead
jewelry.
Emergence of Trade Centers- as trade flourished, cities developed whose economies centered
around it”

20. TRADE CENTERS
Western Africa Trade Centers – Timbuktu, Gao and Djenne
Northern Africa Trade Centers – along the coast, seaports developed to
enable trade with Europe through the Mediterranean Sea such as Cairo and
Tunis.

21. Effects of this Trade
Spread of Islam Religion Development of Arabic as common lang. Lower crime rate on trade routes
Development of Monetary System Emergence of States and Thriving of Civilizations

22. Natural resources of Africa
Africa has a large quantity of natural resources, including diamond, sugar,
salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and cocoa
beans, but also woods and tropical fruits etc. Recent oil reserve discoveries
have increased the importance of that commodity on African economies.

23. Woods
Especially high-grade woods like mahogany and okoume,
brings in significant revenue. These woods are mostly
found in the countries of the Congo Basin—Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial
Guinea—where there is a dense rain forest. Okoume, for
example, accounts for 90 percent of the trees logged in
Gabon. These woods are generally exported to Japan,
Israel, and the European Union. Mahogany and okoume are
used to make everything from homes to musical
instruments to lightweight aircraft.

24. Marine fisheries
Marine fisheries are important to many coastal countries in
Africa. West Africa is one of the most economically important
fishing zones in the world, producing 4.5 million tons of fish
in 2000. Namibia and South Africa are also major players in the
marine fish market, exporting between 80 and 90 percent of
their fish annually. The Eastern African countries of Eritrea,
Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya have well-established fisheries in
the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Small fish such as herring and
sardines are the most common catch on the African coastline.
However, larger fish, such as tuna, cod, hake, and haddock, are
the most profitable.

25. Africa’s Great Lakes support the largest inland fisheries on the continent.
Lake Victoria is the most productive freshwater fishery in the world,
producing more than 500,000 tons of fish worth $600 million every year. The
Nile perch, a highly prized catch that can weigh more than 45 kilograms (100
pounds), and the Nile tilapia are Lake’s Victoria’s dominant commercial fish
species.

26. Mining and Drilling
Africa is a major producer of important metals and minerals. Metals
exported by African countries include uranium, used to produce nuclear
energy; platinum, used in jewelry and industrial applications; nickel,
used in stainless steel, magnets, coins, and rechargeable batteries;
bauxite, a main aluminum ore; and cobalt, used in color pigments.
Africa’s two most profitable mineral resources are gold and diamonds. In
2008, Africa produced about 483 tons of gold, or 22 percent of the world’s
total production. South Africa accounts for almost half of Africa’s gold
production. Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Tanzania are other major producers
of gold.

27. Africa is home to select deposits
of oil and natural gas, which are drilled for
energy and fuel. In 2007, the continent
produced 12.5 percent of the world’s total oil
production and 6.45 percent of the world’s total
natural gas production. Nigeria, Libya,
Algeria, Egypt, and Angola dominate Africa’s
oil industry. Oil exploration has
significantly increased on the continent, and
many countries are looking to become first-
time producers.
Oil and Natural Gas

28. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA
Population
The current population of Africa is 1,353,144,084 as of Tuesday, November 24,
2020, based on the latest United Nations estimates. Africa’s population is
equivalent to 16.72% of the total world population. The median age in Africa
is 19.7years. Median age pertains to the age that divides the population into
two numerically equal groups: half of the people are older than the median
age indicated and half are younger.

29. Population Density
Africa ranks number 2 among regions of the world, among continents, ordered by
population. The total land area is 29,648,481 Km2 (11,447,338 sq. miles). Africa’s population
density is 45 per Km2 (117 people per mi2) this is the measure of the number of people per
unit area, commonly represented as people per square mile (or square kilometer). 43.8 % of
the population is urban (587,737,793 people in 2019) which means living in areas
classified as urban according to the criteria used by each country.

30. General Culture
The large continent of Africa is so rich and diverse in culture that in every country,
not just African culture can be found but many other culture from around the world
can be found which is influenced by external factors. Most of Africa’s culture focuses
on family and indigenous groups. Arts, music and oral literature are used to continue
religious and social patterns.
Africa has a lot of ethnic groups and tribes which some group has about few hundred
members of it. Each tribe follows their own rules and traditions. To name some of the
tribes, the Afar tribe are those who lives in Ethiopian desert lands, and if you move
to central highland plateau in Ethiopia there will be the Amhara people who are
farmers and they also have their own language which came from the influence of
Arabic and Hebrew languages. Africa has an estimated total of 3,000 tribes in which
they vary in language and culture.

31. One of the most interesting unique tradition culture of African tribe is that
the people of Lobola, a tribe in Africa, follow an interesting custom. The groom
has to pay to the father of the bride to ‘compensate’ the loss of their daughter
and also to prove that the groom is capable of providing and supporting the
bride. The groom, traditionally, has to pay in cattle but today they do it in
cash.
Polygamy is practiced in many African cultures. As long as the groom can
provide his wives, he can marry. Polygamy is supposed to bring families together
and help each other. Wives shares responsibilities of household chores, taking
care of the children, and making meals. Family protection is the core of value
of African tribes. This includes taking care of each other, looking out for each
other when hunting to make sure no one is abandoned. These are just some of the
unique tradition being practiced by the tribes in the Africa.

32. The geopolitical engagement among the state in the continent in
Local level and Regional level

33. Local
Level

34. Regional
Level

35. • Security And Stability Of The
Continent
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Good Governance
• Democracy And Human Rights
• Technology Transfer
• Development Of Culture
• Environment
35
Common Interest of African States

36. 36
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37. 37
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MEMBERS

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