The document summarizes the origins and meaning of the name "Africa", the tectonic plates that make up Africa, the geographic history of how Africa reached its current location, and the unique landforms, plant life, and animal life found in Africa. It discusses theories on the etymology of the name Africa and the major tectonic plates of the African and Somali plates. It also describes Africa's plant life varying by climate, its iconic big five animals, and prominent landforms like plateaus, rivers, rainforests and savannas.

1. BIOGRAPHY OF
THE MOTHER
LAND
AFRICA

2. Origin and meaning of Africa’s name
Theory 2:
• Comes from a Phoenician word “afar”
meaning dust
• Since Africa was hot and dusty, when
the word “afar” was combined with the
Latin suffix “-ica”
The name would mean “land of dust”
Theory 1:
• After the Romans defeated
Carthage (now called Tunisia)
in the Punic war, they named
this northern province “Africa”
• The word Africa originated
from the name of a tribe that
lived in Carthage named the
“Afri”
•“Africa was the feminine form
of the word “Africus” which
meant “land of the Afri”

3. What tectonic plates make up Africa?
The African plate is a
major plate that covers
most of Africa and the
oceanic crust that lies
between Africa and
surrounding ocean
ridges.
The African plate is split in 2
parts. The first part is the
Nubian plate. It is the
largest and it covers the
north western part of Africa
as well as a big chunk of the
Atlantic ocean
African plate
Nubian
plate
The second part
of the African
plate is the
Somali plate. It is
smaller than the
Nubian plate and
only covers the
south eastern
part of Africa.
Somali plate

4. When did Africa get to its location, and
how did it get its current form?
The geographic history of Africa

5. What landforms, plant life and animal
life are unique in Africa?
The plant life in Africa is
wide and varied. It differs
according to climate
region. The desert
regions of Africa are
made up of plants that
can survive the arid
conditions like cypress,
olive trees and cacti.
The savanna regions of
Africa are made up of
open areas of tall grass,
while its rain forests are
jungles of dense wet
forests.

6. Continued (Animal life)
Africa is very well known
for its wildlife. This is a
unique aspect of it
because no other
continent offers the
opportunity of seeing
such diverse spectrum of
proximity from a very
close view.
There are over 1100 different
species of mammals, but the
most important are the “Big 5”.
The Big 5 are Africa’s greatest
animals- Lion, Leopard, Rhino,
Elephant and Buffalo.
Fun Fact:
4 of the fastest animals
live in Africa. The first is
the cheetah with a speed
of 70 mph!

7. Continued (Landforms)
Landforms
of Africa
Plateaus:
•Almost the whole continent is
covered with plateaus.
•The highest is found in south
Africa and is 11,000 ft tall
Rivers:
•Africa is home to 52
beautiful rivers.
• The Nile, which is the
longest is also located in
Africa.
Rain forests:
• The second largest rainforest is
located in Africa is located in central
west Africa. It includes half of
Africa's wildlife including Gorillas
and chimpanzees,
Savannas:
• They are vast
grassland fount in mid
southern Africa.
• They are home to the
great cats of the
continent like lions and
cheetahs.
•The savannas are very
wide , with few
scattered trees.

8. Works cited
• http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/media/assessment/illustrations/DE4_7.jpg
• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/AfricanPlate.png/280px-AfricanPlate.png
• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/SomaliPlate.png/280px-SomaliPlate.png
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Plate
• http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/05/the-origin-of-the-names-of-the-continents/
• http://www.holidaybug.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/big5.jpg
• http://www.desertusa.com/cactus/photos/IMG-3369_2481.jpg
• http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/6F/6F9675E0-D98A-4B84-A986-
4523DD418B39/Presentation.Large/Saharan-cypress-in-desert-habitat.jpg
• http://www.sanaalodge.com/photos/kakum.jpg
• http://africageographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/open-safari-vehicle-lions.jpg
• http://interesting-africa-facts.com/Africa-Landforms/Africa-Landforms.html