Africa's Physical Features
This major river flows north through northeastern Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile River
Which major African physical feature lies directly north of the Sahel?
The Sahara Desert
This Central African country is the world’s leading producer of cobalt and is also rich in copper, diamonds, and coltan. Name the country.
The DRC produces about three-quarters of the world’s cobalt and holds more than half of the world’s cobalt reserves.
What are the five major regions of Africa?
North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa
Which biome covers most of the Congo Basin in Central Africa?
Tropical Rainforest
You enter a vast, low-lying region near the Equator. The climate is hot and wet throughout much of the year, and the landscape contains extremely dense tropical vegetation and an enormous network of rivers and tributaries. What physical feature are you in?
The Congo Basin / Congo Rainforest
The Sahel is an area where the dry Sahara gradually changes into wetter savanna. What type of geographic area is this called?
A transition zone
Africa has enormous natural-resource wealth. Give TWO ways these resources can help a country's development.
create jobs, earn money, support trade, or fund schools, hospitals and roads.
Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal are all located in which region of Africa?
West Africa
This biome has distinct wet and dry seasons and is dominated by grasses with scattered trees. What is it?
Savanna
Two students are mapping major African deserts. One shades a huge area across northern Africa, while the other shades an area mainly across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Name both deserts and identify which one is farther from the Equator.
Sahara and Kalahari; the Kalahari is farther from the Equator
The Sahel receives highly erratic rainfall. Explain how this can create TWO challenges for farmers.
Farmers cannot reliably predict when to plant crops, and too little or poorly timed rainfall can cause crop failure and food shortages.
Based on our reading, which TWO African minerals are important for making products such as phones, computers, and car batteries?
Copper and cobalt
A traveler visits Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya, in that order. Which THREE African regions have they traveled through?
West Africa → Central Africa → East Africa
Starting at the Equator and traveling north toward the Sahara, put these four biomes in the correct order.
Tropical rainforest → Deciduous woodland → Savanna → Desert/semi-desert
A geographer travels from the Atlas Mountains to Lake Victoria and then to the Kalahari Desert. Name the three African regions they travel through, in order.
North Africa → East Africa → Southern Africa
What is desertification, and why is the Sahel particularly vulnerable to it?
Desertification is the process where fertile/productive land becomes degraded and increasingly desert-like. The Sahel is vulnerable because of low and unreliable rainfall, drought, and human activities such as overgrazing and vegetation removal.
A country has huge mineral wealth, but many citizens remain poor. Give TWO reasons why having valuable natural resources may not benefit everyone.
Resource wealth may not be shared fairly, and extraction can create problems such as environmental damage, pollution, or conflict over control of resources
The DRC is in Southern Africa, and the Nile River is the major river running through the Congo Basin.” Correct BOTH errors.
The DRC is in Central Africa, and the Congo River is the major river associated with the Congo Basin.
Both the savanna and deciduous woodland have a dry season. What key difference in rainfall explains why deciduous woodland has more trees?
Deciduous woodland receives more rainfall than the savanna, allowing trees to grow closer together.
A traveler journeys south from the Sahara toward the Congo Basin. What THREE environments would they pass through before reaching the tropical rainforest? Put them in the correct order.
Sahara Desert → Sahel → Savanna → Tropical Rainforest (Congo Basin)
The Great Green Wall aims to restore degraded land across the Sahel. How can planting and protecting vegetation help slow desertification?
Vegetation protects and holds the soil in place, reduces erosion, and helps restore degraded land.
Mining can bring jobs and money to African countries, but it can also cause serious problems. Name TWO environmental impacts caused by mining or drilling.
pollution, destruction of forests, or damage to animal habitats.
A student says, “South Africa and Southern Africa mean the same thing.” Explain why this statement is incorrect.
South Africa is one country, while Southern Africa is a geographic region made up of several countries, including South Africa.
Two regions in Africa are equally hot, but one has dense tropical rainforest while the other has savanna. What difference in climate best explains their different vegetation?
Rainfall. Tropical rainforests receive heavy rainfall throughout the year, while savannas have seasonal rainfall with a long dry season, which limits tree growth.