Sahara & Sahel
This is the world’s largest hot desert, covering most of northern Africa .
What is the Sahara Desert ?
Winding north through northeastern Africa, this is the longest river in the world.
What is the Nile River ?
Africa’s vast, rolling grasslands scattered with trees, home to famous wildlife like lions and elephants .
What is the savanna ?
Located in Tanzania, this dormant volcano is the highest mountain peak in Africa .
What is Mount Kilimanjaro ?
Many African citizens suffer from waterborne illnesses because they lack access to this basic necessity .
What is clean/safe drinking water ?
This semi-arid strip of land balances between the desert and the savanna, acting as a transition zone .
What is the Sahel ?
Africa's second-longest river, which flows through the heart of the tropical rainforest .
What is the Congo River ?
Located in the Congo Basin, this biome features dense vegetation and heavy rainfall year-round .
What is the tropical rainforest ?
This mountain range stretches across northwestern Africa, blocking moisture from the Atlantic and Mediterranean .
What are the Atlas Mountains ?
The term used to describe a long period of time with little to no rainfall, leading to severe water shortages .
What is a drought ?
The main environmental crisis facing the Sahel, where fertile land turns into desert .
What is desertification ?
The largest lake in Africa, which serves as a vital water source for millions but suffers from severe pollution .
What is Lake Victoria ?
The clearing or cutting down of trees, which is a major environmental threat to Africa's rainforests .
What is deforestation ?
A giant dip in the Earth's surface in East Africa created by the movement of tectonic plates .
What is the Great Rift Valley ?
Industrial waste, human sewage, and agricultural runoff all cause this major environmental issue in African waterways .
What is water pollution ?
Two human activities that accelerate desertification in the Sahel region .
What are overgrazing and deforestation ?
This river in western Africa is crucial for the oil industry but suffers from extreme pollution due to oil spills .
What is the Niger River ?
This is the primary reason why commercial logging companies are destroying Africa's rainforests .
What is exporting timber/lumber for economic profit?
A vast, dry plateau in southwestern Africa that is technically a semi-desert because it supports some plant life .
What is the Kalahari Desert ?
Governments prioritizing economic growth over environmental laws often leads to this issue in factories and mines .
What is lack of government regulation or enforcement ?
Nomadic herders in the Sahel often conflict with farmers over these two rapidly disappearing resources.
What are water and arable land ?
This massive engineering project on the Nile River controls flooding and generates power for Egypt, but blocks fertile silt from reaching farmland .
What is the Aswan High Dam ?
The destruction of the rainforest directly leads to a loss of this, meaning fewer unique plant and animal species can survive .
What is biodiversity?
Because much of Africa sits high above sea level with steep drops near the coast, the continent is often referred to as this type of landform .
What is a plateau (or the "Plateau Continent") ?
Poor water quality and water scarcity drastically hurt African economies because sick citizens cannot do this
What is work or attend school ?