Geography

of Africa
Handouts
Geography of Africa Questions
Using maps from your textbook, atlases, or other sources, answer the following
questions about the geography of Africa. Each block will have a question to answer
on the answer grid and a question to fill in on the map.
1. Africa is Earth’s second-largest 2. The world’s longest river flows from
continent, covering one-fifth of Earth’s east-central Africa north to the
total land area. What are the six major Mediterranean Sea. What is its name?
bodies of water that surround Africa? Label these rivers: Congo, Niger, Nile,
Label them on the map. Orange, Senegal, and Zambezi.
3. What is the name of the world’s 4. A large rainforest in central Africa
largest desert that covers most of takes its name from the river that runs
northern Africa? through it. What is it?
On your map, label The Kalahari Desert, On your map, outline this region and
The Namib Desert, and the Sahara lightly color it green.
Desert. Lightly color them brown.
5. What is the name of the large island- 6. What is the mountain range in
country off the southeast coast of northern Africa that is very close to
Africa? Spain?
Label this island on your map. Label this mountain range on your map.
Mark this region with ∆∆∆∆ s.
7. Is the elevation of Eastern Africa 8. Most of Africa’s mountains were
higher or lower than Western Africa. created by volcanic activity. What are
the two tallest mountains in Africa and
On your map, color the Great Rift Valley what is the height of each?
orange and label it. Label the Ethopian Label each of these mountains on your
Highlands. map. ∆
9. The world’s second-largest 10. The world’s longest freshwater lake
freshwater lake is in central Africa. is near the Great Rift Valley. What is it
What is it? (Hint: It is named for a named?
British Monarch.) Label this lake on your map. Color it
Label this lake on your map, color it blue. blue.
11. South of the Sahara Desert is a 12. Most farming takes place in the
semi-arid region called the Sahel or Savanna. Looking at the latitudes of the
Steppe. What is this land used for? Savanna, what is the temperature most
likely to be in this region?
Label the Sahel on your map. Color it
tan. Label the Savanna on your map; color it
yellow.

Geography of Africa 1
Geography of Africa-Answer Grid

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

9. 10.

11. 12.

Geography of Africa 2
Geography of Africa-Answers
1. Atlantic Ocean, 2. The Nile River
Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of
Guinea, Indian Ocean, Gulf of
Aden, Red Sea

3. The Sahara Desert 4. The Congo Rainforest

5. Madagascar 6. The Atlas Mountains

7. The elevation of Eastern 8. Mt. Kilamajaro, 19,341 ft. and

Africa is higher. Mt. Kenya, 17, 058 ft.

9. Lake Victoria 10. Lake Tanganyika

11. Nomadic herding 12. The temperatures are most

likely to be very warm to hot.

Geography of Africa 3
Map of Africa

Geography of Africa 4
Africa Game

START You have traveled

through a dust
Enjoy your storm in the
African Sahara, and ended
adventure! back at your
starting point!

Did you learn your Mt.

Swahili before you
left? Go back 3 Killimanjaro
spaces and learn the ?
language before you
begin your adventure.

Take a
Mediterranean ride up
Sea
the Nile
River!

END

Geography of Africa 5
Africa Game Cards

1 2

Name the river that flows What is the world’s second-

from east-central Africa north largest freshwater lake in
to the Mediterranean Sea. central Africa?

3 4

Name the largest island- Identify the mountain range in

country off the southeast northern Africa that is very
coast of Africa. close to Spain.

5 6

What is the largest desert in Name the large rainforest in

the world? central Africa.

7 8

Identify the line of latitude Identify the line of longitude

located at 0° that runs located at 0° that runs
through the continent of through the continent of
Africa. Africa.

9 10

Name the tallest mountain in Africa is home to one of the

Africa. world’s most spectacular
sights. Name this location.

Geography of Africa 6
Africa Game Cards-continued

11 12

What is the lowest point in Name the highlands that

Africa? stretch from the Red Sea to
the Zambezi River.

13 14

What is the second longest What is the huge crack in the

river in Africa? earth’s surface that measures
almost 4,000 miles called?

15 16

Name the body of water north Name the channel that

of Africa. separates Madagascar from
the mainland.

17 18

Name the body of water east Identify the body of water

of Africa. that separates North America
and Africa.

19 20

Tanzania is home to what Name the gulf off the coast

plain? of Ghana.

Geography of Africa 7
Africa Game Cards-continued

21 22

Name the body of water to If you were crossing from

the northeast of Sudan. Algeria to Niger what mountain
range would you cross?

23 24

Identify the strait between What is the southern most

Morocco and Spain. part of Africa?

25 26

27 28

29 30

Geography of Africa 8
Africa Game Answers

1. The Nile River 13. The Congo

2. Lake Victoria 14. The Great Rift Valley

3. Madagascar 15. Mediterranean

4. Atlas Mountains 16. Mozambique Channel

5. Sahara Desert 17. Indian Ocean

6. The Congo Rainforest 18. Atlantic Ocean

7. The Equator 19. Serengeti Plain

8. The Prime Meridian 20. Gulf of Guinea

9. Mt. Kilimanjaro 21. Red Sea

10. Victoria Falls 22. Ahaggar Mountains

11. Lake Asal, Djibouti 23. Strait of Gibraltar

12. Eastern Highlands 24. Cape Town, South Africa

Geography of Africa 9
What Do You Know About Africa? Matrix
Do I think this Your findings
Statement statement is Research notes based on the
true or false? research.

Most of Africa is covered with hot,

steamy jungles.

Large numbers of wild animals—lions,

tigers, elephants, giraffes, etc.--can
be found roaming all over, but
especially in the jungles.

Most Africans outside the big cities

live in grass huts or small mud
homes.

Africans that live south of the

Sahara Desert are Bushmen,
Pygmies, or Watusis.

There are large cities in Africa that

look much like large American cities.

Geography of Africa 10
What Do You Know About Africa? Matrix-continued

Do I think this Your findings

Statement statement is Research notes based on the
true or false? research.

Throughout history, there were rich

and powerful civilizations in Africa.

Africa is not a single country, but

made of more than fifty different
countries.

“African” is the official language in

most of Africa.

African culture (language, religion,

customs) is the same all over Africa.

All African children learn to read

and write by attending local schools.

Geography of Africa 11
 What Do You Know About Africa?-teacher’s guide

False 1. Most of Africa is covered with hot, steamy jungles.

False 2. Large numbers of wild animals—lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes,

etc.—can be found roaming all over, but especially in the jungles.

False 3. Most Africans outside the big cities live in grass huts or small mud
homes.

False 4. Africans that live south of the Sahara Desert are Bushmen,
Pygmies, or Watusis.

True 5. There are large cities in Africa that look much like large
American cities.

True 6. Throughout history, there were rich and powerful civilizations in

Africa.

True 7. Africa is not a single country, but made of more than fifty
different countries.

False 8. “African” is the official language in most of Africa.

False 9. African culture (language, religion, customs) is the same all over
Africa.

False 10. All African children learn to read and write by attending local
schools.

Geography of Africa 12
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Most of Africa is covered with hot, steamy

jungles.

Most of Africa is savanna or grassland, while only about

one-seventh of it is jungle. This rain forest is almost
entirely in the Congo Basin, the Gulf of Guinea coast area
of West Africa, and the eastern coast of the Malagasy
Republic. Because of their dense foliage and the
presence of cloud cover, the forests are not the hottest
places on the continent; the temperature rarely goes past
ninety degrees. The only “jungles” might be found near
the river banks. The savanna region stretches from the
forest zones to the desert areas, varying its growth from
lush green grasses to drier, coarser, shrubs as the region
moves away from the forest.

Geography of Africa 13
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Large numbers of wild animals—lions, tigers,

elephants, giraffes, etc.—can be found roaming
all over, but especially in the jungles.

Most of the game animals that are found in Africa live in

the grasslands. Most are in parks that are set aside and
preserved, many as tourist attractions. This land is
mostly in southern and East Africa and covers a very
small percentage the continent. (Tigers are not
indigenous to Africa, but are from Asia.)

Geography of Africa 14
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Most Africans outside the big cities live in grass huts

or small mud homes.

Rural housing varies, depending on climate, life style, and

tradition. Many Africans live in houses built of sun-dried mud
with roofs of straw, grass, or leaves. As villagers become wealthy,
they may construct houses of concrete blocks with sheet-metal
roofs. Almost all villages have several dwellings of this type. Some
houses are made of stone. Most are average in size, beautiful,
with dressed stones. The houses usually have two to six bedrooms
and one big room that doubles as a sitting room/dinning room.
The walls are cemented, and sometimes painted. The roof is
usually made of tin or bricks. In parts of western Africa, some
houses are covered with clay and decorated with sculptured
designs. The houses of African Muslims may be built around a
large courtyard so that the women can go about their tasks
without being seen by people outside the family. This custom
follows the traditions of Islam.

Geography of Africa 15
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Africans that live south of the Sahara Desert

are Bushmen, Pygmies, or Watusis.

The total population of Africa is estimated to be 661

million people. Of this number, about 435 million live
south of the Sahara. Included in this figure are at least
six million white Africans and people of European origin
who claim Africa as their home. Only about 1.5 million
Bushmen, Pygmies, Watusi and people related to them in
physical characteristics and life style live in Africa.

Geography of Africa 16
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

There are large cities in Africa that look much like

American cities.

Cities with populations of more than a million people include Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, South Africa; Johannesburg, South
Africa; Kinshasa, Congo; and Lagos, Nigeria. Cairo, the capital of
Egypt is the largest city in all Africa with about six million people.

In northern Africa, the architecture reflects European and

Islamic styles. Many mosques (Islamic houses of worship) and
souks (outdoor markets) are present throughout large cities.

South of the Sahara, traditional and modern styles are found.

Parks, hotels, and tall office and apartment buildings are present.
Large retail stores are common.

African cities provide

medical facilities,
schools and
universities and public
transportation.
Telephone service,
running water, and
electricity are widely
available.

Geography of Africa 17
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Throughout African history, there were rich and

powerful civilizations.

Ancient Egypt, Nubia and Kush were powerful African

civilizations thousands of years ago. During the middle
ages, starting around 1000 C.E., West Africa was home to
the powerful kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
These empires grew wealthy controlling the trade routes
in the region. In Eastern Africa, prosperous city-states
traded with China, India and countries along the Red Sea
and Persian Gulf.

Geography of Africa 18
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

Africa is not a single country, but made of more

than fifty different countries.

Africa is divided into fifty-three independent countries

and several other political units. Each has its own
government, laws, and customs. The largest country is
Sudan; the smallest is Seychelles. Nigeria is the most
heavily populated.

Geography of Africa 19
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

“African” is the official language in most of Africa.

.
Experts put the number of African languages at around 2,000 to
3,000. Swahili is spoken by nearly fifty million Africans, followed
by Hausa and Yoruba, each with more than twenty million
speakers.

Daily life often brings people into contact with others who speak
different languages. Most Africans are multilingual, meaning that
they speak two or more different languages.

North Africans and converts to Islam have spoken Arabic for

centuries. The use of European languages has spread across the
continent since the days of colonialism. Today, the language of a
country’s former colonial rulers often serves as its common
tongue. For example, England once ruled South Africa, so now
most of the people of South Africa speak English.

Geography of Africa 20
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

African culture (language, religion, customs) is

the same all over Africa.

There are more than 800 ethnic groups of black

Africans. Blacks Africans account for almost seventy-
five percent of Africa’s total population and most live
south of the Sahara. Each group consists of people who
share common history, language, religion, artistic
traditions, and way of life. Most of North Africa’s people
are Arabs, strongly influenced by Islamic culture.

Nearly 200 million Africans practice local traditional

religions, depending on each ethnic group’s set of beliefs
and practices. About 150 million Africans are Muslims.
Islam is the state religion in the countries of northern
Africa. About 130 million Africans are Christians.

Geography of Africa 21
 What Do You Know About Africa? Placard

All African children learn to read and write by

attending local schools.

Literacy rates (the number of people who can read and

write) vary greatly from country to country. In general,
the Northern African countries are more successful in
providing education for large numbers of children.
Populations in most countries are growing faster than new
schools can be built. Many areas have a shortage of
qualified teachers. Many students must drop out to help
support their families. In some places, families must pay
for their children’s education, which many families cannot
afford to do.

Geography of Africa 22
 Desertification

Desertification is the process which turns productive desert areas into

non-productive desert areas as a result of poor land management.
Desertification occurs mainly in semi-arid areas (average annual rainfall
less than 600mm) bordering on deserts. In the Sahel, (the semi-arid
area south of the Sahara Desert), for example, the desert moved 100
km southwards between 1950 and 1975.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF DESERTIFICATION?

Desertification reduces the ability of land to support life. This affects wild
and domestic animals, agricultural crops and people. The reduction in plant
cover that comes with desertification leads to more soil erosion by wind and
water.

Water is lost off the land instead of soaking into the soil to provide
moisture for plants. Even long-lived plants that would normally survive
droughts die. Less plant cover reduces nutrients in the soil and makes it
even more difficult for plants to grow. Floods become more frequent and
more severe. Once the destruction of desertification begins, conditions
cause it to continue. It is self-reinforcing.

WHAT CAUSES DESERTIFICATION?

There are several factors that contribute to desertification. These factors
are often connected together and compound the problems.

The major cause of desertification is overgrazing. Overgrazing means too

many animals eating too few plants. In semi-arid areas of the world, such as
the Sahel, large, grazing mammals roam for food. The sparse rainfall in the
region affects the plants available for their food. The animals in scattered
groups move around in response to the rainfall.

Early pastoralists who lived in these semi-arid regions copied the practice of
the wild animals. These nomadic herders moved their small groups of
domestic animals in response to food and water availability. This regular
movement of stock prevented overgrazing of the fragile plant cover.

Geography of Africa 23
 Desertification

In modern times, the use of fences has prevented domestic and wild animals
from moving freely. Overgrazing has often resulted. If used properly,
fencing can be a good tool to manage grassland, but this is rarely the case.

Today, boreholes and windmills allow livestock to stay all year in areas that
were once grazed only during the rainy season. Where not correctly planned
and managed, providing drinking water allows animals to gather around
waterholes without limits and overgraze the area. This has contributed to
the expansion of deserts in recent years.

A second cause of desertification is cultivation of marginal lands. Examples

of this include farming in areas with poor soil, or growing crops not native to
a region. These crops may require more water than native plants or use
more nutrients and destroy the soil. Some parts of South Africa grow corn.
In that region, corn has a high risk of failure and a low economic return.
Corn requires large amounts of costly chemical pesticides and fertilizers,
which ruin the soil.

A third contributor to desertification is cutting of trees, often called

deforestation. Trees and other vegetation are cleared to provide land for
commercial and subsistence farming, logging, and cattle ranching. Once the
vegetation is gone, there is nothing to hold the soil. Erosion and a loss of
topsoil is the result. Trees are often cut for fuel wood.

A fourth factor is irrigation. Although we generally think of irrigation as a

good thing, when done incorrectly, it is harmful. Mismanaged irrigation
practices in arid areas can cause salinization, the build up of salts in the soil.
Salinization can prevent plant growth.

Drought is a frequent problem in the arid and semi-arid regions we are

talking about. When the practices we have just discussed coincide with
drought, the rate of desertification increases dramatically.

Geography of Africa 24
Why do these harmful practices continue? Poverty is increasing in many
parts of Africa. In their struggle to survive, poor people often use the land
and resources unwisely. Increasing human population and poverty contribute
to desertification as poor people may be forced to overuse their
environment in the short term, without the ability to plan for the long term
effects of their actions. For some cultures, the number of cattle you own
indicates your social status and your importance. Where livestock has a
social importance beyond food, people might be reluctant to reduce their
livestock.

HOW CAN DESERTIFCATION BE HALTED?

To halt desertification, conditions must change so plants can grow. There
are several steps to be taken. The number of animals on the land must be
reduced. This will give vegetation a chance to recover. Soil conditions must
be improved for plant growth. One way to do this is mulching—a layer of
straw, leaves, or sawdust covering the soil. Mulching reduces evaporation,
suppresses weed growth, enriches soil as it rots, and prevents runoff and
erosion. Reseeding may be necessary in badly damaged places. Mulching and
reseeding are expensive practices. Realistically, they can only be done on a
small scale.

The only realistic large-scale prevention is good land management in semi-

arid areas. Governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must
cooperate, develop effective plans, and see that the plans are carried out
over the long term.

Geography of Africa 25
 A Day in Sudan

Imagine that you are a boy or girl from a tribal community in Sudan.
You awaken yourself at an early hour. Last night’s meager meal of
maize porridge no longer nourishes your body. The stomach pains
occur so often that you fail to notice them at times.

Outside your family’s grass and thatch home, your mother is

preparing weak tea and leftover porridge from the night before.
Your mother wants to get an early start at collecting fuel wood.
Yesterday’s gathering expedition took you fifteen kilometers (about
ten miles) from your home. You remember the pain of carrying so
much wood while bending over to pick up one last stick. You hoped
yesterday’s wood would be enough to last two days, but your aunt
was unable to leave her sick baby so your mother shared the wood
with her. Today, she will do the same. Your younger sisters will go
with her because your father needs your bothers and your help
herding the cattle.

Herding the cattle means many kilometers of walking to find an area

of land with enough of the dry brush grass to feed your large herd.
Even though many of the cattle look undernourished, your father is
proud to have one of the largest herds in the region. Cattle are a
sign of wealth to the people of your tribe. Men from the
government have spoken to your father about having fewer, but
healthier, cattle. Your father tells the men to leave him alone; he is
not interested in their modern ways.

You herd the cattle for hours but the grasslands do not have a
water source so you must herd the cattle back to the village. You
remember that only a few years ago there were enough grasslands
near the village and seasonal rains kept rivers supplied with water.
You did not spend as many hours seeking food for your animals.

Geography of Africa 26
 A Day in Sudan

The areas around the well are trodden and dry from so many cattle
grazing on grass that is nourished by the well water. Only a few
small dried clumps remain. Three days ago, you overheard your
mother complaining about the diseases that have stricken villages.
The visiting nurse from the government told your mother that it is
unsafe to have the cattle drinking from the village’s only water
supply.

Your mother and sister return from wood gathering shortly after
you return from herding. Your mother prepares the evening meal,
maize meal mixed with spinach and coconut milk. While she prepares
the meal, the rest of the family works in the family garden plot.
The drought and swarms of grasshoppers have reduced the size of
this year’s crops, a sign that you will go to bed hungry on many
nights. After supper you sit and listen to the folktales your father
remembers his father telling him. You don’t stay up late, though.
Tomorrow, the wood gathering and cattle herding start again

Geography of Africa 27
Desertification Action Plan

Cause Plan of Action Who will be involved?

Geography of Africa 28
 Desertification
LAND USE IN DESERT AND NEAR-DESERT REGIONS

How does land use lead to desertification?

Would changing current land use help stop the spread of the desert?

RECLAMATION PROJECTS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES

What can we do to reclaim the desert?

What has succeeded in the past?

NATIVE PLANTS THAT DELAY OR HELP RECLAIM DESERT LAND

What trees and plants have held back the desert?

What will grow in our climate?

CLIMATE PATTERNS

How does climate relate to the spread of the desert?

How is climate affected by land use?

IRRIGATION

How has irrigation been used to reclaim the desert for agriculture?
Can we apply the same methods?

HISTORY OF THE DESERT

Was it always a desert?

How did it spread?
What can we learn from that?

NEARBY NATIONS NOT, OR NOT YET, IN THE DESERT REGION

How are they different?

Could they, too, be overtaken by the desert? Why or why not?

Geography of Africa 29