Geography Y9

• Misconception


  A view or opinion that is incorrect because based on faulty thinking or understanding
• Physical feature
• Human features
• The physical landscape of Africa includes relief maps, climate zones, and biomes

  
• Africa has 54 countries with varying amounts of water availability
• The three large rivers in Africa are the Nile, Niger and Congo
• Almost half of the land in northern Africa is dry desert
• Climate zones


  Areas that share similar climates across the year
• Africa has the world's 2nd largest rainforest, called the Congo rainforest
• Many African countries lag behind in life expectancy, income, and access to resources
• The main reason many African countries are poor is believed to be due to colonialism
• The climate of an area largely depends on its latitude
• Climates found in Africa from North to South


  • Mediterranean
  • Semi-desert
  • Desert
  • Semi-desert (Sahel)
  • Grasslands
  • Forest
  • Grasslands
  • Semi-desert
  • Desert
  • Mediterranean
• Large areas of the same climate allows civilisations to unite, grow and thrive
• Some of mankind's earliest advancements emerged in Africa, despite lack of cultural diffusion, including language, medicine, architecture, and mathematics
• Successful African countries often had borders encompassing natural climate zones, such as Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa
• Factors other than colonialism and climate that may have contributed to slower development in some African countries include landlocked geography, lack of deep ports, and corruption
• Standard of living


  The economic level of a person's daily life, including what they own and their income
• Quality of life


  Happiness, health and education
• The Human Development Index (HDI) is a good indicator to compare development in Africa, as it looks at both social and economic factors

  
• The Sahara is the world's largest desert, located in Africa
• The Nile is the world's longest river, located in Africa
• The three largest rivers in Africa


  • Nile
  • Niger
  • Congo
• Not all countries in Africa are hot and dry, as the climate varies across the continent
• Large numbers of people can live in the dry desert of Egypt due to the presence of the River Nile
• Mountains can affect the climate in an area by feeding rivers with water and making an area wetter and cooler
• Lesotho is the country completely surrounded by South Africa
• Factors that can affect the development of a country


  • Landlocked geography
  • Varying climatic zones
  • Lack of rivers
  • Lack of deep ports
  • Very dry conditions
  • Colonialism
  • Corruption
• Desertification in the Sahel and Malawi is caused by climate change (more droughts, higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall) and population pressures (over-cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation)
• The process of desertification

  1. Destruction of vegetation

  2. Soil erosion

  3. Land degradation

  4. Inability for future vegetation to grow well
• While Africa contributes little to global emissions, it is the most vulnerable region to climate change due to low socioeconomic development
• Many African countries, communities and individuals are taking action to combat climate change
• The Great Green Wall initiative aims to reverse desertification in the Sahel region of Africa