Sub-Saharan Africa

Physical Features / Climate

Regions of Sub-Saharan
Africa
West Africa

East Africa

Central
Africa

Southern
Africa
 What are the two major landforms
that make up Sub-Saharan Africa?
Plateaus
Most of Sub-Saharan Africa is made up
of high flat lands approximately 1000
feet above sea level
The edges of the plateaus create
ESCARPMENTS
ESCARPMENTS = steep jagged cliffs
Rivers flowing over create rapids or
waterfalls
Example:
Victoria Falls
Between the plateaus are
What are the two major landforms
that make up Sub-Saharan Africa?
Lowlands
Narrow plains along the coastlines and
sunken basins
Example: Congo Basin
What is the Great Rift
Valley?
What is the Great Rift
Valley?
RIFT VALLEY = a large break in the
Earths surface formed by shifting
tectonic plates
Some of Africas largest lakes are
in the Great Rift Valley
What are the four major
river systems in Sub-
Saharan Africa?
What are the four major
river systems in Sub-
Saharan Africa?
Nile North / East Africa
Congo Central Africa
Niger - West Africa
Zambezi Southern Africa
What are waterways
primarily used for in this
region?
What are waterways
primarily used for in this
region?
Rivers sometimes act as natural political
borders
Example: Zambezi River for Zambia and
Zimbabwe
Rivers provide freshwater to many
settlements
Some rivers provide transportation
BUT waterfalls and rapids on escarpment
edges complicate travel to the coastlines
Dams along rivers help provide
hydroelectricity to Africa
What is the principal export of many
western Sub-Saharan African countries?
What is the principal export of many
western Sub-Saharan African countries?

OIL
Shift away from agriculture to oil exports
along the coast from Nigeria to Angola
What are other resources commonly
found in Sub-Saharan Africa?
What are other resources commonly
found in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Natural gas Central Africa
Iron ore, uranium, copper
Zimbabwe, South Africa, West and East Africa
Gold South Africa is believed to have
half of the worlds gold
Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires
Industrial diamonds used to make drills,
saws, grinding tools
CLIMATE
 TROPICAL
Tropical climates warm to hot
temperatures
Rainfall is varied across the region
Central / West Africa 80 inches + of
rainfall / year
Namib Desert - less than 10 inches of
rainfall / year
Some areas experience regular droughts
periods of time with no rainfall
Elevated areas in Eastern and Southern
Tropical
Tropical wet rain forests in Central and
Western Africa
What might a problem be?
DEFORESTATION
Timbering and clearing land for farming
An increase in ecotourism has led to
preservation efforts
Ecotourism = touring a place without causing
harm to the environment
Tropical Dry savanna = grasslands with
scattered woods
Think Lion King
Dry Regions
Steppes
Threatened by desertification = the shifting
of fertile land into dry desert due to lack of
water
Causes: loss of trees and plants, lack of
water
Deserts
Some of the tallest dunes in the Namib
Desert are 1280 feet high! [Think the highest
hills above the Avenues.]
Moderate Climates
High elevations sometimes create
moderate climates in the tropical
region
High elevation causes lower temperatures

Moderate climate = not very hot or

very cold
Eastern African highlands tend to have
moderate climates