Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies
Module Six: The Geography of Africa
Teacher's Edition
Activity Three: Africa's topography, vegetation and climate-Explore
In this activity, you will study three maps and respond to a series of questions.
Carefully study the physical map of Africa and attached photographs. Answer the following questions on a piece of paper and put it in your Exploring Africa Journal.
Map Two: Physical Map of Africa
Photographs 6.10 - 6.16
6.10
Kenya
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.11
South Africa
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.12
Congo-Kinshasa
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.13
Uganda
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.14
Guinea
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.15
Kenya
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
6.16
Kenya
@Africa Focus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- How would you describe the physical landscape of Africa?
- You will note that most of the eastern third of Africa (from south to north) is high altitude. List the ways that altitude may impact the way land is used by people.
Answer Key
- By studying this map, students will see that much of Africa is mountainous or comprised of plateaus. This is a function of the geological age of Africa. We know that the land surface of Africa-its topography-is older than any other continent except Australia. Of course, there are also major basins (Congo River basin) and coastal plains in Africa
- Most of the population in Africa lives on plateaus (high plains), which are of altitudes in excess of 1000 meters above sea level. Altitude moderates temperature; consequently, although most of Africa is tropical (approximately 80% of Africa lies between latitudes 23 ½ degree north, the Tropic Cancer, and 23 ½ degrees south, the Tropic of Capricorn) the climate is quite moderate and not indicative of the tropics. In well-watered areas, dominant crops grown and animals raised are similar to those in temperate zones.
Go to Map Three
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