Chapter 3 Africa Facts about Africa Africa has

Chapter 3 Africa

Facts about Africa • Africa has snow all year round (Mt. Kilimanjaro) • Africa is the world’s second-largest continent. (after Asia) • Africa contains more independent nations (55)

Please tell us more. . . • 80% of the continent is in the tropics (which is between Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn) • Rainfall is distributed very unevenly in Africa. Less than an inch in desert regions to more than 80 inches near the Equator.

Climate Zone Lingo • Leaching: constant heavy rains dissolve and wash away the soils nutrients • Drought: prolonged periods of little or no rainfall • Desertification: turning of semiarid land into desert • Sahara: means desert

People, Places & Problems • The population of Africa is about 763 million and growing! • Many disease-carrying insects breed in tropical climates. Mosquitoes, snails & flies • Malaria, spread by mosquitoes kills up to 1 million children each year.

5 basic types of societies • • • 1. Farming 2. Herding 3. Fishing 4. Hunting & Food Gathering 5. Urban These societies still exist today. Types of societies are based on location.

Diversity • There are many cultures in Africa. Histories, religious beliefs, values, and traditions as well as varied lands and climates add to the diversity.

Africa Today • The majority of Africans live in the savanna • Most Africans are farmers. • Very few hunting and food-gathering societies remain in modern Africa • Cities are found along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, in the savanna of West Africa and the coast of East Africa

1, 000 WOW • Over 1, 000 different languages are spoken in Africa!