section 2 chapter 18

Climate and vegetation

1. A warm continent
a. The deserts
i. The Sahara: the largest desert in the world, located in northern Africa
ii. Two deserts, the Kalahari and Namib, are in southern Africa
iii. Sahara means ‘desert’ in Arabic
iv. The sahara stretches out 3,000 miles, from the Atlantic ocean to the Red Sea
v. Only 20% of the sahara consists of sand
vi. Camels can go up to 17 days without water
vii. Aquifers: huge stores of water underground
viii. Oasis: where aquifers come to the surface
b. The tropics
i. 90% of the country lies between the tropics of cancer and Capricorn
ii. Temperatures run high for most of the year
2. A grassy continent
a. Tropical grassland
i. Serengeti Plain: A grassland in northern Tanzania.
ii. Its dry climate and hard soil prevent the growth of trees and many crops
iii. Huge herds of wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras roam here
3. Africa’s Extremes
a. Rain Forest
i. The main rain forest of Africa sits on the equator in the Congo Basin
ii. It is home to hundreds species of birds
iii. Plants and vegetation decompose quickly
iv. Most animals live in the canopy of the rain forest
v. Canopy: the uppermost layer of branches, about 150 feet above the ground
vi. Farmers are using the slash and burn technique to get rid of some of the forests are endangering it
vii. After they exhausted the soil, they burn another patch of forest to use
b. Varieties of plantlife
i. North Africa contains sizable oak and pine forests
ii. Mangrove trees grow in west Africa
4. Summary:
a. This section went over the climate and plantlife of Africa. It talked about the deserts and rain forests of the area. It also taught about the endangerment of the rain forests.