ESS Answer Key

Guided Reading Activity-Lesson 1

Land and Water Features

1. Great Rift Valley
2. eastern Rift Valley
3. western Rift Valley
4. Kilimanjaro
5. Ruwenzori Mountains
6. Nile
7. Sudd
8. Lake Victoria
9. Lake Tanganyika
10. Lake Malawi

Climates of East Africa

1. Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia
2. Kenya and Uganda
3. Kenya and Tanzania
4. Somalia
5. Sudan and South Sudan

Mineral Resources
gold
gemstones
tin
lumber
salt

Energy Resources
coal
petroleum
hydroelectric power
geothermal energy

Wildlife
lions
leopards
cheetahs
giraffes
zebras
elephants
Antelope

Lesson Activities
Land and Water Features
1. Students should underline “Eventually, all of East Africa will separate
from the rest of Africa, and the Red Sea will fill the rift.”
2. The Blue Nile begins in the northern highlands of Ethiopia. The White
Nile begins in Lake Victoria.
3. The Sudd is a huge area of swampy wetlands in central South Sudan.
4. The Great Rift Valley was caused by the movement of tectonic plates
millions of years ago.

Climates of East Africa

5. The glaciers are melting and are predicted to disappear entirely within
20 years.
6. There are two rainy seasons on Kenya’s tropical grasslands, with little or
no rainfall between them.
7. Desertification is caused by drought and by the human overuse of land.
8. In general, areas nearer the coast and the Equator have warmer
temperatures, and cooler temperatures prevail in the highlands of the
interior.

Resources of East Africa

 9. Students should highlight the following countries in pink: Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Djibouti. Students should highlight the
following countries in yellow: Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan,
northwestern Kenya; Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania; Kenya and Djibouti.
10. Students’ answers will vary, but could include recognition that there
may not be a reliable distribution system, there is little energy left after
urban areas have been powered, or the rural population cannot afford the
energy.
11. Two promising alternatives are hydroelectric power and geothermal
energy.

Writing/Check for Understanding

1. Students’ answers will vary, but should be supported by logical reasons.
Students may cite the breathtaking scenery and diverse wildlife, which
attract tourists from all over the world, mineral resources, or energy
resources.