AFRICA

THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
Defining the themes
 LOCATION
• Where is it?
• Absolute: A location can be absolute (specific)
as in coordinates of a map using longitude and
latitude
• Relative: A location can be relative - examples:
next door, nearby, a short drive, down the road
a ways. Or, it can be in the same general
location as another location - example: next to
the post office.
• Both the equator and Prime Meridian pass through
Africa
• Large size of Africa makes giving is absolute location
very difficult
• Huge size and location gives Africa many different
climates.
• Surrounded by bodies of water-
– Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mediterranean Sea to the
north, Indian Ocean to the East
– Sinai Peninsula links Africa with Asia
 PLACE
• Home, residence, dwelling, domicile, abode,
habitation
• A theme of geography that paints a mental picture
of a place with people going about their everyday
lives in their familiar environment.
• PLACE is the character of geography.
 Characteristics of a place

• Physical characteristics – conditions determined by

nature, such as climate, land forms, indigenous
plants and animals, and soil types.
 Characteristics of a place
• Human characteristics – can be defined by the
culture of a place, for example, the language,
clothing, architectural styles, and government
ideologies.
What features make Africa unique?
• Wildlife
• Physical characteristics
• People
– Where they live
– Language they speak
– What they wear
– Food
 Some challenges

• Large cities – small villages

• Modern – old tribal customs
• Living locations
– Coastal regions
– Savanna regions
– Deserts
– Grasslands and certain types of agriculture
 Coastal areas
• Northern – connecting to Europe
• Eastern – connecting to Asia
• Western – connecting to North America and
Western Europe
• Suez Canal – shortcut from
Mediterranean Sea
to the Indian Ocean
 Physical Characteristics
• Huge rainforests – equatorial rainforest
• Plains in the East
• Tall and long mountains – eg Table Mountain,
Drakensberg
• Deep valleys – eg East African Rift Valley
• Huge deserts – Sahara covering the north
 HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

• Human-environment interaction looks at the

relationships between people and their
environment;
• people
– depend
– adapt to
– modify the environment. 
• How do people depend on the environment?
(Example: In ancient times, the annual
flooding of the Nile River produced good soil
for growing crops.)
• How do people adapt to the environment?
(Example: The ancient Egyptians rebuilt their
homes each year, after the annual flooding. As
time went on, they built their homes above
the flood plain.) 
•
• How do people modify the environment?
(Example: The ancient Egyptians built irrigation
ditches to help water the crops. In modern times,
Egypt built a dam to control the flood waters of
the Nile River.) 
 MOVEMENT
• Movement refers to the way people, products,
information and ideas move from one place to
another.
 African Movement
• Travel for work, school, or recreational – migration
and its types.
• Many forms of travel-
– Rural or remote locations may still use traditional forms
of transportation (oxen pulling a cart)
• Camels now used mainly to attract tourists.
– Small airplanes and helicopters are used to fly tourists.
– Urban – trains, bikes, cars, scooters, buses, trucks
– Coastal – to travel to other locations
 REGION
• area, section, province,
• an area that is defined by certain similar
characteristics. Those unifying or similar
characteristics can be physical, natural, human, or
cultural. 

• A region is described by the features that make it

unique, either small or large.
• Regions can change over time due to changes
in climate, economic conditions, accessibility
of trade routes, and many other factors.

Five regions of Africa.

1. North Africa,
2. East Africa,
3. Central Africa,
4. West Africa,
5. Southern Africa.
 Some African regions
• Nile Valley Region – long history
– Longest river in the world
– Has affected the lives of people, wildlife, and
vegetation for thousands of years
– Banks of river are rich, green, fertile strips of land.
– People grow crops, relying on water from river
– many towns and cities are found along the river
 Some African regions
• Serengeti Plains
– Flat, grassy area filled with a variety of wildlife
• Masai Mara National Reserve
– Game reserve for endangered animals
• Great Lakes
• SADC, ECOWAS
– Politico-economic
• The Arab
• Think of others