Year 8 GEOGRAPHY – a geographical study into the Physical and Human features in Africa
Title: Physical features of Africa – Rift valley study
TASK 1: copy out the WOW words and their definitions.
Tectonic plates = a slab of rock which continents lie on
Rift valley = lowland region that forms when earth’s tectonic plates move apart
National parks = an area of countryside, sea or fresh water that are protected by the state for enjoyment of the general public and preservation of wildlife
The Great African Lakes = complete later in the lesson from your own reading!
TASK 2: study the images below. One is a map and one is a type of photograph.
Questions:
1. What type of photograph is image 2?
2. What do the triangles on image 1 (the map) represent do you think?
3. Name the 2 plates that are moving to form this rift valley.
4. What direction are the plates moving to create this rift valley?
TASK 3: read through the following information about the great rift valley in Africa.
The Great Rift Valley is a name given to the continuous geographical trench, about 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The rift is bordered by a series of mountains and active volcanoes. It is a site of faults and earthquakes. Basically, the western part of Africa is rifting away from the eastern part body. This causes all the geological activity at the Valley. Far in the future, a sea will run between these two parts of Africa. The Arabian peninsula is already almost separated. The whole process is part of plate tectonics. In eastern Africa, the valley divides into two, the Western Rift Valley and the Eastern Rift Valley. There are about 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites which owe their formation to the geography and geology of the Great Rift Valley.
TASK 4: The Wester Rift Valley. Read through the information about lakes within the African Rift Valley. Chose one of the lakes below and complete a geographic research poster all about it. There are links to each lake below that you can use to help!
The Western Rift is edged by some of the highest mountains in Africa. It contains the Rift Valley Lakes, which include some of the deepest lakes in the world (up to 1,470 metres). Much of this area is inside national parks. Lake Victoria, the second largest area freshwater lake in the world, is between the two branches. All the African Great Lakes were formed as the result of the rift, and most lie within its rift valley.
The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift on the continent of Africa. They include Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world in terms of surface area, and Lake Tanganyika, the world's second largest in volume as well as the second deepest. Complete your final WOW word definition now!
The African Great Lakes are divided among three different catchments (river basins), and a number, such as Lake Turkana, have internal drainage systems. These are the largest, in order of size from largest to smallest: ▪ Lake Victoria ▪ Lake Tanganyika ▪ Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) ▪ Lake Turkana (Lake Rudolf) ▪ Lake Albert
Summarise your learning in 3 quick points!
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Complete your poster here!