Class- 7

Subject – Geography

Chapter – 8

( – Location, Political Divisions and Physical Features)

Introduction

Africa is the second largest of all the of the world. It has 54 countries. The Equator passes through the middle of Africa. Most of Africa lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

Political Divisions

Most of the countries of Africa were under European rule for a long period of time. By the second half of the 20th century, most of the African countries became independent. However South Africa gained full independence in 1994 from the White minority rule.

The six countries of Africa in the north, i.e. the Barbary states, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and form part of the region the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The larger part of Africa, i.e. Inter-tropical Africa lies south of Sahara Desert and is called Africa South of the Sahara or Sub- Saharan Africa.

Location and Extent

Africa comprises about 1/5th of the total land surface of the Earth. In north-south direction it extends from 37 degree N to 35 degree S. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point. It extends from 17 degree W to 51 degree E in the east-west direction.

Boundaries

Africa is surrounded by many water bodies – in the north by the , in the northeast by the , in the east by the Indian Ocean and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait of Gibraltar links the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and separated Africa from Europe.

Africa is connected with the of by the of . It links the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Africa is the only continent which is crossed by the three main latitudes - Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and Equator.

Discovery and Exploration

Africa remained unknown to the world for a long time due to its inaccessible interior. In the middle of 19h century, Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Mungo Park and a missionary Dr. David Livingstone were the first explorers to venture into interior of Africa. The European named it Dark Continent because of its dense forests, marshes, swamps and vast deserts.

Major Physical Features

Africa is in fact a vast plateau consisting of ancient crystalline rocks. It is also called a plateau continent. The plateau is higher in the southeast and slopes gently towards northeast. Towards the northeast and east, the tableland rises into highlands of considerable heights, we can divide Africa into six regions:-

Desert Regions

One-third of Africa is covered by the Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world. Its surface is not uniform. There are a few highlands like Tibesti plateau and Ahaggar plateau. It has several oases where water is available. It extends from Red Sea in the east to Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Kalahari Desert is in the south and Namib Desert is along the western coast.

African Plateaus

Africa on the whole is known as a plateau continent. It is made up of old volcanic rocks composed of old, hard, crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rock base.

African plateaus extend from South Africa to Northern Sahara and from Guiana Coast in the west to Somaliland in the east. African plateau is further divided into a number of smaller plateaus.

Mountains

There are a number of mountains of different types in Africa –

• Fold Mountains – The Cape Ranges in extreme south of the region. These are the old fold mountains. These ranges are not very high. The Atlas Mountains of the northwest Africa are young fold mountains. These were formed at the same time as the Himalayas and the Alps of Europe.

• Block Mountains – The East African Rift Valley extending from Red Sea to River Zambezi has Block Mountains on both its eastern and western flanks, e.g. Mount Rwenzori.

• Ethiopian Highlands – Most of the highest peaks of the regions are volcanic mountains. These mountains lie close to the Rift Valley. Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) is the highest mountain in Africa. It is a volcanic peak.

• Residual Mountains – Ahaggar and Tibesti plateaus in North Africa are example of Residual Mountains.

Rift Valley

The most prominent physical features of Africa is its Rift Valley. It is visible in the satellite pictures of the Earth. The great rift valley of Africa is about 6440 km long and extends from Red Sea to river Zambezi in the south. It is long and hence known as the Great Rift Valley of Africa. Lake Rukwa, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi lie in an arc in a western Rift Valley chain. Lake Victoria and Lake Chad are not in Rift Valley.

Drainage

Nearly one-third of Africa has no direct drainage to the sea. A majority of rivers of the region are charactersied by rapids, waterfalls and deep gorges. There are a few rivers which are perennial. There are many rivers with inland drainage. Some of the important rivers are as below-

• River Nile – River Nile originates in Lake Victoria. White Nile is the main tributary of the River Nile. Blue Nile is another tributary which originates from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Bahr-el-Arab is a tributary of White Nile in Sudan. River Nile is 6670 km long and is considered the longest river in the world.

• River Zaire or Congo – It is a river of Central Africa. It has many falls and rapids hence, it is not fit for navigation. However, it has great hydel power potential. Ubangi and Kasai are its main tributaries.

• River Niger – It is one of the important rivers of West Africa. River Benue is the main tributary.

• River Zambezi – It is the major river of South Africa. The famous Victoria Falls are across it. A huge dam has been constructed for hydel power.

• Lakes – Main lakes in the Great Rift Valley are Lake Victoria, Lake Chad and Lake Tanganyika. Lake Nasser and Lake Kariba are artificial Lakes.

Activity:-

On the outline map of Africa, mark, name and colour the following –

• Water bodies – Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean (in blue).

• Rivers – Zambezi, Nile, Zaire, Niger and Orange (in blue).

• Mountains – Atlas, Kilimanjaro, Drakensberg (brown line)

• Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert (in yellow).

Question & Answers:-

Ques-1) Explain the following:- (i) Isthmus, (ii) Strait, (iii) Block Mountain, (iv) Rift Valley.

Ans- Isthmus – A narrow neck of land connecting two land masses.

Strait – A narrow stretch of water joining two seas.

Block Mountain – A mountain formed by natural faults in the Earth’s crust.

Rift Valley – A long narrow valley with steep sides.

Ques-2) Name the three important parallels of latitudes which pass through Africa. Ans- The three important parallels of latitudes that pass through Africa are – the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn and Equator.

Ques-3) State the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of Africa.

Ans- Africa comprises about 1/5th of the total land surface of the Earth. In north-south direction it extends from 37 degree N to 35 degree S. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point. It extends from 17 degree W to 51 degree E in the east-west direction.

Ques-4) Name the water bodies surrounded the continent of Africa.

Ans- Africa is surrounded by many water bodies – in the north by the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the east by the Indian Ocean and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait of Gibraltar links the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and separated Africa from Europe.

Ques-5) Why is Africa called the Dark Continent? State any two reasons.

Ans- The European named it Dark Continent because of its dense forests, marshes, swamps and vast deserts. The reasons for its name and late discovery were-

• The Sahara Desert in the north is the greatest obstacle for southward movement of people, as it is a vast desert.

• The large interior of Africa is densely forested forming a canopy so that even sun rays cannot penetrate.

Ques-6) Name any three basins of Africa.

Ans- Nile River Basin, Congo River Basin and Zambezi River Basin.