Physical Geography of East Africa

Physical Geography of East Africa

By Ms. Snelling

Vocabulary Words ​

​1. rift - to separate from one another

2. desertification - the process by which agricultural land is turned into desert

3. hydroelectric power - ​the production of electricity through the use of falling water

4. geothermal energy - ​electricity produced using underground heat sources, such as hot springs and steam

Vocabulary Words ​(Cont'd.)

​5. Nile River - The longest river in the world that flows northward into the Mediterranean Sea, flows through Egypt and nine other countries, with two tributaries that converge (meet) near Khartoum, Sudan. ​

6. ​Lake Victoria - The longest river in the world that flows northward into the Mediterranean Sea, flows through Egypt and nine other countries, with two tributaries that converge (meet) near Khartoum, Sudan. 

7. ​Mount Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet tall. This mountain is located in Tanzania. It is actually a combination of three volcanoes: Kibo, the tallest peak, Mawenzi, and Shira.

Vocabulary Words ​(Cont'd.)

​8. Great Rift Valley - an area in East Africa experiencing extreme tectonic plate movement which creates new valleys and lakes.

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9. Sahel - ​the semi- arid region between the Sahara Desert and the African Savanna.

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10. Kenya - located on the east coast of Africa. It neighbors the countries of Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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11. ​Sudan - located in north east Africa. It neighbors the countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan.

Notes: Land and Water Features​

1. The Great Rift Valley is a system of large valleys formed by faults that runs north to south for 4,000 miles through East Africa.

2. ​The eastern rift valley is the main branch of the Great Rift System that runs through Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

3. The western rift valley is the branch of the Great Rift system that traces an arc south from the Ethiopian highlands.

4. Mount Kilimanjaro is a volcano that is also the tallest mountain in Africa.

5. The Ruwenzori Mountains is the mountain range that divides Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Notes: Land and Water Features​ (Cont'd.)

6. The Nile River is the longest river in the world.

7. The Sudd are the swampy wetlands in South Sudan that was the focus of the ​Jonglei Canal project in the late 1970s.

8. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.

9. Lake Tanganyika is a lake that lies on the boundary between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is the second-deepest lake in the world.

10. Lake Malawi is the third-largest of the East Africa Rift Valley lakes that forms the boundaries between Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique

Climates of East Africa ​

1. Countries in East Africa that have high temperatures for much of the year: Sudan, Djbouti, Somalia

2. Kenya and Uganda are countries that have highlands with a spring-like climate year-round.

3. Kenya and Tanzania have two raining seasons: the "long rains" of April and May and the "short rains" of October and November.

4. Somalia suffered one of the worst droughts in its history in 2011.

5. Sudan and South Sudan have experienced desertification over the past 50 years.

Resources of East Africa​

• Mineral Resources: gold, gemstones, tin, lumber, salt

• Energy Resources: coal, petroleum, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy

• Wildlife: lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, elephants, antelopes