Flashcards: Geography of Africa
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Created by:
windmiller on January 7, 2010
Subjects:
Groups:
Oxford 7th grade S.S., 6th Grade Social Studies, Academic Team
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Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 escarpments | steep cliffs, create waterfalls, reason that many rivers can't be used for shipping |
| Great Rift Valley | natural wonder, formed by shifting of Earth's tectonic plates |
| gorges | a steep-sided valley formed when a river cuts through land that is being lifted upward |
| wadi | dry riverbed |
| drought | a period of time without rainfall |
| rain forests | dense stand of trees and other growth that receives high amounts of precipitation each year |
| canopy | umbrella-like covering formed by the tops of trees in a rain forest |
| deforestation | cutting down of forests without replanting new trees |
| ecotourism | promoted to help preserve rain forests and economies |
| savanna | broad grassland in the tropics with few trees |
| desertification | process by which dry areas turn into desert caused by clearing trees or herding large amounts of livestock |
| succulents | type of plant that has thick, fleshy leaves that can conserve moisture |
| steppes | grassy plains |
| nomads | people who travel across steppes to find food and water |
| Suez Canal | human-made waterway between Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea |
| poaching | illegal fishing and hunting |
| Madagascar | largest island off the mainland |
| savanna | grasslands with scattered woods where elephants, lions and giraffes live |
| Kalahari | sandy desert in Southern Africa |
| Namib | desert made up of rocks and dunes along the southwestern coast |
| Kilimanjaro | highest peak in Africa |
| Zambezi | river that forms Victoria Falls |
| Tanganyika | longest freshwater lake in Africa |
| oil | principal export in many Atlantic coastal countries |
| Strait of Gibralter | separates Africa from Europe |
| Ghana | important source of hydroelectric power in Akosombo Dam |
| Gold | Africa thought to have half the world's supply |
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