Lets us Explore

Africa
NORTH AFRICA…

Prepared by: Ronald C. Caderao

NORTH AFRICA
Prepared by: Ronald C. Caderao
 NORTH AFRICA

COUNTRY CAPITAL AREA POPULATI OFFICIAL TYPE OF

(sq. km) ON LANGUAG GOVERNM
E ENT

Morocco Rabat 458730 27, 840, 000 Arabic Cons.

Monarchy

Western 266000 165, 000

Sahara

Algeria Algiers 23817131 26, 000, 000 Arabic Republic

Libya Tripoli 1759530 5,648,000 Arabic Socialist

State

Egypt Cairo 1000250 52, 536, 000 Arabic Republic

Physical Geography
Mt. Atlas Nile River San Dunes
 reaching across the northwestern
LANDFORM 

part of the continent from the

S Atlantic Ocean and Morocco to
the Mediterranean and Tunisia
 Mountains are responsible for
much of the fertile areas of the
Maghrib as their height blocks
humid air masses from the
Atlantic and Mediterranean,
trapping the moisture and
creating precipitation (rainfall).
 high mountains also help create
the Sahara as water is trapped
north of the mountains, creating
what is called a rain shadow—an
area that cannot be accessed by
humid air masses, and is
consequently devoid of
precipitation.
Mountains
 Several mountain
ranges can be found
in the Sahara.
 The highest
mountains are the
Atlas Mountains in
the northwest, near
the Mediterranean
Sea. They rise to
13,600 feet (4,160
m) above sea level.
 The Sahara

 Largest desert in the world,

covering most of North
Africa
 Very dry, so very few
people live there
 Nearly every settlement in
the Sahara is located near
an oasis, a wet and fertile
area in a desert where a
spring or well provides
water.
 Common features in the
Sahara include broad
gravel plains, tall sand
dunes, and dry streambeds.
WATERFORMS
 Nile River
•The Nile River is the longest river in
the world.
•Flows more than 4,000 miles
northward through the desert
•Formed by the union of two
blue nile and the
rivers, the __________
white nile.
____________.
•Empties into the
mediterranean sea.
•The land along the nile is very
fertile.
•Floods on the river deposit silt,
or finely ground fertile soil, all
along the river.
•Before it reaches the sea, the nile
fans out into a huge fertile delta.
 Aswan High Dam
The Aswan High Dam controls flooding on the Nile.

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 Sinai Peninsula is east of the
Nile
• The Sinai
Peninsula is east
of the Nile. It is
mostly rocky and
barren.
 The Suez Canal

separates the Sinai

peninsula from the rest
of Egypt. Ships carry
oil and goods from the
Mediterranean Sea and
the Red Sea through
the canal.
climate
Climate  Three main climates:
 Desert:
very dry, with
temperatures ranging
from mild to very hot
 Mediterranean: found
along the coast; mild
winters and warm
summers
 Steppe: found
between the coast and
the desert

Climate
The subregion is characterized, in
general, by a hot and dry to very dry
climate. Its northern part falls under the
temperate influence of the
Mediterranean, while the central and
southern regions are desert. Owing to the
latitude range from 19° to 37° N and
altitude of up to 4 165 m in the High
Atlas of Morocco, the rainfall regime is
quite variable. The average annual
precipitation is below 100 mm in the
Sahara but as high as 1 500 mm in the
regions of Ain Draham and Djebel El
Ghorra in Tunisia and up to 2 000 mm in
the mountains of Morocco. However, less
than 10 percent of the subregion receives
more than 300 mm per year. A hot, dry
sirocco wind blowing north from the
Sahara is frequent during the summer
season, bringing blinding sand and dust
storms to the coastal regions.
 Resources

• Because rain is rare, water is a valuable resource.

• Oil, and gas are found in Libya, Algeria and Egypt
• Morocco has iron ore.
•Coal, oil, and natural gas are found in the Sahara
 resources
Country Description

Algeria wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle

Egypt cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats

Libya wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

Morocco barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Tunisia olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds

Western Sahara fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
 Algeria

wheat barley oats grapes olives

cattle fruits citrus sheep

Egypt
•cotton
•rice
•corn
•wheat
•beans
•fruits
•vegetable
•cattle
•Water
Buffalo
•sheep
•goats
 libya
•wheat
•barley
•olives

•dates
•citrus

•vegetable

•peanuts

•soybeans
•cattle
 morroco

barley wheat citrus olives

livestock vegetables wine

 tunisia

Beef Dates Almonds Olive Grains

Tomatoes Dairy products Olive oil Citrus Sugar beets

 Western sahara
Sheep

Goat

Veg. and Fruits

Camels
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Cultural traits and practices
 North Africa – Morocco and Algeria

A. Attitudes:
 Moroccans value
their family, honor,
dignity, generosity,
hospitality, and self-
control. A calm
attitude gains the
respect of other
people.
Morocco and Algeria

B. Personal Appearance:
 Moroccans believe that
it’s important to be neat,
look nice, and be
dressed to fit the
occasion they are
attending so that they
can gain and be treated
with the respect of
others.
 Morocco and Algeria
C. Greetings:
- Moroccans generally
greet each other with a
handshake and if they’re
friends, they ask each
other how they’re doing.
It’s common that men
greet other men and
women greet other
women when passing
each other on the street.
 Morocco and Algeria
D. Gestures:
- Moroccans believe that
it’s impolite to pass items,
handshake or eat with
their left hands, so they do
these things with either
their right hands or both
hands. They also believe
that it’s impolite to point
at another person with a
finger, or to show them
the soles of your shoes.
 Morocco and Algeria
E. Eating:
- Moroccans eat with their
fingers from one main dish,
and eat only from the part of
the dish that’s directly in front
of them. In most urban and
rural areas, the main meal of
the day is eaten together by the
family; the attendants of this
meal are expected to wash
their hands before and after
this meal.
Morocco and Algeria
F. Dating and Marriage:
- In rural areas, young
men and women usually
don’t meet their future
husbands/wives until
they’re engaged. When a
couple is engaged, the
groom pays the bride’s
father or oldest brother
enough money to pay for
her wedding expenses.
 Morocco and Algeria
G. Recreation:
- Soccer is the most
popular sport, but many
Moroccans enjoy
basketball, also, beach
volleyball is getting
popular.
 Morocco and Algeria
H. Commerce:
- A market is held
weekly in every town;
it’s called a souk,
This is often the only
source for items like
food, clothes,
crafts, house-hold items,
and services like hair-
cutting for rural people.
 Morocco and Algeria
I. Arabic:
Is Algeria's primary
language and is spoken by
around 82% of the
populace. The French
colonialism experienced by
the country in the past has
resulted in French being
the second language of
many educated Algerians,
and English is very rarely
spoken.
Morocco and Algeria

J. Islam:
- Is the official religion of
Algeria and the majority
of Algerians are Muslims.
Since the departure of the
French, Christianity is a
secondary religion.
Approximately one
percent of Algeria's
population is Jewish.
Morocco and Algeria

K. Literature:
 Algerian literature is
split between French
and Arabic and the
country has
produced a number
of famous novelists
 Morocco and Algeria

L. Music:

 The musical genre of

Algeria that is best
known abroad is
Rai. Rai is a pop-
flavored,
opinionated take on
folk music
 Morocco and Algeria
M. Industry:
- Algeria has a thriving
handicrafts industry. Part of the
charm of the country is the
richness of its production. From
carpets to ceramics, from
leather to lute making, from
pottery to glass working to
silverwork, the country has a
tremendous variety of skills
that produce goods which are
sold in many other countries as
well as to visiting tourists.
Governments
are torn over how much influence Islam should have in the
running of countries.

Libya
Egypt
Algeria
Tunisia
Morocco
 ••
Many
RuledEgyptian families depend on money sent by
• •In since 1969
the 1990s
Close
Only by General
economic
countryviolence broke
inrelations
North Mu’ammar
out
Africa
with between
with
manylittle therelatives
al-Gadhafi,
European
oil a in
government
countries
other
dictator, or
and Islamic
ruler
countries.with complete power
groups.
• •Tunisian
Importantwomen
producer
have and
more
exporter
rights than
of fertilizer
others in the region.
 ••
Shipping
Gadhafi through
supported the Suez Canal
violence brings
against money
Israel, to
so Egypt.
many other countries
Today Algeria is working to recover from the violence and strengthen
limit their relations
its economy. with Libya.
 Currencies
Dinar (Algerian, Libyan, Tunisian)
Egyptian Pound
Dirham (Morocca, Western Sahara)
 North Africa - Trade

A. 650 A.D.:
 African goods made
their way to Europe
through the trade
between West Africa
and North Africa.
 North Africa - Trade

B. Goods:
 Bought from the West

African traders by the

North African
Muslim traders were
taken into southern
Europe. Here they
might then have been
sold on to Europeans.
North Africa – Trade

C. 7th century AD:

 Sophisticated trade

networks were
established.
 North Africa - Trade

D. North Africans:
 Exchanged their local

products like horses,

books, swords and
chain mail with West
Africans for gold,
ivory, salt and cloth.
 North Africa – Trade

E. Trans-Saharan trade:
 Crossed the Sahara

desert and included

slaves. The slaves,
usually captured as
prisoners of war, were
sold by the West
Africans to the Muslim
traders who came from
North Africa.
 North Africa – Trade

F. Formal Economies:

 Based on currency,
taxes, and regulations.

G. Informal Economies:

 Barter, trade goods, not

government regulated.
 North Africa - Trade
H. Agriculture:

 Still one of the most important

sectors of the economies of
North Africa, both for feeding
the population and for export.

 The number of people

employed in agriculture varies
by country: about 50% in
Morocco, 40% in Egypt, 25% in
Algeria and probably even
fewer in Libya which imports
close to 75% of its food.
 North Africa – Trade

I. Crops:

 Include: oranges and other citrus

fruits; grains like barley, wheat,
oats and even corn; vegetables,
including tomatoes that are
shipped to the U.S., onions,
peppers and eggplants; legumes
like lentils and chickpeas; and
other Mediterranean and arid
produce, like nuts, olives, grapes
(for eating and to produce wine),
dates and figs in abundance.
 North Africa – Trade

J. Livestock:
 Sheep, cows, goats,

poultry, and, of
course, camels,
horses, donkeys, and
mules.
 North Africa – Trade

K. Minerals:
 Iron ore, silver, zinc,

copper, lead,
manganese, gold, salt,
limestone, gypsum,
and coal (in
Morocco).
T hank you
for touring with
us…