a large crack in the earth's surface formed by shifting tectonic plates
The Great Rift Valley
stretches from Syria in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in the southeastern part of Africa
escarpment
steep, often jagged slopes or cliffs, most escarpments are located less than 20 miles from the coast
cataracts
towering waterfalls
estuary
a passage where freshwater from a river meets sea water.
Ruwenzori Mountains
divide Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covered with snow and cloaked in clouds, these mountains are also called the Mountains of the Moon
Drakensberg Range
part of the Cape Mountains, rise to 11,000 feet and form an escarpment
Lake Victoria
largest lake in Africa lies between the eastern and western branches of the Great Rift Valley.
Lake Volta
is in West Africa is one of the largest man made lakes in the world. It was created in the 1960s by damming the Volta River south of Ajena, Ghana
The Niger River
means "Great River" it is the main artery in western Africa. It is 2,600 miles long.
The Zambezi River
is 2,200 miles long. It starts on the border of Zambia and Angola and heads to the Indian ocean. It is interrupted by Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
is on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, it is twice the height of Niagara Falls
Pula
a Botswana word for rain
leach
heavy rains in the tropical rainforest dissolve or carry away nutrients from the soil
savanna
tropical grassland with scaterred trees
harmattan
hot dry winds from the Sahara
Serengeti plain
one of the world's largest savanna plains
Sahel
means shore or edge in arabic. It is a band of dry land just below the Sahara
desertification
a process by which productive land turns into desert following the destruction of vegetation.
Namib desert
runs along the coast of the Atlantic in Namibia
Kalahari desert
occupies eastern Namibia, most of Botswana and part of South Africa
Biology Lab Midterm
