World Geography - Volume 4: Africa

515 Pages·2020·24.498 MB·English

by  Joseph M. Castagno

World Geography
Africa
Regions | Physical Geography | Biogeography and Natural Resources
Human Geography | Economic Geography | Gazetteer
Second Edition

World Geography
Africa
Regions | Physical Geography | Biogeography and Natural Resources
Human Geography | Economic Geography | Gazetteer
Second Edition
Volume 4
Editor
Joseph M. Castagno
Educational Reference Publishing, LLC
SALEMPRESS
ADivisionofEBSCOInformationServices,Inc.
Ipswich,Massachusetts
GREY HOUSE PUBLISHING
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Publisher’sCataloging-In-PublicationData
(PreparedbyTheDonohueGroup,Inc.)
Names:Castagno,JosephM.,editor.
Title:Worldgeography/editor,JosephM.Castagno,EducationalReferencePublishing,LLC.
Description:Secondedition.|Ipswich,Massachusetts:SalemPress,adivisionofEBSCOInformation
Services,Inc.;Amenia,NY:GreyHousePublishing,[2020]|Interestgradelevel:Highschool.|In-
cludesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.|Summary:Asix-volumegeographicencyclopediaofthe
world,continentsandcountriesofeachcontinent.Inadditiontophysicalgeography,thesetalsoad-
dresseshumangeographyincludingpopulationdistribution,physiographyandhydrology,
biogeographyandnaturalresources,economicgeography,andpoliticalgeography.|Contents:Vol-
ume1.South&CentralAmerica—Volume2.Asia—Volume3.Europe—Volume4.Africa—Vol-
ume5.NorthAmerica&theCaribbean—Volume6.Australia,Oceania&theAntarctic.
Identifiers:ISBN9781642654257(set)|ISBN9781642654288(v.1)|ISBN9781642654318(v.2)|
ISBN9781642654301(v.3)|ISBN9781642654295(v.4)|ISBN9781642654271(v.5)|ISBN
9781642654325(v.6)
Subjects:LCSH:Geography—Encyclopedias,Juvenile.|CYAC:Geography—Encyclopedias.|LCGFT:
Encyclopedias.
Classification:LCCG133.W882020|DDC910/.3—dc23
FirstPrinting
PRINTEDINCANADA
Contents
TheChallengeofCOVID-19............... vii EngineeringProjects.................... 207
Publisher’sNote......................... ix Transportation......................... 215
Introduction............................ xi Communications....................... 225
Contributors ........................... xv
Gazetteer............................ 231
Regions
Appendix
Overview ............................... 3
TheEarthinSpace ..................... 271
TheHistoryofGeography ............... 3
TheSolarSystem..................... 271
MapmakinginHistory .................. 6
Earth’sMoon........................ 275
MapmakingandNewTechnologies .......10
TheSunandtheEarth ................ 277
TheContinent.......................... 13
TheSeasons......................... 279
TheOffshoreIslands..................... 25
Earth’sInterior ........................ 281
Physical Geography Earth’sInternalStructure .............. 281
Overview .............................. 33 PlateTectonics....................... 283
ClimateandHumanSettlement.......... 33 Volcanoes........................... 289
FloodControl ........................ 35 GeologicTimeScale .................. 293
AtmosphericPollution.................. 38 Earth’sSurface......................... 297
DiseaseandClimate ................... 40 InternalGeologicalProcesses ........... 297
Physiography........................... 43 ExternalProcesses.................... 299
Climatology............................ 55 FluvialandKarstProcesses............. 302
Hydrology ............................. 63 Glaciation .......................... 304
DesertLandforms .................... 307
Biogeography and Natural Resources
OceanMargins ...................... 309
Overview .............................. 71
Earth’sClimates ....................... 311
Minerals............................. 71
TheAtmosphere ..................... 311
RenewableResources................... 74
GlobalClimates...................... 315
NonrenewableResources................ 76
CloudFormation .................... 320
NaturalResources....................... 79
Storms ............................. 323
Flora ................................. 93
Earth’sBiologicalSystems................ 327
Fauna................................ 103
Biomes............................. 327
Human Geography NaturalResources...................... 331
Overview ............................. 115 Soils............................... 331
TheHumanEnvironment.............. 115 Water .............................. 334
PopulationGrowthandDistribution......118 ExplorationandTransportation........... 337
GlobalUrbanization .................. 120 ExplorationandHistoricalTradeRoutes..337
People ............................... 125 RoadTransportation.................. 340
PopulationDistribution.................. 133 Railways............................ 342
CultureRegions........................ 139 AirTransportation.................... 345
Exploration........................... 147 EnergyandEngineering................. 347
Urbanization.......................... 157 EnergySources ...................... 347
PoliticalGeography..................... 165 AlternativeEnergies .................. 351
EngineeringProjects.................. 353
Economic Geography
IndustryandTrade ..................... 357
Overview ............................. 177 Manufacturing....................... 357
TraditionalAgriculture ................ 177 GlobalizationofManufacturingandTrade ..359
CommercialAgriculture ............... 179 ModernWorldTradePatterns........... 362
ModernAgriculturalProblems .......... 181 PoliticalGeography..................... 367
WorldFoodSupplies.................. 184 FormsofGovernment................. 367
Agriculture............................ 189 PoliticalGeography................... 370
Industries............................. 201 Geopolitics.......................... 372
v
Contents World Geography
NationalParkSystems................. 377 World’sSmallestCountriesbyArea.......411
BoundariesandTimeZones.............. 381 World’sLargestCountriesbyPopulation ..412
InternationalBoundaries .............. 381 World’sSmallestCountriesbyPopulation..413
GlobalTimeandTimeZones ........... 384 World’sMostDenselyPopulatedCountries..414
GlobalEducation....................... 387 World’sLeastDenselyPopulatedCountries..415
ThemesandStandardsinGeography World’sMostPopulousCities ........... 416
Education ........................ 387 MajorLakesoftheWorld .............. 417
GlobalData ........................... 389 MajorRiversoftheWorld.............. 418
WorldGazetteerofOceansandContinents..389 HighestPeaksinEachContinent ........421
World’sOceansandSeas............... 401 MajorDesertsoftheWorld............. 422
MajorLandAreasoftheWorld.......... 402 HighestWaterfallsoftheWorld .........423
MajorIslandsoftheWorld ............. 403
CountriesoftheWorld ................ 404
PastandProjectedWorldPopulation Glossary.............................. 425
Growth,1950-2050 ................. 409 Bibliography .......................... 473
World’sLargestCountriesbyArea .......410 Index................................ 477
vi
The Challenge of COVID-19
As World Geography: Africa goes to press in July tinationsnearandfar.Eachtravelercarriesthepo-
2020, the entire globe is grappling with the worst tentialtounknowinglyspreaddisease.
andmostwidespreadpandemicinmorethanacen- To curtail COVID-19’s spread, countries have
tury. Thecause of the pandemic is a highlyconta- closedtheirborders,airtravelhasbeendrastically
giousviralconditionknownasCoronavirusDisease reduced, and sweeping mitigation policies have
2019,orCOVID-19. been inaugurated. Some densely populated Asian
The first documented emergence of COVID-19 countries, including South Korea, Singapore, and
occurredinDecember2019asanoutbreakofpneu- Taiwan, enforced these measures very early, and
moniainWuhanCity,inHubaiProvince,China.By have, as ofJuly 2020, managed todampen theef-
January 2020, Chinese health officials had re- fectofthevirusandlimitthenumberofconfirmed
ported tens of thousands of infections and dozens cases and deaths due to COVID-19. Other places,
ofdeaths.Thatsamemonth,COVID-19caseswere slower to act, such as China and Iran, have been
appearingacrossAsia,Europe,andNorthAmerica, veryhardhit.
and spreading rapidly. On March 11, the World Many COVID-19 questions remain: Where will
Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 the disease strike next? Will the onset of warmer
viraldiseaseapandemic. weather reduce the communicability of the virus?
TherapidspreadofCOVID-19viraldiseasehas Willavaccinebeavailablesoon?Willtherebeasec-
strong geographical components. The virus ond wave of infection? When will life be back to
emergedinWuhan,ahuge,denselypopulatedcity. normal?
Itspreadrapidlyamongapopulationlivinglargely Geographerswillcontinuetoplayauniquerole
indoors during the cold-weather months. But the in answering these questions, applying the tools
most significant geographical factor in the spread andtechniquesoftheirdisciplinetoachievingthe
ofthevirusmaywellbetheglobalization oftrans- fullest possible epidemiological understanding of
portation.Everyday,thousandsofpeopleflytodes- thepandemic.
vii

Publisher’s Note
NorthAmericanshavelongthoughtofthefieldof biogeographyandnaturalresources;humangeog-
geography as little more than the study of the raphy (including its political geography); and
names and locations of places. This notion is not economicgeography.Theseessaysrangeinlength
withoutabasisinfact:Throughmuchofthetwenti- fromthreetotenpages.Agazetteerindicatesmajor
eth century, geography courses forced students to political, geographic, and manmade features
memorize names of states, capitals, rivers, seas, throughouttheregion.
mountains,andcountries.Bothstudentsandedu- A robust appendix found in each volume pro-
cators eventually rebelled against that approach, videsfurtherinformation:
geography courses gradually fell out of favor, and (cid:129) TheEarthinSpace(TheSolarSystem,Earth’s
the future of geography as a discipline looked Moon,TheSunandtheEarth,TheSeasons);
doubtful. Happily, however, the field has under- (cid:129) Earth’sInterior(EarthsInternalStructure,Plate
gone a remarkable transformation, starting in the Tectonics,Volcanoes,GeologicTimeScale);
1990s.Geographynowhasabrightandpivotalsig- (cid:129) Earth’s Surface (Internal Geological Processes,
nificanceatalllevelsofeducation. ExternalProcesses,FluvialandKarstProcesses,
Whilelearningthelocationsofplacesremainsan Glaciation,DesertLandforms,OceanMargins);
importantpartofgeographystudies,educatorsrec- (cid:129) Earth’sClimates(TheAtmosphere,GlobalCli-
ognizethatplace-namerecognitionismerelythebe- mates;CloudFormation,Storms);
ginning of geographic understanding. Geography (cid:129) Earth’sBiologicalSystems(Biomes);
nowplacesmuchgreateremphasisonunderstand- (cid:129) NaturalResources(Soils,Water);
ing the characteristics of, and interconnections (cid:129) ExplorationandTransportation(Exploration
among,places.Modernstudentsaddresssuchques- and Historical Trade Routes, Road Transpor-
tionsashowtheweatherinBrazilcanaffecttheprice tation,Railways,AirTransportation);
of coffee in the United States, why global warming (cid:129) EnergyandEngineering(EnergySources,Al-
threatensislandnations,andhowpreservingendan-
ternativeEnergies,EngineeringProjects);
geredplantandanimalspeciescanconflictwiththe
(cid:129) Industry and Trade (Manufacturing, Global-
economicdevelopmentofpoornations.
ization of Manufacturing and Trade, Modern
WorldGeography,SecondEdition,addressesthese
WorldTradePatterns);
andmanyotherquestions.Designedandwrittento
(cid:129) Political Geography (Forms of Government,
meettheneedsofhighschoolstudents,whilebeing
Political Geography, Geopolitics, National
accessible to both middle school and undergradu-
ParkSystems);
atecollegestudents,thesesixvolumestakeaninte-
(cid:129) Boundaries and Time Zones (International
gratedapproachtothestudyofgeography,empha-
Boundaries,GlobalTimeandTimeZones);
sizing the connections among world regions and
(cid:129) Global Education (Themes and Standards in
peoples.Theset’ssixvolumesconcentrateonma-
GeographyEducation);
jorworldregions:SouthandCentralAmerica;Asia;
(cid:129) Global Data (The World Gazetteer of Oceans
Europe; Africa, North America; and Australia,
andContinents,TheWorld’sOceansandSeas,
Oceania, and the Antarctic. Each volume begins
MajorLandAreasoftheWorld,MajorIslands
with common overview information related to the
oftheWorld,CountriesoftheWorld(including
geography,mapsandmapmaking.Thecoreessays
population and pollution density), Past and
in the volumes begin with an overview section to
Projected World Population Growth,
provideglobalcontextandthengoontoexamine
1950-2050, The World’s Largest Countries by
importantgeographicaspectsoftheregionsinthat
Area,TheWorld’sSmallestCountriesbyArea,
area of the world: its physical geography;
The World’s Largest Countries by Population,
ix