1. West Africa’s Geography

2. Do Now
• Answer the following question:
– How does the geography of Africa influence
history?

3. Geography of Africa
• A vegetation zone is a region that has
certain types of plants
• Soil and climate determine which type of
plants grow in each vegetation zones
• Africa is separated into three vegetation
zones: desert, grasslands, and forests
• Each vegetation zone is rich with
resources

4. The Sahara
• The majority of the
northern part of Africa
contains the world’s
largest desert: The
Sahara
• The Sahara measures
3000 miles from east to
west and between 800
and 1200 miles from
north to south and has a
total area of 3,320,000
miles
• The Sahara is rich with
salt deposits
The Sahara in Egypt

5. The Savannah
• The central part of West
Africa is covered by the
savannah or tropical
grassland
• Very flat and grassy with
scattered trees called
acacia trees
• The savannah is good for
farming. Crops such as
millet, and peanuts are
grown there. The land is
also good for cattle
grazing.

6. The Forests (or jungle)
• Forests are primarily
located in central
Africa.
• Large amounts of
gold are located there

7. The Niger River
• The Niger river runs through western
Africa
• It has played a key role in transportation,
communication, and trade
• Part of the river floods every year which
provides good soil for farmland
• It was also the southern border of Ghana’s
empire

8. The Niger River Basin

9. Trade in Western Africa
• People in the savannah and forests of
West Africa had gold but very little salt.
• People in North Africa had salt, but they
wanted gold
• As a result a trans-Saharan trade of gold
and salt developed
• Food and slaves were also traded. Some
areas lacked a sufficient type of food and
others lacked the labor they needed

10. Trade in Western Africa
• People in the savannah and forests of
West Africa had gold but very little salt.
• People in North Africa had salt, but they
wanted gold
• As a result a trans-Saharan trade of gold
and salt developed
• Food and slaves were also traded. Some
areas lacked a sufficient type of food and
others lacked the labor they needed