Grade Six Social Studies
I hope you had a very productive week at school. I hope you are intensifying your studies. As you know, your examination is fast approaching. Please take time to revise all your subjects, work with your personal study timetable and your study journal. Use your journal to paraphrase work given by your teachers, try to practice past examination questions, this would help greatly in preparation for NGSA.
Topic: Continents of the world Subtopic: Africa
This week we are going to learn all about the Continent of Africa. Specifically, we will:
1) Discuss key facts about the Continent of Africa. 2) Identify Countries in Africa.
3) Highlight important landmarks in Africa.
Let’s Examine The Continent of Africa!
Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is divided in half almost equally by the Equator. The continent includes the islands of Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros.
Africa is also the world’s second most populous continent. Africa is one of the most diverse places on the planet with a wide variety of terrain, wildlife, and climates.
Africa is home to some of the world’s great civilizations including Ancient Egypt which ruled for over 3000 years and built the Great Pyramids. Other civilizations include the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Kingdom of Ghana. Africa is also home to some of the oldest discoveries of human tools and possibly the oldest people group in the world in the San people of Southern Africa. Today, some of the world’s fastest growing economies (2019 GDP) come from Africa with the two largest economies in Africa being Nigeria and South Africa.
Did you know! The origin of the name “Africa” is greatly disputed by scholars. Most believe it stems from words used by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. Important words include the Egyptian word Afruika, meaning “Motherland”; the Greek word aphrike, meaning “without cold”; and the Latin word aprica, meaning “sunny.”
Let’s Look at Countries in Africa!
Today, Africa is home to more countries than any other continent in the world.
These countries are: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea and the island countries of Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros.
Quick Facts About Africa!
Continent Size: Second largest in the world
Area: 11,700,000 square miles
Estimated population: 877 million people
Largest City: Cairo, Egypt, 9.2 million people
Largest Country: Algeria - 919,595 square miles (was Sudan,
968,000 square miles)
Longest River: Nile, 4,160 miles
Largest Lake: Victoria, 26,828 square miles
Tallest Mountain: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 feet
Africa is the second largest continent in the world with a total area of more than 11 million square miles that account for 5.7% of the earth’s surface as well as 20% of the total surface of land on our planet.
It has a rich geography as well as an interesting history thus making it a continent with such biodiversity that is awe inspiring. Africa has much more to it than poverty, for which it is well known the world over.
There are 54 countries as well as quite a few disputed territories. Sudan used to be the largest country in Africa until it was split into Sudan and South Sudan.
FACT/TIP: Algeria is now the largest African country by geographical area. Cairo is the capital city of Egypt and is also the largest city.
Amazing Facts About Africa
• One of the most interesting facts about Africa is that the length and breadth of this continent are about the same. It measures around 4,660 from north to south and from east to west.
• Africa is not only the second largest but the second most populated continent as well and houses about 12% of the world population.
• Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and has an estimated population of 120-140 million. The population in Seychelles is around 80,000 people and is the least populated country.
• The African continent has approximately 3,000 distinct ethnic groups while Nigeria alone has about 370 of these tribes that have been officially recognized.
• Around 2,000 different languages are spoken in Africa and each of them have different dialects while Arabic is the language that is most widely spoken in the African continent.
• The Equator goes around 2,500 miles from the west to the east of the African continent thus dividing this continent into two separate halves – north and south. It passes through many of the African nations such as Congo, Somalia, Uganda as well as Kenya.
• If we go by the records of the fossil remains, Africa seems to be the first continent where humans were found. The fossil remains have suggested that humans had inhabited the African continent around 7 million years ago.
• Africa also boasts of having the longest river in the world, which is the Nile that runs for around 4,150 miles before it meets the ocean. It flows through several African countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda as well as Egypt thus making the land extremely fertile.
The largest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert, is also situated in Africa and it spans across at least a dozen countries - around 3.5 million square miles.
The Victoria Falls
The largest waterfall in Africa is the Victoria Falls and it is located on the Zimbabwe and Zambia border. It has a height of 355 feet and the