The Geography of the North
The Uniqueness of North Africa
By Matt Askar
November 8th, 2012
Northern Africa’s geography can be expressed in many different ways; it can be very beautiful yet dangerous. There are two major landforms in Northern Africa; they are the Sahara Desert and the Nile River. It is the largest hot desert in the world. It covers about 25% of the continent. But it isn’t just full of sand and sand, instead includes many features including ergs, regs, hamadas, and oases. It is about the size of Brazil! But don’t forget the Nile River. It is a huge part of Northern Africa and most people know it as the longest river on the earth. The Nile is an unusual river because it flows from south to north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea, not north to south as many rivers do. It creates fertile soil which is very important in Northern Africa and generates a delta. The Blue Nile, the White Nile, and the Arbara River serve as the sources for the Nile River.
The Nile and the Sahara aren’t the only characteristics of Northern Africa. There is the Atlas Mountains. It extends into Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. They are divided into many ranges and some of them would be the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas, and the Anti-Atlas. Berbers mainly live in the Atlas Mountains. The mountains are and were home to many animals and plant species, but most of them are becoming extinct, for instance, the Barbary Lion, the Atlas Bear, and furthermore.
These landforms are not just there to look at; they play a huge part in peoples’ lives. The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa and affects the people greatly. It causes the population density to be about 1 person per square mile, one of the lowest in the world! Even with all that sand in the Sahara, there are many oases that people live by. Actually 75% of the population in the Sahara lives near oases. The Sahara causes the people who live there to be nomads because they keep on moving to find better living conditions. But even though the Sahara has a few drawbacks, the Nile impacts Northern Africa greatly. The Nile creates fertile land which is crucial for all the farming the people do there. The Nile River helped the civilizations of Egypt flourish. Peoples’ lives depend on the Nile, not only do they depend on it for farming and water, but they also depend on it for transportation. Don’t forget the Atlas Mountains; they are full of resources including, copper, silver, mercury, iron ore, and more. They use the minerals to make fertilizers for soil.
Not only does the land affect the people but also the climate. It also has some Mediterranean climate, which has hot, dry summers and wet winters. This climate provides rare fertile land which is very important to the people who live there. It also encourages plants to grow but only some can sustain the hot weather. But most of North Africa is desert which in that case, causes it to be arid and dry which makes it hard for plants to grow and harder for the people to live there. The climate also has semi desert and montane forest.
In conclusion North Africa is a unique part of Africa. It ranges from the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara, to the longest river in the world, the Nile River. The Nile provides a lot of fertile soil which help the people there. The Atlas Mountains provides natural resources. The landforms in Northern Africa influence the people greatly. Not only the landforms are part of the country but the climate also affects the people.
By Matt Askar
November 8th, 2012
Northern Africa’s geography can be expressed in many different ways; it can be very beautiful yet dangerous. There are two major landforms in Northern Africa; they are the Sahara Desert and the Nile River. It is the largest hot desert in the world. It covers about 25% of the continent. But it isn’t just full of sand and sand, instead includes many features including ergs, regs, hamadas, and oases. It is about the size of Brazil! But don’t forget the Nile River. It is a huge part of Northern Africa and most people know it as the longest river on the earth. The Nile is an unusual river because it flows from south to north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea, not north to south as many rivers do. It creates fertile soil which is very important in Northern Africa and generates a delta. The Blue Nile, the White Nile, and the Arbara River serve as the sources for the Nile River.
The Nile and the Sahara aren’t the only characteristics of Northern Africa. There is the Atlas Mountains. It extends into Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. They are divided into many ranges and some of them would be the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas, and the Anti-Atlas. Berbers mainly live in the Atlas Mountains. The mountains are and were home to many animals and plant species, but most of them are becoming extinct, for instance, the Barbary Lion, the Atlas Bear, and furthermore.
These landforms are not just there to look at; they play a huge part in peoples’ lives. The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa and affects the people greatly. It causes the population density to be about 1 person per square mile, one of the lowest in the world! Even with all that sand in the Sahara, there are many oases that people live by. Actually 75% of the population in the Sahara lives near oases. The Sahara causes the people who live there to be nomads because they keep on moving to find better living conditions. But even though the Sahara has a few drawbacks, the Nile impacts Northern Africa greatly. The Nile creates fertile land which is crucial for all the farming the people do there. The Nile River helped the civilizations of Egypt flourish. Peoples’ lives depend on the Nile, not only do they depend on it for farming and water, but they also depend on it for transportation. Don’t forget the Atlas Mountains; they are full of resources including, copper, silver, mercury, iron ore, and more. They use the minerals to make fertilizers for soil.
Not only does the land affect the people but also the climate. It also has some Mediterranean climate, which has hot, dry summers and wet winters. This climate provides rare fertile land which is very important to the people who live there. It also encourages plants to grow but only some can sustain the hot weather. But most of North Africa is desert which in that case, causes it to be arid and dry which makes it hard for plants to grow and harder for the people to live there. The climate also has semi desert and montane forest.
In conclusion North Africa is a unique part of Africa. It ranges from the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara, to the longest river in the world, the Nile River. The Nile provides a lot of fertile soil which help the people there. The Atlas Mountains provides natural resources. The landforms in Northern Africa influence the people greatly. Not only the landforms are part of the country but the climate also affects the people.