Ancient

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Ancient

• Geography and Climate

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North Africa

• Region bordered by Mediterranean and Red Seas
• Rivers flow through fertile valleys that once
  were the birthplaces of early civilizations
• Region is dominated by deserts and mountains, but
  fertile coastal plains such as those bordering
  the Mediterranean Sea form rich agricultural
  areas
• Several mountain ranges have fertile areas along
  their slopes

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• Desert climate predominates in the region
• Scarcity of water makes it a precious resource
• Vast expanse of the Sahara covers most of North
  Africa and supports only drought-resistant shrubs
  and cacti
• Semiarid steppe climate extends throughout the
  region and supports short grasses suitable for
  pasture

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South of Sahara Desert

• Roughly three times the size of the continental
  United States
• Northern edge of the region borders the massive
  Sahara
• Atlantic and Indian Oceans surround the rest of
  the continent
• Annual rainfall rate for this region varies from
  more than 60 inches in the tropical rain forests
  near the Equator to less than 4 inches in the
  semiarid steppe climate

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• Africa's overall elevation is higher than that of
  any other continent
• High plateaus cover the continent, rising in
  elevation from the coast inland and from west to
  east
• Most of the region's lakes are near the Great
  Rift Valley
• The region's great rivers originate in the high
  plateaus and descend toward the sea
• Tropical grasslands, known as savannas, cover
  nearly half of the continent
• Africa south of the Sahara is rich in natural
  resources, including oil, gold, uranium, and
  diamonds

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Vocabulary

• Savannas vast area of relatively dry grassland
• Tropical rain forests forested regions
  receiving more than 100 inches of annual rainfall
• Jungle thick growth of plants found in tropical
  rain forests