Theory question 113
Geography of Africa(a) On an outline map of Africa, mark and name the: (i) Equator, (ii) Greenwich meridian (iii) Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (iv) Cape of Good Hope (v) Cape Blanco (vi) Quattara depression (vii) Zambezi river
(b) In what four ways can the relief of Africa pose problems to the construction of a trans-African highway from the Cape of Good Hope to Cairo?
(c) What can be done to minimize these problems?
Show the model answer
(a) Map with all lines and features correctly placed: Equator (through Gabon, Congo, Kenya), Greenwich meridian (through Ghana, Algeria), Tropics at 23½°N and S, Cape of Good Hope (SW tip), Cape Blanco (Mauritania coast), Qattara Depression (NW Egypt), Zambezi (to the Mozambique Channel)
(b) Steep plateau edges and escarpments (e.g. Great Escarpment); high mountains (Ethiopian highlands, East African highlands); deep rift valleys; large rivers needing bridges; swamps (Sudd); deserts with shifting sand dunes
(c) Building bridges, tunnels and cuttings; zig-zag/hairpin roads on slopes; embankments across swamps; routes along valleys and gaps; sand-dune fixation and tree belts; modern engineering and international funding
Relate each relief problem to a solution.