Africa
1. Choose the right option.
a. The African continent mostly consists of a
i. vast lowland. [ ]
ii. high mountain. [ ]
iii. large plateau. [✓]
b. The Nile river drains into the
i. Indian Ocean. [ ]
ii. Mediterranean Sea. [✓]
iii. Red Sea. [ ]
c. This is a coastal desert in the southern part of Africa
i. Kalahari. [ ]
ii. Sahara. [ ]
iii. Namib. [✓]
d. The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are linked by this strait
i. Bering. [ ]
ii. Bab-el Mandeb. [ ]
iii. Palk. [ ]
iv. Gibralter. [✓]
e. The Suez Canal links the Red Sea are linked by this strait
i. Atlantic Ocean. [ ]
ii. Pacific Ocean. [ ]
iii. Indian Ocean. [ ]
iv. Mediterranean Sea. [✓]
2. Name the following.
a. The piece of land linking Africa and Asia.
= Isthmus of Suez.
b. The last country in the continent to get freedom in 2011.
= South Sudan.
c. The capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
= Cairo.
d. The largest lake of Africa.
= Lake Victoria.
e. The waterfall on the river Zambezi.
= Victoria Falls.
f. The longest river in the world.
= Nile.
3. Fill in the blanks.
a. The Atlas Mountain is young fold mountain located in the north-western part of the continent.
b. The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world.
c. The Namib desert comprises parts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
d. The White Nile and Blue Nile are the two main tributaries of the Nile.
e. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain peak in the continent of Africa.
4. Answer the following questions:
a) Why was Africa known as the Dark Continent?
= Africa was known as the Dark Continent because of inaccessibility due to the north, dense forests and swamps in the central equatorial margins, the prevalence of deadly tropical diseases and lack of good harbours that discouraged people from approaching the continent.
b) Name the legendary explorers who explored the African continent.
= The name of the legendary explorers who explored the African continent are - David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley, two great explorers of the 19th century, are credited with path-breaking expeditions in certain parts of Africa.
c) State the approximate latitudinal and longitudinal extent of Africa.
= Africa extends almost equally to the north(37°N) and south(35°S) of the Equator and stretches from approximately 17°W to 51°E longitude.
d) Which are the three important latitudes that pass through Africa?
= The three important latitudes that pass through Africa are - the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
e) Why is the Suez Canal highly significant with respect to trade and commerce?
= The Suez Canal is a sea-level waterway that separates the African continent from Asia. It was built to provide the shortest maritime route between Europe and the countries around the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes.
f) Why is the Chad basin an area of inland drainage?
= The Chad Basin forms the largest area of inland drainage in Africa because several small rivers drain into oceans and seas.
g) State the extent of the Great Rift Valley. Name some of the lakes that are part of the African Rift Valley system.
= The Great Rift Valley extents from Lake Malawi in the south and covers a total distance of more than 6,000 kilometres. The Rift Valley extends through the Red Sea to the Dead Sea in southwest Asia.
Some of the lakes that are part of the African Rift Valley system are - lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kivu and Lake Albert.
h) name the two countries that are naturally separated by Victoria Falls.
= The two countries that are naturally separated by Victoria Falls are - Zimbabwe and Zambia.
5. Thought provoking questions:
a) Several European nations tried to colonise the countries of Africa.
= It was the discovery of diamonds in the continent of Africa in the 19th century that attracted European nations to colonise the countries of Africa.
b) Africa is not an island in spite of being surrounded by oceans and seas on most sides.
= Africa is a continent. If a continent is surrounded by water it is not an island. If a country or smaller land is surrounded by water then it is called an island. So, Africa is not an island.
c) Coastal plains are generally absent in the continent of Africa.
= Coastal plains are generally absent in the continent of Africa because the plateau rise steeply from the coast. Narrow coastal plain occur along some parts of the east and west coasts.
d) Despite flowing a long distance through the Sahara, the Nile has water throughout the year.
= Even though the Sahara Desert, the Nile remains a perennial river as it originates from the rainy equatorial region.
Questions based on the case study:
7. Fill in the blanks.
a. Cocoa was first found in the lowlands of Panama.
b. Cocoa was used to make chocolate a popular drink consumed by the Aztecs.
c. Ghana is one of the largest producers and exporters of cocoa in the world.
d. The towns of Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi form the cocoa triangle in Ghana.
e. The cocoa butter is used for making cosmetics and drugs.
8. Answer the following questions.
a. Why was cocoa once called 'the food of gods'?
= Cocoa was once called 'the food of gods' because of its nutritional value.
b. What do you understand by the 'cocoa triangle'?
= The 'cocoa triangle' is the greatest concentration of cocoa cultivation formed by the towns of Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
c. Explain how cocoa powder is obtained from the cocoa beans.
= The following steps are involved in the processing of cocoa:
❐ The cocoa pods are split open.
❐ Beans, embedded in the pulp, are scooped out.
❐ Thereafter, the beans are allowed to ferment in heaps covered by banana leaves.
❐ The pulp gets softer and is easily removed. The fermented beans are then washed, cleaned and roasted.
❐ Once they are thoroughly dry, they are packed and transported.
❐ Cocoa powder is derived after crushing the beans.
d. How can the problems of cocoa production be tackled?
= To deal with the problems, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) was set up in 1938. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) was established in 1947 which helped the cocoa industry to progress by leaps and bounds. New hybrid varieties of trees were replanted to achieve greater productivity.
Application of fertilisers, disease and pest control and scientific research has boosted the production of cocoa in Ghana. The efforts of the farmers, the government, and the COCOBOD helped Ghana regain its number one position in cocoa production.