Sub-Saharan Africa
6th Grade Informational and Literature Reading Texts
Sub-Saharan Africa is a huge region in size and has a great diversity of physical features. Many geographers describe it as a land of plateaus. It also has large basins and coastal plains however. There are many mountain ranges in the region. Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in the country of Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa and also the highest free-standing mountain in the world. A free-standing mountain is a mountain that is not part of a mountain range. Another impressive feature is the Great Rift Valley. This massive valley was formed when tectonic plates moved to create a gash in the continent extending from the country of Mozambique to the Red Sea.
Vegetation varies greatly across the massive region. To the north, the Sahara gives way to the Sahel, a large area of mostly dry grassland. In the west, the Niger river cuts through the Sahel. This area is also home to the Congo river basin and the large rainforest that surrounds the river system. To the east, tropical grassland covers much of the region. Here the Great Rift Valley gives way to three large freshwater lakes and the two forks of the Nile River: the White and Blue Niles. The Southern portion of Africa is made up of a large low-lying area. Here drops in the elevation create many beautiful waterfalls. As you move further south the Namib and Kalahari deserts make up much of the far Southern region.
It is safe to say we take access to freshwater for granted. Not only do we have access to all this water, but we have full access to clean water. Unfortunately this is not the case in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Vegetation varies greatly across the massive region. To the north, the Sahara gives way to the Sahel, a large area of mostly dry grassland. In the west, the Niger river cuts through the Sahel. This area is also home to the Congo river basin and the large rainforest that surrounds the river system. To the east, tropical grassland covers much of the region. Here the Great Rift Valley gives way to three large freshwater lakes and the two forks of the Nile River: the White and Blue Niles. The Southern portion of Africa is made up of a large low-lying area. Here drops in the elevation create many beautiful waterfalls. As you move further south the Namib and Kalahari deserts make up much of the far Southern region.
It is safe to say we take access to freshwater for granted. Not only do we have access to all this water, but we have full access to clean water. Unfortunately this is not the case in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.