GEOG 341 Lecture 2: Special Topics - Geograph of Africa - Week 2

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Tend to be straight and smooth; few good natural harbors. West africa experiences longshore drift (parallel currents) creating sandbars that block ships. 1/3 of africa is desert, but 1/3 is drained by five major river systems: nile, congo, niger, Most have a peculiar flow pattern in many different directions before turning toward sea. Only 48% of african rivers have direct drainage into ocean; most go into interior drainage basins. Limited navigability due to frequent rapids and waterfalls as well as tremendous seasonal depth variation (example: congo is navigable inland about 85 mils, then series of rapids to stanley. Pool; zambezi flows s, then ne, then se to sea and has victoria falls; niger seems to flow away from coast) Important for economics: much potential for hydroelectricity which would greatly impact environment and people, example: a dam caused a lake which became a breeding ground for flies spreading river blindness .

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