Africa — Location, Political Divisions and Physical Features

Solutions for Geography, Class 7, ICSE

Exercise

14 questions

Question 2

Answer in one word:

(a) A narrow strip of land separating two seas.

(b) A sudden fall of water from a certain height.

(d) A region of tall and coarse grass in tropical Africa.

(e) Temperate grassland of South Africa.

(f) A narrow steep sided valley formed between two parallel faults.

Exercise

Answer:

(a) Isthmus

(b) Waterfall

(d) Savanna

(e) Veld

(f) Rift Valley

Answer:

Column A	Column B
Ghana	Accra
Kenya	Nairobi
Ethiopia	Addis Ababa
Sudan	Khartoum
Zambia	Lusaka

Question 4

Fill in the blanks:

(a) The ............... Nile is a tributary of river Nile.

(b) River Nile is ............... km long.

(d) Fold mountains are remnant of ............... old fold mountains.

(e) Africa is called 'Dark Continent' because it could not be ............... by the Europeans.

(f) ............... is the highest mountain in Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

(a) The white Nile is a tributary of river Nile.

(b) River Nile is 6670 km long.

(d) Fold mountains are remnant of ancient old fold mountains.

(e) Africa is called 'Dark Continent' because it could not be explored by the Europeans.

(f) Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa.

Question 5

Explain the following:

(i) Isthmus

(ii) Strait

(iii) Block mountains

(iv) Rift Valley

Exercise

Answer:

(i) Isthmus — An Isthmus is a narrow strip of land with water on each side, connecting 2 masses of land, e.g., the Isthmus of Suez.

(ii) Strait — A Strait is a narrow stretch of water connecting two seas, e.g., The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

(iii) Block Mountains — Block mountains represent the upstanding parts of the ground between two faults or on either side of a Rift Valley.

(iv) Rift Valley — A Rift Valley is a long and narrow valley with steep sides. When the land between two faults sinks, it forms Rift Valley.

Question 6(a)

Name the three important parallels of latitudes which pass through Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

The 3 important parallels of latitudes which pass through Africa are:

Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator.

Question 6(b)

State the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

Africa extends from 37°N to 35°S latitude and 17°W to 51°E longitudes.

Question 6(c)

Name the water bodies surrounding the continent of Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

The water bodies surrounding the continent of Africa are:

The Mediterranean Sea in the North.
The Red Sea in the Northeast.
The Indian Ocean in the East.
The Atlantic Ocean in the West.

Question 6(d)

Why is Africa called the dark continent? State any two reasons.

Exercise

Answer:

Two reasons why Africa is called the dark continent are:

It has dense forests, marshes, swamps and vast deserts.
The large interior of Africa is densely forested forming a canopy so that even sun rays cannot penetrate.

Question 6(e)

State the four physiographic divisions of Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

The physical divisions of Africa are:

Desert Regions — Sahara and Kalahari Desert.
African Plateaus.
Lowlands and Basins — Congo Basin, Orange Basin and Chad Basin.
Mountains — Fold mountains, Block mountains, Volcanic mountains.

Question 6(f)

Name any three basins of Africa.

Exercise

Answer:

Three basins of Africa are:

Congo Basin
Niger basin
Chad Basin.

Question 6(g)

What is the extent of the Great rift valley of Africa? Name any two lakes situated within the area of Rift Valley.

Exercise

Answer:

The Great Rift Valley of Africa is about 6440 kilometre long and extends from Red Sea to river Zambezi in the South.

Two lakes situated within the area of Rift Valley are:

Lake Rukwa.
Lake Malawi.

Question 6(h)

Why is Egypt known as the gift of Nile?

Exercise

Answer:

The country Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile as it is Egypt’s lifeline. Without the Nile, Egypt would have been a desert. The Nile gave Egypt fertile, fine silt soil and alluvial deposition. This soil is good for growing crops.