Africa - Cenozoic, Wildlife, Climate

Africa

Table of Contents

Introduction
Geologic history
- General considerations
- Rock types and structural evolution
  - The Precambrian
  - The Paleozoic Era
  - The Mesozoic Era
    - Marine formations
    - Continental formations
  - The Cenozoic Era
    - Marine formations
    - Continental formations
    - Tectonic movements
    - Formation of the Red Sea
    - Volcanism and rifting
    - Pleistocene and Holocene developments
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
  - Nile basin
  - Niger basin
  - Congo basin
  - Zambezi basin
  - Orange basin
  - Chad basin
- Soils
  - Soil types
    - Desert soils
    - Chestnut-brown soils
    - Chernozem-like and black soils
    - Red tropical soils and laterites
    - Mediterranean soils
  - Soil problems
- Climate
  - Factors influencing the African climate
  - Climatic regions
- Plant life
  - Ecological relationships
  - Vegetational zones
    - Lowland rainforest
    - Eastern African forest and bush
    - Mangrove swamp
    - Broad-leaved woodland and grassland
    - Thorn woodland, grassland, and semidesert vegetation
    - Afromontane vegetation
    - Desert vegetation
    - Karoo-Namib shrubland
    - Highveld grassland
    - Mediterranean vegetation
    - Cape shrub, bush, and thicket
    - Madagascar
    - Sudd
  - Long-term changes in vegetation
    - Geologic influences
    - Climatic influences
    - Human influences
    - Conserving the vegetation
- Animal life
  - Genera and distribution
    - Mammals
    - Birds
    - Reptiles and amphibians
    - Arthropods
    - Aquatic life
    - Origin and adaption of African fauna
  - The effects of humans
  - Ecology
    - Animal life of particular interest
    - Conservation
    - Animals affecting land usage
People
- Culture areas
  - Northern Africa
  - Western Africa
  - West-central Africa
  - Eastern Africa
  - Central and Southern Africa
  - Madagascar
- Cultural patterns
  - Languages
  - Religions
  - Domestic groupings
- Demographic patterns
  - Population distribution
  - Settlement patterns
  - Migrations
Economy
- Resources
  - Mineral resources
    - Metallic deposits
    - Nonmetallic deposits
  - Water resources
    - Surface water
    - Groundwater
    - Availability for human use
  - Biological resources
    - Botanical resources
    - Animal resources
- Agriculture
  - Principal crops
    - Cereals and grains
    - Legumes and fodder
    - Tubers and root crops
    - Fruits and vegetables
    - Beverage crops
    - Fibres
    - Other cash crops
  - Livestock and fishing
- Industry
- Power
- Trade
  - Internal trade
  - External trade
    - Exports
    - Imports
- Transportation
  - Animal transport
  - Motor transport
  - Rail transport
  - Air transport
  - Navigation

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

For Students

Africa summary

Read Next

8 Amazing Physical Features of Africa

Olduvai Gorge or Olduwai Gorge, Tanzania, Africa (eastern Serengeti Plain) Where fossil remains of more than 60 hominins provides the most continuous known record of human evolution. Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey made discoveries here. Archaeology

7 Amazing Historical Sites in Africa

Discover

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

Stylish light blue jeans on wooden background, closeup of inset pocket

Why Do Jeans Have That Tiny Pocket?

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

Julius Caesar in full Gaius Julius Caesar (100? BCE-44 BCE) statue in Rimini, Italy. Roman general and statesman and dictator

The Time Julius Caesar Was Captured by Pirates

Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

The Cenozoic, the most recent major interval of geologic time (i.e., the past 66 million years), is commonly divided into the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods. The Paleogene and Neogene (about 66 to 2.6 million years ago) are remarkable for their great tectonic movements, which resulted in the Alpine orogeny. During that mountain-building episode, the Atlas Mountains of northwestern Africa were folded and uplifted. Notable too are the formation of the Red Sea rift valley and the volcanism and rifting that took place during the later stages of the period. The initial epoch of the Cenozoic, the Paleocene (about 66 ...(100 of 32999 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.