Grade 5 Geography Term 1

1 Grade 5 Geography Term 1 Contents Section 1: World map and compass directions... 2 The position of the equator and the North and South Poles on a globe... 2 The seven continents of the world... 3 The eight points of the compass... 3 Section 2: Africa, our continent... 4 The position of Africa on a world map and globe... 4 Borders of Countries... 5 The countries of Africa... 6 The big cities of Africa... 7 South Africa s neighbouring countries... 8 Capital Cities... 9 The Capital cities of South Africa... 9 Features on a physical map... 10 Some of Africa s greatest physical features... 11 Important mountains and deserts of Africa... 12 Important Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls of Africa... 13 Rivers and lakes that are borders between countries in Africa... 15 Images of Africa: What photographs can tell you about people and places in Africa... 15

2 Section 1: World map and compass directions The position of the equator and the North and South Poles on a globe The equator is an imaginary line that divides the earth into a top half and a bottom half. The top half is called the northern hemisphere and the bottom half is called the southern hemisphere. If you move north from the equator you will get to the top of the earth. The top of the earth is called the North Pole. If you move south from the equator you will get to the bottom of the earth. The bottom of the earth is called the South Pole. Equator Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere The position of the equator and the North and South Poles View from the top of the world View from the bottom of the world

3 Activity 1 1. Look at the picture of the globe on the worksheet that will be given to you. Which letters A, B and C show the position of the equator, North Pole and South Pole? The seven continents of the world In Grade 4, you learnt that there are seven continents. The continents are: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica and Australia/Oceania. You are here. Activity 2 1. Look at the outline of the world map handed out to you. Colour each continent using a different colour and name the continent. 2. Which continent is the smallest? 3. Which continent is the largest? 4. Do you think that Africa is a big or a small continent? The eight points of the compass Do you remember how to move around a map using four compass directions? North is up, south is down, west is left and east is right. By adding four more points on a compass, it is even easier to describe where places are. Useful Tip Activity You 3 can remember the four main compass points by using the following phrase: Never Eat Silk Worms

4 1. In your workbook, redraw the compass points with the four compass points N, S, W and E, and add the two new compass points SW and NW. 2. What do SW and NW stand for? 3. Add NE and SE yourself. 4. What do NE and SE stand for? The position between north and east is called northeast (NE). The position between north and west is called northwest (NW). The position between south and east is called southeast (SE). The position between south and west is called southwest (SW). Activity 4 Look at the world map on page 3. The dot on this page shows the position of South Africa. Use this dot as a reference point to answer the following questions. 1. Name the continent that is west of South Africa. 2. Name the continent that is south of South Africa. 3. Name the continent that is east of South Africa. 4. What country will you find if you move northeast from South Africa? 5. What ocean will you find if you move in a south easterly direction? 6. What country will you find if you move in a north westerly direction? Section 2: Africa, our continent The position of Africa on a world map and globe On the diagram and picture of the globe on page 2 you will see that the line of the equator runs through the centre of the African continent. When you look at a globe, it is not really possible to describe the position of Africa as being in the middle of the world. How would you describe the position of Africa? Oceans around the coast of Africa

5 Activity 5 Look at the world map, on the previous page. 1. Write the names of the oceans around Africa. 2. Which oceans are found off the west coast of Africa? 3. Which oceans are found off the east coast of Africa? 4. Is there sea between Africa and Europe? Borders of Countries Vocabulary Border Boundary Plateau Coastline Irregular Landlocked The boundary (outline) of a country is called a border. A line, imaginary or drawn on a map, showing the end or edge of an area. A large flat area of land that is usually high above sea-level. The area between the land and the sea. Without a repeated pattern. These are countries that are not next to the sea or an ocean. Their borders do not touch the coastline and they are surrounded by land. Think of the wall or fence around your home. The wall/fence shows the boundary of your plot of land. The land on the other side belongs to somebody else. The boundary of a country is called a border. Borders are drawn on maps to show the land that belongs to a country. Border lines between countries are not actually drawn on the ground, although we can see them on maps. Borders can be straight lines or irregular lines. Irregular boundary lines often follow rivers, mountains or coastlines. Straight lines are usually used when there are no natural boundaries. This happens in deserts and plateaus. Sometimes, walls or fences are built along borders to stop people moving from one country to another. One of the most famous borders is the Great Wall of China. It was built to protect the northern border of China from enemies.

6 The borders of South Africa Activity 6 Look at the map that has been provided. It shows the borders of South Africa. 1. Which border lines are rivers? 2. Which arrows point to straight border lines? 3. Which arrows point to irregular border lines? 4. Name the rivers in question 1. 5. Which irregular line is part of the coastline? The countries of Africa Africa has 54 countries. Seventeen of these countries are landlocked and five of the countries are islands. Madagascar is an island country that is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar and Pemba are islands that are part of Tanzania.

7 Activity 7 Use the map on page 6 and answer the following questions. You will be provided with a copy for your workbook. 1. Name the countries that are islands. 2. Colour in the countries that are found north of the equator in blue. 3. Colour in the countries that are found south of the equator in green. 4. Colour in the countries that are found along the equator in black. 5. Draw an x on all the countries that are found along the coastline. How many countries are there? 6. Count the number of landlocked countries in Africa and write down how many there are. A political map of Africa The big cities of Africa Big cities: are often the capital cities of their country. have a lot of buildings and people living there. are often one of the oldest cities in the country.

8 Data table of information about five big cities in Africa Name of city Country which the city is found in Number of people living in the city The city was started as a. Is the city the capital of the country? Cairo Egypt 15 million Trade town Yes Lagos Nigeria 11 million Trade town No Kinshasa DRC 8 million Trade town Yes Johannesburg South Africa 7.5 million Gold mining town No Nairobi Kenya 4 million Trade town Yes Activity 8 Use the information in the table to answer these questions about the five big African cities. 1. Is Cairo found in the country of Egypt? 2. Did Cairo start as a trading town? 3. Is Cairo the capital of Egypt? 4. How many people live in Cairo? 5. Which city is the capital of Kenya? 6. How many people live in Lagos? South Africa s neighbouring countries South Africa s six neighbouring countries are: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

9 Activity 9 You will be given an outline of the map of Southern Africa. Complete the following activities: 1. Fill in the names of the countries in Southern Africa and colour each one in a different colour. 2. Which of the countries are landlocked? 3. Which of the countries are next to the ocean? 4. How many neighbours does Lesotho have? 5. Write down the names of South Africa s neighbouring countries and their capital cities. Capital Cities A capital city is usually the city where the government of a country is found. The government works from here to run the country. It does not necessarily have to be the richest, oldest or largest city, but it is usually one of these. Nigeria s capital city is Abuja, even though Lagos is the richest and the largest city in Nigeria. Abuja is found in the centre of Nigeria so it is easier to travel to all parts of Nigeria. The Capital cities of South Africa South Africa has 3 capital cities. Pretoria is the executive capital - the country is run from the Union Buildings, in Pretoria. Cape Town is the legislative capital - laws are made for the country at the Parliament Buildings, in Cape Town. Bloemfontein is the judicial capital - laws are carried out in the Supreme Court, in Bloemfontein.

10 Vocabulary Political map Sea level Mountains Physical map A map that shows the boundaries of countries/areas. Zero metres high on a map. It is the same level as the sea. Large areas of high ground that have names on a physical map. A map that shows the natural features of a country such as mountains, rivers, lakes and valleys. Features on a physical map The following information is usually shown on a physical map. They are mostly natural features: lakes, rivers, mountains and high and low areas of land. Physical maps use colour to show different heights. The map key provides details of the information it shows you. For example: rivers are blue and show the direction that they flow in. Rivers also have their names written on the map. Lakes are also shown as blue and their shapes and names are also shown on the map.

11 Activity 11 Look at the physical map of Africa that has been provided to you and answer the following questions. 1. What is the name of the mountain that starts with an A? 2. What is the compass direction of this mountain from Botswana? 3. How high is the mountain? 4. What is the name of the river that starts in Lake Victoria and ends in the Mediterranean Sea? 5. In which compass direction is this river flowing? The different colours of land on a physical map show how high the land is above sea level. The highest land is usually a dark brown or purple. Sometimes mountain peaks have the height written on the map. Some of Africa s greatest physical features A relief map shows mountains and valleys using different colours. The maps are also sometimes called topographical maps.

12 Important mountains and deserts of Africa Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa. It is 5895 m above sea level. It is an old volcano. Mount Kenya, found in Kenya, is 5199 m above sea level. It is an old volcano. The Sahara desert can be found in 12 African countries. It is the second largest desert in the world. Activity 11 Look at the physical map and photographs above and answer the following questions. 1. Name 2 deserts that are found in the southern hemisphere. 2. In which hemisphere is the highest mountain in Africa? 3. Name 4 countries in which the Sahara desert can be found? 4. What is the name of the highest mountain found in Africa? 5. In which countries are Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro?

13 Important Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls of Africa The Niger River flows through 6 countries. It is 4180 km long and ends when it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Nile River flows through 10 countries. It is 6650 km long and ends when it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Zambezi River flows through 9 countries. It is 2574 km long and ends when it flows into the Indian Ocean. The Congo River flows through 10 countries. It is 4700 km long and ends when it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Gariep River, also known as the Orange River, flows through 3 countries. It is 2200 km long and ends when it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Limpopo River flows through 6 countries. It is 1750 km long and ends when it flows into the Indian Ocean.

14 The Victoria Falls is found on the Zambezi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The waterfall is 108 m high. The local name for the waterfall is smoke that thunders. The Maletsunyane Falls is found on one of the tributaries of the Gariep River, in Lesotho. The falls are 192 m high. The local name for the waterfall is place of smoke. The Augrabies Falls are found in South Africa, on the Gariep River. The waterfall is 56 m high and the local name is place of big noises. Lake Victoria is found in 3 countries: Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. At its deepest point, the depth is 83 m. Lake Malawi is found in 3 countries: Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. At its deepest point, the depth is 706 m. Lake Victoria is found in 4 countries: Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At its deepest point, the depth is 1470 m.

15 Activity 13 1. Copy this table into your workbook and fill in the missing information. Longest river in Africa Highest waterfall in Africa Deepest lake in Africa Name and country Depth or length Rivers and lakes that are borders between countries in Africa Natural features such as rivers, lakes and mountains form natural borders between countries. In Africa, examples of natural borders, like these, include the border between South Africa and Namibia, which is the Orange/Gariep River. Lake Victoria forms the border between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Activity 14 Using the political map and physical map given to you, answer the following questions: 1. Which country has the smallest part of Lake Victoria? 2. How many countries have the Zambezi River as a border? 3. How many countries have the Congo River as a border? 4. How many people live in Lagos? Images of Africa: What photographs can tell you about people and places in Africa A photograph can give you a lot of information. To get information about the view or angle of a photograph, you should ask the following questions: Is the photograph showing a side view? Is the photo showing a top or aerial view? From where was the photo taken?

16 A top or aerial view shows objects from above or from looking down. The shape of these objects will be correct but it will be very difficult to work out their height. You will also not be able to see the details on the side of the objects. A side view shows people or objects in the front or in the foreground. Activity 15 What do the pictures of the pyramids tell you? Look at the following: 1. Is there any grass or any trees? What does this tell you about this place? 2. Describe the structures. Do you think they are new? Activity 16 Choose any one of the photographs on the next 2 pages. They all show one or more of the following: a physical feature, a town or city, a building and people working. 1. What information does the picture give you? 2. Write 4 sentences about the picture. What is it like there? Use words like hot, cold, dry, lots of people, few people, old building, new building and vegetation.

17 Mount Kilimanjaro Table Mountain Victoria Falls The Nile River The Island of Zanzibar Equatorial forests in central Africa Pyramids in Egypt Zulu homestead in Kwa-Zulu, Natal South Africa Timbuktu - Mali Great Zimbabwe Ruins

18 Masai subsistence farmers - Tanzania Mombasa - Kenya. Maize farm in the Orange Free State South Africa Johannesburg South Africa. Open cast mining in the Northern Cape South Africa Deep sea oil mining in Nigeria Bibliography: Angier K, Carr D, Cockburn J, Wallace J Our World, Our Society grade 5 GM 2016