Materials

• Maps, atlases, almanacs, and textbooks that contain information on Sub-Saharan Africa
• Handout listing Sub-Saharan African countries to be identified
• Unlabeled outline political and physical maps of Sub-Saharan Africa

Instructional Activities

1. Introduce the unit on Sub-Saharan Africa by displaying the following questions on the board or overhead, and instructing students to respond to them in writing:
   • What is the longitude and latitude running through the center of Sub-Saharan Africa?
   • What countries make up Sub-Saharan Africa?
   • What countries are immediately north of Sub-Saharan Africa?
   • What famous landmarks are located in Sub-Saharan Africa?
   • What major geographic features are located in Sub-Saharan Africa?
   • What major bodies of water border Sub-Saharan Africa?
   
   Divide the class into groups of three or four students each, and instruct the students in each group to share their responses and develop a group response to each question. Allow students to use their textbooks and other available resources. Allow time for groups to share their responses.
   
   
2. Distribute unlabeled outline political maps, handouts, and atlases to students, and instruct them to label on the map the following countries:
   • South Africa
   • Gabon
   • Botswana
   • Democratic Republic of Congo
   • Sudan
   • Chad
   • Mozambique
   • Madagascar
   • Nigeria
   • Ethiopia
   • Tanzania
   • Kenya
   
   
3. Distribute outline physical maps, and instruct students to lightly shade and label the following physical features:
   • Kalahari Desert
   • Namib Desert
   • Nile River
   • Zambezi River
   • Niger River
   • Congo River
   • Atlantic Ocean
   • Indian Ocean
   • Red Sea
   • Lake Victoria
   • Lake Tanganyika
   • Victoria Falls
   • Mt. Kilimanjaro
   • Mt. Kenya
   • Great Rift Valley
   
   
4. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.