  |
|
page 3 of 4 |
|
The Atlas Mountains are Africa's longest mountain range, stretching 1,500 miles across northwestern Africa. The mountain system was named for Atlas from Greek mythology who was believed to hold up the sky. The highest peak in the Atlas Mountains is Jebel Toukbal at 13,665 feet. Important minerals are mined in the Atlas Mountains.  |
|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
 Lagos, Nigeria, is the largest urban area in Africa. Lagos is Nigeria's, and much of Africa's, transportation and industrial center. The city of Lagos is located on the Nigerian mainland as well as on four islands in the Gulf of Guinea. The area that is now Lagos grew as a seaport when Portuguese sailors began trading in the late 1400s with the Yoruba people living there. |
|
| |
| The Sahel (Arabic for "shore") is the region that borders the Sahara to the south. It receives more rain than the Sahara and can support grasses and trees. However, the Sahel is gradually turning into desert because of desertification. Desertification is caused by drought, tree removal, shifting cultivation, overgrazing the land, and other factors. People living in this region are now working to find ways to help stop this process before more of the Sahel becomes a desert. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
