Physical features- are the natural things that are found on the surface of the earth. They include mountains, valleys plains, lakes, rivers, swamps and oceans
1. Mountains
The major mountains in Eastern Africa includes.
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mt Elgon
Mt. Ruwenzori
Danakil Apps
Usambara
Karisimbi
Mt. Hehe
Mt Marrah
Mt. Kenya
2. A Valley
A Valley is a low lying are with steep slopes
In Easter Africa the rift Valley has two branches that stretch across several countries The two branches are:
Eastern Rift Valley
Western Rift Valley
Learners in groups discuss the eastern African countries crossed by rift Valley in Eastern Africa
3. Plains
Plains are low lying area that have a flat surface Examples of plains in eastern Africa includes:
Lotikipi plains in Kenya
Serengeti plains in Tanzania
Bilesha plains in Somalia
4. LAKES
A lake is a large water body of fresh or salty water occupying a depression.
Examples of lakes in eastern Africa includes;
- Lake Turkana – Kenya
- Lake Victoria- Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
- Lake tana - Ethiopia
- Lake albert and kyoga in Uganda
Formation of main physical features in East Africa
Formation of Mountains
There are various types of mountains in Eastern Africa
Volcanic mountains
Block mountains
Fold mountains
1. Volcanic Mountains
Volcanic Mountains are formed through volcanic eruption.
Magma is pushed up the vent and accumulates around forming volcanic mountains.
Examples of volcanic mountains are
Mt. Kenya
Mt. Elgon
Mt. Longonot in Kenya
Mt. Karisimbi in Rwanda
Mt. Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
2. Block Mountain Formation
Block Mountains are also called Horst Blocks.
They are formed through a process called faulting.
When compressional force push rocks towards one another, faults form.
The land between the fault rises to form Block Mountains.
Examples of Block Mountains in Eastern Africa are:
Danakil alps – border of Ethiopia and Eritrea
Ruwenzori Mountain – Uganda
Pare and Usambara Mountain in Tanzania
3. Formation of Lakes
The major lakes of Easter Africa were formed through river Deposition, faulting, down warping and deposition
a. Rift valley lakes
During the formation of Rift valley, some parts of the land sunk deeper that others forming depression
The depression was filled with water to form lakes e.g. Lake Tanganyika Some of rift valley lakes are salty while some are freshwater lakes
b. Lake formed as a result of down warping.
Down warping is a process by which the earth surface sinks inwards due to pressure forming a big basin.
Water fills this basin to form a lake
Examples of down warping lake is Lk. Victoria
c. Lakes formed as a Result of Volcanicity
i. Lava dammed lakes.
Lava dammed lakes are formed when lava flows on the surface of the earth and come in contact with a river, blocking it.
This blockage leads to the formation of a lake.
Examples is Lake Kivu
ii. Crater lakes
When volcanic eruption occurs, the top of the mountain may be blow off forming a hollow depression called crater.
Water fills the hollow depression forming a crater lake.
Examples of crater lakes are;
Paradise in Kenya
Shalla in Ethiopia
4. Plains
Plains are wide low-lying areas of flat land.
Plains are formed as a result of erosions and deposition of the eroded materials.
Learners in groups locate the following physical features from on the map and discuss in class KLB visionary Grade 6 book page 23
Very presise and clear