Physical Features of Africa

Located in southern Africa, the name given to these falls by an indigenous group is Mosi-oa-Tunya (“The Smoke That Thunders”).

The desert’s immediate coastal area gets moisture from the near-constant level of fog, allowing succulent shrubs to thrive there. This desert is also home to a variety of wildlife, including beetles, snakes, birds, antelope, and elephants.

This physical feature is responsible for much of eastern Africa’s most-breathtaking scenery, including the snowcapped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The continent’s second longest river. With its many tributaries, it forms the largest network of navigable waterways in Africa.

Its name comes from the Arabic word for “desert,” it is the largest hot desert in the world, with a total approximate area of 3.32 million square miles.

Africa's largest lake, containing many island groups. It is also home to more than 200 species of fish. It has only one outlet which forms the upper section of the mighty Nile River.

Covering some 24,300 square miles, this tropical rainforest has trees towering some 170 feet into the sky and supports the greatest diversity of primates of any similar such area in the world. 

Home to many different species of fish and reptiles and known as the father of African rivers; the longest river in Africa.