Africa Physical Geography: Landforms and Resources

basin a large depression

Nile River the world’s longest river; flows more than 4,000 miles through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt

rift valley a long, thin valley created by the movement of continental plates​

​Mount Kilimanjaro a volcano; Africa’s highest peak

​escarpment a steep slope with a nearly flat plateau on top

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Africa is the world’s second largest continent. A huge plateau covers most of Africa. This plateau rises inland from narrow lowlands along the coast.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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Much of the continent lies at least 1,000 feet above sea level. This plateau is Africa’s most prominent physical feature. It is why geographers sometimes call Africa the “plateau continent.”

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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On top of the plateau, there are five huge basins, or depressions. Each basin is more than 625 miles across and as much as 5,000 feet deep.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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The world’s longest river is the Nile River. It flows more than 4,000 miles through Uganda and Sudan and into Egypt. The waters of the Nile have provided irrigation for the region for thousands of years. More than 95 percent of Egyptians depend on the Nile for their water.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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Africa’s rivers contain many waterfalls, rapids, and gorges. These features make Africa’s rivers less useful for transportation when compared to shorter rivers on other continents.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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The 2,900-mile-long Congo River forms the continent’s largest network of waterways. But a series of 32 cataracts, or waterfalls, makes large portions of the river impassable.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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Meandering courses also make Africa’s rivers difficult to use for transportation. For example, the Niger River begins in West Africa and flows north toward the Sahara. It forms an interior delta and turns to the southeast. It cuts through Nigeria and forms another delta as it empties into the Gulf of Guinea.

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​A VAST PLATEAU

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The continent’s most distinctive landforms are in East Africa. As the continental plates pulled apart over millions of years, huge cracks appeared in the earth. The land then sank to form long, thin valleys. These are called rift valleys.

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​DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN LANDFORMS

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The rift valleys show that the eastern part of Africa is pulling away from the rest of Africa. Africa’s rift valleys stretch over 4,000 miles from Jordan in Southwest Asia to Mozambique in Southern Africa.

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​DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN LANDFORMS

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A cluster of lakes formed at the bottoms of some of these rift valleys. These lakes are unusually long and deep. Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world. It is about 420 miles long and more than 4,700 feet deep.

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​DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN LANDFORMS

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Africa contains mainly volcanic mountains. Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro are both volcanoes. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa.

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​DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN LANDFORMS

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Volcanic activity also produced the Ethiopian Highlands, the Tibesti Mountains in the Sahara, and Mount Cameroon in West Africa. In addition, volcanic rock covers the Great Escarpment in Southern Africa. An escarpment is a steep slope with a nearly flat plateau on top.

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​​DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN LANDFORMS

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​Africa’s mineral resources make it one of the world’s richest continents in terms of resources. The continent contains large amounts of gold, platinum, chromium, cobalt, copper, phosphates, diamonds, and many other minerals. South Africa is the world’s largest producer of chromium. Chromium is an element used in stainless steel.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​South Africa produces almost 80 percent of the world’s platinum. It also has 30 percent of the world’s gold reserves.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​Cobalt is another important resource. Cobalt is used in high-grade steel for aircraft and industrial engines. African nations produce about 50 percent of the world’s cobalt, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ores and minerals account for more than half of the total value of Africa’s exports.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​Africa’s mineral wealth has not meant economic prosperity for most of its population. In the 19th and 20th centuries, European colonial rulers developed Africa’s natural resources for export to Europe. As a result, many African nations have been slow to develop the infrastructure and industries that could turn these resources into valuable products.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, and Angola are Africa’s leading petroleum producers. Together they produce about one-tenth of the world’s oil. Other countries, such as Gabon, have huge untapped oil reserves.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​Angola illustrates why valuable resources do not always benefit most Africans. American oil companies pay Angola a fee for drilling rights and the oil. However, the Angolan government spent much of the money on an ongoing civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002. The war may have claimed half a million lives.

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AFRICA’S WEALTH OF RESOURCES

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​After oil, coffee is the most profitable commodity in Africa. Few Africans drink coffee, but the continent grows 10 percent of the world’s supply.

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DIVERSITY OF RESOURCES

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​Lumber is another important commodity. Ethiopia leads Africa in lumber exports. In fact, it ranks eighth worldwide. However, logging is depleting Africa’s forests.

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DIVERSITY OF RESOURCES

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​Other major commodities include sugar, palm oil, and cocoa. Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate.

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DIVERSITY OF RESOURCES

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​Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Africa. About two-thirds of Africans earn their living from farming. Farm products typically account for a third of the continent’s exports.

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DIVERSITY OF RESOURCES

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