​Welcome to Africa

• Quick facts:
  - Africa is the second largest continent

  - Africa has the second largest population of any continent

  • has 18% of the world's population

  -Africa has different climates and environments

​Latitude and Longitude

• most of Africa is in the Eastern Hemisphere

• the equator and the prime meridian both run through Africa

  • Africa is the only continent that spans all 4 hemispheres

• is connected to Asia by Southwest Asia/the Middle East

​The Countries of Africa

• Africa has 54 countries

• Countries range in size from tiny to massive

  • smallest - Seychelles - only 175 square miles

  • largest - Algeria - approximately 920,000 square miles

​The Countries of Africa

• Countries of Africa are generally divided into two regions:

  • North Africa

  • sub-Saharan Africa

• North African region dominated by the Sarah Desert

​Physical Regions of Africa

• Africa is often divided into 5 physical regions:

  • the Sahara

  • the Sahel

  • the tropical rainforest

  • savannas

  • the Kalahari Desert

• Africa is 25% desert

  • is the world's hottest continent

​Physical Features of Africa

• Africa has many physical features:

  • enormous deserts

  • endless savannahs

  • extensive mountain ranges

  • large freshwater lakes

  • long, snaking rivers

​Rivers in Africa

• Nile River

  • longest river in the world at 4,150 miles long

• Niger River

  • principal river, or main river, in western africa

  • 5 nations depend on it for water

• Congo River

  • principal river, or main river, in central Africa

  • second longest river in Africa

  • fifth longest river in the world

• Lake Victoria

  • largest lake in Africa, but shallow

  • empties into the Nile River

​Land Physical Features in Africa

• Atlas Mountains

  • run along the coast of North Africa through Morocco, Algeria, & Tunisia

  • coastal climate not as harsh as Sahara Desert

• Great Rift Valley

  • enormous dip in earth's surface caused by separating tectonic plates

  • contains 3 of Africa's most important lakes

• Mt. Kilimanjaro

  • tallest mountain in Africa at 19, 340 feet above sea level

  • located in Tanzania