AFRICA’S PHYSICAL FEATURES KEY
A. The Sahel: The Sahel is a semi-arid region which stretches across western and northern Africa from
Senegal into parts of Eritrea. It is bounded by the Sahara desert to the north and the Savanna lands to the south.
The name Sahel comes from Arabic, and means 'the shore' or 'coast'. It is used to suggest the Sahara is a sea of
sand.
B. Ethiopian Highlands: Home to 80 percent of Africa's tallest mountains, the highlands have helped
shelter Ethiopia from foreign conquest and preserve one of the world's most distinct cultures. Ethiopia is the
only African country never to have been colonized.
C. Mt. Kilimanjaro: Tallest mountain in Africa, was formed as a volcano but is now dormant, at 19,340 feet
above sea level it has the only permanent ice in Africa.
D. Lake Victoria: Second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior, surface area of about
27,000 square miles, named for the British Queen Victoria.
E. Nile River: Begins as two separate rivers; the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile begins at
Lake Victoria and the Blue Nile begins in the Ethiopian Highlands, they meet in Khartoum, Sudan, to form one
river—the longest river in the world.
F. Congo Basin: The basin has the world's second largest rainforest (18% of the planet's remaining tropical
rainforest). The Congo Basin represents 70% of the African continent's plant cover.
G. Kalahari Desert: One of the largest of the deserts in the world, covering over 100,000 square miles and
is on a plateau that is 3,000 feet above sea level.
H. Niger River: At 2,600 miles, it is the third longest river on the African continent behind the
Nile River and the Congo. The water level of the Niger has been substantially lowered as a result of the long-
term West African drought in the late 1960s, 70s, and 80s; in 1985 and 1990 sections of the river dried up.
I. Sahara Desert: The world’s largest non-polar desert, covers more than 3,500,000 square miles,
elevation ranges from 100 feet below sea level to more than 11,000 feet above sea level. It is also the world’s
hottest desert (136º).
J. Atlas Mountains: Extend approximately 1,300 miles through the countries of Morocco, Tunisia and
Algeria. The highest point is Jabal Toukal at 13,665 feet.
K. Congo River: The Congo River is the Earth's second largest river by volume and is the second longest
river in Africa.
L. Indian Ocean: The waters of the Indian Ocean provides the largest breeding grounds of the world for
humpback whales. The Indian Ocean is the 3rd
largest ocean in the world.
M. Great Rift Valley: Runs north to south for around 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers), from northern Syria to
central Mozambique in East Africa. Astronauts say it is the most significant physical detail on the planet that is
visible from space.
N. Serengeti Plain: Home to the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera and is
home to more than 2 million herbivores and thousands of predators.
O. Madagascar: The 4th
largest island in the world, it is believed to have split from India years ago and
developed in isolation, therefore, 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on earth.
P. Atlantic Ocean: The world’s 2nd
largest ocean, it contains the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is the longest
mountain range in the world (underwater!), it stretches from Iceland to Antarctica.
Q. Mediterranean Sea: The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the
deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep.
R. Red Sea: The Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley, is situated under the sea.
S. Namib Desert: The world's oldest desert, having been in existence for some 43 million years, remaining
unchanged in its present form for the last 2 million years.
T. Strait of Gibraltar: Europe and Africa are separated by 8.4 miles at the narrowest point of the strait.
There have been discussions between Spain and Morocco about building a bridge or tunnel that would connect
the 2 continents at the strait.
U. Mozambique Channel: The channel reaches a depth of 3,292 m (10,800 feet) and was the site of a
World War II naval battle during the Battle of Madagascar.
V. Gulf of Aden: The waterway is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route and is known by the
nickname "Pirate Alley" due to the large amount of pirate activity in the area.