A Satellite View
• Africa holds approximately 30% of the earth’s minerals and oil production
• Africa is the Earth’s oldest, second largest (after Asia) and second most populous (after Asia) continent
• Africa has the world’s longest river (the Nile), biggest desert (the Sahara), oldest desert (the Namib) and shortest coastline
Africa’s Facts and Figures
Africa’s Size
# Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi.
# 10% of the world’s population.
# 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.
5000
MILES
4 6 0 0 M I L E S
Africa’s Geography
The Land
Water Resources
Climate Zones
The Plants and Animals
People
Africa’s Geography: Climate Zones
• Africa is the world’s second driest continent (after Australia)
• Africa is the world’s hottest continent
• Africa emits only 4% of total global CO2 emissions
Africa’s Geography: Land
• 32% of Africa’s pasture lands and 19% of its forests and woodlands are classified as degraded
• • Africa's deserts account for about
5% of Africa's land area
• Arid lands cover approximately 60% of Africa
• 10% of farm soils are prime agricultural land and more than 25% of the land has moderate to low potential for sustainable agriculture
• Forests account for over 20% of Africa’s 30 million km2 of land area
Bodies
Of
Water
Nile River
Congo River
Zambezi River
Niger River
Orange River
Limpopo River
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
L. Victoria
L. Albert-->
L. Chad-->
L. Tanganyika->
<--Gu
lf of A
den
Africa’s Geography: Water Resources
• It is estimated that over 300 million people in Africa face water scarcity
• • Per capita water consumption in
Africa is 31m3 per year
• About 75% of the African population relies on groundwater as its major source of drinking water
• Renewable water resources for the whole of Africa amount to about 3 930 km3
The Mighty Nile River:
“Longest River in the World”
The Congo River Basin
# Covers 12% of thecontinent.
# Extends over 9countries.
# 2,720 miles long.
# 99% of the countryof Zaire is in theCongo River basin.
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
Hydroelectric Power
Draje
nsburg
Mts
.
Ruwenzori M
ts.
Δ Mt. Kenya
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mountains
&
Peaks
Atlas Mts.
Mt. Kilimanjaro:Highest free-standing mountain in the world
In northern Tanzania
19, 341 feet
The African Plateau
Deserts Sahara Desert
Sahel
Kalahari
Desert
Nam
ib D
esert
Libyan Desert
The Sahara Desert
Desertification
The Sahel
Zone of transition between desert and
savanna
Valleys
&
Plains
Gre
at R
ift
Val
ley
Great Rift Valley
3,700 miles long
Africa:
The“Tropica
l”Contine
nt
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Tropic of Capricorn20° S
Equator 0°
West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes
The African Savanna:
13 million sq. mi.
African Rain Forest
# Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
# Rapid decomposition (very humid).
# Covers 37 countries.
# 15% of the land surface of Africa.
Africa’s Geography: People
• In Africa is home to more than 965 million people
• More than 60% of Africa’s population is still living in rural areas
• Africa now has the fastest urban growth rate in the world
• 2.7% of Africa’s population lives within 100 km of the coast
• 56.6% of African labour force is engaged in agriculture
Africa’s Geography: The Plants and Animals
Africa is home to world’s largest bird – the ostrich (Struthio camelus) and largest living land mammal – the African elephant
98% of Madagascar's land mammals, 92% of its reptiles, 68% of its plants and 41% of its breeding bird species exist nowhere else on Earth
Africa’s Congo Basin constitutes the second-largest area of dense tropical rain forest in the world (after the Amazonian forests of South America)