AFRICA

is the second largest continent in the world after Asia. It is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Suez, and the Red Sea, and form the Europe by the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east. Offshore islands, considered part of Africa, include those in the Indian Ocean Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Zanzibar, Pemba, the Seychelles, and the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and Madeira Islands, while in the South Atlantic Ocean are Ascension Island and Saint Helena and in the Gulf of Guinea are Pagalu, Bioko, Sao Tome, and Principe. is the home of the worlds oldest civilization, that of ancient Egypt. North Africa came under European influence during the period of Roman Rule (1st Century B.C. The number of powerful African kingdoms including Ghana, Mali, Kanem-Burno and Songhai flourished during the middle ages. The modern European colonization of Africa was begun by the Portuguese who established trading stations on the coast in the 15th century and 16th century but the interior of what Europeans called The Dark Continent was not explored or colonized until the 19th century. Africas people remain divided by race, language, religion, and politics in a complex cultural mosaic. Africa contained about 13% of the worlds population and was the second most populous after Asia.

LAND AND RESOURCES

Africa is characterized by a number of outstanding natural features that have influenced its history and development.

The Northern Coastal area is separated from the rest of the continent by the Sahara, the largest desert in the world. The coastlines are remarkable straight with few large bay, estuaries, and protected independations that can serve as harbors. Most major rivers have waterfalls and rapids close to the coast which hindered colonial penetration and still limit navigation. Africa lacks a major mountain system like the Andes of South America or the Himalayas of Asia. The Cameroon Mountains a volcano chain extending northeast through Cameroon is the highest mountain of Western Africa. The Futa Jallon of Guinea and Liberia contains the headwaters of the Niger (Djour) River and the Senegal River, West Africas largest or one of Africas most distinctive topographical features is the Great Rift Valley.

CLIMATE

African climate are predominantly tropical. Limited areas of sub tropical and temperate climates are found only at the Northern and Southern extremities and in the high altitudes of Ethiopia and East Africa. Rainfall rather than temperature is the most variable element of climate affecting the distribution of the soil, vegetations and populations. The tropical wet climate is characterized by uniformly hot temperature, a heavy and evenly distributed rainfall and year round high humidity. The savanna gives way to tropical steppes where rainfall is light and highly variable from year to year and prolonged droughts are common. Tropical desert have the least rainfall and the greatest temperature range of any African climate. Diurnal temperature ranges may exceed 10 C (50 F) Africas highest temperature (57.8 C/ 136 F) was recorded in the Libyan Desert.

RIVER SYSTEM

The major rivers of Africa have cut deep gorges in their upper courses and through the coastal rimlands before emptying into the oceans. Waterfalls, rapids, and irregular flows resulting from seasonal variations in rainfall make river navigation difficult. The Congo River alone has 13% of the worlds hydroelectric power potential. The Nile which is worlds largest river rises in Burundi and Uganda in equatorial coast Africa. The Niger River, Africas third longest river rises in the Futa Jallon of the West Africa. Africas largest and deepest lake are found in East Africa generally associated with the rift valley.