Famous African states and their capitals. West Africa: List of West African countries. Features of continental macrozonation: regions of Africa

Beautiful and vibrant Africa is the second largest continent in the world. More than 1 billion people live in its vastness. And its lands are conventionally divided into 5 regions. By tradition, African countries, the list of which consists of 62 items, are classified as the following regions:

  • Yuzhny.
  • Western.
  • Northern.
  • Eastern.
  • And Central.

This division is due to different geographical and climatic conditions, differences in cultures and forms of government of states.

Africa has dependent and independent territories. There are 37 countries with access to seas and oceans. Present (10 units). And 16 countries located in the interior of the continent.

African countries: list of states in the Southern region

South Africa retains memories of the colonial period. Nuclear weapons were developed on its territory, which the government later abandoned. It includes the following countries:

  • Zimbabwe;
  • Mozambique;
  • Comoros Islands;
  • Seychelles;
  • Mauritius Island;
  • Reunion;
  • Madagascar;
  • Lesotho;
  • Botswana;
  • Swaziland;
  • Namibia.

The largest country on this earth is the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Almost the entire population of the Southern Region lives and works there. There are 11 officially accepted languages ​​in this territory. The ethnic composition of South Africa is a diverse group of numerous religious affiliations.

The proximity of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean makes South Africa attractive for tourism. The southern part of the continent is warm and humid all year round. But the climate is temperate, so the heat is tolerated quite easily.

African countries: list of states in the Western region

The humid and windy climate of West Africa is directly dependent on the capricious trade winds. This territory consists of the following countries:

  • Sierra Leone;
  • Senegal;
  • Benin;
  • Burkina Faso;
  • Gambia;
  • Ghana;
  • Togo;
  • Guinea;
  • Guinea-Bissau;
  • Cape Verde;
  • Cameroon;
  • Mauritania;
  • Nigeria;
  • Niger;
  • Mali;
  • Liberia;
  • Cote d'Ivoire;
  • Saint Helena Islands.

The Western region is home to many African languages. On its territory, oral folklore is still valued today. And ceremonial dances are included in the program of every significant holiday.

The natural border of this land in the east is the Cameroon Mountains. In the south of the region itself the legendary Sahara Desert begins. And in the west, the natural border is formed by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria several years ago received the status of the largest oil producer. Most of the population speaks several dialects at once. There are 527 officially recognized languages ​​in this country. Among them there are 11 “dead” dialects; English and several other languages ​​of the local ethnic group are taught in state schools.

Abuja is the Nigerian capital, chosen by the government as the most ethnically neutral place in the Western region. After the completion of the main stages of construction in 1976, Abuja received the status of the main city of Nigeria instead of the overcrowded Logos.

African countries: list of countries in the Northern region

A significant part of the Northern region is occupied by the sands of the Sahara Desert. The largest states of the entire African continent border the endless sandy sea:

  • Sudan;
  • Tunisia;
  • Algeria;
  • Morocco;
  • Libya;
  • SADR;
  • Egypt.

The Mediterranean natural area is considered very comfortable for living. Therefore, large tourist sites of the African continent, which are known throughout the world, are located there.

The region's economy is in better shape than other parts of Africa. The proximity of Europe affects not only the development of the region, but also its cultural heritage.

Tunisia is a country that has the most competitive economy of all African countries. Tunisia is home to about 10 million people, most of whom speak Arabic. Almost the entire population of the northern state professes Islam. The Mediterranean climate makes Tunisia an important tourism sector. The country's culture contains many diverse trends that are organically woven into the daily life of the Tunisian people.

African countries: list of states in the Eastern region

To the East of the mysterious Nile there are several countries that make up the Eastern Region. Among them are such states as:

  • Ethiopia;
  • Eritrea;
  • Uganda;
  • Tanzania;
  • Somalia;
  • Mayotte;
  • Kenya;
  • Djibouti;
  • Zambia;
  • Comoros;
  • Malawi.

The climate of Eastern Africa is arid in the central regions. But on the coast it quickly changes to tropical. Former colonists set state boundaries quite arbitrarily. Due to the fact that cultural and religious trends were not taken into account, the development of the Eastern region is happening at a very slow pace.

Kenya is not only a favorite destination for tourists, but also a place that has amazing flora and fauna. On the territory of Kenya there are a large number of nature reserves that are protected by the international organization UNESCO.

In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, people speak English and the local dialect Swahili. For a long time this country was a colony of Great Britain.

African countries: list of states of the Central region

The following states are located in the heart of Africa:

  • Angola;
  • Congo;
  • Sao Tome;
  • Equatorial Guinea.

These countries are endowed with a subequatorial climate. Thanks to the extensive river system, it is there that you can see endless forests consisting of evergreen and deciduous trees.

The Republic of the Congo is extremely rich in mineral resources. This circumstance several centuries ago contributed to the emergence of the African “gold” rush in the country.

The capital of the country with the unusual name Brazzaville is quite developed in terms of education. The literacy rate of the population there reaches 82%. The state's economy is based on oil production and agriculture. The cultural sector is represented by folk art. The direction of contemporary art is also well developed.

All African countries, the list of which is given above, are considered officially recognized states. Meanwhile, many territories of the African continent have recently embarked on the path of international recognition and are not yet real states. But they still have symbols of borders on some maps.

Anthropologists call Africa the cradle of civilization. According to research, human culture first appeared there. It’s paradoxical, but in the place where all living things originated, there are still corners where no human has set foot. Of the 29 million square meters, only a small part is inhabited by people. The rest of the area is deserts and tropical forests. African fauna is unique. found nowhere else on this continent.

Exploring the countries of Africa, the list of which is so diverse, it is difficult to imagine that the Sahara Desert occupies an area larger than the entire territory of the United States. Also, half of the world’s gold is mined on the continent. And the name of this part of the world comes from one of the most ancient tribes, “Afri”.


how many countries are there in Africa?

    The total number of states and dependent territories in Africa is 61 (of which 54 are independent).
    This includes 10 island, 14 inland and 37 states with wide access to the seas and oceans.
    African countries are conventionally divided into 4 regions - Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern.

    56 countries

    List of African countries:
    Algiers (capital - Algiers)
    Angola (capital - Luanda)
    Benin (capital - Porto Novo)
    Botswana (capital - Gaborone)
    Burkina Faso (capital - Ouagadougou)
    Burundi (capital - Bujumbura)
    Gabon (capital - Libreville)
    Gambia (capital - Banjul)
    Ghana (capital - Accra)
    Guinea (capital - Conakry)
    Guinea-Bissau (capital - Bissau)
    Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital - Kinshasa)
    Djibouti (capital - Djibouti)
    Egypt (capital - Cairo)
    Zambia (capital - Lusaka)
    West Sahara
    Zimbabwe (capital - Harare)
    Cape Verde (capital - Praia)
    Cameroon (capital - Yaounde)
    Kenya (capital - Nairobi)
    Comoros (capital - Moroni)
    Congo (capital - Brazzaville)
    Cote d'Ivoire (capital - Yamoussoukro)
    Lesotho (capital - Maseru)
    Liberia (capital - Monrovia)
    Libya (capital - Tripoli)
    Mauritius (capital - Port Louis)
    Mauritania (capital - Nouakchott)
    Madagascar (capital - Antananarivo)
    Malawi (capital - Lilongwe)
    Mali (capital - Bamako)
    Morocco (capital - Rabat)
    Mozambique (capital - Maputo)
    Namibia (capital - Windhoek)
    Niger (capital - Niamey)
    Nigeria (capital - Abuja)
    Saint Helena (capital - Jamestown) (UK)
    Reunion (capital - Saint-Denis) (France)
    Rwanda (capital - Kigali)
    Sao Tome and Principe (capital - Sao Tome)
    Swaziland (capital - Mbabane)
    Seychelles (capital - Victoria)
    Senegal (capital - Dakar)
    Somalia (capital - Mogadishu)
    Sudan (capital - Khartoum)
    Sierra Leone (capital - Freetown)
    Tanzania (capital - Dodoma)
    Togo (capital - Lome)
    Tunisia (capital - Tunisia)
    Uganda (capital - Kampala)
    Central African Republic (capital - Bangui)
    Chad (capital - N'Djamena)
    Equatorial Guinea (capital - Malabo)
    Eritrea (capital - Asmara)
    Ethiopia (capital - Addis Ababa)
    Republic of South Africa (capital - Pretoria)

  • Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia, washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, the Red Sea from the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east and south. Africa is also called the part of the world consisting of the continent of Africa and adjacent islands. Africa has an area of ​​29.2 million km², with islands about 30.3 million km², thus covering 6% of the total surface area of ​​the Earth and 20.4% of the land surface. In Africa there are 56 states, 5 unrecognized states and 5 dependent territories (island).

    Africa's population is about a billion people. Africa is considered the ancestral home of humanity: it is here that the most ancient remains of early hominids and their probable ancestors were found.

    The African continent crosses the equator and several climate zones; it is the only continent that stretches from the northern subtropical climate zone to the southern subtropical one. Due to the lack of constant precipitation and irrigation - as well as glaciers or the aquifer of mountain systems - there is practically no natural regulation of climate anywhere except the coasts.

    The science of African studies studies the cultural, economic, political and social problems of Africa.

    I completely agree with Maria Rakhimova (about the list).

In the east are the Cameroon mountains, in the south and west are the waves of the Atlantic, where the westernmost point of Africa is located - Cape Almadi in Senegal. Such natural boundaries are outlined West Africa, which is conventionally divided into two regions: the arid Sahel adjacent to the desert and Sudan, which is more comfortable for living. This part of the continent is home to sixteen countries, the largest of which are Niger, Mali and Mauritania, and the smallest is Cape Verde (Cape Verde).

Climate features, flora and fauna

The most difficult climatic conditions are in the northern Sahel, which is covered by desert year after year. The region is officially recognized as one of the hottest on the planet - in winter the temperature rarely drops below +20 °C, and in summer it confidently stays at +40 °C. At this time, all the vegetation here dies, and the herbivorous inhabitants of the savannah (mainly antelopes and gazelles) migrate south.

West African countries, located in the Sahel, periodically find themselves on the brink of disaster due to monstrous droughts that can last up to five to six years. But in Sudan, agriculture is much better developed. In Togo, coffee, cocoa beans and cotton are grown and exported, in Gambia - peanuts and corn, in Mauritania - dates and rice.

Sudan receives much more rainfall than the Sahel - it is brought by the summer monsoons. In addition, many rivers flow here, so closer to the Atlantic the vegetation is more abundant (even lush tropical forests), and the animal world is much richer.

History and modernity

European colonialists were attracted to West Africa back in the 15th century - the British, Portuguese, and French created fortified outposts on the coast, imposing their conditions on the local tribes. Most states managed to completely free themselves from the tutelage of metropolises only in the second half of the last century.

As a legacy of such total dependence, the countries of West Africa received deep-rooted enmity with their neighbors, who were under the control of other European “patrons.” The region is famous for political instability - military coups, riots and civil wars are common here.

Western Africa is rich in mineral resources. Ghana is one of the leading suppliers of gold, Nigeria's budget is 80% dependent on oil trade, Sierra Leone produces diamonds, and Niger produces uranium. At the same time, only raw materials are supplied to the world market; the processing industry is underdeveloped. Almost all countries in the region are included in the list of the poorest countries on the planet with a very unfavorable epidemiological situation and a low level of healthcare.

List of West African countries

Africa is a part of the world with an area of ​​30.3 million km 2 with islands, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres (most of it), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient continent, Gondwana has a massive outline, with no large peninsulas or deep bays. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, and from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical characteristics

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which causes its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are small lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost entirely occupied by the Sahara Desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian Highlands, the southeast is the East African Plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Drakensberg mountains The highest point in Africa is the Kilimanjaro volcano (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below ocean level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest crustal fault stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

The following rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from the south to north (its sources are on the East African Plateau, and it flows, forming a delta, into the Mediterranean Sea). Rivers are characterized by high water content exclusively in the equatorial belt, due to the large amount of precipitation there; most of them are characterized by high flow rates and have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes were formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest lake in area after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, maximum depth - 83 m), the largest salty endorheic lake is Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern edge of the world's largest desert, the Sahara).

Due to Africa's location between two tropical zones, it is characterized by high total solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent on Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in Al-Aziziya (Libya) - +58 C 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo basin), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannas and woodlands, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to In northern and southern Africa, savannas give way to semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari, Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains there is a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. Natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided between 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, Asian countries were foreign colonies of various European states and only gained independence by the middle of the last century. Depending on its geographical location, Africa is divided into five regions: Northern, Central, Western, Eastern and Southern Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is plain. There are mountain systems, highlands and plateaus. They are presented:

  • the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
  • the Tibesti and Ahaggar highlands in the Sahara Desert;
  • Ethiopian Highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
  • Drakensberg Mountains in the south.

The highest point of the country is the Kilimanjaro volcano, 5,895 m high, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the continent...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. On the southwest side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from there into the continent to the east there is the Kalahari Desert.

The savannah territory occupies the bulk of Central Africa. In area it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical of savannas, low bushes and trees. The height of herbaceous vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. These can be practically desert savannas or tall grasses, with a grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

The longest river in the world, the Nile, is located on the African continent. The direction of its flow is from south to north.

The list of major water systems of the mainland includes the Limpopo, Zambezi and Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide...

Lakes

The list of large lakes on the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater body of water in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square km. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in faults of lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad in Africa, which is one of the world's largest endorheic relict lakes that have no connection with the world's oceans...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also off its shores are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. From the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part, the waters form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, the coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. From the Indian Ocean, the currents are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in northern waters, and Agulhas, in southern...

Forests of Africa

Forests make up a little more than a quarter of the entire territory of the African continent. Here are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find holm oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. Coniferous plants, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees, grow high in the mountains.

Closer to the coast there are cork oak forests; in the tropical region, evergreen equatorial plants are common, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc...

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, with about 1000 species of various types of trees growing here: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, oil palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . Many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects live here, living directly on the trees. On the ground live: brush-eared pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas...

40% of Africa's territory is occupied by savannas, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny bushes, milkweed, and isolated trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest concentration of such large animals as: rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are herbivores such as: hartebeest (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-footed antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson's, Grant's), blue wildebeest, and in some places rare jumping antelopes - springboks - are also found.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness; these are small thorny bushes and separately growing tufts of herbs. The oases are home to the unique Erg Chebbi date palm, as well as plants that are resistant to drought conditions and salt formation. In the Namib Desert, unique plants such as Welwitschia and Nara grow, the fruits of which are eaten by porcupines, elephants and other desert animals.

Animals here include various species of antelopes and gazelles, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling vast distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among the mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned sheep, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, Dorcas gazelle, sabre-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian ass, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are resident and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in an area of ​​low pressure and receives sufficient moisture; the territories north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climate zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoon) moisture and an arid desert climate. The far north and south are in the subtropical climate zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north has minimal precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of trade winds, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all...

Resources

Natural Resources of Africa

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the poorest continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only sufficient to satisfy primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by large areas with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible lands are cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of adequate water volume, soil erosion, etc.

African forests are a source of timber, including valuable species. The countries in which they grow, export raw materials. Resources are being used unwisely and ecosystems are being destroyed little by little.

In the depths of Africa there are deposits of minerals. Among those sent for export: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely available on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investment...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, the following can be noted:

  • the mining industry, which exports minerals and fuels;
  • the oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
  • chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
  • as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. Oil palm is grown in tropical regions of Africa.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total agricultural output. Livestock production indicators are also not high and the reason for this is the infection of livestock by tsetse flies...

Culture

Peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

There are approximately 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups living in 62 African countries, totaling approximately 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization; it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of people.

Most peoples in Africa can number several thousand people or several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 nations, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with a population of more than 5 million people, 1/3 are peoples with a population of more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) - Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulu...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (the predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical African (the majority of the population is the Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

  • West Africa. Peoples speaking the Mande languages ​​(Susu, Maninka, Mende, Vai), Chadian (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zaghawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congo languages ​​(Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, Nupe, Gbari, Igala and Idoma, Ibibio, Efik, Kambari, Birom and Jukun, etc.);
  • Equatorial Africa. Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Duala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandans), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Como, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
  • South Africa. Rebellious peoples and speakers of Khoisani languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
  • East Africa. Bantu, Nilotes and Sudanese people groups;
  • Northeast Africa. Peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra), Cushitic (Oromo, Somali, Sidamo, Agaw, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotian languages ​​(Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
  • Madagascar. Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are considered to be Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the southern European minor race, mainly professing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

brief information

Even in the 21st century, Africa is an incomprehensible and mysterious continent for many travelers from Europe. North America and Asia. Indeed, even scientists who have lived for many years on the “Dark Continent” do not always understand the traditions, customs and cultural characteristics of African peoples.

It should be concluded that Africa is as mysterious a continent for modern Western people as its name itself. Scientists still cannot say with certainty where the word “Africa” came from. Most historians believe that the ancient Romans called “Africa” the northern part of modern Africa, which was once part of the Roman Empire.

We all know about the famous ancient Egyptian pyramids. However, it turns out that there are even more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt (and some of them are more beautiful than the Egyptian pyramids). There are currently 220 pyramids open in Sudan.

Geography of Africa

Africa is washed from the east and south by the waters of the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the northeast by the Red Sea, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. The continent of Africa includes numerous islands. The total area of ​​Africa is 30.2 million square meters. km, including the adjacent islands (this is 20.4% of the Earth’s territory). Africa is the second largest continent on Earth.

Africa lies on both sides of the equator and has a hot climate that ranges from tropical to subtropical. Northern Africa has many deserts (for example, the world's largest desert, the Sahara), and the central and southern regions of this continent are home to savannah plains and jungles. The highest temperature in Africa was recorded in 1922 in Libya - +58C.

Despite the fact that in the popular consciousness Africa is considered “a hot land where it never rains,” there are a lot of rivers and lakes on this continent.

The longest river in Africa is the Nile (6,671 km), flowing through Sudan, Uganda and Egypt. In addition, some of the largest African rivers include the Congo (4,320 km), Niger (4,160 km), Zambezi (2,660 km) and Ouabi-Shabelle (2,490 km).

As for African lakes, the largest of them are Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa, Chad and Rudolf.

Africa is home to several mountain systems - the Aberdare Range, the Atlas Mountains and the Cape Mountains. The highest point of this continent is the extinct volcano Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters). Slightly lower altitudes are found at Mount Kenya (5,199 m) and Margarita Peak (5,109 m).

Population of Africa

Africa's population already exceeds 1 billion people. This is about 15% of the total population of the Earth. According to official data, Africa's population increases by about 30 million people every year.

Almost the entire population of Africa belongs to the Negroid race, which is divided into smaller races. In addition, there are several more African races - Ethiopians, Capoid race and Pygmies. Representatives of the Caucasian race also live in northern Africa.

African countries

At the moment, there are 54 independent states in Africa, as well as 9 “territories” and 3 more unrecognized republics.

The largest African country is Algeria (its territory covers 2,381,740 sq. km), and the smallest are the Seychelles (455 sq. km), Sao Tome and Principe (1,001 sq. km) and The Gambia (11,300 sq. km). km).

Regions

Africa is divided into 5 geographical regions:

  • Northern Africa (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Western Sahara, Morocco and Mauritania);
  • East Africa (Kenya, Mozambique, Burundi, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea and Djibouti);
  • West Africa (Nigeria, Mauritania, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Gambia, Cameroon and Liberia);
  • Central Africa (Cameroon, Congo, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Chad, Gabon and Central African Republic);
  • South Africa - Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Madagascar and South Africa).

Cities began to appear on the African continent thanks to the ancient Romans. However, many cities in Africa do not have a long history. However, some of them are considered among the most densely populated in the world. Currently, the most populous cities in Africa are Lagos in Nigeria and Cairo in Egypt, each home to 8 million people.

Other largest cities in Africa are Kinshasa (Congo), Alexandria (Egypt), Casablanca (Morocco), Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Kano (Nigeria).

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