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)