The Physical Landscape of Africa

The Physical Landscape of AfricaImportant Natural Places

Physical Map of Africa

Key Term!Biodiversity = the variety of lifePlants and Animal SpeciesEnvironments, Ecosystems and Habitats

There are few things as beautiful and inspiring as the diversity of life that exists on Earth.

Sahara Desert, North Africa

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. With a total area of more than 9,400,000 km, it is almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The Sahara is increasing due to global warming, a process known as desertification.

Nile River, Egypt

The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean.

Lake Victoria, Uganda

Lake Victoria is the worlds second-largest freshwater body. It is close to the source of the Nile River. It was named after the British Queen Victoria, as Uganda was a colony of Britain.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The largest mountain in Africa. The mountains snow caps are diminishing, having lost more than 80 percent of their mass since 1912. In fact, they may be completely ice free within the next 20 years, according to scientists.

The Congo Rainforest, Democratic Republic of Congo

The second-largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. Ivory, diamonds, timber, and gold are some of the natural resources found in the jungle and the river basin.

The Serengeti Savannah, Kenya

The Serengeti Plains are a grass savanna that has very dry but nutrient-rich volcanic sand. Around 2 million large plant-eating mammals live in the savanna. There are 45 species of mammals, almost 500 species of birds, and 55 species of acacia tree in the biome.

The Kalahari Desert, Botswana

Not your typical sandy desert. The Kalahari experiences lots of rainfall but what makes it a desert is that the rainfall is sporadic and it never settles on the surface making vegetation and the survival of the tribes of the Kalahari and animals a grave challenge.

Madagascar Island

The fourth largest island in the world. An ecological hotspot and an unique area for biodiversity! 90% of the plants and animals found here exist nowhere else on earth.

The Great Rift Valley, Tanzania

Approximately 3,700miles in length, it runs from northern Syria in Southwest Africa to central Mozambique in East Africa. It contains some of the deepest lakes in the world, including Lake Tanganyika & Lake Victoria (Africas Great Lakes).