All countries of the African continent. Algeria and Egypt on the map of Africa: interesting facts

Africa is a part of the world with an area of \u200b\u200bwith islands of 30.3 million km 2, 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), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland Gondwana, it has a massive outline, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. 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, from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical features

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are few lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost completely 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 Draconian mountains The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest fault in the earth's crust stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

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 south to north (its sources are on the East African plateau, and it flows, forming a delta, into the Mediterranean Sea). The rivers are high-water only in the equatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation there, most of them are characterized by a high flow rate, 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 after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest salty drainless lake is Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern outskirts of the largest desert in the world, the Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical belts, 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 El Azizia (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 depression), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannahs and light forests, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevre and southern Africa savannas are replaced by 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 - a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. The natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided among 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 are dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, the countries of Asia were foreign colonies of various European states and only by the middle of the last century gained independence. Africa is divided into five regions based on geographic location: North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

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

the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
the Tibesti and Ahaggar uplands in the Sahara desert;
Ethiopian highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
Dragon Mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is Mount Kilimanjaro, with a height of 5,895 m, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannas

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

The territory of the savanna occupies the main part of Central Africa. In terms of area, it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical for savannahs, low shrubs and trees. The height of grassy vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. It can be almost desert savannas or tall grasses, with grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

On the territory of the African continent is the longest river in the world - the Nile. Its direction of flow is from south to north.

In the list of major water systems of the mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through the territory of 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 of the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater reservoir in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the faults of the 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 oceans ...

Seas and oceans

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

Despite the location of the African continent, 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 the northern waters, and Needle, in the southern ...

Forests of Africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. 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 grow high in the mountains, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are forests of cork oak, 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, there are about 1000 species of various tree species: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, olive palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects living right on the trees. On earth live: bush pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

40% of the territory of Africa is occupied by savannahs, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and stand-alone trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest accumulation 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 such herbivores as: bubal (family of antelopes), giraffe, impala or black-fifth antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, and in some places there are rare jumping antelopes - springboks.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness, these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of herbs. In the oases, the unique Erg Chebbi date palm grows, as well as plants that are resistant to drought conditions and the formation of salts. In the Namib Desert, unique velvichia and nara plants grow, the fruits of which feed on porcupines, elephants and other animals of the desert.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling great distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned ram, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, dorcas gazelle, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are permanently living 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 a low pressure area and receives sufficient moisture, the territories north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoonal) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme 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 the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of the 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

African Natural Resources

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the least prosperous continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet 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 land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of the proper volume of water, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including species of valuable varieties. The countries in which they grow, the raw materials are exported. Resources are misused and ecosystems are slowly being destroyed.

In the bowels 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 represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

the mining industry that 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. In the tropical regions of Africa, oil palm is grown.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total volume of agriculture. The indicators of animal husbandry are also not high, and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse flies ...

culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

About 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups live on the territory of 62 African countries, which in total is about 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 of the peoples in Africa may number from several thousand people to several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with more than 5 million people, 1/3 - peoples with 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. The peoples speaking the Mande languages (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Wai), Chadic (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, 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 (Fernandese), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Komo, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
South Africa. Rebellious-speaking peoples, and speaking Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
East Africa. Bantu, Nilotic and Sudanese groups of peoples;
North East Africa. Peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra.), Cushitic (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, 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 South Caucasian minor race, mainly practicing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

It's funny to say, but many people go to Africa without knowing it. So, a work colleague returned from Egypt. All satisfied, tanned. They began to ask her: “How is Africa doing there?”. In response, they saw eyes wide open in surprise, full of incomprehension, what does Africa have to do with it at all. “She’s far away, there aren’t really any countries there.” The whole lunch break enlightened her, what countries are there in Africa and how many of them.

How many countries are in Africa

Countries in Africa a lot, anyway the second largest continent. Fits on it 54 states.

The most interesting in terms of tourism because of their security are countries that are located in the north of the mainland, for example:

Egypt.

The reasons are quite predictable - this is the relative proximity to Europe, and decently developed infrastructure. After all, everyone likes to lie on the beaches, but not everyone can withstand many hours of flights.

Attractions in Africa

What attracts tourists here?

Firstly, warm climate and beach holidays for relatively low prices. To be honest, going to the same Egypt is usually much cheaper than to our Crimea - and this is taking into account the flight.

Secondly - an abundance of various sights and interesting places. I would like to talk about them.

The most remarkable of them is Serengeti. It - Africa as it is. Living untouched world of nature, full of amazing animals.

Here is one of the amazing miracles - great migration. huge herds, breaking through predators on a way to a better life to places where they can feed- it's really mesmerizing. Even if you have not looked at the photos from here, then for sure familiar with these landscapes and their inhabitants by cartoon "The Lion King".

Another place familiar to us from cartoons - island . He too belongs to Africa. The most famous of the local inhabitants - charms-lemurs. In addition to Madagascar, in the wild, they do not live almost anywhere.

The most famous man-made landmark is the Egyptian pyramids. This is the hallmark of Egypt, a place that daily visited by crowds of tourists. It is hard to even imagine how this majestic beauty could be built without modern technology.

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I had a friend in the yard who was absolutely convinced that Africa- this is a country. I had to go to the library, take a book and show him that he was wrong. But I didn't even suspect that there will be so many countries in Africa!

How many countries are in Africa

There are currently 54 countries in Africa. They are all different, and quite a lot.

Animal world of Africa

Africa is home to one of the most amazing animals on the planet - the naked mole rat. He's not very handsome, but in many ways unique.

Feels no pain from cuts and burns.
Lives longer than other rodents.
Compared to them, it makes more different sounds.
Most of his muscles are in the jaw area.

And you could also see this amazing animal in the cartoon "Kim Five-plus".

Hippos live only in Africa. The name of this animal, by the way, comes from the phrase "river horse". Well, yes, just like two drops of water.

Don't think these puffies are cute - that's right. they kill the most people in Africa. So if you find yourself there and to you hippo running towards, better run away from him in the opposite direction.

Lives in southern Africa animal with a funny name jumper. I think he is very similar to long-nosed mouse.

Flora of Africa

Plenty here carnivorous plants. The climate is quite harsh, you have to somehow survive.

One of them - sundew. She is strewn little sweet drops. Fly swear by such stick - and remember your name. Rosyanka gradually digest prey while luring new victims along the way. It would be great to have one in an apartment insect repellent!

Grow here and "stone plants", which are called lithops. They are compared with stones because of the similarity in color.

There are also plants more familiar to us. For example, bananas. Often in children's books they are drawn growing on palm trees, but it's actually grass. But something looks like a palm tree. Nobody can be trusted!

It turns out that we have a lot in common with Africans (unexpectedly, right?!):

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My first acquaintance with Africa happened while reading a novel by Jules Verne "Five Weeks in a Balloon". I remember how many interesting things I learned by reading about the adventures of travelers. In our modern world, despite the many geographical discoveries made, Africa is still considered a continent fraught with many secrets.

Why is it called

The name itself "Africa" first mentioned in 2nd century BC, however, then it was not the designation of the continent as such. Roman legions took over the territory of modern Tunisia by building a colony there. The colony was named "Africa", presumably borrowing the name from the tribe afariks.

How many countries are in Africa

AT post-colonial era, the continent was considered as two regions: "Black Africa"- undeveloped region, and "Africa Arab"- a place of accumulation of industry and population with Islamic roots. The modern classification highlights 5 regions:

Central;
Southern;
Oriental;
Northern;
West.

On the continent are 54 independent countries, a total number, taking into account unrecognized and dependent territories, is 62 . Of them 10 island states, 16 countries located inland, and 37 countries on the coast. Most of these countries have long been European colonies, and gained independence only in middle of last century.

African Diversity

Apart from rich flora and fauna, Africa is landscape diversity: deserts, impenetrable forests, savannah and picturesque mountains. This continent is considered "cradle of mankind", and the modern population is mainly composed of two races: caucasoid in the northern regions and in the territory, and Negroid, extending to the regions south of the Sahara. Population of the continent is 1.22 billion people and this number is increasing every year.

Secrets of the Continent

Africa- a continent full of secrets. The lush vegetation hides the remains of the once great cities, and one of the amazing mysteries is the tribe agove - furry humanoid creatures. Unfortunately, there is no documented confirmation of this phenomenon :(

Many animals, to preserve the population, are concentrated in national parks of impressive size - some in their area exceed European states.

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How long have humans been living in Africa?

Our ape-like ancestors appeared in Africa about 7 million years ago. Caves near Johannesburg in South Africa are called the cradle of mankind. The African population is heterogeneous in composition: North Africans live north of the Sahara desert, those who live south of the desert are called sub-Saharan peoples. Now people from all over the world live here.

How many countries are in Africa

There are 54 states on this continent. The largest of them is Sudan, the smallest is the Seychelles in the east. The most interesting and largest in size is the island of Madagascar, with an area of 587 thousand square kilometers. There are also a lot of full-flowing rivers and large lakes. The most famous rivers:

Congo;
Zambezi.

Huge lakes:

Victoria;
Albert;
Malawi etc.

The number of poor people in Africa

Despite the number of countries in Africa, unfortunately, this is the poorest continent in the world. More than half of the population depends on agriculture, and they receive less and less profit from their products. The situation was worsened by the fact that in the Sahara in the 80s there was practically no rain.

What plants and animals can be seen during a safari in Africa

It is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. Cypresses, pines, oaks, orange and olive trees grow along the coasts. Lions, rhinos, zebras, elephants, crocodiles and many more species live here. Now the African savannah is a network of national parks - it is home to many species of wild animals. In fact, there are a lot of interesting cultures and traditions in Africa. It's like a separate world that is not subject to civilizational innovations and technologies. More than 700 million people live in Africa and yet, despite the diversity of peoples, Africans do not try to let modern conveniences into their paradise. They are friendly with nature and honor their gods.

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Africa has always aroused my interest since the first geography lessons. Someday, I hope, I will be able to travel on this continent, but for now I will tell how many countries are in africa and the tribes that inhabit it.

African states

On the second largest and most populous continent there are 62 states, 54 of which are independent. In general, all states and territories are divided into:

10 island;
16 inland;
36 with access to the sea.

Tribes of Africa

Africa - indeed many-sided continent. Around the islands of civilization - cities, in various corners and today lives over 10 million people. They do not recognize the values of the civilized world, and their whole way of life is limited to what nature gives them. Nondescript huts, simple clothes and a lack of variety in food suit these people perfectly, moreover, they are absolutely not going to change anything in their lives.

Official figures indicate that on the continent there are over 4 thousand tribes and nationalities. However, in fact, it is impossible to give an exact number - they are extremely mixed with each other or, on the contrary, - exceptionally distant. The population of most tribes is only a few thousand, who live in several villages, and therefore there is such variety of dialects and dialects that sometimes it is impossible to understand which tribe the settlement belongs to.

In the same time rituals and customs so diverse that it is difficult to trace any connection. However, there is still something in common: a characteristic feature of each culture is past orientation and ancestor worship. This, according to the researchers of the continent, is the main reason for the reluctance to change the usual way of life.

Masai

This tribe is one of the most famous lives in Kenya, and its population is not more than 150 thousand. A characteristic feature of the tribe - personification of oneself with the favorites of the gods. It is believed that the reason lies in mythology, where Mount Kilimanjaro, the steps to the gods, occupies a central place.

Bantu

distinctive tribal trait - "plate" in the lower lip. But why are they doing it?

One of the versions, which is considered the most likely, says that this an attempt to escape slavery. A long time ago, in order to prevent the girl from being sold into slavery, her parents tried to disfigure her as much as possible. For example, made scars, sawed off part of the teeth, shaved their hair, stretched their ears and lip. So little by little it has become a habit, which has absolutely nothing to do with religion or spirits.

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Living in Europe, many people think that everyone African countries are the same, and if there is a difference between them, then they wear uh feminist character. I have been lucky enough to visit all parts of Africa and I can safely say that, despite the same color of the skin of the indigenous people, variety and color this continent on one of first places. True, there is also some disunity when people in western Africa told me that they did not consider the East African countries “theirs”.

African countries by region

The recognized countries of the black continent are conditionally referred to as five separate regions:

North Africa, in which are combined 6 countries north of the Sahara Desert with a predominantly Arab population;
South Africa, unifying 10 countries south of the Kunene River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Zambezi River, which flows into the Indian Ocean;
East Africa with 14 countries, which some scholars consider ancestors of mankind, including adjoining islands in the Indian Ocean;
West Africa naturally bounded in the east Cameroon mountains, which includes 15 countries, including adjoining islands in the Atlantic Ocean;
Central Africa with 9 countries located in the equatorial and subequatorial zone, which adjoins the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.

African countries in Europe and Asia

In terms of geography, and parts of France, Italy, Portugal and Spain located on the African continental plateau, and many of them are much closer to Africa than to Europe proper. However, according to existing agreements and arrangements, they considered European. Similarly, the island of Socotra on the African plateau is part of Yemen and is considered part of Asia. In the case of Egypt, the country is considered African, although the Sinai Peninsula is part of Asia.

The diversity of the African continent fully affects the national cuisine. I remember with nostalgia Nigerian "egusi soup", Kenyan "nyama choma", South African "boboti" and North African dishes with an Arabic accent, which are extremely difficult to taste again in our latitudes.

Three months ago, putting on favorite dress I realized that I got better again. I think there is no need to describe my mood that day - everything is clear. For a woman, every hundred grams (added to weight) is like a nuclear disaster. But, I was in no hurry to leave everything as it is and decided to sign up for twerk. This is a new direction in dancing, thanks to active movements, you can quickly lose unnecessary pounds. I found the cheapest studio, came to the first trial lesson. Surprise knew no bounds: the teacher turned out to be a smiling man who arrived from Africa. Sincere simplicity and interesting stories that he told during the lessons, I was so interested that I tried to learn as much as possible information about another continent.

It is unclear how many countries in Africa

A question from the category of geography can cause disagreement even among experienced geography teachers. Where can an inquisitive student deal with this. It’s good that we are not on the exam, you can freely think, analyze and even make mistakes. Having counted all the independent states that are within the African continent, we can state the fact that there are 54 countries. We focus on the fact that these are only independent countries (which have territory, sovereignty, their own governing bodies). But, if you delve into the issue, count the unrecognized states and territories - get 62.

The problem is that in North Africa, some territories belong to others countries (e.g. Spain, Portugal, France, UK). It:

Mayotte;

Melilla;

Madeira.

Terrifying Facts of Greater Africa

Have you heard this combination? as "dark continent". That's what they call Africa. The informal name stuck not only because of the color of the skin. The reason was primitive culture people who populate the continent, thriving poverty and hungry children. But, few people know that civilization began to emerge in Africa, a kind of culture and traditions that operate even in 21st century.

The second largest continent remains mysterious. It is not known exactly how many countries there are, and the customs seem just terrible! It remains only to come to Africa to take a step approach a strange culture.

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short 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 "Black Continent" do not always understand the traditions, customs and cultural characteristics of African peoples.

It should be concluded that Africa is as mysterious to modern Western people as the continent itself, 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). At the moment, 220 pyramids have been discovered in Sudan.

Geography of Africa

Africa from the east and south is washed 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. There are many deserts in northern Africa (for example, the world's largest desert, the Sahara), and in the central and southern regions of this continent there are savannah plains and jungles. The highest temperature in Africa was recorded in 1922 in Libya - +58C.

Despite the fact that in the mass 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, the largest African rivers include the Congo (4,320 km), the Niger (4,160 km), the Zambezi (2,660 km) and the Ouabi Shebelle (2,490 km).

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

There are several mountain systems in Africa - the Aberdar Range, the Atlas Mountains and the Cape Mountains. The highest point of this continent is the extinct volcano Kilimanjaro (5895 meters). Slightly lower heights are at Mount Kenya (5199 m) and Margarita Peak (5109 m).

African population

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

Almost the entire population of Africa belongs to the Negroid race, which is divided into smaller races. In addition, there are several other African races - the Ethiopians, the capoid race and the 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:

North 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 CAR);
- South Africa - Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Madagascar and South Africa).

On the African continent, cities began to appear thanks to the ancient Romans. However, many cities in Africa cannot boast a long history. However, some of them are considered among the most densely populated in the world. Now the most populous cities in Africa are Lagos in Nigeria and Cairo in Egypt, with 8 million people each.

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

South Africa - how many are there? And what interesting facts can you tell about them? This will be discussed in the article.

South African countries: list, regionalization approaches

By name, it is easy to guess that this region is located in the southern part of the "black continent". All countries have approximately the same natural and climatic conditions, as well as similar features of historical development.

Geographically, South Africa begins south of the watershed plateau of the Zambezi and Congo rivers. According to the UN zoning of our planet, the countries of South Africa are only five states (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland). According to another classification, this historical and geographical region also includes Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, as well as the exotic island state of Madagascar.

All countries in South Africa are listed below with their capitals (according to the UN version). The list of states is submitted in order of decreasing area of the territory:

South Africa (Pretoria).
Namibia (Windhoek).
Botswana (Gaborone).
Lesotho (Maseru).
Swaziland (Mbabane).

The largest state in the region

A multicultural and multinational state, one of the most developed on the mainland in economic terms. Often this republic is called the "rainbow country".

The most interesting facts about South Africa:

every third diamond mined on Earth is extracted from the bowels of this particular country;
in South Africa, the world's first human heart transplant operation took place (in 1967);
citizens of the republic are endowed with broad rights in the field of the use of weapons for the purpose of protection, up to a flamethrower;
South Africa ranks third in the world in terms of drinking water quality;
one of the traditional South African dishes - monkey meat steaks;
wife (the eighth president of South Africa) was the "first lady" twice (previously she was the wife of the president of Mozambique).

Swaziland - South Africa

Swaziland is a small state in the south of the continent, which borders only two countries - South Africa and Mozambique.

The most interesting facts about Swaziland:

the head of this state is the real king, who is very loved and revered in Swaziland (his portraits can be seen here even on the clothes of local residents);
Swaziland is a very poor country, but the roads here are of excellent quality;
the oldest mathematical work was discovered in this country;
the state leads the world in terms of the spread of HIV, every fourth adult resident here is a carrier of the virus;
in Swaziland, husband and wife (or wives) live in separate houses.

The countries of South Africa are extremely interesting and colorful. There really is something to be surprised and amazed!

Africa is the second largest continent in the world, while Eurasia holds the lead.

On the territory of the African continent there are 55 countries that are washed by:

Mediterranean sea.
by the Red Sea.
Indian Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean.

The area of the African continent is 29.3 million square kilometers. If we take into account the islands near Africa, then the area of \u200b\u200bthis continent increases to 30.3 million square kilometers.

The African continent occupies approximately 6% of the entire area of the globe.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa. The area of this state is 2,381,740 square kilometers.

Table. Largest states in Africa:

List of largest cities by population:

Nigeria - 166,629,390 people. In 2017, it was the most populated country in Africa.
Egypt - 82,530,000 people.
Ethiopia - 82,101,999 people.
Republic of the Congo. The population of this African country is 69,575,394 inhabitants.
Republic of South Africa. In 2017, 50,586,760 people lived in South Africa.
Tanzania. 47,656,370 people live in this African country.
Kenya. This African country has a population of 42,749,420.
Algeria. This country of tropical Africa is home to 36,485,830 people.
Uganda - 35,620,980 people.
Morocco - 32,668,000 people.

African development and economy

If we take the corresponding maps of Africa, then the countries differ not only in a variety of weather conditions, but also in the abundance of land resources and minerals.

The African continent ranks 1st in the world in terms of reserves of such breeds:

manganese;
chromite;
gold;
platinoid;
cobalt;
phosphorite.

The industry of African countries is developed very well. This is especially true for the mining industry. So, last year, 96% of the total volume of diamonds was mined on the African continent. The resources of African countries make it possible to extract a large amount of gold and cobalt ores. On average, about 76% of gold and 68% of cobalt ores from the entire world volume are mined on the continent.

Chromites are mined in the amount of 67% of the total, and the share of manganese ore mining is 57% of the total.

35% of the world's uranium ores and 24% of copper are located and mined in Africa. The African continent is an exporter of 31% of the world's phosphate rock and 11% of oil and gas.

Despite the small volumes of oil and gas supplies, 6 African countries are members of OPEC, an international organization of oil exporting countries.

If we take the most developing countries in Africa in the field of mining, then these will be:

Intensively developing and rich in the mining industry is South Africa. This country has deposits of all kinds of resources, except for oil, gas and bauxite. According to statistics, it is in South Africa that about 40% of the total export volume of the continent is produced.

South Africa is recognized not only on the African continent. This republic ranks first in the world in gold mining and second in diamond mining.

The manufacturing industry is in its infancy, but it is most developed in South Africa.

The agriculture sector ranks second in the African economy. The sphere of agriculture is represented by tropical and subtropical agriculture. Most of the products are exported. Thus, the African continent is an exporter of 60% of the total cocoa beans. And also Africa exports peanuts in the amount of 27% of the total world volume, coffee - 22% and olives - 16% of the total.

Peanut cultivation is concentrated in Senegal, the largest amount of coffee is grown in Ethiopia, and the Republic of Ghana is popular for large volumes of growing and harvesting cocoa beans.

Animal husbandry in the countries of the African continent is very poorly developed due to water shortages and the spread of a disease that is dangerous for livestock, spread by tsetse flies.

Features of the African continent

Features of African countries:

The richest states of the African continent

The development of a country is determined by two criteria:

The presence of minerals.
Gross domestic product (GDP).

richest countries in africa:

These islands are part of Africa, although they are indirectly located 1600 kilometers from the coast of the continent. Seychelles is a very popular place among tourists, so the main income of the country is tourism.

The level of GDP per capita is 24,837 USD.

GDP - 18 387 USD.

Botswana is located in the southern part of the mainland. Despite the fact that more than 70% of the country's area is occupied by the Kalahari Desert, Botswana is distinguished by large deposits of many mineral resources.

The main part of the GDP is formed precisely from the export of diamonds. GDP level - 15 450 USD.

Gabon. This country is known in Africa for the extraction of oil, gas, manganese and uranium.

GDP is 14,860 USD.

Tourism is very well developed on this island. But this is not the only income of the country. GDP is provided by the production of sugar and textiles.

The level of GDP is 13,214 USD.

SOUTH AFRICA. This republic is the only African state recognized as developed. The remaining countries of this continent are classified as developing countries. South Africa has established itself as an exporter of food, equipment and vehicles. South Africa also exports large quantities of oil, gas, diamonds, platinum, gold and chemical products.

South Africa is the only one on the continent that is not part of the third world countries.

GDP - 10 505 USD.

- one of the few countries that managed to enter the world market and take a leading position in the agricultural sector. In addition to agricultural products, Tunisia exports oil. Half of the GDP is generated by the tourism industry.

GDP level - 9488 USD.

- a country in North Africa, known more as a world exporter of oil and gas.

The GDP indicator is 7103 USD.

. This state is known for its development of copper, gold, lead and tin.

GDP level - 6945 USD.