AFRICA’S PHYSICAL FEATURES KEY

A. The Sahel: The Sahel is a semi-arid region which stretches across western and northern Africa from

Senegal into parts of Eritrea. It is bounded by the Sahara desert to the north and the Savanna lands to the south.

The name Sahel comes from Arabic, and means 'the shore' or 'coast'. It is used to suggest the Sahara is a sea of

sand.

B. Ethiopian Highlands: Home to 80 percent of Africa's tallest mountains, the highlands have helped

shelter Ethiopia from foreign conquest and preserve one of the world's most distinct cultures. Ethiopia is the

only African country never to have been colonized.

C. Mt. Kilimanjaro: Tallest mountain in Africa, was formed as a volcano but is now dormant, at 19,340 feet

above sea level it has the only permanent ice in Africa.

D. Lake Victoria: Second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior, surface area of about

27,000 square miles, named for the British Queen Victoria.

E. Nile River: Begins as two separate rivers; the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile begins at

Lake Victoria and the Blue Nile begins in the Ethiopian Highlands, they meet in Khartoum, Sudan, to form one

river—the longest river in the world.

F. Congo Basin: The basin has the world's second largest rainforest (18% of the planet's remaining tropical

rainforest). The Congo Basin represents 70% of the African continent's plant cover.

G. Kalahari Desert: One of the largest of the deserts in the world, covering over 100,000 square miles and

is on a plateau that is 3,000 feet above sea level.

H. Niger River: At 2,600 miles, it is the third longest river on the African continent behind the

Nile River and the Congo. The water level of the Niger has been substantially lowered as a result of the long-

term West African drought in the late 1960s, 70s, and 80s; in 1985 and 1990 sections of the river dried up.

I. Sahara Desert: The world’s largest non-polar desert, covers more than 3,500,000 square miles,

elevation ranges from 100 feet below sea level to more than 11,000 feet above sea level. It is also the world’s

hottest desert (136º).

J. Atlas Mountains: Extend approximately 1,300 miles through the countries of Morocco, Tunisia and

Algeria. The highest point is Jabal Toukal at 13,665 feet.

K. Congo River: The Congo River is the Earth's second largest river by volume and is the second longest

river in Africa.

L. Indian Ocean: The waters of the Indian Ocean provides the largest breeding grounds of the world for

humpback whales. The Indian Ocean is the 3rd

largest ocean in the world.

M. Great Rift Valley: Runs north to south for around 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers), from northern Syria to

central Mozambique in East Africa. Astronauts say it is the most significant physical detail on the planet that is

visible from space.

N. Serengeti Plain: Home to the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera and is

home to more than 2 million herbivores and thousands of predators.

O. Madagascar: The 4th

largest island in the world, it is believed to have split from India years ago and

developed in isolation, therefore, 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on earth.

P. Atlantic Ocean: The world’s 2nd

largest ocean, it contains the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is the longest

mountain range in the world (underwater!), it stretches from Iceland to Antarctica.

Q. Mediterranean Sea: The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the

deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep.

R. Red Sea: The Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley, is situated under the sea.

S. Namib Desert: The world's oldest desert, having been in existence for some 43 million years, remaining

unchanged in its present form for the last 2 million years.

T. Strait of Gibraltar: Europe and Africa are separated by 8.4 miles at the narrowest point of the strait.

There have been discussions between Spain and Morocco about building a bridge or tunnel that would connect

the 2 continents at the strait.

U. Mozambique Channel: The channel reaches a depth of 3,292 m (10,800 feet) and was the site of a

World War II naval battle during the Battle of Madagascar.

V. Gulf of Aden: The waterway is part of the important Suez Canal shipping route and is known by the

nickname "Pirate Alley" due to the large amount of pirate activity in the area.