Africa’s Facts and Figures
• 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

M
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L
E
S
5
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0
4 6 0 0 M I L E S
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Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
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10% of the world’s population.
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2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

Africa’s Geography
The Land
Water Resources
People
The Plants and Animals
Climate Zones

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 CO
2 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 km 2 of land area

Bodies
Of
Water
Mediterranean Sea
Nile River
Atlantic Ocean
L. Chad-->
L. Albert-->
L. Victoria
L. Tanganyika-> Indian Ocean
Zambezi River
Limpopo River
Orange River
Pacific Ocean

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 31m 3 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 km 3

“Longest River in the World”

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Covers 12% of the continent.
Extends over 9 countries.
2,720 miles long.
99% of the country of Zaire is in the
Congo River basin.

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Covers 7.5% of the continent.
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Extends over 10 countries.
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2,600 miles long.

Mountains
&
Peaks
Δ Mt. Kenya
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro

Highest free-standing mountain in the world
In northern
Tanzania
19, 341 feet

Deserts
Sahel
Libyan Desert
Sahara Desert

Zone of transition between desert and savanna

Valleys
&
Plains

3,700 miles long

Africa:
The
“Tropical”
Continent
Tropic of Cancer
20
° N
Equator 0
°
Tropic of Capricorn
20
° S

Home of our Hurricanes

13 million sq. mi.

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Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
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Rapid decomposition (very humid).
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Covers 37 countries.
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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)