about 4,600 milesAfrica's total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), and the continent measures about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west.
From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia, at 37°21′ N, to the more southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa, 34°51′15″ S, is a distance approximately of 8,000 km (5,000 mi); from Cap-Vert, 17°31′13″W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in the Somali Puntland region, in the Horn of Africa, 51°27′52″ ...
The prime meridian (the Greenwich meridian) 0o passes through the Atlas Mountains and cuts through the coast of West Africa close to Accra, while the Equator (latitude 0 degrees) also divides the continent into 2 equal parts North and South. Africa is yet to take advantage of its Centralized location in the world.
Ras Hafun in eastern Somalia is, however, the easternmost point of the African Mainland. It is located in Bari region close to Cape Guardafui headland.
You will find South Africa at the southern tip of the African continent, stretching north to south for approximately 1,600 km (994 mi) between 22 and 35 degrees latitude, and east to west also for about 1,600 km (994 mi) between 17 and 33 degrees longitude.
eastIn South Africa the plateau is at its highest in the east where its edge varies in altitude between 2,000 m and 3,300 m. This edge of the plateau, as the land drops sharply to the coastal plain, forms a very high, steep escarpment known as the Drakensberg Mountains.
Eastern Hemisphere, part of Earth east of the Atlantic Ocean and west of North and South America. It includes Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
There seems to be a general consensus amongst Africans that while it is occasionally acceptable to comparatively group countries within the continent together, South Africa stands on its own, South Africa is not real Africa.
around two-thirdsNorth Americans tend to think of Africa as a located almost entirely in the southern hemisphere, similar to South America. But in reality, around two-thirds of Africa is north of the equator.
Ras ben Sakka is the northernmost point of the African continent, extending from Cape Angela in northern Tunisia into the Mediterranean Sea. It is located 15 km from Bizerte and 22 km to the northeast of Ichkeul Lake World Heritage Site.
Cape Verde PeninsulaCape Verde Peninsula, French Presqu'île du Cap Vert, peninsula in west-central Senegal that is the westernmost point of the African continent.
Cape AgulhasCape Agulhas, cape that is the southernmost point of the African continent, located 109 miles (176 km) southeast of Cape Town, S.Af.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. It sits at 19,341 feet in the country of Tanzania, and is also a dormant volcano.
Geography is key to understanding the physical landscape of Africa. Because the equator nearly bisects the continent in half, there is a pattern o...
The dominant physical features of Africa are the Nile River, Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, Lake Victoria, and the Sahara Desert. The Nile Riv...
Being such a large continent, Africa has a wide variety of physical geography. The continent is typically divided into two regions: North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. North Africa is composed of the northern countries with Mediterranean Sea borders that are dominated by the Sahara Desert and predominantly of the Islamic faith. Sub-Saharan Africa is all the land south of North Africa , known for a variety of physical geography (rainforest, deserts, plains, and mountains) and the dominance of the Christian faith. View the following African geography map for a better understanding of this range of physical geography.
Africa is home to many incredibly unique geographic features, including the Nile River, the longest river in the world; Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa; Victoria Falls, the widest waterfall in Africa; Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world; and the Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert on the planet, which receives 90% of the daytime sun.
Geography is key to understanding the physical landscape of Africa. Because the equator nearly bisects the continent in half, there is a pattern of where the deserts, grasslands, and forest regions will be.
Moving South to the Sahara Desert, the largest hot weather desert in the world dominates the region of North Africa. On the northern side of East Africa, a piece of land juts out into the Indian Ocean, creating the southern border for the Gulf of Aden, which is south of Yemen. The Horn of Africa's physical geography is unique, as it is the transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the highlands of East Africa.
Africa's physical geography and proximity to water on all sides have greatly impacted the cultural and social development of the continent over time. Physical geography helps to determine what resources are available and how the movement of goods, people, and ideas can flow.
The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert on the planet, and 90% of daytime sunlight is visible there. It covers over 3 million square miles of space in North Africa. This enormous span is approximately 3,000 miles east to west and 1,000 miles north to south; this is almost the size of the United States.
Starting at the northernmost coast of the African continent is the Mediterranean Sea. The northernmost part of Africa enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and cool and dry winters. This has long been an area of much human activity, as a meeting point between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.