Sahel

The Sahel is the semiarid region between the Sahara to

the north and the savannas to the south, extending from
Senegal to Ethiopia. The Sahel forms a belt that separates
the arid Sahara from tropical West Africa. The Sahel has
natural pasture, with low-growing grass and tall trees.
Forage for animals (camel, pack ox, grazing cattle, and
sheep) consists of thorn shrubs and trees such as the
baobab and the acacia. At least 8 months of the year are
dry, and rainfall averages 4 to 8 inches per year.

Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands are located on the western
section of Ethiopian Plateau. Fringed by the Sudan
lowlands, these mountains are probably of early volcanic
origin. The Ethiopian Plateau and several of its mountain
groups are cut by deep valleys. The blue Nile runs from its
source, Lake Tana, through the center of the plateau.

Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro, located in northeast Tanzania, is the
highest mountain in Africa. An extinct volcano, Mount
Kilimanjaro rises in two peaks, Kibo (19,340 feet) and
Mawenzi (17,564 feet). Coffee and plantains are raised on
Kilimanjaros lower southern slopes.

Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the chief
reservoir of the Nile River. The lake, which lies mainly in
Tanzania and Uganda, fills a shallow depression in the
great plateau that stretches between the Western and
Eastern Rift Valley. The Lake Victoria region is one of the
most densely populated in Africa; within 50 miles of its
shore live several million people, nearly all Bantuspeaking. Lake Victoria is a freshwater lake with a wealth
of fish.

Nile River
The Nile River is 4,160 miles long from its remotest
headstream in central Africa to its delta on the
Mediterranean Sea, making it the longest river in the
world. The Nile flows northward through parts of Egypt,
Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and
Zaire. The Niles waters support practically all agriculture

in the most densely populated parts of Egypt and furnish

water for 20 percent of Sudans total crop area. The Nile is
an important source of hydroelectric power.

Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the worlds second largest river basin,
comprising an area of 1,335,000 square miles. The vast
drainage area lies astride the Equator in west central

Africa and includes almost all of Zaire, western Zambia,

and northern Angola.

Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is an arid plateau region that spans
three countries and covers 100,000 square miles in

southern Africa. Covered largely by reddish sand, the

Kalahari lies between the Orange and Zambezi Rivers and
is dotted with dry lake beds. Grass grows throughout the
Kalahari during the rainy season, and grazing and smallscale agriculture are possible in some areas.

Wildebeest

Niger River
The Niger River, which is 2,600 miles long, rises on the
Fouta Djallon plateau in southwest Guinea and flows
through Guinea into the Mali Republic. Near Timbuktu,
Mali, the Niger begins a great bend, flowing out of Mali,
through the Republic of Niger, and into Nigeria. The Niger
then flows south, emptying through a great delta into the
Gulf of Guinea. The delta-the largest in Africa-is
characterized by swamps, lagoons, and navigable
channels. The Niger River is a major source of fish in the
region.

Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert is the worlds largest desert,
comprising an area of 3,500,000 square miles. Extending
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, the Sahara is
bordered on the north by the Atlas Mountains and the
Mediterranean Sea, and on the south by the Sahel.
Regions of sand dunes cover 15 percent of the Sahara;
stone deserts, consisting of plateaus of bare rock or
areas of coarse gravel, cover about 70 percent of the
region; mountains, oases, and transition zones account for
the remainder. The Sahara has one of the harshest
climates in the world, as the region is subject to strong
winds that constantly blow from the northeast. Other
difficulties include lack of water, extremely high daytime
temperatures, and sparse vegetation.

Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a system of ranges and plateaus
in northwestern Africa, extending 1,500 miles from
southwest Morocco through Algeria to north Tunisia. The
Atlas system is most rugged in Morocco, where the
highest mountain ranges are found. Fertile lowlands
separate the ranges. The Atlas Mountains are a climate
barrier between the Mediterranean Basin and the Sahara
Desert. The slopes facing north are well watered and have
important farmland and forests, while the slopes facing
south are generally covered with shrubbery and have salt
lakes and salt flats. The Atlas Mountains are rich in
minerals, especially phosphates, coal, iron, and oil.

Congo River
The Congo, or Zaire, river is formed by the waters of the
Lualabam the upper Congo River, and its tributary the
Luvua River. One of the longest rivers in the world, the
Congo flows for 2,720 miles through Zaire to the Atlantic
Ocean. In some parts, the Congo is from 4 to 10 miles
wide, with many islands and sandbars. Because the Congo
has a fairly constant flow throughout the year, it is Africas
largest potential source of hydroelectric power.

Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean in the world,
extending from south Asia to Antarctica and from east
Africa to southeast Australia. The average depth of the
oceans floor is 11,000 feet. A large rift (crack or fissure),
an extension of the Great Rift Valley, extends along most
of the oceans length.

Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley is a geological fault system that
extends from central Mozambique to northern Syria. The
valley ranges in elevation from 1,300 feet below sea level

at the Dead Sea to 6,000 feet above sea level in southern

Kenya. Erosion has leveled out much of the valley, but in
some sections, especially Kenya, there are cliffs that are
several thousand feet high.

Serengeti Plain
The Serengeti Plain is located in north central Tanzania. It
extends 100 miles east and southeast from the

southeastern shore of Lake Victoria. With altitudes

ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 feet, the Serengeti Plain
contains some of the best grassland area in central and
east Africa. Serengeti National Park, a wildlife refuge with
more than 500 species of animals, is located on the plain.

Madagascar

Located in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is separated

from the east African coast by the Mozambique Channel.
One of several islands in the Malagasy Republic,
Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world.
Madagascar is made up of a highland plateau, which is
now largely deforested, that is fringed by a lowland
coastal strip with lagoons along much of the eastern
coast. The economy of Madagascar is overwhelmingly
agricultural.

Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean in the
world, extending in an S shape from the arctic to the
Antarctic regions. It is connected with the Arctic Ocean by
the Greenland Sea and Smith Sound; with the Pacific
Ocean by Drake Passage, the Straits of Magellan, and the
Panama Canal; and with the Indian Ocean by the Suez
Canal and the expanse between Africa and Antarctica. The
Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Guinea are two of the
principle arms of the Atlantic Ocean.

Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is the worlds largest inland sea.
Surrounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia, it covers an area
of 965,000 square miles. The Mediterranean Sea connects
with the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibaltar;
with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, the Sea of
Marmara, and the Bosporous; and with the Red Sea
through the Suez Canal. The shores of the sea are mainly
mountainous. Fish (close to 400 species), sponges, and
corals are abundant here.

Red Sea
The Red Sea is a long, narrow sea that sits between Africa
and the Arabian Peninsula. The Gulf of Aqaba and Gulf of
Suez are the seas northern arms; between them sits the
Sinai Peninsula. The Red Sea is linked with the Indian
Ocean by the Gulf of Aden. Because it is surrounded by
excessively hot and dry deserts and steppes, summer
water temperatures often exceed 85 Fahrenheit.