Africa at a glance
Africa is the second largest continent, about 30 million km². It has more than 1.4 billion people, about 1 in 6 people in the world. Its coast is smooth and has few big bays, so the sea reaches inland less than in Europe.
Most of Africa is a high plateau, a flat raised land. Rivers often drop over waterfalls as they leave the plateau, such as Victoria Falls. This makes sea travel upriver hard.
The equator crosses the middle. So Africa is mostly hot, and the climate changes in belts to the north and the south.
Climate belts
- Rainforest at the equator: hot and wet all year (Congo basin).
- Savanna on both sides: tall grass, scattered trees, one rainy and one dry season.
- Desert further out: the Sahara in the north, the Kalahari and Namib in the south.
- Mediterranean at the far tips: mild wet winters and dry summers, near Cape Town and the Atlas coast.
The pattern repeats on both sides of the equator, like a mirror.
North Africa
- The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, about 9 million km², nearly as big as Europe plus a bit.
- The Nile is about 6,650 km long. It brings water to the desert, so farms and cities line its banks.
- The Atlas Mountains catch some rain on the north-west coast.
- Economy: oil and gas in some countries, farming along the Nile, tourism, trade through the Suez Canal.
West and Central Africa
- The Sahel is a dry belt south of the Sahara. Rain is small and uncertain, and the desert slowly spreads when trees are cut.
- The Congo basin has the second largest rainforest in the world and the Congo river, which carries more water than any other African river.
- Economy: oil (Nigeria, Angola), cocoa (Ivory Coast, Ghana), timber, and minerals such as cobalt and copper. Lagos is among the biggest cities of Africa.
East Africa
- The Great Rift Valley is a long crack where the crust is slowly pulling apart. It holds deep lakes and volcanoes.
- Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) is the highest mountain of Africa. It has snow even near the equator, because height makes it cold.
- Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the source of the White Nile.
- Economy: coffee, tea, flowers, farming and big tourism from safaris to see lions and elephants on the savanna.
Southern Africa
- A high dry plateau, the Kalahari desert and the Drakensberg mountains on the east edge.
- Very rich in gold, diamonds, platinum and coal. South Africa has the most developed industry on the continent.
- The far south-west has a Mediterranean climate with vineyards.
People, resources and the economy
- Population: about half of all people are under 20 years old, the youngest continent. Cities are growing fast.
- Resources: minerals, oil, gas, farmland, rivers for hydropower and sunshine for solar power.
- Economy: many countries still sell raw materials (ore, oil, cocoa). Adding value at home with factories and skills can bring more jobs and more money.
- Statistics: Africa has about 18 of every 100 people on Earth but produces under 3 of every 100 dollars of the world's goods and services.
Try it: belts on a stick
- Draw a tall Africa on paper and mark the equator.
- Colour the belts: green at the middle, light green on both sides, yellow for desert, orange for the tips.
- Fold the paper along the equator. The colours should match on both sides. That is the mirror pattern.
- Press each region in the 3D and guess its belt before you read the fact.
Key formulas and definitions
- Climate belts from equator outward: rainforest → savanna → desert → Mediterranean
- Population density = people ÷ area
- Sahara ≈ 9 million km² (largest hot desert)
- Nile ≈ 6,650 km; Kilimanjaro ≈ 5,895 m
- Key terms: plateau, Sahel, savanna, Rift Valley, hydropower, raw material
Worked examples
1. Africa has 1,400 million people on 30 million km². Find the population density.
1,400 ÷ 30 ≈ 47 people per km².
2. The Sahara is about 9 million km² and Africa is 30 million km². What percent of Africa is the Sahara?
9 ÷ 30 × 100 = 30 percent, nearly a third.
3. Why does Kilimanjaro have snow even though it is near the equator?
It is very high. The air gets colder as you go up, so the top is cold enough for snow.
4. Why is a rainforest found around the Congo river?
It is on the equator, where the Sun is strong and there is heavy rain all year. Heat plus water makes thick forest grow.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Africa is all desert or all jungle. It has belts of both, and much savanna.
- Calling Africa one country. It is a continent with many different lands and peoples.
- Thinking Africa has no snow. Kilimanjaro and other high peaks do.
- Thinking raw materials stay rich forever. Selling only raw materials earns less than making finished goods.