Africa
Africa, known for safaris, wild animals, and
the extreme poverty, is the second largest
continent of the 7 continents in the world,
covering approximately 6% of the Earth’s
surface.
It is rich in history, language, culture, and
geographic diversity (some parts of Africa
are very, very different to other parts).
Africa plays host to some of the most
incredible deserts, mountains, animals,
reptiles, birds, insects on planet earth.
Eastern Africa is bordered by the Atlantic
Ocean, the Indian Ocean borders the west
and the Mediterranean Sea the north. The
Red Sea and Suez Canal lie to the north-east
and separate Africa from Asia.
There are 54 countries in Africa, including popular holiday destinations such as Egypt,
Mauritius and Morocco. However, there is great poverty is parts of Africa, along with lots of
diseases and sometimes wars.
Approximately 900 million people live in Africa and its population is growing rapidly each year.
Nearly 71 million people live in Egypt alone. Interestingly, Africa has the world’s youngest
population, with many people being under 19 years of age.
The people of Africa tend to be religious. Therefore, there are lots of different religions
practised across Africa including Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism.
African Money
There are many different currencies (money) in Africa, but
lots of countries still use their own currency such as Egyptian
Pound, Algerian Dinar, and the Rwandan Franc.
Which is the longest river in Africa?
River Nile
African Money
The longest river in Africa, and in the world, is
the Nile River. It is over 4,000 miles in length.
The river travels through 11 different African
countries
before
flowing
into
the
Mediterranean Sea.
Are there mountains in Africa?
Mount Kilimanjaro
Yes, there are lots of different mountains in Africa.
East Africa’s Great Rift Valley is home to some of
Africa’s highest mountains. including Mount
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This mountain has three
volcanic cones, "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira", and is
a dormant volcano. It is the highest mountain in
Africa, and rises approximately 4,900 m from its base
to 5,895 metres above sea level
What types of animals live in Africa?
Africa is known for its many magnificent animal species, and many people come to Africa on
safari specifically to see these amazing animals in their native habitat. Among the most
popular animals native to Africa are the African Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Vervet Monkey,
Hippopotamus, Cheetah, Hyena, Lion, Gazelle, and Rhinoceros. Many African animals have
earned distinctions, among these, the African Elephant is the world’s largest land animal, the
cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal and the giraffe is the tallest animal on land. There
are several species of fish native to Africa, and Lake Malawi has more species of fish
recorded than any other lake in the world. There are however, many endangered animals living
in Africa which are protected on game reserves.
Lions are endangered because humans destroy their habitat and
hurt them. Lions live in grassland. They eat zebra, wildebeest,
buffalo and other mammals.
Lion
Meerkats are small carnivorous animals. They eat insects and
other small animals such as frogs, lizards, snakes and scorpions.
They are immune to scorpion venom.
Meerkat
African Buffalo have long bodies and short, thick legs. They have
Buffalo
very tough, curved horns. Buffalo graze which means they eat
grass. They live in herds with other buffalos.
Dung beetles are beetles that feed on animal dung. Many dung
beetles can roll balls of dung much bigger than themselves.
Sometimes dung beetles try to steal dung balls from each
other.
Dung Beetle
Human Features of Africa
The pyramids in Egypt were built a long time ago for
pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians decorated inside the
pyramid.
Great Pyramids
In South Africa there are many vineyards growing
grapes. The grapes are ripened by the warm sunshine
and turned into wine.
Vineyards
Moroccan Souq
In Morocco you can find busy markets called souqs. You
can buy fruit, vegetables, spices, clothes and gifts at
the souq.
Physical Features of Africa
The African savannah is grassland with small trees that
grow far apart. Lots of animals live in the savannah.
There are some rainforests in Africa. In the Congo, the
rainforest is home to gorillas, chimpanzees and many
other animals.
The Rainforest
The Sahara Desert is very hot and dry. It is the largest
hot desert in the world. There is little or no rain in the
desert.
Sahara Desert
What is the climate like in Africa?
The climate is a country’s normal weather over a long period of time. By climate, scientists
mean a country’s rain and sunshine, winds, storms and everything else which makes up the
weather. The weather changes from day to day and even from hour to hour. It can be sunny
in the morning and cold and wet in the afternoon. The climate changes very slowly over
thousands of years.
Africa is comprised of desert, tropical, savanna grasslands, jungle and even subarctic
climates. The top half of the continent is comprised of desert, and the Sahara Desert,
the world’s hottest desert, is located in Northern Africa, and at 3.5 million square miles is
approximately the size of the United States or China.
Egypt
The climate in Egypt varies from surprisingly cold to extremely hot. Temperatures vary
between 26°C to 47°C. in summer and 13°C to 21°C in winter. It is hot and warm during the
day, but cool at night. Most of Egypt’s rainfall is in the winter months in the northern regions.
The climate in Egypt is different to Plymouth, the weather in Plymouth based on an oceanic
climate with cool winters as low as 1°C to 4°C and warmer summers of 18°C to 22°C, somewhat
cooler than Egypt’s summers. July is the hottest month in Plymouth with an average
temperature of 16°C (61°F) and the coldest is January at 6°C (43°F) with the most daily
sunshine hours at 7 in July. The wettest month is December with an average of 120mm of
rain.
Plymouth
Plymouth
The climate of Africa is governed by its position on the
globe and can be broadly divided into five different
climate types:
Rainforest – This region is characterised by very high
temperatures and high rainfall throughout the year.
Savanna – This region has very high temperatures all
year and rain during the summer season only.
Steppe – This region has high temperatures all year and
only limited rainfall during the summer season.
Desert – High temperatures throughout the year with
very little rainfall.
Mediterranean – Warm to high temperatures with rainfall in the autumn and winter months.
Information sourced from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zcdqxnb
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zr7hyrd
http://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/islands-and-continents
http://www.naturalhistoryonthenet.com/Continents/europe.htm
http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/resources/Year%201-%20Geography-%20The%20Seven%20Continents.pdf
*Photos courtesy of @flikr.com - - granted under creative commons licence - attribution