I had a friend in the yard who was absolutely convinced that Africa- this is a country. I had to go to the library, take a book and show him that he was wrong. But I didn't even suspect that there will be so many countries in Africa!

How many countries are in Africa

There are currently 54 countries in Africa. They are all different, and quite a lot.

Animal world of Africa

Africa is home to one of the most amazing animals on the planet - the naked mole rat. He's not very handsome, but in many ways unique.

• Feels no pain from cuts and burns.
• Lives longer than other rodents.
• Compared to them, it makes more different sounds.
• Most of his muscles are in the jaw area.

And you could also see this amazing animal in the cartoon "Kim Five-plus".

Hippos live only in Africa. The name of this animal, by the way, comes from the phrase "river horse". Well, yes, just like two drops of water.

Don't think these puffies are cute - that's right. they kill the most people in Africa. So if you find yourself there and to you hippo running towards, better run away from him in the opposite direction.

Lives in southern Africa animal with a funny name jumper. I think he is very similar to long-nosed mouse.

Flora of Africa

Plenty here carnivorous plants. The climate is quite harsh, you have to somehow survive.

One of them - sundew. She is strewn little sweet drops. Fly swear by such stick - and remember your name. Rosyanka gradually digest prey while luring new victims along the way. It would be great to have one in an apartment insect repellent!

Grow here and "stone plants", which are called lithops. They are compared with stones because of the similarity in color.

There are also plants more familiar to us. For example, bananas. Often in children's books they are drawn growing on palm trees, but it's actually grass. But something looks like a palm tree. Nobody can be trusted!

Africa is a part of the world with an area of ​​\u200b\u200bwith islands of 30.3 million km 2, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres (most), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland Gondwana, it has a massive outline, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical features

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are few lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost completely occupied by the Sahara desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian highlands, the southeast is the East African plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Draconian mountains The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest fault in the earth's crust stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

Rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from south to north (its sources are on the East African plateau, and it flows, forming a delta, into the Mediterranean Sea). The rivers are high-water only in the equatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation there, most of them are characterized by high flow speed, have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes were formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest salty drainless lake is Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern outskirts of the largest desert in the world, the Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical zones, it is characterized by high total solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent on Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in El Azizia (Libya) - +58 C 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo depression), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannahs and light forests, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevre and southern Africa savannas are replaced by semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari, Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains - a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. The natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided among 62 countries, 54 are independent, sovereign states, 10 are dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest are unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). For a long time, the countries of Asia were foreign colonies of various European states and only by the middle of the last century gained independence. Africa is divided into five regions based on geographic location: North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is a plain. There are mountain systems, uplands and plateaus. They are presented:

• the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
• the Tibesti and Ahaggar uplands in the Sahara desert;
• Ethiopian highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
• Dragon Mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is the Kilimanjaro volcano, 5,895 m high, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. In the southwestern side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from it inland to the east is the Kalahari Desert.

The territory of the savanna occupies the main part of Central Africa. In terms of area, it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical for savannahs, low shrubs and trees. The height of grassy vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. It can be almost desert savannas or tall grasses, with grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

On the territory of the African continent is the longest river in the world - the Nile. Its direction of flow is from south to north.

In the list of major water systems of the mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through the territory of Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide...

lakes

The list of large lakes of the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater reservoir in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the faults of the lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad in Africa, which is one of the world's largest endorheic relict lakes that have no connection with the oceans ...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans at once: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also off its coast are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. From the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the water form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. From the Indian Ocean, the currents are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in the northern waters, and Needle, in the southern ...

Forests of Africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. Here are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find holm oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. Coniferous plants grow high in the mountains, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are cork oak forests, in the tropical area evergreen equatorial plants are common, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc...

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, there are about 1000 species of various tree species: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, olive palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects living right on the trees. On earth live: bush pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

40% of the territory of Africa is occupied by savannas, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and stand-alone trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest accumulation of such large animals as: rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are such herbivores as: bubal (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-fifth antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, and in some places there are rare jumping antelopes - springboks.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness, these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of herbs. The unique Erg Chebbi date palm grows in the oases, as well as plants that are resistant to drought conditions and the formation of salts. In the Namib Desert, unique velvichia and nara plants grow, the fruits of which feed on porcupines, elephants and other animals of the desert.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling great distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned sheep, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, gazelle dorcas, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are permanently living and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in a low pressure area and receives sufficient moisture, the territories to the north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoonal) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme north and south are in the subtropical climate zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north has the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of the trade winds, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount Precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all ...

Resources

African Natural Resources

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the least prosperous continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by large areas with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of the proper volume of water, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including species of valuable varieties. The countries in which they grow, the raw materials are exported. Resources are misused and ecosystems are slowly being destroyed.

In the bowels of Africa there are deposits of minerals. Among those sent for export: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

• the mining industry that exports minerals and fuels;
• the oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
• chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
• as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. In the tropical regions of Africa, oil palm is grown.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total volume of agriculture. The indicators of animal husbandry are also not high, and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse flies ...

culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

About 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups live on the territory of 62 African countries, which in total is about 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization, it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of people.

Most of the peoples in Africa may number from several thousand people to several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with more than 5 million people, 1/3 - peoples with more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) - Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulu...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (the predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical-African (the majority of the population is the Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

• West Africa. The peoples who speak Mande (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Wai), Chadian (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congo languages ​​(Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, nupe, gbari, igala and idoma, ibibio, efik, kambari, birom and jukun, etc.);
• Equatorial Africa. Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Duala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandese), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Komo, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
• South Africa. Rebellious-speaking peoples, and speaking Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
• East Africa. Bantu, Nilotic and Sudanese groups of peoples;
• North East Africa. The peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra.), Cushitic (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotian languages ​​(Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
• Madagascar. Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are considered to be Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the South European minor race, mainly practicing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

South Africa - how many are there? And what interesting facts can you tell about them? This will be discussed in the article.

South African countries: list, regionalization approaches

By name, it is easy to guess that this region is located in the southern part of the "black continent". All countries have approximately the same natural and climatic conditions, as well as similar features of historical development.

It begins south of the watershed plateau of the Zambezi and Congo rivers. According to the UN zoning of our planet, the countries of South Africa are only five states (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland). According to another classification, this historical and geographical region also includes Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, as well as the exotic island state of Madagascar.

All countries in South Africa are listed below with their capitals (according to the UN version). The list of states is submitted in order of decreasing area of ​​​​the territory:

1. South Africa (Pretoria).
2. Namibia (Windhoek).
3. Botswana (Gaborone).
4. Lesotho (Maseru).
5. Swaziland (Mbabane).

The largest state in the region

A multicultural and multinational state, one of the most developed on the mainland in economic terms. Often this republic is called the "rainbow country".

The most interesting facts about South Africa:

• every third diamond mined on Earth is extracted from the bowels of this particular country;
• in South Africa, the world's first human heart transplant operation took place (in 1967);
• citizens of the republic are endowed with broad rights in the field of the use of weapons for the purpose of protection, up to a flamethrower;
• South Africa ranks third in the world in terms of drinking water quality;
• one of the traditional South African dishes - monkey meat steaks;
• wife (the eighth president of South Africa) was the "first lady" twice (previously she was the wife of the president of Mozambique).

Swaziland - South Africa

Swaziland is a small state in the south of the continent, which borders only two countries - South Africa and Mozambique.

The most interesting facts about Swaziland:

• the head of this state is the real king, who is very loved and revered in Swaziland (his portraits can be seen here even on the clothes of local residents);
• Swaziland is a very poor country, but the roads here are of excellent quality;
• the oldest mathematical work was discovered in this country;
• the state leads the world in terms of the spread of HIV, every fourth adult resident here is a carrier of the virus;
• in Swaziland, husband and wife (or wives) live in separate houses.

The countries of South Africa are extremely interesting and colorful. There really is something to be surprised and amazed!

Africa is the largest continent on the planet, which, in terms of size and population, ranks second after Eurasia. This occupies 6% of the Earth's area and more than 20% of the entire land area. The list consists of 62 units. Conventionally, this mainland is divided into four parts - Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern. These borders coincide with the borders of the states that are located there. Some of them have access to the seas and oceans, others are located inland.

Geographical position of the continent

Africa itself is located, one might say, in the center of the planet. From the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, from the northeast by the Red Sea and the Eastern part bathes in the waters of the Indian Ocean, and all the western coasts, among which there are both resorts and industrial cities, plunge into the waters of the Atlantic. The relief, as well as the flora and fauna of this continent are very diverse and mysterious. Most of it is occupied by deserts, in which the incredible heat lasts all year round. However, in some regions, mountains covered with eternal snows rise. The list of African countries cannot be fully represented without some of the natural features of each of them.

Countries and cities

Now we will consider the largest and most famous countries in Africa. The list with capitals as well as the languages ​​used is given below:

• Algiers - Algiers - Arabic.
• Angola - Luanda - Portuguese.
• Botswana - Gaborone - Setswana, English.
• Guinea - Conakry - French.
• Zambia - Lusaka - English.
• Egypt - Cairo - Arabic.
• Kenya - Nairobi - English, Swahili.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa - French.
• Libya - Tripoli - Arabic.
• Mauritania - Nouakchott - Arabic.
• Madagascar - Antananarivo - French, Malagasy.
• Mali - Bamako - French.
• Morocco - Rabat - Arabic.
• Somalia - Mogadishu - Arabic, Somali.
• Sudan - Khartoum - Arabic.
• Tanzania - Dodoma - Swahili, English.
• Tunisia - Tunisia - Arabic.
• South Africa - Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfont - Zulu, Swati, English and many others.

This is not a complete list of African countries. Among them are also very poorly developed territories that are part of both other African and European powers.

Northern region closest to Europe

It is generally accepted that the most developed regions are the North and a small part of the South. All other states are in the zone of the so-called "safari". There can be traced an unfavorable climate for life, a desert relief, as well as the absence of internal waters. Now we will briefly look at what they are The list consists of 6 administrative divisions, which include: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Sudan. Most of this territory is the Sahara desert, so local thermometers never drop below 10 degrees Celsius. It is also important to note that in this region all countries at one time or another were under the rule of European powers. Therefore, the locals are well acquainted with the Romano-Germanic family of languages. Nowadays, proximity to the Old World allows the inhabitants of North Africa to establish business relations with its representatives.

Other highly significant regions of the continent

As mentioned above, not only in the north of the mainland are the developed countries of Africa. The list of all the rest is much shorter, since it consists of one power - South Africa. This unique state contains absolutely everything that you can imagine. At the height of summer, the peak of the influx of tourists from all over the world can be traced here. People come to the region to look at the unique shores, as well as to swim in the waters of the Indian or Atlantic Ocean. Along with this, fishing, boat trips, excursions to local museums and attractions are very developed in the region. Along with this, local residents are actively engaged in the extraction of diamonds and oil, which are concentrated in the depths of this region in huge quantities.

South African cities that amaze with their beauty

Sometimes there is a feeling that the very center of world civilization is concentrated not in Europe, not even in America, but in the very south of the African continent. Such world-famous cities as Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, which were earlier, grew up here. jacarand. The territory of the cities is inhabited by both white settlers, who have settled here for a very long time, and the historical owners of these lands - black Africans. You can talk about these charming places for hours, since they are the best countries and capitals of Africa. The list of southern cities and resorts above will allow you to better navigate this area.

Conclusion

The cradle of all earthly humanity, the birthplace of minerals and jewelry, unique natural wonders and luxurious resorts that contrast with the poverty of the local population - all this is concentrated on one single continent. A simple enumeration of names - a list of African countries - cannot fully reveal all the potential that is stored in these lands and on their surface, but in order to get to know these territories, you need to go there and see everything with your own eyes.

In the east - the Cameroon mountains, in the south and west - the waves of the Atlantic, where the westernmost point of Africa is located - Cape Almadi in Senegal. Such natural boundaries are delineated West Africa, which is conditionally divided into two regions: the arid Sahel, which merges with the desert, and Sudan, which is more comfortable for living. Sixteen states are located in this part of the continent, the largest of which are Niger, Mali and Mauritania, and the smallest are Cape Verde (Cape Verde Islands).

Climate features, flora and fauna

The most difficult climatic conditions are in the north of the Sahel, which year after year captures the desert. The region is officially recognized as one of the hottest on the planet - in winter the temperature rarely drops below +20 °C, and in summer it confidently stays at around +40 °C. At this time, all vegetation dies here, and the herbivorous inhabitants of the savannah (mainly antelopes and gazelles) migrate south.

West African countries located in the Sahel, periodically find themselves on the verge of disaster due to a monstrous drought that can last up to five to six years. But in Sudan, agriculture is much better developed. Coffee, cocoa beans and cotton are grown and exported in Togo, peanuts and corn in Gambia, dates and rice in Mauritania.

Much more precipitation falls on the territory of Sudan than in the Sahel - they are brought by the summer monsoons. In addition, there are many rivers flowing here, so closer to the Atlantic the vegetation is more abundant (up to lush tropical forests), and the animal world is much richer.

History and modernity

Western Africa attracted European colonizers as early as the 15th century - the British, Portuguese, French created fortified outposts on the coast, imposing their conditions on local tribes. Most states succeeded in completely freeing themselves from the tutelage of metropolitans only in the second half of the last century.

As a legacy of such total dependence, the countries of West Africa received deep-seated enmity with neighbors who were ruled by other European "patrons". The region is famous for its political instability - military coups, riots and civil wars are not uncommon here.

The western part of Africa is rich in minerals. Ghana is one of the leading suppliers of gold, Nigeria's budget is 80% dependent on oil trade, diamonds are mined in Sierra Leone, and uranium is mined in Niger. At the same time, only raw materials enter the world market, the processing industry is undeveloped. Almost all countries in the region are included in the list of the poorest countries on the planet with a very unfavorable epidemiological situation and a low level of healthcare.

List of West African countries