Georgia's Exploring Our World: Africa, Southwest Asia, and Southern and Eastern Asia © 2012

Chapter 1: Physical Geography of Africa

Chapter Overviews

The physical environment of Africa is diverse. It ranges from deserts to rain forests, from mountains to rolling grasslands, and from large plateaus to steep valleys. Over thousands of years, the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates has shaped the landforms of Africa. Almost the entire region lies on a series of plateaus, some of which are edged by escarpments. Lowland areas include ribbons of land that border the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the region. People in Africa rely on its lakes and rivers for freshwater, transportation, and fish. Waterways also provide electricity. Four large river systems in the region—the Nile, the Congo, the Niger, and the Zambezi—begin in the plateaus and make their way to the sea.

Africa holds a variety of important resources. Petroleum deposits and natural gas reserves are found in some areas of the region, while other regions have coal. Minerals such as iron ore, chromium, uranium, and platinum are mined. Large deposits of gemstones like rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds are also found in Africa.

Climates in the region range from damp rain forests to vast grasslands to hot deserts. Africa has four main climate regions: tropical wet, tropical dry, steppe, and desert. Rain forests are found along the Equator in Central and West Africa. Areas in coastal North Africa, Southern Africa, and the highlands of East Africa have moderate climates. Similar climate zones appear north and south of the Equator in the region.