It is the second largest continent. It has an area of
30,217,000 km2 and occupies 1/5 of the
terrestrial soil. Crossed by the equator, the African
continent stretches 8000 km, from north to south, and
7360 km, from east to west. It is bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to
the west, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the east,
and the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to
the south.
Africa's climate is strongly influenced by the fact that
this continent is crossed almost halfway through the
equator and is mostly comprised among the tropics. It is
a very hot continent, where climates are more
individualized by rainfall variations than thermal ones,
with the exception of the northern and southern ends,
with a Mediterranean climate.From the equator to the
north and south, the climate changes from equatorial to
tropical and hot desert. In the higher zones the climate
is high and in the temperate zones the climate is
Mediterranean. There are several islands off the African
coast: in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, one of the
largest islands in the world, the Seychelles, Socotra,
the Comoros, Mauritius and Réunion; in the Atlantic
Ocean, the archipelagos of Cape Verde, São Tomé and
Príncipe, Madeira and the Canaries.
The main forms of African relief are the Atlas Mountains
to the north, the Draken Mountains to the south, the
Congo Plain, the Ethiopian Plateau and the Great Rift
Valley.
Only 6% of African soil is arable, but the subsoil is
home to important mineral resources. In terms of world
reserves, the African continent has approximately 8% of
oil, 27% of bauxite, 29% of uranium and 20% of
copper. It also has about 2/3 of the total phosphorites,
iron, manganese, chromium, cobalt, platinum and
titanium.
At the economic level, Africa is a region that is
developing. The most developed countries are South
Africa and those located in the north, next to the
Mediterranean. Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Réunion, Kenya,
Cameroon, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mauritius are
also developing countries.
Agriculture is the most important economic sector,
although it is almost always subsistence. Most African
states have a negative trade balance.
On May 25, Africa Day is celebrated and on November 20,
Africa Industrialization Day. |
