Africa: A Continent of Contrasts

Look at a globe or a world map. Find the huge landmass that sits between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. That landmass is Africa — the second-largest continent on Earth. It is so big that the United States, China, India, and most of Europe could all fit inside it at the same time!

Africa is made up of 54 countries — more than any other continent. About 1.4 billion people live there, speaking more than 2,000 different languages. Africa has an amazing variety of landscapes. A landscape is the type of land and scenery you see in a place. 🏜️ DESERTS — The Sahara Desert in the north is the world's largest hot desert. It is almost as big as the whole of the United States. In the south, the Kalahari Desert is much smaller but home to many amazing animals. 🌿 RAINFORESTS — Near the middle of Africa, around the Equator, the Congo Rainforest stretches for thousands of kilometres. The Equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. Near it, the weather is hot and very wet, which is perfect for rainforests. 🦁 SAVANNAH — Large areas of Africa are covered in savannah. Savannah is a flat, grassy plain with scattered trees. Famous animals like lions, elephants, and giraffes live here. ⛰️ MOUNTAINS — Africa also has tall mountains. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest point in Africa at 5,895 metres. It is so tall that it has snow on top even though Tanzania is a hot country! 🌊 RIVERS — The River Nile in north-east Africa is the longest river in the world, stretching about 6,650 km. It flows northwards and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Congo River in central Africa is the deepest river in the world. All these different landscapes mean Africa has a huge range of climates. A climate is the usual pattern of weather in a place over a long time. Some parts of Africa are dry and scorching hot; others are cool or lush and rainy.