Features of the geographical location and nature of Africa. How is the continent of Africa relative to other continents?

Where is the Black Continent? How is the continent of Africa relative to other continents of the planet? What is the difference between the nature of the hottest continent of the Earth? Answers to all these questions - look in our article!

Where and how is the continent of Africa located?

Africa, perhaps, is the most amazing and most contrast part of our planet. It contains many secrets and interesting things that stir the minds and imagination of many scientists and travelers. What is special about this continent? And how is the continent of Africa relative to other continents? Let's try to answer these questions.

The geographic position of the most hot continent of the Earth is much to be called unique. So, this is the only continent on the planet, which is "cut" by the equator almost in the middle. All of its extreme points are approximately one distance from this conditional line.

Africa is the second continent in the world in size (the total area is about 30 million square kilometers). In its northern part, it is wider, and with the advance to the south - noticeably narrows.

How is the continent of Africa relative to other continents? This continent, based on the peculiarities of its location, is referred to the group of the southern continents of the planet. Once it was part of Gondwana - the supercontinent of the Southern hemisphere of the Earth. The northern "neighbor" of Africa is Eurasia. Europe is separated from it by the Mediterranean Sea, and Asia by the Red Sea.

The western extremities of the continent are washed by the waters of the Atlantic, and the eastern extremities by the Indian Ocean.

Main features of the African nature: 7 amazing facts

Scientists believe that the word "Africa" came from the name of one of the tribes - "Afrigi". Its representatives lived once in the north of the continent. Later this name somehow miraculously became a geographical toponym designating the whole continent.

The surprising, but characteristic feature of Africa is the "mirror" of its nature. Since the continent is practically cut in the middle by the equator, the natural zones located to the north of it mirror the zones that are south of the equator. Thus, moving from Cape Town to Cairo, the traveler will be able to see each of the natural zones of Africa twice. No continent of the planet is no longer endowed with such an unusual feature.

In order to better know Africa, we offer to your attention seven more surprising geographic facts about this continent:

• Africa - the only continent located in all hemispheres of the Earth;
• Here is the largest desert of the world - the Sahara;
• The continent is leading in the world in terms of reserves and volumes of diamond mining;
• On the hottest continent of the planet there are even ski resorts (in Morocco);
• In Africa is located the richest in the species diversity of fish lake in the world;
• Here is the most rapidly disappearing lake of the planet - Lake Chad;
• The great Sahara desert continues to grow; It increases by half a mile every month.

Finally…

Now, after reading this article, you will know how the continent of Africa is situated relative to other continents of the Earth. It is the only continent in the world that is located in all four hemispheres of the planet. At the same time, it is cut by the equator approximately in the middle, which causes the "mirror" of its natural zones.