Geographical position of Africa. Features of the geographical location of the continent

The African continent is considered the second largest in the world. It is washed by two oceans and several seas, on its territory, which consists of 29.2 million square kilometers, there are 55 states. The population of this continent is below the poverty line, with the exception of some countries. The geographical position of Africa is such that it is located immediately in the northern and southern hemisphere. Due to this the climate here is very diverse.

The extreme points of land of the continent

Our description of the geographical position of Africa begins with the capes, which are its extreme points relative to the sides of the world. So, the eastern point is Cape Blanco (also called Ras Engela, Ben Secec or El Abyad). It is located in Tunisia, on the Mediterranean coast. Many holidaymakers who visit this particular country often come to this famous place. The southernmost point in Africa is Cape Agulhas, which is also sometimes called Agulhas. It is located in South Africa, near the famous Cape of Good Hope. The western end point on the continent is Almadi Cape. It is located in Senegal, on the peninsula of the Green Cape, and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Well, the extreme eastern point of the mainland is the Ras Khafun Cape. It is located in Somalia, its length is 40 kilometers, and it is populated mainly by local tribes.

Seas and oceans

Now consider the geographical position of Africa in relation to the waters of the world's oceans. Since the coastline of the mainland is not particularly rugged by bays, there are few bays here, however, like the seas. So, the eastern coast of the continent is washed by the Indian Ocean. Aden Gulf adjoins to it, which is located between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea, which also shares these lands, but a little further north, and the Mozambique Strait is the longest strait in the world that lies between the continent and the island of Madagascar. The west coast of Africa is washed by the Atlantic. It includes only the Gulf of Guinea, which touches the coasts of several states at once. Considering the geographical position of Africa relative to the Atlantic Ocean, many also note that the Mediterranean Sea, which touches the northern shores, is the gulf of this large pond. In the south of the continent, there are no bays, no straits, no seas. Here connect two oceans.

Inland waters

The internal hydrosphere on the continent is not too dense, but it is fundamentally different from any other and is considered unique and unique. Also, note that the description of the geographical position of Africa gives us the opportunity to understand that this continent is the most arid in the world, therefore all the reservoirs that are on it are gradually drying up. So, here runs one of the longest rivers in the world - the Nile (length - 6852 km). Other major rivers here are Niger, Congo, Zambezi, as well as Limpopo, and the Orange River in the south of the mainland. The largest lake in Africa is Victoria - the deepest point reaches 80 meters. It is followed by Lake Nyasa, Tanganyika, which are in places of faults in the lithospheric plates, as well as Lake Chad, which dries very quickly.

Useful deposits

The description of the geographical position of Africa will be incomplete if we overlook all the minerals that are under its surface. Most of all, this continent is famous for its deposits of diamonds and gold. These gifts of nature are in the territories of the states of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mali, Ghana, the Republic of the Congo. In countries such as Guinea, Nigeria, Algeria and Ghana, there are oil deposits. Iron, manganese, lead ores, as well as phosphites, are found in the countries of North Africa.

Relief and surface

The physico-geographical position of Africa is due mainly to the flat terrain. The north-west of the continent is occupied by the Atlas Mountains, and in the south are the Cape and Drakensberg Mountains. In Tanzania, the East African plateau is located, on which the Kilimanjaro volcano is located - the highest point of the continent, which reaches 5895 meters in height. The northern part of Africa is the Sahara desert, in which there are two highlands (Tibesti and Ahaggar). But the lowest point of the continent is the depression in Lake Assal - 157 meters below sea level.

Climatic conditions

The geographical position of the continent of Africa makes it very dry and hot climate. It literally intersects the line of the equator, from which the cooler, but at the same time more arid climatic zones diverge to the north and south. So, along the equator there is an area of particularly high temperatures, which do not change throughout the year. Also there is a lot of precipitation. In the equatorial belt is the hottest point in Africa - Dallall. To the north and south of the equator are subequatorial zones. There are abundant precipitation during the whole summer, and in the winter period monsoons come here, bringing a drought. Then follow two tropical stripes. In the north in such a zone is the Sahara desert, and in the South - Namib and Kalahari. It is clear that these natural objects are characterized by a minimum amount of precipitation and strong winds.

Features of the geographic location of Africa

It should be noted the configuration of the continent in order to determine its main features. The bottom line is that its northern part has a width of over 7.5 thousand km, while the southern stretches for only 3000 km. For this reason, the zonality of the landscapes relative to the poles from the equator here is uneven. Also pay attention to the geographical position of Africa regarding the bays and straits. Many of them form islands, which by geological features belong to this continent. Among them there are Madagascar, Zanzibar, Canarian archipelago and many others. They belong to such countries as Tunisia, Zambezi, Kenya, South Africa, Somalia. Many archipelagoes are completely invisible because of their small size, so they are not even applied to maps.