Africa
Travel Guide > Africa
Introduction
Africa is a vast continent of diverse cultures and landscapes. Surpassed in size and population only by Asia, Africa boasts about 14% of the worlds' population and over 20% of the total global land area. Most of this land is dominated by desert and savannah plains, though there are also stretches of rainforest.
Owing to its history of being a colonised land, traditional African culture is infused with Arabic and European influences.
Geography
Africa's geography is as diverse as it's culture. Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Northern and Southern Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Chanel to the east. Although the latter, the Suez Chanel, only divides Africa from the Middle East geographically, not politically as the Sinai Peninsula is also part of Africa, that is Egypte. The waters that border Africa are dotted with many islands though, which officially are part of Africa as well, like the Seychelles, Mauritius and Sao Tome and Principe.
The northern part of Africa contains the largest desert in the world, the Sahara. Northwest of the Sahara lies one of the highest mountain ranges of Africa, the Atlast, which runs from southern Morocco through Algeria to Tunesia. South of the Sahara is transition zone with savanna scrubby grasslands and semi-desert landscapes. Further to the south and southeast you will find the tropical rainforests. Parts of Central Africa include volcanic moutain ranges, including the Ruwenzori Mountains and Mount Cameroon, one of the highest mountains in Africa after the Kilimanjaro. Again, south of the tropical zone you will find semi-desert landscapes and savanna before reaching the deserts of the Kalahari and Namib. Finally, South Africa's southern parts are like it's Mediterranean counterparts in the north with pleasant climates, enough rain and absence of real deserts.
Subregions
- North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara.
- Saharan Africa: Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan.
- West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Togo
- Central Africa: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia.
- East Africa: Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda
- Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe
Countries and Territories
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Other Territories
- Ascension Island (Dependency of Saint Helena)
- Mayotte (Overseas Collectivity of France)
- Reunion (Overseas Department of France)
- Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory)
- Tristan da Cunha (Dependency of Saint Helena)
Sights and Activities
Major Cities
- Cairo, Egypt
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Timbuktu, Mali
Landmarks
- Lake Victoria - Africa's largest lake, measuring a remarkable 68,800 square kilometres.
- Victoria Falls - one of the biggest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world, which can easily compete with the Niagara Falls, Iguazu Falls and the Angel Falls in Venezuela.
- Mt. Kilimanjaro - Africa's tallest mountain and the highest free standing mountain in the world.
- Nile River - arguably the longest river in the world (some say the Amazon might be longer).
- Sahara Desert - the world's second largest desert (after Antarctica).
- Giza Pyramids and the Great Sphinx - perhaps the continent's most famous attractions.
- Mud Mosques of Timbuktu, Djenné and Mopti, but generally found throughout most places in Mali and also to a lesser extent in Burkina Faso.
Safari
Safaris were 'invented' in Africa and although it just means 'trip' or 'travel' in Swahili language, the term is internationally used when someone is going to visit Africa's national parks, in search of the Big Five and hopefully more animals.
One of the best countries for a safari is Tanzania, which has two of the best known parks in the world: the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Other traditional countries to see Africa's beautiful nature and wildlife are Kenya, South Africa and Botswana. South Africa is perfect for a self drive safari. This applies to Botswana as well, but you really need a 4wd here.
Other highlights regarding wildlife in Africa are Etosha national park in Namibia, several parks in Zimbabwe and Zambia and visiting the mountain gorillas in the mountainous areas of Uganda and Rwanda.
Beaches and Islands
Africa has very fine beaches, especially in the east. Of the coast of Africa are several islands to enjoy the beaches as well.
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