Africa Continent Africa, known for safaris, wild animals andthe extreme poverty, isthe second largestcontinentofthe 7 continents inthe world. General Information AboutAfrica Africa is comprisedof 54 separate countries and nine territories, and two de facto states that are basically their own entities with no special rights or recognition.Africa is made upof approximately 11.7 square miles, and has about 22%ofthe world��s land mass.Africa hasthe world��s youngest population, with halfof their over billion people being under 19 yearsof age. GeographyofAfrica Africa is comprised of desert, tropical, savanna grasslands, jungle and even subarctic climates.The top halfofthecontinent is comprisedof desert, andthe Sahara Desert,the world��s hottest desert, is located in NorthernAfrica, and at 3.5 million square miles is approximatelythe sizeofthe United States or China.The Nile River, which runs through 11 different countries inAfrica, isthe longest inthe world, over 4,000 miles long.The world��s second largest lake and largest tropical lake is Lake Victoria, located in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.Africa is located in betweenthe Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, and tothe north isthe Mediterranean Sea.Africa isthe onlycontinent large enough to be in boththe northern temperate and southern temperate zones.The equator also runs through several countries inAfrica. At 19,340 feet,the highest point inAfrica is Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, and is a popular mountain climbing destination.The lowest point onthe africancontinent is Lake ��Asal, located in Dijbouti, at 502 feet below sea level. Animals ofAfrica Africa is known for its many magnificent animal species, and many people come toAfrica forthe very purposeof catching a glimpseof these amazing animals in their native habitat. Amongthe most popular animals native toAfrica arethe African Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Vervet Monkey, Hippopotamus, Cheetah, Hyena, Lion, Gazelle, and Rhinoceros. Many African animals have earned distinctions, among these,the African Elephant isthe world��s largest land animal,the cheetah is the world��s fastest land animal andthe giraffe isthe tallest animal on land. There are several speciesof fish native toAfrica, and Lake Malawi has more speciesof fish recorded than any other lake inthe world. Economy of Africa Each country in Africa is independent and may not fall intothe African economical stereotype, but as a wholeAfrica is a very poorcontinent. HIV/AIDS and malaria are twoofthe most deadly diseases, and they have ravaged many African countries, leaving orphans and extreme poverty in their wake. In addition, many governments are corrupt, and foreign aid money sent to various projects may not end up where it was designated. A recent United Nations report that identifiesthe poorest countries worldwide has stated thatthe poorest 25 nations inthe world are all inAfrica. In addition tothe diseases above,the poverty can be due to lackof clean water sources,the political instability and wars that are common on the continent, and the difficultyof traveling tothe nations capitols, where most jobs are available. The People ofAfrica There is great diversity inAfrica, and there are many different native people groups. Manyof these people groups have their own languages, and there are well over a thousand languages recognized onthe African continent. Becauseof this,the Africancontinent hasthe highest levelof multi- lingualism inthe world. The peopleofAfrica tend to be religious, withthe majorityof them identifying themselves as followersof Islam. Christianity isthe second most popular religion inAfrica, followed by religions native toAfrica. Only a small numberof Africans do not consider themselves to be religious
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:05:08 +0000
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