The African continent is considered the second largest in the world. It is washed by two oceans and several seas at once, 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 hemispheres. Thanks to this, the climate here is very diverse.
Extreme points of land on the mainland
Our description of the geographical location of Africa will begin with the capes, which are its extreme points relative to the cardinal points. So, the eastern point is Cape Blanco (also called Ras Engel, Ben Secca or El Abyad). It is located in Tunisia, on the Mediterranean coast. Many vacationers who visit this particular country often come to this famousplace. The southernmost point in Africa is Cape Agulhas, which is also sometimes called Agulhas. It is located in South Africa, not far from the famous Cape of Good Hope. The western terminus on the continent is Cape Almadi. It is located in Senegal, on the Cape Verde Peninsula, and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Well, the extreme eastern point of the mainland is considered to be Cape Ras Hafun. It is located in Somalia, its length is 40 kilometers, and it is inhabited mainly by local tribes.
Sea and oceans
Now consider the geographical position of Africa in relation to the waters of the oceans. Since the coastline of the mainland is not particularly indented with bays, there are few bays here, however, as well as seas. So, the eastern coast of the continent is washed by the Indian Ocean. It is adjacent to the Gulf of Aden, which is located between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea, which also separates these lands, but a little to the north, and the Mozambique Channel - the longest strait in the world, which is located between the continent and the island of Madagascar.
The western shores of Africa are 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 in relation to the Atlantic Ocean, many also note that the Mediterranean Sea, which touches the northern shores, is the bay of this large body of water. In the south of the continent there are neither bays norstraits or seas. Two oceans join here.
Inland waters
The inner hydrosphere on the continent is not too dense, but it is fundamentally different from any other and is considered unique and inimitable. We also note that the characteristics of the geographical position of Africa gives us the opportunity to understand that this continent is the most arid in the world, and therefore all the water bodies that are on it are gradually drying up. So, here flows one of the longest rivers in the world - the Nile (length - 6852 km). Other major rivers here are the Niger, the Congo, the Zambezi, as well as the 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 lakes Nyasa, Tanganyika, which are located in the places of faults of the lithospheric plates, as well as Lake Chad, which dries up very quickly.
Useful deposits
Description of the geographical location of Africa will be incomplete if you lose sight of all the minerals that are under its surface. Most of all, this continent is known for its deposits of diamonds and gold. These gifts of nature fall on the territory of the states of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mali, Ghana, the Republic of the Congo. Oil is found in countries such as Guinea, Nigeria, Algeria and Ghana. Iron, manganese, lead ores, as well as phosphites are located under the countries of North Africa.
Relief and surface
The physical and geographical position of Africa is due mainly to the flatterrain. The northwest 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 on 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 a depression in Lake Assal - 157 meters below sea level.
Climatic conditions
The geographical position of the African continent causes a very dry and hot climate on it. It is literally crossed by the equator line, from which cooler, but also more arid climatic zones diverge to the north and south. So, along the equator there is an area of especially high temperatures, which do not change throughout the year. There is also a lot of rainfall here. In the equatorial belt is the hottest point in Africa - Dallol. To the north and south of the equator, subequatorial zones follow. There is abundant rainfall throughout the summer, and in winter, monsoons arrive here, bringing drought.
Followed by two tropical bands. In the north, in such a zone, the Sahara Desert is located, and in the South, the Namib and Kalahari. It is clear that these natural objects are characterized by minimal rainfall and strong winds.
Features of the geographical 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 part stretches for only 3000 km. For this reason, the zonality of landscapes in relation to the poles from the equator is uneven here. Let us also pay attention to the geographical position of Africa in relation to the bays and straits. Many of them form islands that, according to geological features, belong to this continent. Among them are Madagascar, Zanzibar, the Canary archipelago and many others. They belong to such countries as Tunisia, Zambezi, Kenya, South Africa, Somalia. Many archipelagos are completely invisible due to their small size, therefore they are not even mapped.
