The African continent is considered the second largest in the world. It is washed immediately 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. Thanks to this, the climate here is very diverse.
The extreme points of the mainland land
We begin our description of the geographical position of Africa with capes, which are its extreme points relative to the cardinal points. So, the eastern point is Cape Blanco (also called Ras Engel, Ben Secka or El Abyad). It is located in Tunisia, on the Mediterranean coast. Many vacationers who visit this particular country often come to this famous place. The southernmost point in Africa is Cape Needle, which is also sometimes called Agulias. It is located in South Africa, near the famous Cape of Good Hope. The western endpoint 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 Cape Ras Hafun. It is located in Somalia, its length is 40 kilometers, and it is inhabited mainly by local tribes.
Seas 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 by bays, there are few bays, however, like the seas. So, the eastern coast of the continent is washed by the Indian Ocean. Adjacent to it is the Gulf of Aden, which is located between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea, which also shares these lands, but a little to the north, and the Mozambique Channel - the longest strait in the world, which lies between the continent and the island of Madagascar.
The western coast of Africa is washed by the Atlantic. It includes only the Gulf of Guinea, which touches the shores 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 bay of this large body of water. In the south of the continent there are neither bays, nor straits, nor seas. Two oceans join here.
Inland waters
The internal hydrosphere on the continent is not too dense, but it differs fundamentally from any other and is considered unique. We also note that the characterization of the geographical position of Africa makes it possible for us to understand that this continent is the driest in the world, and therefore all the water bodies located 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, 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 the Nyasa and Tanganyika lakes, which are located in the fault areas of lithospheric plates, as well as Lake Chad, which dries very quickly.
Useful deposits
A description of the geographical position of Africa will be incomplete if you lose sight of all the minerals that are below its surface. Most of all, this mainland 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 Congo. In countries such as Guinea, Nigeria, Algeria and Ghana, there are oil deposits. 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 determined mainly by flat terrain. The Atlas Mountains occupy the northwest of the continent , and the Cape and Dragon Mountains are in the south. 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 Akhaggar). But the lowest point of the continent is the depression in Lake Assal - 157 meters below sea level.
Climatic conditions
The geographical location of mainland Africa determines a very dry and hot climate. It literally intersects the equator line, from which cooler, but also more arid climatic zones diverge north and south. So, along the equator extends an area of particularly high temperatures, which do not change throughout the year. There is also a large amount of rainfall. In the equatorial zone is the hottest point in Africa - Dallol. Subequatorial zones follow to the north and south of the equator. There is heavy rainfall throughout the summer, and in the winter period monsoons fly here, bringing drought.
Then two tropical stripes follow. In the north, in such a zone, the Sahara desert is located, and in the south - Namib and Kalahari. It is clear that these natural objects are characterized by minimal rainfall and strong winds.
Features of the geographical position 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 more than 7.5 thousand km, while the southern part stretches for only 3000 km. For this reason, the zoning of landscapes with respect to the poles from the equator is uneven here. Also pay attention to the geographical position of Africa in relation to bays and straits. Many of them form islands that geologically belong to this continent. Among them are Madagascar, Zanzibar, the Canary Archipelago and many others. They belong to countries such as Tunisia, Zambezi, Kenya, South Africa, Somalia. Many archipelagos are completely invisible because of their small size, therefore they are not even put on maps.