The most contrasting and most colorful on our planet is rightfully considered the African continent. Photos of the nature of this continent are striking in their beauty and brilliance. If we consider it from a social point of view, then it will be the poorest on Earth.
Continent Africa: photos and general description
The mainland is the second largest in the world. Its area is about 30 million square kilometers. From north to south, the continent of Africa stretches for more than 8 thousand kilometers.
The hottest continent of the planet is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. It is separated from Europe and Asia by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, respectively. The coastline of Africa is cut slightly. The largest peninsula of the continent is Somalia, and the largest bay is Guinean.
As for the name of the mainland, the researchers still have not been able to come to a consensus. Some associate it with the name of the ancient Avrig tribe. Others argue that the continent of Africa owes its name to the Phoenician root "isolated." Obviously, the historical process of separating Carthage from its metropolis is implied here.
Natural features
Continent Africa bears the title of the hottest on Earth. The reason for this was its geographical location. Africa is located within the equatorial and two tropical climatic zones. Therefore, for the year the mainland receives a tremendous amount of solar heat.
Africa is also very often called the most deserted continent. It was here that the world's largest Sahara desert was formed with extremely poor and sparse vegetation. The average orographic height of the mainland is approximately 760 meters. And the highest point is 5895 m (Kilimanjaro volcano). The relief of Africa is dominated by plateaus, hills and plateaus.
The territory of the continent is rich in many minerals. In these bowels there are considerable reserves of gold, diamonds, tin, copper and iron ores, phosphorites. Nature has not deprived Africa of black gold either: in the middle of the 20th century, the richest deposits of oil and gas were discovered in Nigeria, Libya, and Algeria.
The regions of Africa are provided differently with fresh water resources. Thus, the river network is very developed in the central regions of the mainland (Congo is one of the largest river systems in the world). But in the rest of the continent there is a rather acute shortage of drinking water.
African continent: countries and populations
Within the Black Continent, according to official figures, there are 52 independent countries. The vast majority of them gained independence only after the end of World War II and the collapse of the colonial system. Until the mid-20th century, there were only four sovereign states in Africa (Egypt, Liberia, Ethiopia, and South Africa). It is worth adding that now on the mainland there are a number of self-proclaimed, unrecognized or partially recognized states.
In Africa, more than one billion people live today. Moreover, over the past half century, the number of inhabitants on the mainland has tripled! The population of Africa is growing at a tremendous pace, and this is seriously worrying the world community. Moreover, the demographic situation on the mainland is complicated by many acute problems. Among them are poverty and illiteracy of the population, lack of normal medicine, constant conflicts and military clashes.
Regional division
The mainland is quite heterogeneous in economic, historical, cultural and other aspects. It is customary for geographers to identify five regions within it: North, West, Central, East and South Africa.
The most developed in socio-economic terms, the macro-district is South Africa. Only here in the services sector is a large part of the population employed. It is in this region that the most prosperous country on the continent is located - South Africa. The center of Africa is, on the contrary, the standard of poverty and social problems.
The countries of North Africa are mainly the states of the Arab world with the corresponding cultural characteristics. Many of them openly live off oil production.
It is worth mentioning here and West Africa. This is the most diverse, most contrasting region on the mainland. The difference (gap) in social or economic indicators between the countries of this region can be enormous.
Finally
Continent Africa covers an area of 30 million square meters. km This is the second largest continent of the Earth. About 1 billion people live in this territory and 52 states are located.
Africa is a strikingly contrasting continent. Here, within one country, you can see savannas with wildlife, multi-million megalopolises and tribes living in primitive dwellings.