Geography of Africa

Geography of Africa

Comparing a range of maps, I noticed that Africa was presented roughly the same size of Greenland.
This indicates that world maps aren't a reliable source when comparing countries sizes. In reality, Africa is a vast continent covering 30 million sq kilometers and Greenland is 14 times smaller in size (covering only 2 million sq kilometres). Because of how immense Africa is, I was able to fit China India and the US inside it.

From researching into the different biomes across Africa, my perception of it has changed. I initially viewed Africa as huge flat and dry place, with little change in scenery. The misleading size of Africa on maps, may suggest to people that Africa is a much smaller place than it actually is, and therefore not so diverse. In fact, Africa has a range of biomes which all receive varying levels of precipitation , scenery and temperatures.


Among more tropical regions, the climate is typically very hot, humid and wet. There is a rainy season and a dry season, but all months can expect precipitation. There is little change in temperature throughout the seasons, but rainfall is heavy throughout the year, depict in dark blue on the map.  This could be resultant of the intense heat generated by its location along the equator. Ocean water gets evaporated, due to the heat, and hangs in the air as water vapour, until it condenses, around cooler climates, typical among rainforests, and falls. Tropical rainforests, like the Congo, are important regulators of the Earth's climate, are carbon sinks and rich in biodiversity.

 From the woodlands, extending outward the precipitation levels fall. Africa's deserts experience the least rainfall, and the Sahara desert has one of the hottest driest climates in the world, receiving less than 1 inch of rain every year. Due to its dry and acrid conditions, plant life in the Sahara is sparse, but it is home to well adapted species. The Sahara is habitated to lots of animals as well, including the sand viper, a venomous snake, that kills prey almost immediately, with its bite. Some mountains, including the Atlas Mountains are also found in Northern Africa and can receive snow and cooler climate conditions. The extreamly low precipitation levels are indicated in red, on the map.

The woodland and savanna lie between the Desert and Tropical biomes and have less extreme conditions. They do receive precipitation in wet seasons, but it is not as heavy then it would be in the tropical rainforests. The Savannah is warm all year round and is known as tropical grasslands (not enough rain falls to support forests).

Africa is not all flat desert and forest floor, it is home to many rivers, including the Nile, which is surrounded by rich, fertile land and the Congo river, one of the longest in Africa. Volcanoes and Mountains are also found in Africa, many of them receiving regular snowfall. My research has proven to me that Africa has a variety of geographical features and is not all flat and dry.




Scarlett, 8L