Physical Geography of Africa
Geography: KS3, topic 17.1.10
Physical Geography
Africa has a very diverse landscape with a range of different mountains, rivers, lakes and deserts.
Rivers
- The longest river in the world is the Nile, which runs through the east of Africa.
- The Nile is almost 7,000 km long. It starts in Egypt and flows through Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Burundi.
Mountains
- The highest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895 m above sea level.
- Kilimanjaro is found in Tanzania.
- Other mountains in Africa include:
- Mount Kenya at 5,200 m
- Mount Ruwenzori at 5,120 m
- Mount Cameroun at 4,095 m
Deserts
- The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara Desert in northern Africa.
- The Sahara is found in the north of Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan, and in the south of Algeria, Libya and Egypt.
- The Namib Desert is another example of an African desert- located along the west coast of Namibia.
- The Kalahari Desert is found in parts of Namibia and Botswana.
Lakes
- The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria found in Kenya and Tanzania.
- Lake Victoria is just east of the Rift Valley, a mountainous area also home to Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.
Test yourself on Physical Geography of Africa
What is the longest river in the world?
African Mountains
Which is NOT an African desert?