Regions of Africa
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Much like any other region Africa consist of several different countries, 54 to be exact. The 54 countries of the region of Africa make up not only the second largest but also the oldest continent with the first human
settlement. At one time, it was the foundation of a huge super continent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, other continents have shifted and drifted apart due to earthquakes, violent volcanic eruptions and the movement of the oceans. Africa’s large land mass totals to about three times the size of the continental
U.S. Due to the fact Africa is almost as old as earth itself it holds more history than any other place on earth. Let me take you on a Safari through the region of Africa.
settlement. At one time, it was the foundation of a huge super continent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, other continents have shifted and drifted apart due to earthquakes, violent volcanic eruptions and the movement of the oceans. Africa’s large land mass totals to about three times the size of the continental
U.S. Due to the fact Africa is almost as old as earth itself it holds more history than any other place on earth. Let me take you on a Safari through the region of Africa.
Physical geography and major landforms
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Africa has rainforests, grasslands, and is home to the largest desert in the world, the Sahara. The African continent straddles the equator, having an almost equal south and north extent. Africa is the most tropical of all continents. Climate and vegetation range from equatorial rainforests, tropical deserts and savanna grassland to Mediterranean. Africa, the second-largest continent, is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rain forest, the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa.
Sahara desert
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The Sahara is one of the largest deserts in the world. The Sahara covers parts of several African nations including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia. The Sahara is also one of the hottest regions in the world. The Sahara Desert is located in the northern portion of Africa and covers over 3,500,000 square miles or roughly 25% of the continent. Since the Sahara Desert makes up nearly 25% of the African continent, the Sahara is often cited as the world's largest desert. This is not entirely true, however, as it is only the world's largest hot desert. The average annual temperature for the desert is 86°F (30°C) but during the hottest months temperatures can exceed 122°F (50°C), with the highest temperature ever recorded at 136°F (58°C) in Aziziyah, Libya. Due to the extremely hot temperature the only permanent river in the desert is the Nile River that flows from Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the amount of water and topography varies based on location, the Sahara Desert is divided into different geographic zones. The center of the desert is considered hyper-arid and has little to no vegetation, while the northern and southern portions have sparse grasslands, desert shrub and sometimes trees in areas with more moisture.
Africa's culture, religion, language, and music
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Africa is home to innumerable tribes, ethnic and social groups, some representing very large populations consisting of millions of people, others are smaller groups of a few thousand. Some countries have over 20 different ethnic groups, and also are greatly diverse in beliefs.
African art and music
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One of the greatest contributions Africa has made to the cultural heritage of mankind is sculpture. African sculpture is a highly developed art form with thousands of years of history behind it and because of the highly developed sculptures African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth.
Drums are practically constantly a complement for any manner of ceremony – births, deaths, marriages – with each other along with a ritual dance. The vicious sound of a lot of drums pounding with each other is also a required installment to stir up feelings inside a battle or war to inspire excitement as well as passion. Drums are a particular type of communication which can resound emotions of celebration, moods of sadness, or grand entrances of African kings as well as queens.
In considerably of Africa, selected drums are believed to symbolize as well as defend royalty as well as are typically housed in sacred dwellings. In reality you may say the drum was in fact the very first type of telephone.
Tribes, along with use of the drum would certainly communicate along with other tribes typically miles away. Drums have been typically utilized to signal meetings, dangers, and so forth.
Drums are practically constantly a complement for any manner of ceremony – births, deaths, marriages – with each other along with a ritual dance. The vicious sound of a lot of drums pounding with each other is also a required installment to stir up feelings inside a battle or war to inspire excitement as well as passion. Drums are a particular type of communication which can resound emotions of celebration, moods of sadness, or grand entrances of African kings as well as queens.
In considerably of Africa, selected drums are believed to symbolize as well as defend royalty as well as are typically housed in sacred dwellings. In reality you may say the drum was in fact the very first type of telephone.
Tribes, along with use of the drum would certainly communicate along with other tribes typically miles away. Drums have been typically utilized to signal meetings, dangers, and so forth.
Religion and language
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There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa[1][2] in several major language families:
- Afro-Asiatic (Hamito-Semitic) spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel
- Nilo-Saharan is centered on Sudan and Chad (disputed validity)
- Niger–Congo (Bantu) covers West, Central, and Southeast Africa
- Khoe is concentrated in the deserts of Namibia and Botswana
- Austronesian on Madagascar.
- Indo-European on the southern tip of the continent.
Major countries
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South Africa:
Capital City in South Africa: Pretoria.
Other major cities in South Africa, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Soweto
Egypt:
Capital City in Egypt: Cairo.
Other major cities in Egypt, Alexandria, Al Jizah, Bur sa Id, Suez, Al Mahallah Al Kubra
Tunisia:
Capital City in Tunisia: Tunis.
Other major cities in Tunisia, Sfax, Susah, Kairouan, Bizerte, Gabes
Libya:
Capital City in Libya: Tripoli.
Other major cities in Libya, Banghazi, Tarhunah, Al Khums, Harat Az Zawiyah, Zuwarah
Algeria:
Capital City in Algeria: Algiers.
Other major cities in Algeria, Oran, Constantine, Batna, Bab Ezzouar, Annaba
Madagascar:
Capital City in Madagascar: Antananarivo.
Other major cities in Madagascar, Toamasina, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toliara
Morocco:
Capital City in Morocco: Rabat.
Other major cities in Morocco, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, Tangiers
Capital City in South Africa: Pretoria.
Other major cities in South Africa, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Soweto
Egypt:
Capital City in Egypt: Cairo.
Other major cities in Egypt, Alexandria, Al Jizah, Bur sa Id, Suez, Al Mahallah Al Kubra
Tunisia:
Capital City in Tunisia: Tunis.
Other major cities in Tunisia, Sfax, Susah, Kairouan, Bizerte, Gabes
Libya:
Capital City in Libya: Tripoli.
Other major cities in Libya, Banghazi, Tarhunah, Al Khums, Harat Az Zawiyah, Zuwarah
Algeria:
Capital City in Algeria: Algiers.
Other major cities in Algeria, Oran, Constantine, Batna, Bab Ezzouar, Annaba
Madagascar:
Capital City in Madagascar: Antananarivo.
Other major cities in Madagascar, Toamasina, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toliara
Morocco:
Capital City in Morocco: Rabat.
Other major cities in Morocco, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, Tangiers
Economics and government
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Africa is by far the world's second poorest inhabited
continent. Africa is large continent made up of many different countries, and
each country has their own type of government. In general, most African
countries have a democratic representative structure in place. The African
Union, a collective body of African countries, supports the spread and
improvement of democracy in Africa and provides support for free and fair
elections in African countries. Democracy in Africa has not been historically
successful, almost always supplanted by centralized authoritarian rule such as
military dictatorships.
The economy of Africa consists of the trade, industry, agriculture, and human resources. As of 2012, approximately 1070 million people were living in 54 different countries.
The Republic of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a federally-structured, three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a nearly unique system that combines aspects of parliamentary and presidential systems. The national government is composed of three inter-connected branches:
Legislative: Parliament, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces
Executive: The President, who is both Head of State and Head of Government
Judicial: The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the High Court
The economy of Africa consists of the trade, industry, agriculture, and human resources. As of 2012, approximately 1070 million people were living in 54 different countries.
The Republic of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a federally-structured, three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a nearly unique system that combines aspects of parliamentary and presidential systems. The national government is composed of three inter-connected branches:
Legislative: Parliament, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces
Executive: The President, who is both Head of State and Head of Government
Judicial: The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the High Court