I. Africa, as the second largest continent on earth, has 11,699,000 sq miles, 22% of the world’s total land mass.
A. 15% is considered desert.
B. 10% is tropical rain forest.
C. 35% is savanna/grasslands.
D. The rest has ocean or mountain climates.
II. There are over 800 ethnic groups in Africa. 1000 languages are spoken.
III. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa, and the second largest in the world.
IV. Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa and the second deepest freshwater lake in the world.
V. Lake Malawi contains the largest number of fish species of any lake in the world, probably over 500 from ten families.
VI. The Nile River drains north-eastern Africa. At 4,132 miles it is the longest river in the world. The Blue Nile begins in Ethiopia, and the White Nile originates at Lake Victoria.
VII. The Rift Valley extends 3,000 miles from Syria in south-western Asia to Mozambique in southeastern Africa. The Rift is still moving, with the western side moving away from the eastern ridge at 6 mm per year, while the south it is moving together at 2 mm a year.
VIII. The Sahara Desert is expanding southwards at a rate of ½ mile a month.