Etymology of the names of physical and geographical objects in Africa Gulf of Aden. Etymology of names of physical and geographical objects in Africa Geographic objects related to the topic Africa

Recently, ratings have become very popular. On the one hand, they look somehow conceived primitive, PR and subjective. On the other hand, in my opinion, they help to structure large volumes of information and squeeze out a lot of water and information noise. I've also decided to aim at William of our Shakespeare.

It was possible, of course, to yellow the topic with a catchy heading like "10 places in Africa that you must visit" or something like that. But I won't be like top bloggers :)
Naturally, the concept of "interesting" hints at the subjectivity of the list: what is interesting to one may be absolutely not interesting to another. Therefore, this is the most subjective, but unbiased list of African interests :)

The reasons why people go to Africa can be divided into 3 components - animals, people and nature. For me, this is an axiom, which formed the basis of the list.


A unique place in Africa, and, possibly, on the entire planet, where original tribes are still preserved, minimally affected by civilization. Mursi, Surma, Erbore, Hamer ... Each tribe is unique in its way of life, traditions, adornments of its own body. In the Omo Valley, it is as if you are traveling in a time machine for many centuries, or even millennia, back to the primitive communal system.
Of course, the proximity to the benefits of civilization influenced the tribes of this part of Ethiopia. The war, which continued here for a considerable time, also has an effect. Many men, instead of spears and bows, wear Kalashnikov assault rifles, for example. Local population has already got used to the fact that tourists are regularly brought to them, and even learned how to benefit from this. Do not expect to be able to photograph the exotic appearance of these proud sons of Africa for free. Each frame is taken into account and payment is inevitable :)

Perhaps the most promoted national park Africa, an icon of Kenya's tourism industry, one of the continent's finest parks. Masai Mara is often written in a superlative degree and, it should be noted, quite deservedly.
The park is like a continuation of the Serengeti, only in Kenya.
Masai Mara is famous for its prides of lions, and in general it is one of best places in Africa to observe the big feline troika: lions, leopards and cheetahs.

And, of course, do not forget about the great migration that takes place in Masai Mara from July to October, when millions of wildebeest herds arrive at the park from Tanzania. at this time the most spectacular.
In general, we can say that not a single safari in Kenya cannot be considered complete without the Masai Mara.

Kilimanjaro is the same symbol of Africa as Victoria Falls or the Cape of Good Hope, and, despite the fact that the mountain itself is located in Tanzania, the best and most picturesque view of it opens from national reserve Amboseli (Kenya). That is why even many Tanzanian travel sites and offline travel guides do not hesitate to illustrate articles about Kilimanjaro with photographs taken in Amboseli.
Elephants and Kilimanjaro, giraffes and Kilimanjaro, Masai and Kilimanjaro, African acacias and Kilimanjaro ...
The park is good in itself, there are all the big five, but it is Kilimanjaro that makes it special and unique.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Tanzania

The highest concentration of wild animals in the world in their natural habitat. This argument immediately gives a head start and increases attractiveness. protected area Ngorongoro. The animals here are separated from the rest of the world by the high slopes of the ancient volcano's crater. As one client put it, "Where are they going in the submarine" :)
Ngorongoro boasts the Big Five, and its relatively small size and enclosed space make safaris one of the most exciting in Africa.

Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda

It is one of the three largest waterfalls in the world and that says it all.

Mainland Africa is the second largest on the planet after Eurasia. It occupies more than twenty percent of the entire land area and is almost entirely located in the hemisphere in the south.

The mainland is washed by several oceans: the Atlantic and Indian. The territory is divided between fifty-five countries.

African countries and their capitals

African countries are usually divided into five groups. The list looks like this:

In terms of economic indicators, the most developed and richest is located in the south of the mainland South Africa. At the same time, residents of many states, in particular the central part of the mainland, are below the poverty line, in particular the CAR, DRC, Burundi - the poorest countries in Africa.

The largest state in terms of territory is Algeria, and the smallest is Mayotte. The most numerous is Nigeria, and the lowest population in the islands is the Seychelles.

African states acquired their sovereignty in the middle of the twentieth century. Majority modern names appeared at the same time.

For example, until 1985, Côte d'Ivoire was called the Ivory Coast, and Djibouti until 1977 had an official status and name in the form French Territory Afarov and Issa. Such changes have affected almost half of the territorial units of the mainland.

Characteristics of Africa

The area is equal to twenty-nine million square meters. km. The prevalence from the north downwards is eight thousand kilometers, and from the west to the left - seven and a half.

Physical map of Africa (click to enlarge)

There are several variants of the origin of the name. The most common ones are:

  1. Afri - people who lived near Carthage, later the Romans began to call the whole region that way, and then the continent of Africa.
  2. From the Latin aprica - sunny.
  3. From the Greek afrkn - no cold.

Note: Africa is considered to be the ancestral home of Homo sapiens, it is there that the remains of the most ancient ancestors, in particular hominids and sahelanthropines, were discovered.

The continent has long attracted Europeans, as the history of the discovery showed; active study began in the fifteenth century, when Vasco da Gama circled Africa on his way to India.

From the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, the mainland was divided among the great powers:

  • the north is part of the Ottoman Empire;
  • south - Spain, Portugal and other colonialists.

After World War II, the map changed as the wave of independence began. Today there are several territories on the African mainland under the control of Europeans, in particular Canary Islands, Madeira, Chagos Archipelago.

Extreme points of Africa

About which point is the most northern, most southern, which is the most eastern, and where the most western is located - the following image tells well:

Population

More than one billion people live on the mainland today. Along with this, the largest increase in the number and life expectancy is observed. Demographic estimates predict that the population will double over the next thirty years.

There are two main races in Africa:

  • negroid - in the center;
  • Caucasians - mainly in the north and in the Republic of South Africa.

The most widespread ethnic group are the Arabs. The population density is low compared to Europe and Asia. Today interethnic conflicts continue.

It is worth noting: the level of urbanization in the countries is low, but its rate is the highest in the world.

As for religion, the leading world movements are generally widespread, but all other religious movements are also represented. Traditional beliefs are still prevalent in the central part.

Climatic zones

Africa is considered the warmest continent, and the warmest place is located here - Dallol. The entire territory is distributed in warm climatic zones.

The main ones and their characteristics:

  1. Equatorial - heavy rains and in fact there is no change of seasons, there is constant summer here.
  2. Subequatorial - two main seasons, rainy summers, winters characterized by dry trade winds.
  3. Tropical - almost no precipitation, deserts are widespread.

Minerals

Africa is rich in minerals that have a high price.

In particular, the main ones include:

  • gold;
  • oil.

North coast also rich in manganese, iron ores and phosphorites.

Flora and fauna

The organic world of Africa is characterized by exceptional diversity.

In tropical areas, there are a variety of large animals, in particular, rhinos, elephants, lions, zebras, monkeys and others.

Large birds also live on the continent, such as flamingos, ibises.

The north is dominated by lizards and snakes that have adapted to the climate of the Sahara. The “big five” is the trademark of the south of the mainland: buffalo, lion, leopard, elephant and rhinoceros.

The climatic conditions of northern Africa have contributed to the adaptation of many plant species. In the south, more than two and a half thousand flowering plants are counted - this is almost ten percent of the world's wealth.

Geographic objects

Atlas mountains

The main objects of geography of Africa include:

  • Atlas Mountains;
  • Basins of Congo (lowest point) and Nile;
  • Rift Valley;
  • Ethiopian and Ahaggar highlands;
  • deserts - Kalahari, Namib and Sahara.

In addition to the oceans, the mainland is washed by one sea - the Red and Suez Canals.

Rivers and seas

One of the longest rivers in the world is located in Africa.

The length of the Nile is almost seven thousand kilometers.

Other major rivers include:

  • Niger;
  • Congo;
  • Zambezi, Limpopo and Orange.

Africa is also rich in large lakes: Victoria, Nyasa, Tanganyika and Chad. The latter is the largest saline body of water in the interior of the mainland.

Plains

Plains in Africa are represented by plateaus (East African) and trenches (Chad, Congo, Kalahari).

The plateaus are high plains, along with them the pits are low.

Mountains of africa

Mostly Africa is a continent on the plains, there are enough mountains on it:

  • Atalas - in the north;
  • Ahagar and Tibeste - in the Sahara Desert;
  • Effiopian Highlands - in the east;
  • Kapsky and Drakonovs - in the south.

The highest point is the Kilimanjaro volcano, its height is five thousand nine hundred meters.

In conclusion, I would like to focus on the concepts of "continent" and "continent". There are only six continents on Earth, all of which are well known. But there are only four continents.

"Continent" translated from Latin means "continuous". Since Eurasia and Africa are connected together by the Suez Canal, they are not separated from each other, therefore they are not separately continents.

Africa is a unique continent that combines the diversity of flora and fauna. Most of the states are at the stage of economically developing countries, partly due to the long-term colonization of the region.

S. I. RUNKOV

NATURAL EARTH OBJECTS. AFRICA:

GEOGRAPHICAL NOMENCLATURE AND METHODS

Saransk 2010

AFRICA

Cape

NEEDLE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image003_1.jpg "align =" left "width =" 125 "height =" 120 src = "> S lat., 19 ° 59" E. etc.). It is located on the territory of the Republic of South Africa, 155 km southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.

RAS-HAFUN

Khafun, a cape on the Somali Peninsula, the easternmost point of the African continent (10 ° 26 "N and 51 ° 23" E).

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image012_0.jpg "align =" left "width =" 100 "height =" 64 src = "> Cape Verde - a peninsula on the African coast Atlantic Ocean, in Senegal. The westernmost point of continental Africa. At the southern tip of Cape Verde is the city of Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

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BAYS AND BAYS

CIDRA (LARGE SIRT)

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image021_0.jpg "align =" left "width =" 106 "height =" 83 src = "> Sidra (source Big Sirte) is a large bay of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, up to 1374m deep, up to 465km wide (at the entrance to the bay).

GABES

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image023.jpg "align =" left "width =" 136 "height =" 112 src = "> Gabes is a gulf of the Mediterranean Sea off the northern coast of Africa, in ancient times it was called Small Sirte. Washes the territory of Tunisia. It stretches over 100 km and has a depth of about 50 m. Djerba Island is located in the southern part of the entrance to the bay, and Kerkenna Island is located in the northern part.

TUNISIAN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image029.jpg "align =" left "width =" 232 "height =" 96 src = "> The Gulf of Tunis is a large gulf of the Mediterranean Sea off the northern coast of Africa, it washes the territory of Tunisia On the southern coast of the gulf, where the capital of Carthage was formerly located, the city of Tunisia is now located.

GUINEAN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image031_0.jpg "align =" left "width =" 126 "height =" 86 src = ">

Gulf of Guinea is a gulf of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Equatorial Africa. It juts out into land between Capes Palmas in the northwest (Liberia) and Palmeirinhas (Angola) in the southeast. The constituent parts of the Gulf of Guinea are the bays of Benin (in the north) and Biafra (in the east).

BENIN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image034.jpg "align =" left "width =" 131 "height =" 102 src = "> Benin is a bay in the Atlantic Ocean on the southern coast of West Africa, an integral part of the Gulf of Guinea, stretching 640 km east from Cape St. Paul (Ghana) to the mouth of the Niger River, the waters of the Benin Gulf wash the coasts of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.

BIAFRA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image037_1.jpg "align =" left "width =" 104 "height =" 81 src = "> Biafra is a bay in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the Gulf of Guinea. Water The gulfs are washed by the coasts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Giveni and Gabon.

ADENSKY

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image039.jpg "align =" left "width =" 298 "height =" 169 src = ">

The Gulf of Aden is part of the Arabian Sea Indian Ocean... Length 890km. The northern coast of the gulf is the Arabian Peninsula (state of Yemen). The southern and western shores of the Gulf make up the African continent (states of Somalia and Djibouti). In the west, the Tajura Bay is distinguished, in the southeast, the bay is separated from the rest of the Indian Ocean by the Socotra Islands (Yemen). The bay is connected to the Red Sea by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

STRAITS

GIBRALTAR

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image042.jpg "align =" left "width =" 148 "height =" 102 src = "> The Strait of Gibraltar is an international strait between the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and the north - the western coast of Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, 65 km long, 14-44 km wide.

BAB EL MANDEB

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image045.gif "align =" left "width =" 186 "height =" 165 src = "> Bab al-Mandeb Strait - the strait between the south-west the tip of the Arabian Peninsula (the state of Yemen) and Africa (the states of Djibouti and Eritrea). Connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden of the Arabian Sea. The smallest width is 26.5 km, the smallest depth in the fairway is 182 m.

MOZAMBICAN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image048_0.jpg "align =" left "width =" 123 "height =" 102 src = ">

OCEAN CURRENTS

CANARY

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image051_0.jpg "align =" left "width =" 172 "height =" 161 src = "> Canary current - cold and, subsequently, moderately warm sea current in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean The Canary Current draws most of its water from the Azores and Portuguese currents, as well as rising from the depths and rich in minerals.It first flows south and southwest along the northwest coast of Africa and past the Canary Islands ...

BENGEL

Benguela Current, Atlantic cold current, northern branch of the West Winds. It passes off the western coast of South Africa from south to north and further to northwest, passing into the South Tradewind Current.

MOZAMBIKSKY

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image059.gif "width =" 20 "height =" 112 ">. gif" width = "19" height = "75">. gif "width = "64" height = "115">

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image065.jpg "align =" left "width =" 294 "height =" 198 src = "> The Amirant Islands are an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean to the north east of Madagascar, about 300 km southwest of Seychelles, part of the Republic of Seychelles, covering an area of ​​83 square kilometers.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image067.jpg "align =" left "width =" 88 "height =" 69 src = ">. jpg" align = "left" width = "148 "height =" 115 src = ">

O. Ascension

Ascension Island is a volcanic island located in the Atlantic Ocean 1600 km west of the African coast. Part of the British overseas territory Saint Helena, from which it is located 1287 kilometers to the northwest.

CANARY

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image072.jpg "align =" left "width =" 112 "height =" 76 src = ">. jpg" align = "left" width = "100 "height =" 76 src = ">

GREEN CAPE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image076.jpg "align =" left "width =" 100 "height =" 76 src = ">. jpg" align = "left" width = "100 "height =" 76 src = "> The Cape Verde Islands are a cluster of 10 large and 8 small islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal, divided into the Leeward and Windward groups.

Madeira

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image081.gif "align =" left "width =" 142 "height =" 172 src = "> Employees" href = "/ text / category / sluzhashie / "rel =" bookmark "> seabird havens - Desertas Islands and Selvagens Islands.

ST. ELENA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image084.jpg "align =" left "width =" 98 "height =" 69 src = "> 148" height = "40" style = "vertical- align: top "> Saint Helena is located in the Atlantic Ocean 2800 km west of Africa and belongs to Great Britain. Also, Saint Helena is an overseas possession of Great Britain, which, in addition to the island of Saint Helena itself, includes the Ascension Islands and the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, as well as small islets and rocks.

COMOR

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image088.jpg "align =" left "width =" 208 "height =" 88 src = "> Comoros, Union of the Comoros (SKO) on the archipelago -vov (Anjouan (Njuani) - 424 sq. km, Grand Comore (Ngazidzha) - 1146 sq. km, Mayotte (Maore), Moheli Island state off the southeast coast of Africa. Located in the Mozambique strait of the Indian Ocean between the east coast of Africa and northwestern Madagascar.

Seychelles

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image091.jpg "align =" left "width =" 89 "height =" 100 src = "> Republic Seychelles - Island state in the western part of the Indian Ocean, slightly south of the equator, about 1600 km east of the African mainland, north of Madagascar. The republic includes more than 100 islands and islets, only 33 are inhabited. big Island- Mahe (142 sq. Km.). On it is the capital of the state - Victoria. Other large islands are Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue.

MASKAREN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image093.jpg "align =" left "width =" 124 "height =" 84 src = ">. gif" width = "43" height = "137 "> PEMBA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image098.jpg "align =" left "width =" 100 "height =" 76 src = "> Pemba, a coral island in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa , separated from the mainland by the Strait of Pemba. Area 984 sq. km. Part of Tanzania. Height up to 99 m. Equatorial-monsoon climate. Precipitation up to 1000 mm per year. Clove and coconut trees are cultivated.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image102.jpg "align =" left "width =" 132 "height =" 89 src = "> Zanzibar is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Tanzania, which The largest islands are Pemba and Unguja, also commonly called Zanzibar.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image104.gif "width =" 96 "height =" 78 ">. jpg" align = "left" width = "112" height = "85 src = "> .gif" width = "31" height = "106"> Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, located in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa, separated from it by the Mozambique Channel. The area of ​​the island is 590 thousand sq. km. Length - about 1600 km, width - over 600 km. The state of the Republic of Madagascar is located on the island.

SOCOTRA

Socotra is a small archipelago of six islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, about 350 km south of the Arabian Peninsula.

Gulf of Guinea

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image116.jpg "align =" left "width =" 184 "height =" 116 src = "> Largest islands Bioko, Sao Tome, Principe, Annobon. Bioko is an island in the Gulf of Biafra (part of the Gulf of Guinea) of the Atlantic Ocean, the largest of the islands belonging to the Equatorial

Guinea; ocean.

PENINSULA

SOMALIA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image118.jpg "align =" left "width =" 125 "height =" 107 src = "> Somalia (Horn of Africa) is a peninsula in the east of the African continent. From the north it is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Aden, from the east - by the Indian Ocean.The territory of the peninsula is part of the state of Somalia, partly - part of Ethiopia.

RIVERS

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image120.gif "width =" 97 "height =" 59 "> NILE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image123.jpg "align =" left "width =" 92 "height =" 63 src = "> The Nile is a river in Africa, one of the two longest rivers in the world.The river originates in the East African Plateau and flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delta.In the upper reaches, it receives large tributaries - Bahr el-Ghazal (left) and Achva, SOBAT, Blue Nile and Atbara (right). Below the mouth of the right tributary of the Atbara, the Nile flows through a semi-desert, having no tributaries for the last 3000 km. The length of the Nile (with Kagera) is about 6700 km (the most commonly used figure is 6671 km), but from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea it is about 5600 km. The basin area, according to various sources, is 2.8-3.4 million square meters. km. (fully or partially covers the territories of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt).

ATBARA

Atbara (Arabic Bahr el-Aswad) is a river in Africa (in Sudan and Ethiopia), the right tributary of the Nile (flowing into the Nile River near the city of Atbara in Sudan). The source is located near Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It flows mainly over the Sudanese plateau.

BLUE NIL

The Blue Nile is much shorter than the White Nile, but it plays a much larger role in the formation of the Nile regime below Khartoum. The Blue Nile originates from the Abyssinian Highlands, flowing from Lake Tana.

WHITE NIL

Below Sobata, the river receives the name White Nile (Bahr el-Abyad), leaves behind an area of ​​marshes, and then quietly flows in a wide valley through a semi-desert area to Khartoum, where it merges with the Blue Nile. From here to the Mediterranean Sea, the river is called the Nile (El-Bahr). The distance from Khartoum to the Nimule gorge is approximately 1800 km; to Lake Victoria - about 3700 km.

KAGERA

Kagera - a river in East Africa, flows through the territory of Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as partly along the borders between them. It is the longest tributary of the Nile. Formed at the confluence of the rivers Nyavarongo and Ruvuvu near Lake Rweru, from where its length to the mouth is 420 km; if we count from the source of the Rukarara River, which is located in Burundi near the northern edge of Lake Tanganyika and is the most distant point of the Kagera river system from the mouth, then its length is about 800 km.

CONGO

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image130.gif "width =" 13 "height =" 62 "> Lualaba is the local name for the upper reaches of the Congo River, described by foreign researchers as the main tributary of the Congo. It flows from the source on the Shaba plateau to Stanley Falls in the Congo. The length is about 2100 km. A hydroelectric power station was built in the upper rapids. In the middle reaches, the river is navigable (644 km).

LUAPULA

The upper reaches of the "href =" / text / category / verhovmze / "rel =" bookmark "> the upper reaches of the Congo River). Some researchers consider it the main source of the Congo River (Zaire). The length (from the Chambeshi source) is over 1500 km, the basin area is 265.3 thousand sq. km It originates south of Lake Tanganyika, flows into Lake Bangweulu in several branches, then flows through Lake Mweru, below which it is called Luvua.

LOVUA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image134.gif "width =" 186 "height =" 12 ">

LUKUGA

CROWBAR

Lomami is a river in Africa, on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the left tributary of the Congo. The length is 1,450 km, the area of ​​the basin is about 110,000 sq. km. The river originates on the Katanga plateau, flows to the north, forming numerous waterfalls and rapids.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image139.jpg "align =" left "width =" 256 "height =" 255 src = "> UBANG

Ubangi, a river in Central Africa, the largest right tributary of the river. Congo (Zaire); flows along the borders of the Republic of Zaire with the Central African Republic and the People's Republic of the Congo. Formed by the merger of the river. Node and Mbomu. The length from the source of the Knot is about 2300 km (according to other data, about 2500 km), the basin area is 772.8 thousand square meters. km.

Kwango

Kwango River in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kwango River is a left tributary of the Kassai River. Its length is 1,100 kilometers. The sources are located in the highlands of central Angola, the river flows mainly to the north. In its middle reaches, the Kwango forms the state border between Angola and Congo, overcomes the Shute Tembo waterfall, then flows through the territory of the Congo and below the city of Bandundu flows into Kasai.

Kasai

Kasai, the river to the Center. Africa, the largest left tributary of the river. Congo, the runoff is 20% of the Congo runoff. Length 2153 km, basin area 880.2 thousand sq. km. It originates from the Lund plateau, descends from its northern slope forming picturesque rapids and waterfalls; separates Angola and Congo. The main tributaries on the right are Lulua, Sankuru, Fimi-Lukenie, on the left - Kwango.

RUFIGI

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image145.gif "align =" left "width =" 208 "height =" 165 src = "> Rufiji is a river in Tanzania. The river is formed at the confluence of the Kilombero rivers and Luwegu, originating in the mountains east of Lake Nyasa (Malawi). Length - about 600 km, the source is in the southwestern part of Tanzania. In the upper reaches, a typical mountain river. Below the Shuguli falls, it flows down the lowlands in a wide valley. It flows into the Indian Ocean. near Mafia Island, about 200 km south of Dar es Salaam, with a basin area of ​​178,000 sq km, the main tributary being the Great Ruaha.

RUVUMA

Interstate structures "href =" / text / category / mezhgosudarstvennie_strukturi / "rel =" bookmark "> between the states of Tanzania and Mozambique. Length is about 800 km, basin area is 145 thousand sq. Km. It originates in the mountains to the east of the lake Nyasa (Malawi) flows into the Indian Ocean, the largest tributary is the Luzhenda River (right).

ZAMBEZI

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image149.gif "width =" 125 "height =" 55 "> The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa. The basin area is 1 sq. km, the length is 2,574 km The source of the river is in Zambia, the river flows through Angola, along the border of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique, where it flows into the Indian Ocean.

QUANDO

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image152.gif "width =" 172 "height =" 38 "> Luangwa

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image154.gif "width =" 100 "height =" 31 "> LIMPOPO

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image156.jpg "align =" left "width =" 220 "height =" 162 src = "> Limpopo is a river in South Africa. It flows through the territory of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique Originates on the slopes of the Witwatersrand, flows into the Indian Ocean River length 1600 km, basin area sq. Km Large tributaries: Shashe, Ulyphants, Shangan.

ORANGE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image158.jpg "align =" left "width =" 160 "height =" 147 src = ">. gif" width = "116" height = "47 "> Shari, a river in Central Africa (CAI, the Republic of Chad and along the border of the latter with Cameroon). Formed by the merger of the river. Ouam and Gribingi; flows into the lake. Chad. The length, according to various sources, is 1400-1500 km (from the source of the Uam River), the basin area is about 700 thousand square meters. km.

NIGER

The Niger is the most important river in West Africa. The length is 4 180 km, the area of ​​the pool is 2 118 thousand sq. km, the third in these parameters in Africa after the Nile and Congo. The source is in Guinea, then the river flows through Mali, Niger, along the border of Benin, then flows through Nigeria and flows into the Gulf of Guinea. The main tributaries of the Niger: Milo, Bani (right); Sokoto, Kaduna and Benue (left).

BENUE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image165.jpg "align =" left "width =" 80 "height =" 88 src = ">. gif" width = "96" height = "50 "> Senegal is a river in West Africa and forms the natural border between the states of Senegal and Mauritania. The length of the river is about 1970 km. The river basin area is 419,575 sq. km. The main tributaries are Falem, Karakoro and Gorgol.

GAMBIA

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LAKES

VICTORIA

Victoria is a lake in East Africa, in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Located in the tectonic trough of the East African platform, at an altitude of 1134 m. The area is 68.870 thousand square meters. km, length 320 km, maximum width 275 km. The high-water Kagera river flows in, the Victoria-Nile river flows out. The northern coast of the lake crosses the equator.

RUDOLF

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image180.gif "width =" 78 "height =" 58 "> Kyoga is a large shallow lake, more precisely a complex of lakes, in Uganda, with an area of ​​about 1720 sq. km, Located 914m above sea level, the White Nile flows into Kyogu on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert.

SLEEVE

Rookva, closed shallow water salt Lake in East Africa, in the southwest. Tanzania. Lies in a tectonic depression at an altitude of 792m.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image185.gif "width =" 16 height = 16 "height =" 16 ">

NYASA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image188.jpg "align =" left "width =" 220 "height =" 112 src = "> Malawi (Nyasa) is a lake in Central-East Africa. The lake runs from north to south, length 560 km, depth 706 m.

BANGWEULU

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image191.gif "width =" 137 "height =" 66 "> .jpg "align =" left "width =" 148 "height =" 132 src = "> Mveru - mountain fresh lake on the border of Zambia and DR Congo. Located at an altitude of 917m above sea level southwest of Lake Tanganyika. Maximum length 110 km, width 45 km, depth up to 27 m. Shipping. The lake is home to bream and tilapia. Described by David Livingstone.

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image196.gif "width =" 19 "height =" 123 "> .gif "width =" 275 "height =" 34 "> TANA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image201.jpg "align =" left "width =" 315 "height =" 78 src = "> Tana, Tsana, Dembea, a lake in Ethiopia, in Ethiopian highlands, at an altitude of 1830 m. Length 75 km, width up to 70 km. Area 3100-3600 sq. km. Depth up to 70 m.

CHAD

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image204.jpg "align =" left "width =" 127 "height =" 86 src = "> The surface of the lake is not constant: usually occupying about 27 thousand square meters km, the lake in the rainy season overflows up to 50 thousand, and in the dry season - shrinks to 11 thousand square kilometers. from the east - the low-water Bar-el-Ghazal.

ASSAL

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image206.jpg "align =" left "width =" 122 "height =" 100 src = ">" Livingstone Falls "- a system of rapids and rapids in the lower course Congo Rivers, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in western equatorial Africa Named for the Scottish explorer Livingstone, the "waterfall" system is a 350 km long rapids with a total dip of 270 m.

VICTORIA

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image208.jpg "align =" left "width =" 122 height = 94 "height =" 94 "> STANLEY Stanley waterfalls, waterfalls in the upper reaches of the river. Congo (Zaire), between Ubundu and Kisangani, on the territory of the Republic of Zaire. 7 significant rapids, separated by stretches, at a distance of about 150 km; the total fall is about 40m.

MERCISON

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image210.jpg "align =" left "width =" 222 "height =" 155 src = "> Atlas Mountains, mountain system in the north. Africa; to the west. parts of Morocco - three parallel. chains: middle (Vys. Atlas or Idrar-in-Deren with the peak of Jebel-Ayashi. 4500 m., southern Anti-A. and north. Er-Rif; in Algeria and Tunisia, two chains: on S. Mal. Atlas or Tell , to the south of the Big Atlas (2300m.), between them the plateau of the Shots (1100m.).

SUGAR ATLAS

Sahara Atlas, a system of mountain ranges and massifs in the south. mountainous country Atlas within Algeria. Height 1200-1500 m, individual peaks over 2000 m (Mount Aisa up to 2336 m).

ANTIATLAS

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image223.jpg "align =" left "width =" 124 "height =" 89 src = "> Ethiopian (Abyssinian) highlands - mountain system in the north-east Africa in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and in the north of Somalia Average height m The highest point is Mount Ras Dashen 4533 m, the fourth highest in Africa.

MITUMBA, MOUNTAINS

Mitumba, a mountain range in the center. h. East African plateau, in the southeast. and V. Congo (formerly Zaire). It is composed of young volcanic and ancient crystalline rocks. Length from north to south apprx. 400km, height up to 3305m. Flat tops at several levels predominate. North. part of the ridge extends along a tectonic depression occupied by lakes Edward, Kivu and Tanganyika.

DRAGON MOUNTAINS

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CAPSE MOUNTAINS

Cape Mountains, mountains in southern Africa, in South Africa, between Port Elizabeth in the east and the mouth of the river. Olifants in the west. The length is about 800 km. Consist of several parallel ridges. The average height is 1500m, the highest is 2326m.

RAS-DASHAN, MOUNTAIN

Ras Dashan, the most high peak in the Semien Mountains in the Ethiopian Highlands. Height 4620m.

KENYA

Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest mountain in Africa (after Kilimanjaro). The highest peaks are Batianm), Nelionm) and Point Lenanam). The mountain is located in the central part of the country, just south of the equator, 150 km north-north-east of Nairobi.

KILIMANJARO, VOLCANO

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image234.jpg "align =" left "width =" 173 "height =" 120 src = "> Somalia is a plateau bordered in the southeast and north by coastal Lowlands Rivers - Jubba, Webi-Shebeli Most of the territory - desert.

DARFUR, PLATO

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image238.gif "width =" 98 "height =" 51 "> High plateaus is the common name for intermontane semi-desert plateaus in the Atlas. Height m in the west, 700-800m in the east. Located between the Tel Atlas ridges in the north and the Sahara Atlas in the south.

POTS-VESSELS

BODELE

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image241.jpg "align =" left "width =" 115 "height =" 80 src = "> Qattara is a waterless depression in Egypt in the north of the Libyan desert in Africa .Area, sq. Km.

KALAHARI

Kalahari, a depression in the central part of South Africa, coinciding with the eponymous syneclise of the African Platform. Located in Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Southern Rhodesia and South Africa. The area is about 630 thousand square meters. km.

DESERT

ARABIAN

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image243.gif "width =" 44 "height =" 70 "> Arabian Desert, northeast h. Sahara (Egypt) between the Nile valley and the ridge. Etbay, stretching along the Red Sea. In the south (at 22 ° N lat.) It passes into the Nubian Desert. The plateaus descend from east to west to the Nile Valley from 1000 to 200 m, and are intensively dissected by valleys with dry channels (wadis).

https://pandia.ru/text/78/225/images/image246.jpg "align =" left "width =" 149 "height =" 114 src = "> NUBIAN

Nubian Desert, in Africa, mostly on the territory of Sudan, between the r. The Nile and the Red Sea, from which it is separated by the Etbay Ridge.

LIBYAN

Libyan Desert, a desert in Africa, northeastern Sahara, west of the river. Nile, within the eastern part of Libya, the western part of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the northern part of the Sudan. The area is about 2 million sq. km.

Etymology of the names of physical and geographical objects in Africa
Gulf of aden... Gulf of the Indian Ocean. The name was given to the city of Aden in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. According to one version, the toponym is based on the Arabic root meaning "settledness". According to another interpretation, the name was formed by a term from the ancient Semitic-Hamitic languages ​​edinu - plain, steppe, which clearly reflects natural features.

Azores... Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Belongs to Portugal. Called by the Portuguese Ilhas dos Azores - "Hawk Islands" for the abundance of these birds off the coast and on the archipelago.

Amirant Islands... Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Discovered by the expedition of Admiral Vasco to Gama and named in his honor llhas de Almitante - "Admiral's islands".

Annobon. Island in the Gulf of Guinea. Named by the Portuguese Anno Bon - "Good year" ( New Year), because they first set foot on the island on January 1, 1474.

Atlas. Atlas mountains. In the northwest of Africa. The name has a direct connection with the name of the mythical titan Atlas, who holds the earthly firmament on his mighty shoulders. The ancient Greeks deified these mountains, worshiping a mountain spirit in the form of a petrified giant who supported the Earth. So the legend says. Apparently, this was facilitated by a possible primary source from (the Berber word "adrar", which means "mountain"

Augrabis. Waterfall on the river. Orange. The name comes from the Hottentot aukrebis - "big noise".

Afar. Tectonic depression in Djibouti. The lowest place in Africa (-153 m above sea level). The name comes from the Afar people living in Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Ahaggar. Mountain range in Central Sahara. The name comes from the name of the Tuareg tribe Kel-Akhaggar. The ethnonym is apparently based on the Arabic term "akhgar" - a cave, i.e. "ahaggar" - "cave dwellers", "cave spirits".

Bab el-Mandeb strait... Separates Africa and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. The name comes from the Arabic words "bab" - gate, "mandib" - tears, that is. means "gate of tears". The toponym-metaphor reflects the difficult navigation conditions in the strait.

White Nile. The name of the middle course of the Nile before the confluence of the Goluboy. The Arabic name of the Bahr el-Abyad river is "white river". In the opinion of those skilled in the art, the term "white" refers either to the cloudy color of water or to an unknown color orientation.

Benguela current... Cold current in the Atlantic Ocean. The name is given for the city of Benguela in Angola: in one of the Bantu languages ​​benguela is "the land of reeds".

Benue. Ley tributary of the r. Niger. The name comes from the Batta language, where be - "water", nue - "mother", i.e. means
"mother of waters"

Bioko. Island in the Gulf of Guinea. The Portuguese, having discovered Bioko, called it Formosa - "Beautiful" for the abundance of lush vegetation and the presence of fresh water. Later, the island was called Fernando Po in honor of the Portuguese discoverer, and in the 70s of the XX century, - Macias Nguema Biyogo and the honor of the president Equatorial Guinea... Bioko is a modified name, so it is difficult to call the true meaning.

Bush. Common name for shrub formations in South Africa. The Dutch and English geographic term bush is "bush".

Vaal... River, right tributary of the river. Orange, The name was given by the Dutch Borax colonists for the color of the water: vaal - "muddy", "gray". The toponym is included in the name of one of the provinces of South Africa - Transvaal - "behind Vaal".

Wadi, waddah... Common name for temporary watercourses North Africa filling with water only during the rainy season. The Arabic geographic term "wadi", "wadd" - dry bed, valley.

Weld. The name of the arid plateau in southern Africa. In Dutch and Afrikaans (Afrikaans), veld is a popular geographic term meaning "field".

Victoria. Lake in East Africa, the largest on the mainland. Unlike the Victoria Falls, named by D. Livingston in honor of the Queen of Great Britain, the name of Lake Victoria was given by the traveler D. Speak. Therefore, at present, young people located on the shores of the lake African countries ah other names are proposed: Umoja - "unity", Uhuru - "freedom", Shirikisho - "unification", Uhuru na Umoja - the state motto of Tanzania, inscribed on the coat of arms of the state.

Victoria. Waterfall on the river. Zambezi. Discovered by the outstanding English traveler David Livingston and named after the Queen of Great Britain. Locals call the waterfall Mosi-oa-Tunya - "thundering smoke", or Seongo - "place of the rainbow".

Virunga. Volcanic mountains in East Africa. The name in the language of the Nyoro people means "volcano".

Volta. River in West Africa. The name Rio-da-Volta - "the river of return" was given by the Portuguese, because in the XV century. their ships stopped at the mouth of the river before returning to their homeland. In Ghana on the river. Volta created a reservoir of the same name - one of the largest in the world (8480 km 2).

Guardafui. Cape in the east of the Somali Peninsula. Scientists believe that the name is derived from the Portuguese word guardafu, distorted by the Arabs, meaning "beware", which is associated with dangerous navigation conditions. There has long been a legend that, as if at the very eastern end of the Somali peninsula, there is a magnetic mountain, which attracts the iron parts of ships approaching it. As a result, the ships, approaching it, crashed on the rocks. In fact, this is the narrowest shelf zone. With strong winds, high waves, poor visibility, ships were often carried to the peninsula, and they crashed on the coastal reefs. The word "guardafui" was a warning to sailors who sailed past this promontory.

Gulf of Guinea. Gulf of the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa. Named for the historical and geographical region of Guinea, washed by it. There are several versions of the origin of the toponym Guinea. According to one of them, the name is based on the name of the Berber tribe Kinava (the Arab scholar Ibn Yakut in the 13th century mentioned the region of Kinava). Another point of view is based on the fact that the toponym is formed by the Berber words "agvinau" - "black" or "iguaven" - "dumb" (that is, they do not know the Berber language) and referred to the territory inhabited by black tribes. Later, Europeans distorted the original word in Gunua, Ginua, and finally in Guinea.

Strait of Gibraltar. Separates Africa from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Named for the rock of Gibraltar on the European side of the strait. The modern form of the name of the rock arose as a result of the centuries-old use and transformation of the primary Arabic Jebel el-Tariq - "Mount Tariq".

Blue Nile. The largest tributary of the Nile. In Ethiopia, the river is called Abbay - “the father of waters, and in the Arab countries Bahr el-Azrak -“ blue river. ”The color name, according to some scholars, reflects the color of the water in the river carrying bluish silt.

Good Hope... Cape in southern Africa. Discovered in 1488 by the Portuguese navigator B. Dias and named Cabo Tormentoso - "Cape of Tempests". King João II of Portugal did not like the name and, at his behest, the cape was renamed Cabo da Vona Esperanza - "Cape of Good Hope", meaning the hope of reaching a fabulously rich and attractive India for Europeans. Some historians believe that in B. Diash immediately named the cape by the name of Good Hope, and the above version is only a historical legend. However, it is impossible to prove or refute this hypothesis due to the lack of sources contemporary to Dias' voyage.

Dragon mountains... Located in South Africa. It is assumed that the mountains are named after one of the European colonizers of the Drakenstein harrow. Etymologically, the surname consists of two words: draken - "dragon", stein - "stone".

Zambezi. River in South Africa. Previously, the name of the river was conveyed on maps in a variety of ways; Ambezi, Luambezi, Liambey, etc. According to modern place names, the primary form of the name is Ambezi (or Ambey), which in the local Bantu languages ​​means "big river". The same meaning has the name of the river in the middle course in the Tonga language - Murongo-Mucuri, which is a tracing of the main toponym.

Zanzibar. An island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. The toponym comes from the Persian, the term "bar" - "coast", "edge" and the ethnonym "zinj", based on the Arabic or Persian "zang", "zeng" - "black". Zinji is the collective name for the Negroid tribes of East Africa in medieval Muslim literature.

Green cape. Located on the peninsula of the same name to the east of Cape Almadi. It was named Cabo Verde by the Portuguese D. Dias in 1445 - "Cape Verde", tk. was the first land covered by tropical flora seen by sailors, in stark contrast to the sands of the Sahara.

Cape Verde Island. Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Named after m. Zeleny, opposite which it is located. The transfer of the name of the islands into other languages ​​is accepted in the form of translation, in contrast to the name of the state located on them.

Needle. Cape, the southernmost tip of Africa. Discovered in 1488 by B. Dias and named by him Cabo Sao Brandao - Cape of St. Brandan, because the opening took place on the day of this saint. However, the name was soon changed, and the cape was mapped under the name Agulhas - Agulary. The word agulha in Portuguese means "needle", "arrow". Modern toponymists see the Portuguese metaphorical term agulha as the basis of the name in the meaning of "peak", "summit". Based on this, the toponym is interpreted as "cape of peaks", and the reason for the nomination was the sharpness of the rocky promontory.

Go-Amin-Dada; Edward. Lake in East Africa. Opened in the 19th century. and named Edward after the Crown Prince of Great Britain. In 1971, President Idi Amin Dada came to power in Uganda, and the lake was named after him. To this day, both names have survived for the reservoir.

Cabaret. Waterfall and national park on the river. Victoria Nile in Uganda. The waterfall was opened in the 19th century. and named Murchison in honor of Rodrik Murchison, a distinguished geologist, president of the Royal Geographical Society of London. In 1962, it was renamed in honor of the national hero of Uganda, a fighter against the British colonialists Cabareg Chwa II.

Kalahari. Semi-desert region in South Africa, At the heart of the toponym is a geographical term from the Hottentot language karaha - "an area of ​​sand and stone". The widespread in the past interpretation of the name from the Tswana language, where karri-karri - "tormented by thirst" or "painful", is now recognized by toponymists as unlikely. Dutch settlers Boers called the semi-desert Bosjeveld - "a field of thorny bushes", which reflected the specifics of vegetation.

Cameroon. Volcanic massif in Equatorial Africa. The Portuguese slave merchant Fernand Gomij, sailing past the coast of Africa in the equatorial waters of the Gulf of Guinea, noticed high mountain about which he wanted to know more. He sent a detachment of daredevils inland. On the way, they encountered an obstacle in the form of a small river with clean clear water, which was very useful, since they needed to replenish their supplies of drinking water. Having filled the kegs with delicious water, the sailors saw an abundance of crabs in the river, after which, for fun, they caught crabs and shrimps and brought them to the ship. And the river, flowing in close proximity to the mountain, was named Rio des Camaroes (camarues), which is translated from Portuguese as "river of crabs". At the same time, Mount Cameroon received such a name, and later the state was named so. Locals have long had a superstitious fear of the snowy volcanic peak of Cameroon and call it "Maongo ma Loba, which means" mountain of heaven "or" mountain of God ".

Canary Islands. Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Belongs to Spain. The islands were known in ancient times under the Latin name Insulas Fortunatae. The Spaniards who visited the archipelago at the beginning of the 15th century called them islas Canarias - "dog islands". According to one version, the sailors saw a large number of dogs on the shores of the islands, which was the reason for the appearance of the toponym. According to another version, the archipelago was named after the main island of Gran Canaria. and the island - according to the fabulous country of Canaria, mentioned in medieval European legends.

Canary current. Cold current in the Atlantic Ocean. Named for the Canary Islands.

Cape Mountains. Located in southern Africa. Named after the Cape Colony founded by the Dutch, which was named after its original location on Cape of Good Hope (Dutch Kaar - "cape"). With the expansion of the colony, the name spread to the mountains. Folk etymology connects the toponym with the Dutch kaar - "profit", i.e. the colony was allegedly named so for the fact that it brought a large income to the treasury. However, there is no scientific evidence for this interpretation.

Karoo. Common name for semi-desert plateaus and intermontane depressions in South Africa. The name is based on the Hottentot geographical term karusa changed by the Boers - "dry", "waterless", which clearly reflects the natural conditions.

Kenya. Volcanic massif in East Africa. Toponymists see the Masai term "kee-niyya" - "white mountain" as the basis of the toponym, which is associated with the presence of glaciers and snow on the top of the mountain.

Kilimanjaro. Volcanic massif in East Africa. The highest point of the mainland. Scientists associate the origin of the name Kilimanjaro with a word from the Swahili language, distorted by Europeans, meaning "mountain of the god of cold", or, according to another version, "a mountain that shines."

Comoros. Archipelago in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean. The islands have been known to the Arabs since the 8th century, and it was they who named the Jezair al-Komr archipelago - "the islands of the moon", which was associated with the spread of the cult of this luminary. The Portuguese borrowed the Arabic name in a distorted form of Sotoges, which stuck on European maps.

Congo; Zaire. River in Equatorial Africa. The mouth of the river was opened in the 15th century. Portuguese D. Can and named it Rio da Padrao - "Padran River" (Padran is a stone pillar that the Portuguese erected in honor of discoveries, carving on it the coat of arms, the name of the king and discoverer). The name was not fixed, but the river was renamed Congo - this was the name of the country and the people who lived in it before the arrival of the Europeans. Locals call the river differently at different parts of the current: Nzadi or Nzari - "the river that swallows all others" or "great river" (a distorted form of Zaire appeared from this name), Zembere - "mother of waters"; Kulla is the "great water", and in the upper reaches of the Lualaba it is the "great rhea".

Red sea. Indian Ocean Sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. V Ancient egypt was called the Great Green, later - the Arabian Gulf, by the Greeks Pelagos Eritre ("erythros" - "red"), from where it got into the European languages ​​in translated form. There are several versions of the origin of the toponym. According to one of them, the name was given for the red tint of the water in the sea. Another version is based on the ancient color orientation of the peoples of the East, where the south was indicated by red. There was another version of the interpretation of the toponym - from the ethnic name of the ancient tribe of the Hamarites, which meant "red".

Kruger. National park in South Africa. Named after Stephanus Kruger, President of the Boer Republic of the Transvaal, commander of the Boer army in the 1899-1902 war with Great Britain.

Libyan Desert. Located in the Sahara. The name is given by the ancient name of Africa - Libya, which comes from the ethnonym "libu".

Livingstone waterfalls... Located in the lower reaches of the river. Congo (Zaire). Named after the outstanding explorer of Africa, Scottish by origin, D. Livingston.

Limpopo. River in South Africa. The etymology of the name is unknown. The Dutch Boer colonists called the river Crocodil River - "Crocodile River" for the abundance of these reptiles in its waters.

Mauritius. Island in the Indian Ocean. The Dutch, having captured the island, named it Mauritius - Mauritius in honor of the Dutch prince Mauritius (Mauritius; Maurice) of Orange.

Maghreb. The common Arabic name for northwest Africa since the early Middle Ages is "maghrib" - west.

Madagascar. Island in the Indian Ocean. Known to Arab sailors as Jezira al-Komr - "the island of the moon", which is associated with the cult of this luminary. In the XVI century. the Portuguese named the island Sao Lourenzo - St. Lawrence, because saw the land of Madagascar on the day of this saint. The French, having conquered the island in the 19th century, called it Ile Dauphine - "the island of the Dauphin" (ie the heir to the throne). Malagasy call their homeland Nossi Damba - "island of wild boars" or Tani-Be - "great". The toponym Madagascar in the distorted form Madeigaskar was first encountered by Marco Polo (13th century). According to scientists, it is based on the ethnic name of Malagasy, as the inhabitants of the island are now called.

Madeira Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Belongs to Portugal. The Portuguese called Maderia - Forest, because was indeed covered with forests, later completely cut down. The earliest names for the archipelago: among the Carthaginians Al-Agnam - "island of goats" (for the abundance of these animals), among the Romans Insulae Purpurinae - "islands of purple" (for the paint obtained there).

Manyara. National Park in Tanzania. Named for the lake. Manyara, around which it is located. The etymology of the hydronym is unknown.

Mascarene Islands. Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Opened in the 16th century. Portuguese expedition Pedro di Machareñas (Mascareñas) and is named after him.

Mobutu-Sese-Seko. Lake in East Africa. Opened in the 19th century. by the British and named Albert in honor of the consort of Queen Victoria. In 1973 it was renamed in honor of the President of Zaire, Mobutu Sse Seko. Locals call the reservoir Mbutan Nzighe - "the reservoir of dead shells" for the abundance of shellfish on the shores, or Nyasa - the geographical term for "lake" in Bantu languages. Perhaps one of these names will become the new official one, which is associated with the death of President Mobutu.

Mozambique Channel. Divides Africa and Fr. Madagascar. Named for the state of Mozambique. A similar origin for the name of the warm Mozambican current in the Indian Ocean.

Nakuru. National park in Kenya. Named for the lake. Nakuru, within which he was created. The etymology of the hydronym is unknown.

Namib. Desert in southwest Africa. There are two versions of the origin of the toponym from the languages ​​of the Hottentot tribes. According to one of them, namib - "shield"; on the other - "what is bypassed" (dangerous, lifeless). The second interpretation reflects the complexity natural conditions in desert,

Nasser. Reservoir on the river. Nile in Egypt. Named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, during whose reign a reservoir was created and the Aswan Dam was built.

Ngorongoro. Reserve in Tanzania. Named after volc. Ngorongoro, in the crater of which it is located. The etymology is unknown.

Niger... River in West Africa. The name is a distorted by the Portuguese and other Europeans the Berber name of the river H "Egiren -" river. "In different parts of the course it has different names in local languages: in the upper reaches of the Djolib -" big water "; in the middle and lower Kuara -" river ", Issa Bari - “great river”; Mayo - “river.” The explanation of the name from the word niger in the meaning of “black” from European languages ​​is considered incorrect by modern toponymists.

Nile. The longest river in Africa and the whole world. The oldest form of the name of the river Aur is "hidden" (that is, with an unknown source). The Egyptians called her Hapi after the god of fertility and harvest. Modern Arabs call the river El-Bahr - "river". The toponym Nile in the form of Neilos was first encountered by the ancient Greeks. The Romans borrowed it as Nilus. According to one of the versions, the toponym is based on the ancient Semitic term "nagal" - "river", modified by the Greeks. According to another version, the Greeks borrowed the word lil - "water" from the Libyan tribes, distorting it into nil. Philologists note the possibility of such a transformation.

Nubian desert... Located in northeastern Africa. Named after historical area Nubia, located between the Nile rapids. The toponym is based on the ancient Egyptian word "nuba" - "gold". In ancient times, the largest mines were located here, from where gold came to the palace of the pharaohs.

Nyasa; Malawi. Lake in East Africa. The toponym is formed by the popular geographical term from the Bantu languages ​​nyasa - "lake". In the Republic of Malawi, the lake is officially called Malawi by the main people of this country.

Orange. River in South Africa. Hottentots called her Kai Garib - Big river, Dutch settlers Boers Groat River with the same meaning. At all times, people often gave names to objects (rivers, lakes) by the color of the water or the coast. But the name of the Orange River has nothing to do with color. This name was given to her by settlers from the Netherlands (Holland) Boers in honor of the princes of Orange - the then rulers of the Netherlands. With someone's light hand, and perhaps through transformation, the name Orange turned into Orange.

Principe. Island in the Gulf of Guinea. Opened in the 15th century. Portuguese expedition and named Principi - "the first", because was the first island discovered by this expedition. According to another version - "prince".

Reunion. Island in the Indian Ocean. Named at the end of the 18th century, by the French Reunion - "Connection", tk. the inhabitants of the island decided to unite with Fr. Mauritius into a single administrative region. The name has changed several times: in the XVI century. Portuguese Santa Apollonia (in honor of St. Apollonia), in the XIX century. - Bonapart (in honor of Napoleon), Ile de Burbon - "Bourbon Island" (in honor of the dynasty of kings). Since 1848 - reunion again.

Rwenzori. Mountain range in East Africa. The height of the mountains is reflected in their name: in local languages ​​Bantu ruwenzori - "the lord of the clouds". A national park in Uganda is also named after the mountains.

Savannah. Borrowed by the Spaniards at the end of the 15th century. from the language of the Caribbean (or Arawak) Indians, where sabana - "high grass plain", "open space". The general name for the zonal type of landscape.

Sao Tome. Island in the Gulf of Guinea. Opened by the Portuguese on the day of St. Thomas (Thomas) and named Sao Tome in his honor.

Sahara. Desert in North Africa. The name is formed by the Arabic geographical term "sahara" - "desert" in the plural form, i.e. Sahara - "deserts". According to philologists, the term is based on the Arabic "askhar" - "reddish", which reflects the dominant color and color background of the desert.

Sahel. A strip of semi-deserts and deserted savannas in North Africa. The name was appropriated by the Arabs in the Middle Ages; "Sahel" - "coast", "edge", "border", or rather - "desert coast".

Saint Helena island. Located in the Atlantic Ocean. Opened by the Portuguese on St. Helena and is named after her. It gained worldwide fame as a place of exile and death of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Seychelles. Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Named in the 18th century. French in honor of the Minister of Finance Moro de Setelle (Seychelles)

Senegal. River in West Africa. According to one version, the toponym is based on the name of the Berber tribe of Senega, go Sankhai. Other toponymists believe that the name ancient city Senegan crossed over to the river. In the past, the toponym was explained as "navigable", however, due to the lack of evidence, modern scientists do not consider this option.

Serengeti. National Park in Tanzania. Named for the Serengeti plateau, within which it is located. The toponym is based on the term from the Maasai language serenget - "space", which fully corresponds to the geographical realities - vast savannas on the plateau.

Socotra. Island in the Indian Ocean. The name of the island was given by Indian sailors: Dvipa Sakhadara - "the island of the portent of good luck". Later, this name, reflecting the importance of the island as the most important nodal point on the ancient sea routes from India to the west, was transformed under the influence of the Arabic language in Socotra.

Africa is a part of the world with an area with islands of 30.3 million km 2, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere (most of it), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland of Gondwana, it has massive outlines, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north, it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, and from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographic characteristics

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is cut by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are small lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, the northern part, almost completely occupied by the Sahara Desert, is the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east is the Ethiopian Highlands, the southeast is the East African Plateau, the extreme south is the Cape and Draconic mountains. The highest point in Africa is Kilimanjaro Volcano (5895 m, Masai Plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, there is the world's largest fault in the earth's crust, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

Rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger (West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the deepest and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from the south to north (its origins are on the East African Plateau, and it flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delta). The rivers are rich in water exclusively in the equatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation there, most of them are distinguished by high flow rates, have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest lake after Lake Superior (North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest saline closed lake - Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern edge of the greatest desert in the world of the Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical belts, it is characterized by high total indicators of solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent of the Earth (the highest temperature on our planet was recorded in 1922 in El-Azizia (Libya) - + 58 С 0 in the shadow).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo depression), in the north and south, turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannas and woodlands, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevres and southern Africa, savannas are replaced by semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari. Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains - a zone of rigid-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. Natural areas mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonality.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided between 62 countries, 54 - independent, sovereign states, 10 dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest - unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, Saharan Arab Democratic Republic(SADR). For a long time Asian countries were foreign colonies of various European states and gained independence only by the middle of the last century. Depending on the geographic location Africa is divided into five regions such as North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of countries in Africa

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is plain. There are mountain systems, highlands and plateaus. They are presented:

  • The Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
  • the highlands of Tibesti and Ahaggar in the Sahara desert;
  • The Ethiopian Highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
  • Drakensberg mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is Kilimanjaro Volcano, 5,895 m high, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannahs

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. On the southwestern side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from it inland to the east is the Kalahari Desert.

The savannah territory occupies the main part of Central Africa. In area, it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical of savannahs, low shrubs and trees. The height of herbaceous vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. These can be practically desert savannas or tall-grass, with a grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height ...

The rivers

The longest river in the world, the Nile, is located on the territory of the African continent. The direction of its flow is from south to north.

In the list of large water systems of the mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, flowing through the territory of Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River, there is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide ...

Lakes

The list of large lakes on the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the world's second largest freshwater body of water. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. There are two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the fractures of lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad on the territory of Africa, which is one of the world's largest closed relict lakes that have no connection with the world's oceans ...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans at once: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also on its shores are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. On the side of the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the waters form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent coastal waters cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. The currents from the Indian Ocean are warm. The largest is Mozambique, in northern waters, and Igolnoye - in the southern ...

Forests of africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. There are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find a stone oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. High in the mountains, conifers grow, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are forests of cork oak, in the tropical region there are evergreen equatorial plants, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc.

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, about 1000 species of various types of trees grow here: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, oil palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. ... It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects that live right in the trees. Live on earth: bush-eared pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

Savannahs occupy 40% of Africa's territory, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and free standing trees (treelike acacias, baobabs).

There is the largest concentration of such large animals as: rhino, giraffe, elephant, hippo, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savannah are such herbivores as: bubal (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-footed antelope, various types of gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, in some places there are still rare springbok antelopes.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness, these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of grasses. The oases are home to the unique Erg Chebbi date palm, as well as drought and salt tolerant plants. In the Namib Desert, unique plants grow velvichia and bun, the fruits of which feed on porcupines, elephants and other animals of the desert.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and able to travel great distances in search of food, there are many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned ram, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, Dorcas gazelle, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are constantly living and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in an area of ​​low pressure and receives sufficient moisture, the territories to the north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoon) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme north and south are in the subtropical climatic zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north is the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the peculiarities of the trade wind movement, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all ...

Resources

Natural resources of Africa

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the poorest continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet the priority needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by areas of significant area with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of adequate water volume, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including valuable species. The countries in which they grow, raw materials are sent for export. Resources are being used unwisely and ecosystems are gradually being destroyed.

There are mineral deposits in the bowels of Africa. Among those exported: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments ...

Among the developed industrial spheres of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

  • the mining industry, which sends mineral raw materials and fuels for export;
  • the oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
  • the chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
  • as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. Oil palm is grown in tropical regions of Africa.

Fishing is developed insignificantly and constitutes only 1 - 2% of the total volume of agriculture. Livestock indicators are also not high and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse flies ...

The culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

About 8000 peoples and ethnic groups live on the territory of 62 African countries, for a total of about 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization, it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of humans.

Most of the peoples in Africa can number as many as several thousand people, and several hundred, living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with a population of more than 5 million people, 1/3 are peoples with a population of more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) are Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulus ...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical-African (the majority of the population is a Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

  • West africa... Peoples speaking the languages ​​Mande (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Vai), Chad (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congolese languages ​​(Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, nupe, gbari, igala and idoma, ibibio, efik, kambari, birom and jukun, etc.);
  • Equatorial africa... Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Douala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandians), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Como, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Congo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc .;
  • South Africa... Rebellious peoples, and speaking the Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
  • East africa... Bantu, Nilot and Sudanese groups;
  • Northeast africa... Peoples speaking Ethiosemitic (Amhara, Tiger, Tiger.), Kushite (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotic languages ​​(Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
  • Madagascar... Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are the Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the southern European minor race, mainly professing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Christians-Monophysites.

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