The vast expanse of the African continent spans several different climatic regions and contains everything from dry deserts to rainforests to snow-covered mountaintops. Check out some of the most-impressive physical features found in Africa.
Coursing through the heart of Africa, the Congo is the continent’s second longest river, after the Nile. It is contained primarily in, or marks the border of, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river is approximately 2,900 miles (4,700 km) long and, with its many tributaries, forms the largest network of navigable waterways in Africa; this is in spite of the difficulty in navigating the lower course of the river, which has 32 cataracts (waterfalls). The Congo River is home to hundreds of species of fish, many of which are endemic to the river. There are few aquatic mammals in the river, but various types of reptiles, such as crocodiles, semiaquatic tortoises, and water snakes, reside there.
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The Sahara
The Sahara, which takes its name from the Arabic word for “desert,” is the largest hot desert in the world. With a total approximate area of 3.32 million square miles (8.6 million square km), it encompasses almost all of northern Africa, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean on the western side of the continent to the Red Sea on the eastern side. About one-fourth of the Sahara’s surface consists of sand sheets and dunes; other principal features include sand seas, gravel-covered plains, rocky plateaus, abrupt mountains, shallow basins, and large oases. In general, vegetation in the Sahara is limited to areas around oases, wadis (riverbeds that are usually dry outside the rainy season), and the highlands. The desert has a perhaps-surprising amount of wildlife, including hundreds of types of birds (including resident as well as migratory birds), gerbils, jackals, mongooses, frogs, lizards, cobras, and snails that can remain dormant for several years until they are revived by rainfall.
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