Below is a map of the African continent. It is made up of 54 different countries and a couple of disputed territories. Africa's newest country was born just last year, South Sudan July 9, 2011. Africa is divided into 5 different regions. They are the North, East, West, Central, and Southern. We will take a look at each region including the people, their culture, and geographic features. Africa is one of the most varied continents on Earth. This is because of its size. It has deserts, mountains, savannah's, areas of extreme drought, and rain forests. Africa is home to both the longest river, the Nile (4,132 miles long), and the largest desert, the Sahara (3.5 million sq. miles), on our planet. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is it highest point. (See a picture here!) Lake Victoria is the 2nd largest lake in the world. It boarders 3 counties and is located in East Africa. The largest island in Africa is Madagascar which also happens to be the 4th largest island in the world. Africa is a continent where you can find modern cities as well as people who still live in tribes. There are over 2000 different languages spoken in Africa and 3000 different ethnic groups. It has a wide variety of animals from the "big" cats to the South African penguins. It is a hugh tourist spot with over 10 million people visiting Egypt and the pyramids and 9 million visiting South Africa. The vastness of Africa is overwhelming, but it all this can be found on the 2nd largest continent, following Asia. Set back and enjoy the show!
