Message on the topic of central Africa. Geographical location of Africa. Features of the geographical location of the continent. Extreme points of landmass of the mainland

Central Africa is one of the regions Africa , located in the equatorial and subequatorial zone. It covers the wide valley of the Congo River, in the western part it adjoins the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea, in the north it includes the Azande plateau, in the south - the Lunda plateau and the adjacent plateaus of Angola. The eastern border of Central Africa is the East African Rift System.

The basis of the relief of Central Africa is the vast flat depression of the Congo River, which occupies the entire center of the region. To the north, the Congo Basin is surrounded by the Banda Rise and the South Guinea Rise, to the west by the Lunda-Katanga, and to the south by the Angola Plateau. By and large, the relief of Central Africa is calm, without any sharp fluctuations in altitude. The exception is the northwestern outskirts of the region, where fragmented and rugged terrain predominates; it is there, at the site of a large tectonic fault, that the highest (4070 m) active volcano in the world, Cameroon, is located.

The climate in the countries of Central Africa is equatorial and subequatorial. It's quite hot and humid here. The formation of such a humid climate in the region is due to the air masses of the Atlantic Ocean. The air temperature is always high throughout the year; the only cool places are the hills. Average temperatures in the Congo River Valley in the warmest month vary from +25 to +28 degrees, and in the coldest from +23 to +25 0 C. In winter, the temperature sometimes drops to +15 0 C. Central Africa is one of the few regions a continent where a decent amount of precipitation falls per year: in the equatorial zone it averages 1500-2000 mm or more, in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Guinea - up to 3000 mm, and in some places even more. It is in Central Africa that the wettest place on the continent is located - the slopes of the Cameroon volcano

The main form of government is a republic

Dualistic Monarchy

Vital level centrally- African population remained one of the lowest in Africa.

In Central Africa, the most numerous peoples are: Yoruba, Oromo, Athara, Hausa, Bantu. In rural areas, where approximately 56% of the population lives, the country's official language, French, is poorly understood. Most people speak Sango, the language of a small group of the Ubangi people who live on the Ubangi River. But every nation also has its own language.

Particularly in the north and northeast of the country, Arabic and Hausa can be heard. From the north came the Muslim faith, which is practiced by approximately 15% of the population. Christian churches do a lot of missionary work in the country, so that currently approximately 50% of the population professes Christianity.

The capital Bangui is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of the Central African Republic. Most of the population adheres to animistic religions, according to which fertility and burial rituals, as well as totemic cults of ancestors, are observed.

There are also oil resources that have been discovered in the coastal zones of Angola. Such deposits are significant, estimated at 10 million tons per year for each country. There are also sources of natural gas.

Significant reserves in central Africa and mineral raw materials:

metal ores;

copper ores;

manganese;

Zaire is home to an area that supplies 70% of all industrial diamonds worldwide.

Agriculture contributes 55% of GDP. In the north of the country, sorghum (42.8 thousand tons) and millet are grown, in the south - corn (110 thousand tons), cassava (563 thousand tons), yams (350 thousand tons) and rice (29.7 thousand . T). Bananas and coffee are grown. The main commercial crops are cotton and coffee. They cultivate cassava, millet, sorghum, rice, and peanuts. Hevea collection. Harvesting valuable wood. Animal husbandry. River fishing.

Industry in the Central African Republic is engaged in the processing of agricultural raw materials. There are oil mills, sawmills, cotton gins, etc. Diamonds are mined in the north, but their reserves are being depleted. There are small gold mines in the southern regions.

Industry provides 20% of GDP. Diamond and gold mining is underway, but gold production is declining. There is a uranium ore deposit near Bakuma, but it is not being developed. The manufacturing industry is mainly represented by food and light industry enterprises - production of food, beer, clothing, and building materials. Electricity production 102 million kWh (1995).

A republic with its rich fauna and colorful folklore, the Janga-Sanga National Park, where you can meet the pygmies and trust guides from among them who know the habits of wild animals well, can offer places to stay and opportunities for ecotourism. Outside the reserves, big game hunters, who outnumber ecotourists, are offered safaris for wild animals that are not protected by law.

The colonialists left the Central African countries a legacy of a backward economy; only Zaire and Zambia had non-ferrous metallurgy. In recent years of independence, a full cycle of production has been created here, from ore mining to the smelting of high-quality metals. The harvesting of tropical timber (Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea) is also of great export importance. Agriculture specializes in the cultivation of coffee and cocoa, pyrethrum, tea, tobacco and rubber, cotton and peanuts, bananas and fruits.

The article contains information that explains the peculiarity of the geographical location of the black continent relative to other continents. The material indicates unique features that are characteristic only of this territory. Supplements information from the 7th grade geography course.

Geographical location of Africa

The Black Continent is recognized as the hottest continent on the planet. This is due to the fact that it passes on both sides of the equator. It conventionally cuts the continent down the center. This position of the land area became the objective reason that the territory receives a significant amount of solar energy necessary to support life. The size of the territory from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east in the northern tip - 7.5 thousand km.

The continent is washed by two oceans and two seas at once - the eastern part - by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, the western part - by the Atlantic Ocean, and from the north - by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The mainland is distinguished from others by its features, which consist in its weak dissection in the vertical and horizontal planes. The geographical position of Africa is specific, since the continent is located symmetrically relative to the equator.

The location of the continent is such that it is located between two tropics: the extreme northern tip is 37°20” N. w. - Cape El Abyad, extreme southern tip 34°5” S. w. - Cape Agulhas.

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It is surprising that the main part of the mainland territory lies in the hot zone. The entire area is regularly heated by the sun's rays.

The physical-geographical position of the continent is that its northern region is much wider than the southern one. The width of the southern part is about 3000 km, and the length from the western tip of Cape Verde to the eastern point of Ras Hafun is only 7.5 thousand km.

Rice. 1. Map of natural areas of Africa.

Africa relative to other continents

Due to the unusual configuration of the continent, the location of natural areas is different. But this is compensated by their transition into each other.

Rice. 2. Scheme of transition of climatic zones.

Africa's position relative to other continents is such that it is located almost in the very center of the world map. Other continents are located on different sides of the world.

Rice. 3. The position of Africa on the map.

A characteristic feature of the continent is the ability to “mirror” the fullness of its natural diversity. Due to the fact that the continental territory is cut in the center by the equator, its natural zones, which are located in the northern part, reflect the zones that are located in the southern region from the equator. It turns out that, walking from Cape Town to Cairo, you can observe each of the natural zones of the African continent twice. None of the continents on earth is endowed with such a unique feature.

When drawing up a plan to describe the geographical location of Africa for a geography lesson, you need to consider points such as:

• The orientation of the continent relative to imaginary contours on the map: the equator, the tropics, the polar circles, the poles of the earth, the prime meridian.
• Placement in the hemispheres of the planet.
• Names of the extreme continental extremities and their coordinates.
• The size of the territory from north to south in degrees and kilometers.
• The size of the territory from west to east in degrees and kilometers.
• The orientation of the continent in climate zones and regions.
• The orientation of the continent relative to the seas and oceans that wash it.

What have we learned?

We learned that due to the specific physical and geographical features of the continent, each of its natural zones can be observed twice. We found out that the equator line literally divides Africa into two halves. We have established the reason why this territory is recognized as the hottest part of the land on Earth. We got acquainted with the plan for a detailed determination (through description) of the geographical location of the mainland. They established the differences between the natural zones of the black continent from each other.

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The Black Continent is usually divided into five historical and geographical regions. One of them is Central Africa. Which states are included in it? And how developed are they economically? This will be discussed in the article.

Brief geographical characteristics of Central Africa

This region is located in the heart of the continent, in its inner continental part. In terms of mineral resources, this is one of the richest parts of the planet. However, the colonialists at one time only “squeezed out” the local wealth, leaving behind backward and failed economies.

Central Africa is a region characterized by a flat, slightly dissected topography. In the Congo depression there are beds of deep rivers - the Congo of the same name, Ogowe, Kwanza and others. In the depths of the region lie copper, zinc, cobalt and other ores of valuable metals, as well as diamonds. Central Africa is not deprived of deposits of “black gold” - oil.

Within Central Africa you can see a wide variety of natural areas - savannas with herds of wild animals, dense mangroves, beautiful gallery forests. Very large areas of the region are wetlands.

Central Africa: composition of the region

As a rule, this historical and geographical region includes 12 independent African states. This:

• Cameroon;
• CAR (Central African Republic);
• Equatorial Guinea;
• Gabon;
• Congo;
• Democratic;
• Rwanda;
• Burundi;
• Angola;
• Zambia;
• Malawi.

Some of these countries are very small (such as Rwanda), while others have huge areas (Chad, Angola). All of them are shown in color on the map below.

Some geographers also consider the island of St. Helena, located in the waters of the Atlantic, to be part of Central Africa.

Population and religions

The population of Central Africa consists of dozens of different ethnic groups, each of which has its own culture, traditions and beliefs. The most common of them are the Yoruba, Bantu, Hausa and Athara peoples. Information about the history of these and other ethnic groups in the central part of the continent is very scarce.

Almost all the numerical and small peoples of Central Africa belong to and are distinguished by black skin, dark eyes, very wide nostrils and curly hair. In the Congo River basin there are representatives of an amazing anthropological type - the so-called pygmies, whose average height barely reaches 142-145 centimeters.

The peoples of Central Africa have experienced many unpleasant moments throughout their history. These include centuries of colonization, the times of the slave trade, and military upheavals. Local traditional beliefs and rituals are still practiced in the region. Religions such as Islam or Christianity are also practiced here.

Features of the regional economy

The European colonialists left in Central Africa, to put it mildly, not a very good legacy - about a dozen backward and underdeveloped economies. Only two countries in the region managed to create full-fledged production facilities for the smelting of high-quality non-ferrous metals. These are DR Congo and Zambia. In many countries, large volumes of timber are harvested and intended for export (Gabon, and others).

Agriculture in the region is predominantly low-tech and low-productivity. Cocoa, coffee, tobacco, rubber, cotton and bananas are actively grown here.

Gabon can be called one of the most developed (industrially) countries in the region. The state lives off the development of fairly rich deposits of oil and manganese ores, as well as the export of timber. Gabon is the most urbanized. Almost 75% of the population lives here in cities. Gabon has three international airports and several large ports.

An interesting country in the region is the Central African Republic - a sparsely populated state that does not have access to the World Ocean. Only 600 thousand people live here (for comparison: this is the population of the city of Khabarovsk). The main wealth of this country is its large diamond deposits, which account for almost half of the CAR's total exports. There is not a single railway in the republic. But tourists often come here thanks to several world-famous natural parks.

Africa is a part of the world, occupying a fifth of the landmass on planet Earth. There are a total of 60 states in Africa, but only 55 of them are generally recognized, the remaining 5 are self-proclaimed. Each state belongs to one or another region. Traditionally, Africa is divided into five subregions: four according to the cardinal directions (eastern, southern, western, northern) and one central.

Central Africa

The Central African region covers a continental area of ​​7.3 million square meters. km in an area rich in natural gifts. Geographically, the countries of Central Africa are separated from the rest of the subregions by the East African Continental Rift to the east; the watershed between the Congo rivers - Kwanza and - Kubangu - from the south. The west of the region is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea; The northern border of the region coincides with the state border of the Republic of Chad. The countries of Central Africa are located in the equatorial and subequatorial regions, which are humid and hot.

The region is richest in water resources: the high-water Congo River, the small rivers Ogowe, Sanaga, Kwanza, Kwilu and others. Vegetation consists of dense forests in the center of the region and small strips of savannas in the north and south.

The Central African region includes nine countries: Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon. It is interesting that two states with the same name have different forms of government. Sao Tome and Principe is located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Cameroon, whose coordinates are close to the West African region, is sometimes classified as a West African country.

The uniqueness of Central Africa

Active European penetration into the territory of tropical Central Africa began in the 18th century, when the desire of Europeans to own new territories was especially great. The study of equatorial Africa was facilitated by the discovery of the mouth of the Congo River, along which shipping trips were made deep into the continent. There is very little information about the ancient peoples who inhabited the places where the modern countries of Central Africa are located. Their descendants are known - the Hausa, Yoruba, Athara, Bantu, and Oromo peoples. The predominant indigenous race of this territory is Negroid. In the tropics of the Uele and Congo basins there lives a special race - the pygmies.

Brief descriptions of some states

The Central African Republic is a country located in territory that was long unknown to Europeans due to its location inland. Deciphering ancient Egyptian inscriptions indicates the existence of small people, presumably pygmies, in this territory. The land of the Central African Republic remembers the times of slavery, which ended only in the middle of the 20th century. Now it is a republic with more than five million people. The country is home to several large national parks, home to giraffes, hippos, forest elephants, ostriches, several hundred species of birds and other animals.

The largest country in Africa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population of Congo is about 77 million people. It is also one of the richest states in terms of natural reserves. The countryside of the Republic is so vast that it constitutes about 6% of the world's rainforests.

The People's Republic of the Congo is located in western Africa, washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is approximately 170 km. A significant part of the territory is occupied by the Congo Basin, a swampy area. The toponym "Congo" (which means "hunters") is very common on the African continent: the two states of Congo, the Congo River, the Congo people and language, and other lesser-known points on the map of Africa are named so.

A country with an interesting history, Angola, sent ships with slaves to South America for many centuries. Modern Angola is a major exporter of fruits, sugar cane, and coffee.

The territory of Cameroon has an exceptional topography: almost the entire country is located on the highlands. Here is Cameroon, an active volcano and the highest point in the country.

Far from being the largest, it is one of the most developed and richest states in Africa. The country's nature - lagoons and estuaries - is beautiful and poetic.

The northernmost country in Central Africa is Chad. The nature of this state is very different from that of other Central African countries. There are no forests; the plains of the country are filled with sandy deserts and savannas.