Everyone remembers that Africa is the hottest continent on the planet. But few people know that Africa is also the "highest" of the continents, since it has the highest average height above sea level. The relief of Africa is very diverse and complex: there are mountain systems, plateaus, large plains, active and long-extinct volcanoes.
The relief of any region, as you know, is closely connected with the tectonic and geological structure of the territory. The relief of Africa and the minerals of this continent are also associated with the tectonics of the mainland. Let's consider this issue in more detail.
African relief plan
The relief of any continent is characterized according to a specific plan. The relief of Africa is described according to the following algorithm:
- Characteristic of the tectonic structure of the mainland.
- Analysis of the history of the development of the earth's crust.
- Characterization of external and internal (exogenous and endogenous) factors of relief formation.
- Description of the general features of the relief of the continent.
- Highlight the maximum and minimum heights.
- Mineral resources and their distribution across the mainland.
Low and High Africa
The description of the relief of Africa should begin with the fact that the mainland, from an orographic point of view, is divided into two parts: High and Low Africa.
Low Africa occupies more than 60% of the entire area of the continent (geographically, this is the northern, western and central parts of Africa). Heights up to 1000 meters prevail here. High Africa covers the southern and eastern parts of the mainland, where the average heights are 1000-1500 meters above sea level. The highest points are also located here - Kilimanjaro (5895 meters), Rwenzori and Kenya.
General characteristics of the African relief
Now consider the main features of the relief of Africa.
The main feature is that the relief of the mainland is mostly flat. Mountain ranges border the mainland only in the south and northwest. In East Africa, the relief is predominantly flat.
The following landforms of Africa prevail: plateaus, plains, highlands, plateaus, peaks, remnants and volcanic massifs. At the same time, they are located on the territory of the mainland very unevenly: inside it there are mostly leveled surfaces - plains and plateaus, and along the edges - hills and mountain ranges. This feature is associated with the tectonic structure of Africa, most of which lies on the ancient platform of the Precambrian age, and along its edges there are areas of folding.
Of all the mountain systems in Africa, only the Atlas is young. In the east of the mainland, the huge East African Rift Valley stretches for more than 6,000 kilometers in length. Grandiose volcanoes formed in the places of its faults, and very deep lakes formed in the depressions.
It is worth listing the largest landforms in Africa. These include the Atlas, Drakon and Cape Mountains, the Ethiopian Highlands, the Tibesti and Ahaggar Highlands, the East African Plateau.
Atlas Mountains
The mountainous landforms of Africa are, as already mentioned, only in the south and northwest of the mainland. One of the African mountain systems is the Atlas.
The Atlas Mountains arose 300 million years ago as a result of the collision of the Eurasian and African plates. Later, they were raised to considerable heights due to neotectonic movements that took place at the end of the Paleogene. It is worth noting that earthquakes are still occurring in the area now.
Atlas is composed mainly of marls, limestones, as well as ancient volcanic rocks. The bowels are rich in metal ores, as well as phosphorites and oil.
This is the largest mountain system in Africa, which includes several almost parallel mountain ranges:
- High Satin.
- Rif.
- Tel Atlas.
- Middle Satin.
- Saharan Atlas.
- Antiatlas.
The total length of the mountain range is about 2400 kilometers. Maximum Heightslocated on the territory of the state of Morocco (Mount Toubkal, 4165 meters). The average heights of the ridges range from 2000-2500 meters.
Dragon Mountains
This mountain system in the south of the mainland is located on the territory of three states - Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland. The highest point of the Dragon Mountains is Mount Thabana-Ntlenyana with a height of 3482 meters. The mountains formed 360 million years ago, during the Hercynian era. They got such a formidable name due to their inaccessibility and wild appearance.
The territory is rich in minerals: platinum, gold, tin and coal. The organic world of the Dragon Mountains is also unique, with several endemic species. The main part of the mountain range (Drakensberg Park) is a UNESCO site.
The Dragon Mountains are the watershed boundary between the Indian Ocean basin and the upper reaches of the Orange River. They have a unique shape: their tops are flat, table-like, separated by erosion processes into separate plateaus.
Ethiopian highlands
The relief of Africa is amazingly diverse. Here you can find high mountain ranges of the Alpine type, hilly plateaus, vast plains and deep depressions. One of the most famous landforms of the mainland is the Ethiopian Highlands, within which not only Ethiopia, but also 6 other African states are located.
This is a real mountain system with average heights of 2-3 kilometers and the highest point of 4550 meters (Mount Ras Dashen). Due to specificfeatures of the relief of the highlands, it is often called the "roof of Africa". In addition, this "roof" often shakes, seismicity remains high here.
The Highlands formed only 75 million years ago. It consists of crystalline schists and gneisses overlain by volcanic rocks. Quite picturesque are the western slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands, cut by the canyons of the Blue Nile River.
Within the highlands there are rich deposits of gold, sulfur, platinum, copper and iron ore. In addition, it is also an important agricultural region. The Ethiopian highlands are considered the birthplace of coffee, as well as some varieties of wheat.
Kilimanjaro Volcano
This volcano is not only the highest point of the mainland (5895 meters), but also a kind of symbol of the whole of Africa. The volcano is located on the border of two states - Kenya and Tanzania. From the Swahili language, the name of the volcano is translated as "sparkling mountain".
Kilimanjaro towers over the Masai plateau at a height of 900 meters, so visually it seems that the volcano is unrealistically high. Scientists do not predict volcano activity in the near future (other than possible gas emissions), although it was recently found that lava is located 400 meters from the Kibo crater.
According to local legends, the volcano erupted about two centuries ago. Although there is no documentary evidence for this. The highest point of Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Peak - was first conquered in 1889 by Hans Meyer. Practiced todayspeed climbing Kilimanjaro. In 2010, the Spaniard Kilian Burgada set a kind of world record by climbing to the top of the volcano in 5 hours and 23 minutes.
African relief and minerals
Africa is a continent with huge economic potential, which is characterized by huge reserves of various minerals. In addition, the more or less even, slightly dissected topography of the territory contributes to the development of industry and the construction of roads and other means of communication.
Africa is rich in minerals, on the basis of which metallurgy and petrochemistry can develop. Thus, the continent holds the absolute championship in the world in terms of total reserves of phosphorites, titanium ores, chromites and tantalum. Africa also has large deposits of manganese, copper and uranium ore, bauxite, gold and even diamonds. On the mainland, they even distinguish the so-called "copper belt" - a belt of high mineral and raw material potential, stretching from Katanga to the Republic of the Congo (DRC). In addition to copper itself, gold, cob alt, tin, uranium and oil are also mined here.
In addition, areas of Africa such as the Atlas Mountains, North Africa and West Africa (its Guinean part) are also considered very rich in minerals.
So you got acquainted with the features of the relief of the hottest continent on Earth. The relief of Africa is unique and diverse, here you can find all its forms - mountain ranges, plateaus and plateaus, highlands, uplands and depressions.
