| The African continent covers 30 million sq km (12 | | | | Africa is high compared to other continents. The |
| million sq mi), including its adjacent islands. It stretches | | | | southern and eastern section of the continent, often |
| 8,000 km (5,000 mi) from its northernmost point, | | | | called High Africa, consists primarily of a high plateau |
| Ra’s al Abya? in Tunisia, to its southernmost tip, | | | | with elevations between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,000 |
| Cape Agulhas in South Africa. The maximum width of | | | | and 7,000 ft) above sea level. Northern and western |
| the continent, measured from the tip of Cap Vert in | | | | Africa, widely known as Low Africa, has much lower |
| Senegal, in the west, to Raas Xaafuun (Ras Hafun) in | | | | mean elevations. Most of the continent’s surface |
| Somalia, in the east, is 7,500 km (4,700 mi). The | | | | has been warped into a series of large, saucer-like |
| highest point on the continent is the perpetually | | | | basins separated by highlands. The major basins of |
| snowcapped Kilimanjaro (5,895 m/19,341 ft) in | | | | Africa are El Djouf, now occupied by the Niger River |
| Tanzania, and the lowest is Lake ‘Asal (153 m | | | | Basin in West Africa; the Chad Basin, surrounding |
| 502 ft below sea level) in Djibouti.Africa is surrounded | | | | Lake Chad in west central Africa; the Sudan (or Nile |
| by oceans and seas: the Atlantic Ocean on the west, | | | | River) Basin in northeast Africa; the Congo River |
| the Indian Ocean on the east, the Red Sea on the | | | | Basin of Central Africa; and the Kalahari (or |
| northeast, and the Mediterranean Sea on the north. | | | | Okavango) Basin of southern Africa.a. |
| Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, lies | | | | Africa’s other major mountainous regions |
| off the southeastern coast. Other offshore islands | | | | occur at the northern and southern fringes of the |
| include the Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, Cape | | | | continent. The Atlas Mountains, a system of high |
| Verde Islands, São Tomé, Príncipe, and Bioko, | | | | ranges, extend for 2,200 km (1,400 mi) across |
| off the western coast; and the Comoros Islands, | | | | Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, roughly parallel to the |
| Seychelles, Mascarene Islands, and Socotra, off the | | | | northern coast. These ranges enclose a number of |
| eastern coast. For more story | | | | broad inland basins and plateaus. In the west, the |
| Africa generally consists of a series of flat and | | | | High (or Grand) Atlas contains Toubkal (4,165 m/ |
| gently undulating plateaus occurring at different levels, | | | | 13,665 ft), the highest peak of the system. Toward |
| broken by a few mountainous areas and by the rift | | | | the east, the Atlas consists of two parallel ranges: |
| valleys of East Africa. With a mean elevation of | | | | the Tell Atlas to the north and the Saharan Atlas to |
| approximately 650 m (2,100 ft) above sea level, | | | | the south. |