Africa facts

September 6, 2012 | In: Geography Facts, History facts


The name was given by Roman Africa province with newly created conquest of Carthage (second century BC), and the name comes from Berber tribe “Afridi”, who lived in the region in the first century BC.

The name was then expanded across the continent. Etymologically, “Afri” means cave in Berber language, “afrigo”= no frost in Latin, “Afak” = dry, in Arabic.

African surface is approximately equal to that of Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon: 29,287,000 square km.

 

The most northern place in Africa is the Head Ras-el-Abiad, 37021 ‘widened. N, the most austral – head of that 34 ° 51 ‘widened. S.

Suez maritime canal is the longest in the world (161 km in lenght), on the channel has been recorded the highest traffic of all maritime channels (300 mil.tones).

In the western Rif massif at 1700 m altitude we can find Toghobeit Kef, the deepest cave in Africa (-700 m).

Equator divides Africa in two parts, the northern being larger than the southern section. Equator passes through the southern island of Sao Tome, South of the Ruwenzori Peak (5119 m) ??North of Kenya Peak (5199 m), cuting the northern part of the vast Lake Victoria and the south of the capital Libreville (Gabon) and Kampala (Uganda). Right through the cities Kasese (Uganda) and Giamama (Somalia). It crosses a total of seven countries.

Kilimandjaro is the highest mountain in Africa (Kibo Peak 5895 m) and is located on the border that separates Tanzania from Kenya, on this mountain, the plants reproduce all climatic zones of the world. Although it is located near the equator, its top is covered by glaciers (type star). Locals have called it “the snow house”.

Located in the North-East of Africa, the Red Sea, is known as the warmest sea on Earth, with an annual average temperature of about 32 °C. The highest water temperature, 56 ° C, was recorded in February 1956. The Red Sea has the highest salinity (concentration 40%) of the open seas, because there are no major continuously river flows. It communicates with the Gulf of Aden from the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Bab-el-Vlaodeb, called, “The Gate of Tears”, because there were sunk many ships. Regarding the name of this sea are two assumptions: Ancient historians would say that the name comes from the Phoenician ancestors who were once inhabited its warm shores, they ware called the red people, but the scientists claim that the name is due to the sea microscopic algae “trichodesmium erythreum” that is red, covering rocky bottom of the sea, when dazzling sunlight, the water gets a red color.

 

Atlas Mountains is a mountain chain length of 2000 km, known to the Berbers (native people) as the Adrar, a word that means mountain. The ancient Greeks named it after the name of Atlas mythological king of Mauritania, who was punished by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders.

In Africa there are the biggest differences in temperature on Earth, during the day time the temperature reaches 60 °C so that the egg can be cooked on the ground, and at night the temperature drops even below 0 °C freezing water sources.


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