Geographical features of South Africa. Mainland Africa - geographical location and characteristics of the continent. Questions and tasks

Geography of Africa
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In the south, Africa is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast Sinai peninsula it is washed by the waters of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, in the east and southeast the continent is washed by the Indian Ocean, and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Geographical features of Africa

Atlas

The Atlas Mountains system extends from the southwestern part of Morocco along mediterranean sea to the eastern border of Tunisia. It includes several smaller mountain ranges, namely: the High Atlas, the Middle Atlas, and the Primorsky Atlas. The most high point- Mount Toubkal, located in the western part of Morocco, with a height of 4,167 meters.

Basin of the Congo River

The Congo Basin, located in central Africa, is located in most of the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the neighboring Republic of the Congo. In addition, it extends to the territory of Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Zambia. The area of this fertile basin is approximately 3,600,000 sq. km., and about 20% of all tropical forests in the world grow on its territory. The Congo River is the second largest river in Africa, and its network of tributaries and streams serves as a transport function for the population of the interior of Africa.

Great Rift Valley

A sharp depression in the Earth's surface, approximately 6,400 km long, extending from the Red Sea, near the border with Jordan in the Middle East, south to Mozambique. In essence, this valley is the result of a series of geological faults caused by large volcanic eruptions many centuries ago. The result of these faults were numerous sheer cliffs, mountain ranges, rocky valleys, and very deep lakes located throughout the considerable length of this valley. In the immediate vicinity of the valley are many of the most high mountains Africa, including Kilimanjaro, Kenya, and Stanley.

Ahaggar Highlands

Ahaggar is a high-mountainous region in the central part of the Sahara, in the southern part of Algeria - 1,500 km. south of the country's capital, and west of the city of Tamanrasset. The region is mostly rocky desert, with an average altitude of over 900 m above sea level. The highest point is Mount Tahat (3003 m).

Kalahari Desert

The desert area is about 259,000 square kilometers, it covers most of Botswana, the southwestern part of South Africa, and the entire western part of Namibia. On this desert plateau there are many mouths of dry rivers, and dense shrubs grow in abundance on it. There are several small mountain ranges in this area, including Karas and Hans. IN national park Kalahari-Gemsbok, located in South Africa, on the border with Namibia, is home to large herds of wild animals.

Namib Desert

The Namib is a coastal desert in the southern part of the African continent, stretching over 2,000 km along the coast. Atlantic Ocean. The desert begins in Angola, runs through Namibia, and ends at the Olifants River in the Western Cape in South Africa. East of Atlantic coast the desert is gradually gaining height, up to 200 km. at the foot of the Great Ledge Mountains.

Annual precipitation is from 2 mm. in the driest areas of the desert up to 200 mm. in the highlands, which is why the Namib can be considered the only true desert in southern Africa. The Namib is also the world's oldest desert, geologically consisting of dune (sand) seas in coastal areas, while inland areas are dominated by gravel plains and rocks.

Sand dunes of the desert, some of which reach 300 m in height and 32 km. in length, are the second largest in the world, second only to the dunes of Badyn Jaran in China.

Sahara Desert

Covering nearly one-third of the entire African continent, the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, with an approximate with total area in 9,065,000 sq. km. Topographically, the desert includes flat areas strewn with stones, mobile sand dunes, and numerous dune (sandy) seas.

The height of the desert varies from 30 m below sea level to 3,350 m above sea level ( Mountain peaks in Ahaggar and the Tibesti). Regionally, the Sahara is divided into the Libyan Desert, the Nubian Desert, and the Western Desert in Egypt, west of the Nile.

Precipitation in the Sahara is practically absent, but several underwater rivers flow through its territory, originating in the Atlas Mountains, which help irrigate isolated oases. In the east, the waters of the Nile help fertilize small areas of the desert.

Sahel

The Sahel is a wide strip of land that stretches across the entire width of northern central Africa, southern edge the ever-expanding Sahara desert. This border region is a transition zone between the dry regions of the north and the tropical regions of the south. The area receives very little rainfall (15 - 20 cm per year), and the vegetation here is represented mainly by sparse grass cover and shrubs.

Nile river system

The continent of Africa is the second largest on the planet after Eurasia. It occupies more than twenty percent of all land and is located almost entirely in the hemisphere in the south.

The mainland is washed by several oceans: the Atlantic and Indian. The territory is divided among fifty-five countries.

African countries and their capitals

African countries are usually divided into five groups. The list looks like this:

In terms of economic indicators, the most developed and richest is South Africa, located in the south of the mainland. At the same time, residents of many states, in particular the central part of the mainland, are below the poverty line, in particular the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi - the poorest countries in Africa.

Algiers is the largest state in terms of territory, and Mayotte is the smallest. The most numerous is Nigeria, and the lowest population on the islands is the Seychelles.

African states gained their sovereignty in the middle of the twentieth century. Majority modern titles appeared at the same time.

For example, until 1985 Côte d'Ivoire was called the Ivory Coast, and Djibouti until 1977 had an official status and name in the form of the French Territory of Afar and Issa. Similar changes affected almost half of the territorial units of the mainland.

Characteristics of Africa

The area is twenty-nine million square meters. km. The distribution from the north down is eight thousand kilometers, and from the west to the left - seven and a half.

Physical map of Africa (click to enlarge)

There are several options for the origin of the name. The most common ones are:

Afri - people who lived near Carthage, later the Romans began to call the whole area, and then the continent Africa.
From the Latin aprica, sunny.
From the Greek afkn - without cold.

Note: Africa is considered to be the ancestral home of Homo sapiens, it is there that the remains of ancient ancestors, in particular hominids and sahelanthropes, were found.

The continent has long attracted Europeans, as the history of discovery has shown, active study began in the fifteenth century, when Vasco da Gama circled Africa on his way to India.

From the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, the mainland was divided among the great powers:

the north is part of the Ottoman Empire;
south - Spain, Portugal and other colonizers.

After World War II, the map changed as the wave of independence began. Today there are several territories on the African continent under the control of Europeans, in particular Canary Islands, Madeira, Chagos Archipelago.

Extreme points of Africa

The following image tells well which point is the northernmost, southernmost, which is the easternmost, and where the westernmost is located:

Population

More than one billion people live on the mainland today. Along with this, there is the greatest increase in the number and life expectancy. Demographic estimates predict a doubling of the population over the next thirty years.

There are two main races in Africa:

negroid - in the center;
Caucasoid - mainly in the north and in the Republic of South Africa.

The most common people are Arabs. The population density is low compared to Europe and Asia. To date, interethnic conflicts continue.

It is worth noting: the level of urbanization in the countries is low, but its rate is the highest in the world.

As for religion, the world's leading ones are mostly widespread, but all other religious movements are also represented. Traditional beliefs are still prevalent in the central part.

Climatic zones

Africa is considered the warmest continent, here is the warmest place - Dallol. The entire territory is distributed in warm climatic zones.

The main ones and their characteristics:

Equatorial - heavy rains and in fact there is no change of season, here is a constant summer.
Subequatorial - two main seasons, rainy summer, winter is characterized by dry trade winds.
Tropical - almost no precipitation, deserts are common.

Minerals

Africa is rich in minerals, which come at a high price.

In particular, the main ones are:

gold;
oil.

The northern coast is also rich in manganese, iron ores and phosphorites.

Flora and fauna

The organic world of Africa is characterized by exceptional diversity.

In tropical areas, there are a variety of large animals, in particular, rhinos, elephants, lions, zebras, monkeys and others.

Large birds also live on the continent, such as flamingos, ibis.

The north is dominated by lizards and snakes that have adapted to the climate of the Sahara. The business card of the south of the mainland is the "big five": buffalo, lion, leopard, elephant and rhinoceros.

The climatic conditions of northern Africa have contributed to the adaptation of many plant species. In the south, there are over two and a half thousand flowering plants - this is almost ten percent of the world's wealth.

Geographic features

atlas mountains

The main objects of African geography include:

Atlas mountains;
Basins of the Congo (lowest point) and the Nile;
Rift Valley;
Ethiopian and Ahaggar highlands;
deserts - Kalahari, Namib and Sahara.

In addition to the oceans, the mainland is washed by one sea - the Red and Suez Canals.

Rivers and seas

One of the longest rivers in the world is located in Africa.

The length of the Nile is almost seven thousand kilometers.

Among others major rivers relate:

Niger;
Congo;
Zambezi, Limpopo and Orange.

Africa is also rich in large lakes: Victoria, Nyasa, Tanganyika and Chad. The latter is the largest salt body of water, which is located inside the mainland.

Plains

Plains in Africa are represented by plateaus (East African) and pits (Chad, Congo, Kalahari).

Plateaus are high plains, along with them, pits are low.

Mountains of Africa

Mostly Africa is a mainland on the plains, it has enough mountains:

Atalas - in the north;
Ahagar and Tibeste - in the Sahara Desert;
the Ethiopian highlands - in the east;
Caps and Draconians - in the south.

The highest point is Mount Kilimanjaro, its height is five thousand nine hundred meters.

In conclusion, I would like to focus on the concepts of "mainland" and "continent". There are only six continents on Earth, all of them are well known. But there are only four continents.

"Continent" in Latin means "continuous". Since Eurasia and Africa are connected together by the Suez Canal, they are not separated from each other, therefore they are not separately continents.

Africa is a unique continent that combines the diversity of flora and fauna. Most of the states are at the stage of economically developing countries, partly due to the long colonization of the region.

Africa Objects geographical nomenclature. Grade 7 Authors-compilers: Team "Astyr" (Astyrovskaya secondary school), team "Researchers" (secondary school 118), team "Seeker" (Siberian secondary school), team "Pozitiff" (Sherbakul secondary school 1), organizers of the project "Fascinating toponymy"

List of nomenclature objects Seas: Mediterranean, Red.MediterraneanRed Gulfs: Guinea, Aden.GuineaAden Straits: Gibraltar, Bab el-Mandeb, Mozambique, Suez Canal.GibraltarBab el-Mandeb MozambiqueSuez Canal Islands: Madagascar, Canary.MadagascarCanary Peninsula: Somalia. Somalia Landforms: mountains: Atlas, Draconian, Cape; East African Plateau, Ethiopian Highlands; Volcanoes: Kilimanjaro, Kenya. Atlas Draconic Cape East African Plateau Ethiopian Highlands Kilimanjaro Kenya Rivers: Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi, Victoria Falls, Orange, Limpopo, Senegal.

Red Sea Sea indian ocean, between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The name is associated with the color orientation of the peoples of the East, according to which the southern side was designated in red. For ancient Assyria and Babylon, the entire western part of the Indian Ocean, which was called Rubrugi, was in the south. "Red Sea". Content

Strait of Gibraltar Strait between the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Phoenicians were known as the "pillars of Hercules." In the 8th century the rock on the shore of the strait began to be called in Spanish Hibraltar - "Mount Tariq", and in Russian - Gibraltar. In honor of her and the name of the strait. Content

The Orange River in South Africa flows into the Atlantic Ocean. He surveyed the river and put it on the map in 1777 - 1779. Scottish officer R. Gordon. He also assigned the name in honor of the Dutch Oran dynasty - "Oran River", but the Dutch oranje also has the meaning "orange". Therefore, when translating the name into Russian, a mistake was made. This name has taken root in Russia. Content

Africa is a part of the world with an area of \u200b\u200bwith islands of 30.3 million km 2, this is the second place after Eurasia, 6% of the entire surface of our planet and 20% of the land.

Geographical position

Africa is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres (most), a small part in the Southern and Western. Like all large fragments of the ancient mainland Gondwana, it has a massive outline, large peninsulas and deep bays are absent. The length of the continent from north to south is 8 thousand km, from west to east - 7.5 thousand km. In the north it is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast by the Red Sea, in the southeast by the Indian Ocean, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Africa is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal, from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Main geographical features

Africa lies on an ancient platform, which determines its flat surface, which in some places is dissected by deep river valleys. On the coast of the mainland there are few lowlands, the northwest is the location of the Atlas Mountains, Northern part, almost completely occupied by the Sahara desert - the Ahaggar and Tibetsi highlands, the east - the Ethiopian highlands, the southeast - the East African plateau, the extreme south - the Cape and Drakensberg mountains. The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m, Masai plateau), the lowest is 157 meters below sea level in Lake Assal. Along the Red Sea, in the Ethiopian Highlands and to the mouth of the Zambezi River, the world's largest fault in the earth's crust stretches, which is characterized by frequent seismic activity.

Rivers flow through Africa: Congo (Central Africa), Niger ( West Africa), Limpopo, Orange, Zambezi (South Africa), as well as one of the most full-flowing and longest rivers in the world - the Nile (6852 km), flowing from south to north (its sources are on the East African plateau, and it flows into delta in the Mediterranean). The rivers are characterized by high water only in the equatorial zone, due to the fallout there a large number precipitation, most of them are characterized by a high flow rate, have many rapids and waterfalls. In lithospheric faults filled with water, lakes formed - Nyasa, Tanganyika, the largest freshwater lake Africa and the second largest after Lake Superior ( North America) - Victoria (its area is 68.8 thousand km 2, length 337 km, max depth - 83 m), the largest saline drainless lake - Chad (its area is 1.35 thousand km 2, located on the southern outskirts of the world's greatest desert Sahara).

Due to the location of Africa between two tropical belts, it is characterized by high total solar radiation, which gives the right to call Africa the hottest continent on Earth (the most heat on our planet was registered in 1922 in El-Azizia (Libya) - +58 C 0 in the shade).

On the territory of Africa, such natural zones are distinguished as evergreen equatorial forests (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo depression), in the north and south turning into mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, then there is a natural zone of savannahs and light forests, extending to Sudan, East and South Africa, to Sevre and southern Africa savannas are replaced by semi-deserts and deserts (Sahara, Kalahari, Namib). In the southeastern part of Africa there is a small zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains - a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs. The natural zones of mountains and plateaus are subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation.

African countries

The territory of Africa is divided among 62 countries, 54 - independent, sovereign states, 10 dependent territories belonging to Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and France, the rest - unrecognized, self-proclaimed states - Galmudug, Puntland, Somaliland, Saharan Arab Democratic Republic(SADR). For a long time, the countries of Asia were foreign colonies of various European states and only by the middle of the last century gained independence. Africa is divided into five regions based on geographic location: North, Central, West, East and South Africa.

List of African countries

Nature

Mountains and plains of Africa

Most of the African continent is a plain. Available mountain systems, uplands and plateaus. They are presented:

the Atlas Mountains in the northwestern part of the continent;
the Tibesti and Ahaggar uplands in the Sahara Desert;
Ethiopian highlands in the eastern part of the mainland;
Dragon Mountains in the south.

The highest point in the country is Mount Kilimanjaro, with a height of 5,895 m, belonging to the East African Plateau in the southeastern part of the mainland ...

Deserts and savannas

The largest desert zone of the African continent is located in the northern part. This is the Sahara Desert. On the southwestern side of the continent is another smaller desert, the Namib, and from it, inland to the east, is the Kalahari Desert.

The territory of the savanna occupies the main part of Central Africa. In terms of area, it is much larger than the northern and southern parts of the mainland. The territory is characterized by the presence of pastures typical for savannahs, low shrubs and trees. The height of grassy vegetation varies depending on the amount of precipitation. It can be almost desert savannas or tall grasses, with grass cover from 1 to 5 m in height...

Rivers

On the territory of the African continent is the longest river in the world - the Nile. Its direction of flow is from south to north.

In the list of major water systems mainland, Limpopo, Zambezi and the Orange River, as well as the Congo, which flows through the territory of Central Africa.

On the Zambezi River is the famous Victoria Falls, 120 meters high and 1,800 meters wide...

lakes

The list of large lakes of the African continent includes Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater reservoir in the world. Its depth reaches 80 m, and its area is 68,000 square kilometers. Two more large lakes of the continent: Tanganyika and Nyasa. They are located in the faults of the lithospheric plates.

There is Lake Chad in Africa, which is one of the world's largest endorheic relict lakes that have no connection with the oceans ...

Seas and oceans

The African continent is washed by the waters of two oceans at once: the Indian and the Atlantic. Also off its coast are the Red and Mediterranean Seas. From the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the water form the deep Gulf of Guinea.

Despite the location of the African continent, coastal waters are cool. This is influenced by the cold currents of the Atlantic Ocean: the Canary in the north and the Bengal in the southwest. From the Indian Ocean, the currents are warm. The largest are Mozambique, in the northern waters, and Needle, in the southern ...

Forests of Africa

Forests from the entire territory of the African continent make up a little more than a quarter. Here are subtropical forests growing on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains and the valleys of the ridge. Here you can find holm oak, pistachio, strawberry tree, etc. Coniferous plants grow high in the mountains, represented by Aleppo pine, Atlas cedar, juniper and other types of trees.

Closer to the coast there are forests of cork oak, in the tropical region evergreen equatorial plants are common, for example, mahogany, sandalwood, ebony, etc...

Nature, plants and animals of Africa

The vegetation of the equatorial forests is diverse, there are about 1000 species of various tree species: ficus, ceiba, wine tree, olive palm, wine palm, banana palm, tree ferns, sandalwood, mahogany, rubber trees, Liberian coffee tree, etc. . It is home to many species of animals, rodents, birds and insects living right on the trees. On earth live: bush pigs, leopards, African deer - a relative of the okapi giraffe, large apes - gorillas ...

40% of the territory of Africa is occupied by savannahs, which are huge steppe areas covered with forbs, low, thorny shrubs, milkweed, and stand-alone trees (tree-like acacias, baobabs).

Here there is the largest accumulation of such large animals as: rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, jackal, crocodile, hyena dog. The most numerous animals of the savanna are such herbivores as: bubal (antelope family), giraffe, impala or black-footed antelope, different kinds gazelles (Thomson, Grant), blue wildebeest, in some places there are still rare jumping antelopes - springboks.

The vegetation of deserts and semi-deserts is characterized by poverty and unpretentiousness, these are small thorny shrubs, separately growing bunches of herbs. The oases grow a unique date palm Erg Chebbi, as well as plants resistant to drought conditions and salt formation. In the Namib Desert, unique velvichia and nara plants grow, the fruits of which feed on porcupines, elephants and other animals of the desert.

Of the animals, various species of antelopes and gazelles live here, adapted to the hot climate and capable of traveling great distances in search of food, many species of rodents, snakes, and turtles. Lizards. Among mammals: spotted hyena, common jackal, maned ram, Cape hare, Ethiopian hedgehog, dorcas gazelle, saber-horned antelope, Anubis baboon, wild Nubian donkey, cheetah, jackal, fox, mouflon, there are permanently living and migratory birds.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of African countries

The central part of Africa, through which the equator line passes, is in a low pressure area and receives sufficient moisture, the territories north and south of the equator are in the subequatorial climatic zone, this is a zone of seasonal (monsoonal) moisture and arid desert climate. The extreme north and south are in the subtropical climate zone, the south receives precipitation brought by air masses from the Indian Ocean, the Kalahari Desert is located here, the north has the minimum amount of precipitation due to the formation of a high pressure area and the characteristics of the movement of the trade winds, the largest desert in the world is the Sahara, where the amount Precipitation is minimal, in some areas it does not fall at all ...

Resources

African Natural Resources

In terms of water resources, Africa is considered one of the least prosperous continents in the world. The average annual volume of water is only enough to meet primary needs, but this does not apply to all regions.

Land resources are represented by large areas with fertile lands. Only 20% of all possible land is cultivated. The reason for this is the lack of the proper volume of water, soil erosion, etc.

The forests of Africa are a source of timber, including species of valuable varieties. The countries in which they grow, the raw materials are exported. Resources are misused and ecosystems are slowly being destroyed.

In the bowels of Africa there are deposits of minerals. Among those sent for export: gold, diamonds, uranium, phosphorus, manganese ores. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Energy-intensive resources are widely represented on the continent, but they are not used due to the lack of proper investments...

Among the developed industrial sectors of the countries of the African continent, one can note:

the mining industry that exports minerals and fuels;
oil refining industry, distributed mainly in South Africa and North Africa;
chemical industry specializing in the production of mineral fertilizers;
as well as the metallurgical and engineering industries.

The main agricultural products are cocoa beans, coffee, corn, rice and wheat. In the tropical regions of Africa, oil palm is grown.

Fishing is poorly developed and accounts for only 1-2% of the total volume of agriculture. The indicators of animal husbandry are also not high, and the reason for this is the infection of livestock with tsetse flies ...

culture

The peoples of Africa: culture and traditions

About 8,000 peoples and ethnic groups live on the territory of 62 African countries, which in total is about 1.1 billion people. Africa is considered the cradle and ancestral home of human civilization, it was here that the remains of ancient primates (hominids) were found, which, according to scientists, are considered the ancestors of people.

Most of the peoples in Africa may number from several thousand people to several hundred living in one or two villages. 90% of the population are representatives of 120 peoples, their number is more than 1 million people, 2/3 of them are peoples with more than 5 million people, 1/3 - peoples with more than 10 million people (this is 50% of the total population of Africa) - Arabs , Hausa, Fulbe, Yoruba, Igbo, Amhara, Oromo, Rwanda, Malagasy, Zulu...

There are two historical and ethnographic provinces: North African (the predominance of the Indo-European race) and Tropical-African (the majority of the population is the Negroid race), it is divided into such areas as:

West Africa. The peoples speaking the Mande languages (Susu, Maninka, Mende, Wai), Chadic (Hausa), Nilo-Saharan (Songhai, Kanuri, Tubu, Zagawa, Mawa, etc.), Niger-Congo languages (Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, nupe, gbari, igala and idoma, ibibio, efik, kambari, birom and jukun, etc.);
Equatorial Africa. Inhabited by Buanto-speaking peoples: Duala, Fang, Bubi (Fernandese), Mpongwe, Teke, Mboshi, Ngala, Komo, Mongo, Tetela, Cuba, Kongo, Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Chokwe, Luena, Tonga, Pygmies, etc.;
South Africa. Rebellious-speaking peoples, and speaking Khoisan languages: Bushmen and Hottentots;
East Africa . Bantu, Nilotic and Sudanese groups of peoples;
North East Africa. Peoples speaking Ethio-Semitic (Amhara, Tigre, Tigra.), Cushitic (Oromo, Somalis, Sidamo, Agau, Afar, Konso, etc.) and Omotian languages (Ometo, Gimirra, etc.);
Madagascar. Malagasy and Creoles.

In the North African province, the main peoples are considered to be Arabs and Berbers, belonging to the South Caucasian minor race, mainly practicing Sunni Islam. There is also an ethno-religious group of Copts, who are direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

Ratings have become very popular lately. On the one hand, they look conceived somehow primitive, PR and subjective. On the other hand, in my opinion, they help to structure large amounts of information and squeeze out a lot of water and informational noise. I also decided to take a swing at our William Shakespeare.

It was possible, of course, to yellow the topic with a catchy headline like “10 places in Africa that you must visit” or something like that. But I will not be like top bloggers :)
Naturally, the concept of "interesting" hints at the subjectivity of the list: what is interesting to one person may be absolutely not interesting to another. Therefore, this is the most subjective, but unbiased list of African interesting things :)

The reasons why people go to Africa can be divided into 3 components - animals, people and nature. For me, this is an axiom, which formed the basis of the list.

A unique place in Africa, and, possibly, on the entire planet, where original tribes still remain, minimally affected by civilization. Mursi, Surma, Erbore, Hamer... Each tribe is unique in its way of life, traditions, decorations of its own body. In the Omo Valley, you seem to be moving in a time machine for many centuries, or even millennia, back to the primitive communal system.
Of course, the proximity to the benefits of civilization had an impact on the tribes of this part of Ethiopia. The war that continued here for a considerable time also has an effect. Many men instead of spears and bows carry Kalashnikovs, for example. The local population has already become accustomed to the fact that tourists are regularly brought to them, and even learned to benefit from this. Do not expect that you will be able to photograph the exotic appearance of these proud sons of Africa for free. Each frame counts and payment is inevitable :)

Perhaps the most popular national park Africa, an icon of Kenya's tourism industry, one of the best parks on the continent. The Masai Mara is often written in superlatives and, it should be noted, deservedly so.
The park is like a continuation of the Serengeti, only in Kenya.
Masai Mara is known for its prides of lions, and in general this is one of the best places in Africa to watch the big three cats: lions, leopards and cheetahs.

And, of course, do not forget about the great migration that takes place in the Masai Mara from July to October, when millions of wildebeest herds arrive in the park from Tanzania. at this time the most spectacular.
In general, it can be said that none safari in kenya cannot be considered complete without the Masai Mara.

Kilimanjaro is as much a symbol of Africa as the Victoria Falls or the Cape. Good Hope, and, despite the fact that the mountain itself is located in Tanzania, the best and most picturesque view of it opens from national reserve Amboseli (Kenya). That is why even many Tanzanian travel sites and offline guides do not hesitate to illustrate articles about Kilimanjaro with photographs taken in Amboseli.
Elephants and Kilimanjaro, giraffes and Kilimanjaro, Masai and Kilimanjaro, African acacias and Kilimanjaro ... If you want to replenish your portfolio with these stories, then you are at.
The park is good in itself, there are all the big five here, but it is Kilimanjaro that makes it special and unique.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Tanzania

The most high concentration wild animals in the world in their natural habitat. This argument immediately gives a head start and increases the attractiveness of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The animals here are separated from the rest of the world by the high slopes of the crater of an ancient volcano. As one client said: “Where will they go on a submarine” :)
Ngorongoro boasts the Big 5, and its relatively small size and enclosed space make it one of the most exciting safari experiences in Africa.

Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda