AFRICA

1. Alexandria - The modern city is situated mainly on a peninsula around the mole, reaching to and
including the island of Pharos, and on the part of the mainland immediately south of the eastern
harbour. The section of the modern city on the peninsula is a characteristically Egyptian town; the
European quarter is located on the mainland. The western harbour is now the chief commercial centre,
and the customs house and many warehouses for cotton, grain, sugar, and wool are situated here. More
than 80 per cent of Egypt’s imports and exports pass through Alexandria.

2. Cairo - Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is a city of sharp contrasts between ancient and modern. Its site on
the banks of the Nile has been occupied for thousands of years. Blaring traffic, crowded pavements, and
modern architecture dominate the western part of Cairo. The city’s ancient quarters are a maze of
narrow streets dotted with historic mosques and lively outdoor bazaars, and congested by slow-moving
donkey carts. City services have not kept pace with Cairo’s tremendous population growth, and many of
the poorest residents have settled in makeshift housing. More than 200,000 people live in the City of the
Dead, a huge area with the mausoleums and tombs of Cairo’s early religious leaders. Yet these urban
challenges do not overshadow Cairo’s unsurpassed vitality, its cultural life, or its dramatic monuments,
including the Sphinx and Great Pyramids, world-famous landmarks that are located in the nearby desert.

3. Port Said - Port Said is built on low, sandy ground on Egypt’s north coast, between Lake Manzilah and
the Mediterranean Sea. The city’s principal industries include fishing and the manufacture of chemicals,
processed food, and cigarettes. Port Said also has a large export trade, notably in cotton and rice, and is
a fuelling station for ships travelling the canal route. It is also a summer resort. Port Said was established
in 1859, when work on the Suez Canal began.

4. Sinai Peninsula - The Sinai Peninsula is generally considered part of the continent of Asia. A desert
occupies most of the northern part of the peninsula, and the southern part contains several mountain
ranges, with summits reaching up to 2,637 metres (8,652 feet) above sea level.

5. Nile - From Lake Victoria in east central Africa, the Nile flows generally north through Uganda, Sudan,
and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, for a distance of 5,589 kilometres (3,473 miles). From its most
remote headstream, the Luvironza River in Burundi, the river drains a basin of about 2,867,718 square
kilometres (1,107,227 square miles). The Luvironza River, regarded as the ultimate source of the Nile, is
one of the upper branches of the Kagera River in Tanzania. The Kagera follows the boundary of Rwanda
northward, turns along the boundary of Uganda, and drains into Lake Victoria. On leaving Lake Victoria
at the site of the now-submerged Ripon Falls, the Nile rushes for 483 kilometres (300 miles) between
high rocky walls and over rapids and cataracts, at first northwest and then west, until it enters Lake
Albert. The section between the two lakes is called the Victoria Nile. The river leaves the north end of
Lake Albert as the Albert Nile, flows through northern Uganda, and at the Sudan border becomes the
Mount Ba?r. At its junction with the Ghazal, the river becomes the White Nile, or the Bahr al-Abyad.
Various tributaries flow through the Ba?r al Ghazal district. At Khartoum the White Nile is joined by the
Blue Nile, or Bahr al-Azraq. These are so named because of the colour of the water. The Blue Nile, 1,370
kilometres (850 miles) long, gathers its volume mainly from Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Plateau, where it
is known as the Abbai. From Khartoum the Nile flows northeast; 322 kilometres (200 miles) below that
city, it is joined by the Atbara. The black sediment brought down by this river settles in the Nile delta
and makes it very fertile. Below Khartoum navigation is rendered dangerous by cataracts, the first
occuring north of Khartoum and the sixth near Aswan. The Nile enters the Mediterranean Sea by a delta
that separates into the Rosetta and Dumyat distributaries. The first dam on the Nile, the Aswan High
Dam, was built in 1902 and extended in height in 1936. The Aswan High Dam, dedicated in 1971, holds
one of the world’s largest reservoirs, Lake Nasser. The dam protects the Nile from the floods that
historically occurred during the summer months of each year. The Makwar Dam, now called the Sennar
Dam, was built across the Blue Nile south of Khartoum following World War I to provide storage water
for cotton plantations in the Sudan. A dam at Jabal Awliya was constructed on the White Nile south of
Khartoum in 1937.

6. Mount Katherîna - Mount Katherîna, the highest peak in Egypt, rises from a rocky mass that occupies
much of the Sinai Peninsula.

7. Lake Nasser - Lake Nasser, a large reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam on the Nile, was named after
Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt from 1956 to 1970. The reservoir is used for hydroelectricity
production, fishing, and irrigation. About 14 per cent of the water contained in Lake Nasser evaporates,
reducing the amount of Nile water downstream.

8. Isthmus of Suez - The Isthmus of Suez connects the continents of Asia and Africa and separates the
Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea. The isthmus consists of a low, sandy, and stony desert, with the
lowest depressions occupied by salt lakes and marshes. There is almost a complete lack of fresh water.

9. Arabian Desert - The western edge of the Arabian Desert is demarcated by cliffs that rise steeply from
the Nile Valley. To the east, the terrain—mostly a rugged plateau—slopes upwards to a range of jagged
volcanic mountains which descend abruptly to the Red Sea. Aridity makes human habitation difficult,
but a few small agricultural villages subsist in little basins in the plateau and mountains. There are
deposits of turquoise, phosphate rock, nitrates, petroleum, salt, and building stone here, but they are of
limited economic significance. The name Arabian Desert is also applied popularly to the Rub‘ al Khali,
also called the Great Sandy Desert, on the Arabian Peninsula, one of the hottest and most sparsely
inhabited sand dune deserts of the world.

10. Tripoli - The capital of Libya, Tripoli is a principal seaport, and the country’s leading commercial and
manufacturing centre. Major manufactured goods include processed food, textiles, clothing,
construction materials, and tobacco products. Tripoli was made the sole capital in the early 1970s. Since
1963, revenues from foreign petroleum sales have greatly contributed to the development of the city.

11. Libyan Desert - The Libyan Desert, an arid region of sand dunes and stony plateaux, rises highest at
the point where the borders of Libya, Egypt, and Sudan meet. Oases in the desert include Al Kufrah
Oasis and Al Jaghbub in Libya, and Siwa and Ba?riyah Oasis in Egypt. Major deposits of petroleum and
natural gas lie under the northern edge of the desert in Libya.
12. Sahara - The barrenness of the vast, sandy expanse of the Sahara makes it difficult to imagine that
the region was once a humid grassland crossed by rivers and inhabited by elephants and giraffes.
Around 4,000 BC, however, the area's climate began to turn drier, and today the Sahara is the world's
largest desert. The Sahara, an Arabic word meaning "nothingness," now covers most of North Africa,
with a total area of more than 9.1 million square kilometres (3.5 million square miles)-nearly the size of
the total area of the United States. The desert is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Atlas
Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea on the north, the Red Sea on the east, and the Niger Valley on
the south. The Sahara lies mostly in the countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania,
Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan. The Sahara as a whole is a tableland with an average elevation of about
395 to 490 metres (1,300 to 1,600 feet). The desert can be divided into three geographically distinct
regions, beginning with the western Sahara. A plateau region in the centre consists of the Ahaggar
Mountains of southern Algeria and the Tibesti Massif of northern Chad, which peaks at Mount Koussi,
the highest point in the Sahara at 3,415 metres (11,204 feet). These highlands receive slightly more
precipitation than other regions of the Sahara. The Libyan and Nubian deserts, divided by the Nile and
its fertile valley, lie to the east. The Saharan climate is uniformly dry, and the temperature range is
extreme. The highest temperature ever recorded in the world, 58°C (136°F), was measured at Al
‘Aziziyah in the Sahara. Overnight, however, temperatures in some areas may plunge to near freezing.
Some regions go for years without receiving any precipitation. Other areas receive very small quantities
of rain, usually from short, torrential thunderstorms. Except in the oases, the desert is almost devoid of
vegetation, although some stunted, thorny shrubs grow in the western Sahara. Natural adaptations have
allowed some varieties of grasses, shrubs, and trees to survive in the harsh conditions of the desert.
Mammals characteristic to the region include the hyena, hare, hedgehog, and gazelle. The rocky desert
plateaux are inhabited by Barbary sheep. Reptiles such as horned vipers, cobras, and chameleons
frequent the rocks and dunes. The bleak, arid Libyan Desert, however, has virtually no flora or fauna.
Huge drifts of sand, rock, or gravel and pebbles are a distinctive feature of the Sahara, and wind erosion
is widespread, creating powerful dust storms. Vast sand seas, called ergs, lie within huge desert basins.
Agriculture is only possible in the oases-fertile, irrigated spots of green-which cover only about 2 per
cent of the total area of the desert. Not surprisingly, the population density is extremely low, and many
of the inhabitants are nomadic. Camel caravans, following routes marked by oases, have formed
important trade arteries for hundreds of years. Camels are well suited for desert travel because of their
ability to survive for long periods without water and their thick foot pads, which provide protection from
the hot sand. Abundant deposits of minerals such as iron, copper, and manganese exist in the Sahara,
although they are too difficult to reach to be very useful. The northern Sahara, however, has recently
assumed economic importance with the discovery of extensive petroleum deposits in Algeria and Libya.
Salt is extracted from flats and boggy marshes in some areas. The Sahara desert region has been
expanding for several thousand years. Poor grazing techniques on grasslands fringing the desert and the
removal of certain plants have augmented wind erosion, as the Sahara continues to creep south.

13. Tibesti - Part of the central Sahara region, the Tibesti massif stretches from northern Chad into
northeastern Niger and southern Libya. The volcanic massif is scattered with outcroppings and contains
the highest point of the Sahara, Emi Koussi, whose summit rises to 3,415 metres (11,204 feet).
Several stream beds that cut deeply into the mountains, and ancient rock carvings that depict
hippopotamuses and elephants, indicate that the area’s climate was not always so dry.

14. Tunis - Tunis, the capital of Tunisia and a port on Lake Tunis, is a commercial and industrial centre,
with plants producing chemicals, processed foods, and textiles. A shipping channel connects the city
with the Mediterranean Sea. Major exports include carpets, fruit, iron ore, and olives. The city, which
occupies an elevated isthmus.

16. Atlas Mountains - Extending between Tunisia and Morocco the Atlas Mountains system in
northwestern Africa consists of several distinct ranges. The highest range, called the High Atlas, is in
southwestern Morocco. Mount Toubkal is the highest known peak in this range. Situated to the north, in
central Morocco, is the Moyen Atlas, with a maximum elevation of about 3,350 metres (11,000 feet).
Also prominent in the range is the Anti-Atlas, located south of and parallel to the High Atlas, which rises
to an elevation of about 2,060 metres (6,750 feet). The Saharan Atlas range extends from eastern
Morocco into Algeria and reaches a height of 2,328 metres (7,638 feet) at Jebel Chelia; and the Tell Atlas
averages about 1,520 metres (5,000 feet) in elevation and stretches along the coast of the
Mediterranean Sea from a point near the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Bon, in Tunisia.
The Atlas Mountains system is traversed by numerous passes that provide routes between the coast and
the Sahara. The range acts as a climatic divide between the moist Mediterranean zone and the arid
Saharan zone, and the temperature and vegetation vary widely across the range. Certain areas, such as
the slopes of the High Atlas, sustain dense forests and provide fertile valleys for livestock raising and
agriculture. Other areas are rich in mineral deposits, including gold, silver, lead, zinc, iron, manganese,
antimony, and phosphates.

17. Algiers - Algiers, the principal Mediterranean port of northwest Africa, is the capital and largest city
of Algeria and Algiers Province. Its strategic position and fine harbour combine to make Algiers a major
shipping centre and a principal Mediterranean refuelling station.

18. Oran - Oran, the capital of the Oran Province, is one of Algeria’s busiest ports and a commercial and
manufacturing centre. Products include plastic items, chemicals, wine, and processed food. A pipeline
carries natural gas to the city from the Sahara.

19. Skikda - Skikda’s exports include fruits, vegetables, livestock, wheat, iron, and marble. Its major
industries are the processing of fish and agricultural products, the smelting of iron ore, and the
manufacture of aluminium.

20. Ahaggar Mountains - The Ahaggar Mountains are located in the centre of the Sahara in an arid,
rocky, upland region. The highest point is Tahat which is snowcapped all year round. On its
southwestern edge is the important town of Tamanrasset. Cave paintings discovered in the mountains
were made between 8000 BC 2000 BC. They depict the raising of cattle and the hunting of animals that
now live exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa, indicating that a change of climate has taken place since then.
21. Casablanca - Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and chief seaport, is one of North Africa’s leading
commercial cities. Most of Morocco foreign trade passes through the city, which has one of the largest
artificial harbours in the world. Cereals, leather, wool, and phosphates are the chief exports.
Casablanca’s leading industries are fishing, fish canning, timber processing, and the manufacture of
furniture, construction materials, glass, and tobacco products.

22. Marrakesh - Marrakesh, on the fertile Haouz Plain at the foot of the High Atlas, is the capital of
Marrakech Province. The traditional southern capital of the sultans and a major trade centre, the city is
a railway terminus and a road and caravan centre, connected with the Atlantic port of Safi.Industries
include the processing of fruit, vegetables, and palms; tanning; and the manufacture of wool, flour,
building materials, and handicrafts, notably leather goods and carpets. Lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum,
and graphite mines are located nearby, and the area is studded with date-palm oases.

23. Rabat - Rabat, the capital of Morocco, is a port at the mouth of the Bou Ragrag on the Pacific coast.
It has considerable industry, including the manufacture of textiles, processed food, and building
materials. Government activities, tourism, and handicraft production are also important to the city’s
economic base.

24. Nouakchott - Nouakchott is Mauritania's capital and main administrative and economic centre,
served by an international airport and a nearby seaport. The National School of Administration, the
National Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, the National Library, and the National Archives are
located here. The community grew after being selected as the site of the national capital in 1957, three
years before Mauritania achieved full independence.

25. Bamako - Bamako, on the Niger River, is the capital and largest city of Mali. It is the country's chief
administrative, commercial, financial, manufacturing, and transport centre. The city is a trade centre for
shea-nut oil, peanuts, and cotton, and industries here produce processed food, farm machinery, printed
materials, metal goods, building supplies, and batteries. Bamako is linked by rail with Dakar, Senegal, on
the Atlantic Ocean and is served by an international airport.

26. Timbuktu - Timbuktu, or Tombouctou, lies on the southern edge of the Sahara, just north of the
great bend of the Niger River. It is connected with the Niger by canals and is served by the small river
port of Kabara. The city is a regional trade centre for salt and other basic commodities. Its few products
include cotton textiles, leather goods, and pottery.

27. Niger River - The Niger River rises in Guinea and flows through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria to the Gulf of
Guinea. The Benue, which joins the Niger at Lokoja in Nigeria, is its main tributary. The Niger delta
(about 36,300 square kilometres/14,000 square miles in area) is the largest in Africa. Port Harcourt is
located on the delta, which has a coastline of nearly 190 kilometres (120 miles). The Niger also forms a
vast interior delta in central Mali. The river is navigable almost all year as far upstream as Lokoja, and it
is seasonally navigable in other areas.

28. Sahel - The Sahel is a transitional zone between the arid Sahara and the tropical rainforests and
savannahs to the south. It stretches from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, jutting into much of
West Africa. Most of the Sahel is covered by a sparse vegetation of grasses and shrubs. Its parched soil
rarely receives rainfall—from 100 to 200 millimetres (4 to 8 inches) each year, falling mostly between
June and September-but nomadic herding and limited cultivation of peanuts and millet are possible in
most areas. The gathering of firewood and overgrazing have led to increased desertification, bringing
the Sahara further south.

29. Niamey - Niamey, on the Niger River, is the capital of Niger. A river port as well as road and trade
centre, Niamey is the southern terminus of a short railway northwest to Tillabéry. The city manufactures
pottery and bricks, leather goods, textiles, charcoal, metal products, soft drinks, and milled grain.
Livestock, hides and skins, grain, vegetables, and locally made mats and textiles are exported. The city is
the site of the University of Niamey.

30. Aïr Mountains - The Aïr Mountains, a scenic granite massif, reaches its highest elevation at Mount
Gréboun, which is 1,944 metres (6,378 feet) above sea level. The region’s deeply dissected valleys
contain some vegetation on which the livestock of the local Tuareg people can graze. East of the
mountains is the bleak Tenéré region, a huge expanse of sand and gravel plains. Both regions contain
rock engravings and paintings dating back 7,000 to 10,000 years, when the Sahara received far more rain
than it does today. The Aïr and Tenéré reserves were made a World Heritage Site in 1991.

31. N'Djamena - N'Djamena, the capital of Chad and of Chari-Baguirmi Prefecture, is the landlocked
nation’s chief economic, administrative, and cultural centre. Meat processing is the city’s most
important industry. The Great Mosque dominates the city, whose inhabitants are mostly Muslim.

32. Lake Chad - Lake Chad is fed principally by the Chari and Logone rivers. Although the lake has no
visible outlet, it is steadily decreasing in size because of evaporation and underground seepage. In the
dry season the area of the lake shrinks to as little as 10,000 square kilometres (4,000 square miles). The
lake is deepest in the south and shallowest in the northwest. The numerous islands lying along the
eastern shore of the lake are inhabited.

33. Khartoum - Khartoum is a well-planned city with many tree-lined streets. Founded in 1821 as an
Egyptian military post for captured territory in Sudan, the city is Sudan’s chief administrative and
transport centre. Much of the city’s trade comes from river traffic on the Nile and from farms in the
large Al Jazirah irrigated area to the south. Manufacturing industries include printing, food processing,
and textile and glass manufacturing.

34. Omdurman - Omdurman, located opposite Khartoum near the junction of the White Nile and the
Blue Nile, is a marketing centre for the surrounding agricultural area with trade in cotton, grain, and
handicrafts.

35. Blue Nile - The Blue Nile rises in the region of Lake Tana, in northern Ethiopia. It ultimately merges
with the White Nile at Khartoum, in north central Sudan, to form the Nile proper.
The Blue Nile, which contributes about two-thirds of the water of the Nile, is known as the Abbai in
Ethiopia. The river is dammed for irrigation and hydroelectricity production in Sudan.

36. White Nile - The White Nile, a principal headwater of the Nile, begins near Malakal, at the
confluence of the Subat and Mount Ba?r rivers and flows generally north across Sudan to join with the
Blue Nile at Khartoum and form the Nile proper. The White Nile is known for its remarkably steady flow,
and it is navigable throughout the year. The Khazzan Jabal al Awliya’ irrigation dam spans the river near
Khartoum. The name White Nile sometimes refers to the entire branch of the Nile that extends to the
tributaries of Lake Victoria.

37. Asmara - Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, is situated near the Red Sea port of Mitsiwa. The city's
industries include tanning, logging, flour milling, vegetable processing, and the manufacture of textiles,
footwear, perfumes, glass, cement, bricks, and buttons. A hydroelectric plant and gold and copper mines
are situated nearby. Asmara University is located in the city.

38. Addis Ababa - Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, is the country’s commercial,
manufacturing, and cultural centre. It is situated on a plateau in central Ethiopia and is the focus of a
road network, the site of an international airport, and the terminus of a railway to the port of Djibouti.
The city’s industries include printing, and the manufacture of footwear, clothing, cement, plywood, and
metal products. Leather, metal, and textile handicrafts, along with agricultural produce such as coffee,
tobacco, and dairy items, are traded in the vast open-air market known as the Mercato. Addis Ababa is a
sprawling city, with many trees, especially eucalyptus, and crossed by broad avenues. Its high elevation
gives the city a mild, pleasant climate.

39. Great Rift Valley - The Great Rift Valley is believed to have been formed by the sinking and tearing
apart of the Earth’s crust along a 50-million-year-old fault. Elevations of the Great Rift Valley vary from
408 metres (1,340 feet) below sea level at the shore of the Dead Sea to 2,000 metres (about 6,000 feet)
above sea level at cliffs in Kenya. In East Africa the valley separates into two branches: the Eastern Rift
and the Western Rift. In the latter is Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest lakes of the continent. Other
bodies of water within the Great Rift Valley include Lake Tiberias, the River Jordan, the Red Sea, the Gulf
of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Aden.

40. Lake Tana - The largest lake in Ethiopia, Lake Tana is located on the north central plateau of Amhara.
The lake forms the main reservoir for the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile issues from the lake's southeast
corner, flows south over a lava dam to create the Tisisat Falls, and then flows northwest to merge with
the White Nile and form the mighty Nile. Some 50 streams flow into Lake Tana, the largest of which is
the Little Abbai, or Upper Nile. The lake contains a number of small islands. Fishing is the main
occupation of the inhabitants of the few towns situated along the lakeshore.

41. Lake Turkana - The shallow, narrow Lake Turkana is located in the Great Rift Valley and is
predominantly in northwest Kenya, stretching northwards into southwest Ethiopia. Fed by the Omo and
Turkwel rivers, Lake Turkana has no outlet and its waters are therefore quite brackish. However, the
lake supports large numbers of fish, as well as crocodiles and hippopotamuses. the lake is more
commonly referred to as Lake Turkana, after the semi-nomadic, pastoral Turkana people who inhabit
the area.

42. Mogadishu - Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia and of Benadir, is the nation's largest city and chief
seaport, and it has been the leading commercial and manufacturing centre. Exports passing through the
modern deepwater port, hindered substantially by civil war in the 1990s, include livestock, bananas, and
hides and skins. The principal goods manufactured in the city have been processed meat and fish,
leather, wood products, and textiles. The city was devastated by civil war in the early and mid-1990s.

43. Djibouti - Djibouti, the capital of the East African nation of Djibouti, is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of
Aden and is the terminus of a railway from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Much of the city’s economy is based
on the export of Ethiopian products, and on servicing and refuelling Red Sea shipping traffic. Some
Djibouti residents work in firms that export coffee, animal hides, and salt. In 1892 the city became the
capital of what was then the colony of French Somaliland.

44. Kismaayo - Kismaayo, a city and a deepwater port on the Indian Ocean, was one of Somalia’s
principal commercial and manufacturing centres. The traditional industries include meat, fish, turtle,
and leather processing. Kismaayo was founded in 1872, as a trade centre, by the sultan of Zanzibar.
Fighting during the civil war, especially from 1992 to 1994, caused heavy damage in Kismaayo.

45. Dakar - Dakar is Senegal’s capital and largest city. Its port, one of the finest in west Africa, is
equipped with modern cargo-handling facilities. The city’s strategic location, midway between Europe
and South Africa and Europe and South America, has made it an important air and maritime centre. It is
also the railway and road hub of Senegal. Dakar has become an important fishing port, particularly for
tuna, as well as a fish-processing centre. Other industries are peanut-oil processing, sugar refining,
baking, brewing, and the manufacturing of soap and textiles.

46. Banjul - Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, is a seaport on the Gambia River, near the Atlantic Ocean.
Situated on St Marys Island, it is a modern town laid out in grid form. It is the principal economic and
educational centre of The Gambia. Among its main industries are peanut and fish processing and the
production of filigree jewellery and woven fabrics for the expanding tourist industry.

47. Bissau - Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, lies in the west central part of the country. The main
ethnic groups of the city are the Fulani, Mandingo, and Balante. A majority of them are Muslim. The
principal products of the country, including nuts, animal hides, rice, and wax, are exported from Bissau,
the chief port. Bissau was established as a slave-trading centre for the Portuguese and became a free
port in 1869.

48. Conakry - Conakry is the capital, largest city, and principal port of the republic of Guinea. The city is
the focus of the nation's transport routes and is its main administrative and commercial centre. Exports
include bananas, alumina (processed bauxite), coffee, oranges, and fish and palm products. Products of
the Conakry area include processed foods, printed materials, and metal and plastic goods. Bauxite is
mined on nearby Iles de Los, and iron ore is recovered on the Presqu’île de Camayenne.
49. Gambia River - The Gambia, rising in the Fouta Djallon plateau of Guinea, flows generally west
through the nations of Senegal and The Gambia before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The river from
source to outlet extends little more than 480 kilometres (about 300 miles) in a straight line, but because
of its sinuous course, the actual length is about 1,100 kilometres (about 700 miles). The flood period of
the Gambia is from June to November, at which time the Barraconda Rapids, some 443 kilometres (275
miles) from the mouth of the river, can be crossed by small craft. Historically, the Gambia was the only
important trade route in The Gambia.

50. Fouta Djallon - Fouta Djallon is a plateau of sandstone in western Guinea. It is bounded by steep
slopes in the west, but the land drops gently to the eastern savannah plains in the interior. Fouta Djallon
was a Muslim state before it was integrated by the French into their colony of Guinea. The chief group
of people in the area today are Muslim Fulani, who raise livestock. The valleys which crisscross the
plateau are crop-growing areas. The region is also rich in bauxite.

51. Freetown - Freetown lies on sloping ground at the foot of a range of hills and faces one of the best
natural harbours on the west coast of Africa. It has exports that include palm products, cacao, coffee,
and ginger. Manufacturing is limited to such activities as diamond cutting and the processing of food
and tobacco. Fine beaches are located near the city, and tourist facilities are being developed. An
international airport is located to the north.

52. Loma Mountains - The Loma Mountains occupy a compact highland region in northeastern Sierra
Leone, reaching their highest point at Loma Mansa with an elevation of 1,945 metres (6,381 feet). Loma
Mansa is the highest peak south of the Sahara and west of Mount Cameroon, which is the highest
mountain in West Africa, on the northern coast of Cameroon. Erosion has carved deep valleys among
the hills, domes, and pinnacles of the Loma Mountains. The Bagbe and Bafi rivers rise in the massif and
join to form the Sewa River. The vegetation of the region includes savannahs and the remnants of
rainforests. Drier grasses and forests at the higher elevations are easily degraded and are often
destroyed by fire. The temperatures in the massif are typically hot during the day and mild at night.
Humidity is high, and annual precipitation averages more than 254 centimetres (100 inches), falling
largely between May and November.

53. Monrovia - The seaside city of Monrovia was founded in 1822 by freed African-American slaves with
sponsorship from the United States-based American Colonization Society. The city, named in honour of
the US President of the time, James Monroe, has since blossomed into the commercial centre and
capital city of Liberia. Strategically situated on Cape Mesurado near the mouth of the St Paul River,
Monrovia is the chief port of Liberia and boasts an extensive artificial harbour and docking facility.
Modern Monrovia is the only free port in West Africa, and the city has been modernized by the
construction of the harbour and port. Architecture in Monrovia reflects the city’s contemporary
economic development, with large office buildings standing alongside tin-roofed shanties. Cement, fish
processing, paint, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries have developed. Monrovia also receives
substantial quantities of imports that are destined for neighbouring countries.
54. Abidjan - Abidjan, built on several converging peninsulas and islands in Ébrié Lagoon, is the chief
seaport, largest city, and de facto capital of Côte d’Ivoire. Its modern port was opened in 1950 when the
Vridi Canal, linking the sheltered and relatively deep lagoon with the Gulf of Guinea, was completed.
Exports include coffee, cacao, timber, bananas, pineapples, and palm and fish products. Manufacturing,
which has greatly expanded since the 1960s, is centred around vehicle and radio assembly as well as the
production of textiles, metal products, clothing, plastic, rubber, and petroleum products.

55. Yamoussoukro - Yamoussoukro, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, is situated in the central region
northwest of Abidjan, the country's administrative centre. President Félix Houphouët-Boigny designated
Yamoussoukro, his birthplace, as the nation's capital in 1983, but budget limitations have kept most
government functions in Abidjan. Surrounded by savannah, Yamoussoukro is the site of the world's
largest cathedral, Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro-an architectural replica of Saint Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City-built during the late 1980s.

56. Accra - Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana, is an important commercial, manufacturing, and
communications centre. It is the site of an international airport and a focus of the country's railway
system, including a link to nearby Tema, which since 1962 has served as the city's deepwater port.
Industries include vehicle and appliance assembly, petroleum refining, and the manufacture of
foodstuffs, textiles, metal and wood products, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.

57. Volta River - The Volta River, located in western Africa, is formed by the confluence of the Black
Volta and White Volta rivers at Yeji in Ghana. It flows in a southerly course through Lake Volta to the
Gulf of Guinea.

58. Ashanti - The rolling savannahs and forested uplands of the Ashanti Region cover much of central
Ghana. Populated predominantly by the Ashanti ethnic group, the region's capital and largest city is
Kumasi. Much of the local economy is based on cacao, timber, and bauxite.

59. Ouagadougou - Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and of its Kadiogo Province. Livestock,
grain, cotton, vegetables, and shea nuts are produced in the surrounding area, which also has granite
and lignite deposits. Industries include cotton ginning, textile weaving, and the manufacture of
foodstuffs, beverages, rugs, soap, and metal handicrafts.

60. Lomé - Lomé, the largest city and the capital of Togo, is the country’s main port and its principal
administrative, transport, and economic centre. Most of Togo’s international trade passes through the
city’s port, which was enlarged and deepened in 1968 to accommodate ocean-going vessels. The main
exports here are cotton, coffee, cacao, and palm nuts. Textiles and processed food are the major goods
manufactured in the city.

61. Porto-Novo - Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin and of Ouémé Province, is situated on Porto-Novo
Lagoon. It is one of the country’s largest cities, a major seaport, and the administrative and commercial
centre for the surrounding agricultural region. It is the site of the National Library, the National Archives,
the Institute of Applied Research, and an old cathedral built by the Portuguese.
62. Abuja - Abuja officially replaced Lagos as capital of Nigeria in December 1991 after 15 years of
planning and construction. The city is located in a scenic valley of rolling grassland in a relatively
undeveloped, ethnically neutral area, in the central part of the country. Thus, planners hoped to create
a national city where none of Nigeria’s social and religious groups would be dominant. Abuja has an
international airport and is accessible to other cities in Nigeria by a network of major roads.

63. Lagos - Encompassing four small islands and a part of the mainland, Lagos is the crowded principal
city and port of Nigeria. Lagos continued as capital of independent Nigeria until an interior site near
Abuja was chosen for a new federal capital. Lagos is a busy port city and commercial centre, and is
plagued by overcrowding and traffic congestion that ties up the bridges linking the islands to the
mainland. Income from oil exports has led to rising prices, and Lagos’s cost of living is among the highest
in the region. Health risks, including widespread malaria and a shortage of fresh water, contribute to the
difficulty of living in this tropical port. Lagos is the banking centre for Nigeria and also the site of several
higher education institutions and cultural centres.

64. Ibadan - Ibadan, the capital of Nigeria’s Oyo State, is inhabited mainly by the Yoruba people. The
city, which has an airport and is on the railway line linking Lagos with Kano, is a major transit point
between the coast and areas to the north. It is also the centre of trade for a farming area producing
cacao, cotton, timber, rubber, and palm oil. Industries include the processing of agricultural products,
tyre retreading, and the manufacture of cigarettes.

65. Port Harcourt - Capital of Rivers State, Port Harcourt is a leading port of Nigeria. It is a road, railway,
and industrial centre. Its exports include petroleum, coal, tin, palm products, cocoa, and peanuts.
Among the industries of the area are timber processing, car manufacturing, food and tobacco
processing, and the manufacture of rubber, glass, metal, and paper products, cement, petroleum
products, paint, enamelware, bicycles, furniture, and soap.

66. Adamawa Plateau - Adamawa Plateau is a plateau region in central Cameroon, extending into
southeast Nigeria and the west of the Central African Republic. An upland area of volcanic origin, it has
an average elevation of about 1,000 metres (3,281 feet). Savannah vegetation predominates. The region
is sparsely populated, with cattle raising being the chief occupation.

67. Jos Plateau - The Jos Plateau is a tropical highland located near the centre of Nigeria. Temperatures
in the plateau tend to be 4°C (7°F) cooler than those on the coast, and the average annual rainfall of
about 1,300 millimetres (50 inches) is considerably higher than that of the surrounding lowland.
Headwaters of rivers feeding the Niger River, the Benue River, and Lake Chad originate here. The
original savannah woodland and forest have been cleared and largely replaced by open grassland and
farms. The plateau is known for its waterfalls, several of which have been harnessed to provide power
for the region's mining industries. Alluvial tin and niobium deposits have supported a modern mining
and smelting industry in the Jos Plateau since the early 1900s. The cool upland of the Jos Plateau is the
only region in Nigeria that can support the cultivation of potatoes. This area is also a centre of a dairy
industry producing butter and cheese. The city of Jos is in the centre of the plateau and is the largest
urban settlement in the area. Other towns are Bukuru, a mining community; Vom, the site of a dairy and
a veterinary research station; and Pankshin.

68. Kainji Reservoir - Kainji Reservoir was created in 1968 when the Kainji Dam held back the waters of
the Niger River in western Nigeria. Farmers near Kainji Reservoir irrigate their crops with water from it.
Fishing takes place from plank boats, and smoked fish from the reservoir are traded throughout Nigeria.
Two sections of Kainji Lake National Park border the reservoir. Antelopes, buffaloes, hippopotamuses,
lions, and a variety of primates are the major attractions of the park, which draws about 5,000 visitors
each year.

69. Benue River - Benue is the main tributary of the Niger. It rises in the Adamawa Plateau Massif of
central Cameroon, flows west across central Nigeria, and joins the Niger near Lokoja, 483 kilometres
(300 miles) from the Gulf of Guinea coast. The river is about 1,400 kilometres (about 870 miles) long,
and its navigable length is more than 1,000 kilometres (more than 600 miles) during the wet season
(May to September).

70. Yaoundé - Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, is a road hub in the south central part of the country in
an area in which cacao, bananas, and coffee are produced. Industries of the city manufacture tobacco
products, vegetable oils, dairy and palm products, bricks and tiles, handicrafts, timber, and soap. Gold
and titanium mines are also located nearby.

71. Mount Cameroon - Mount Cameroon, an active volcanic peak, is the highest mountain in western
Africa rising to 4,095 metres (13,435 feet). Rubber, cacao, and tea are grown on the rich soils of its lower
slopes.

72. Bangui - Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, is situated on the western bank of the
Ubangi River, the nation’s main trade artery. It is the republic’s chief port and its leading administrative,
economic, and educational centre. Cotton, coffee, timber, and diamonds are major products of the city.
Manufactured goods include processed peanuts, palm products, textiles, leather goods, forest products,
and soap. The University of Bangui is situated here.

73. Ubangi River - The Ubangi River, the main tributary of the Congo River, is formed by the confluence
of the Uele and Mbomou rivers in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river flows generally
northwest, forming the border between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)(formerly Zaire) and
the Central African Republic. Near Fort de Possel, the Ubangi River turns southwest and then flows
between Congo (DRC) and the Republic of the Congo. The Ubangi River, enters the Congo River in
northwest Congo (DRC), it is navigable from this junction with the Congo River to Bangui, in the Central
African Republic.

74. Congo Basin - The longest river in Central Africa, the Congo flows 4,374 kilometres (2,718 miles)
from Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean. The river, also called the Zaire, is noted for its enormous basin,
which includes all of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and portions of Angola, Zambia,
Burundi, Rwanda, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon, making it the
largest drainage basin in Africa.
The basin crosses the equator and receives an average of more than 1,650 millimetres (65 inches) of
rainfall each year. The Congo and its numerous tributaries form a vast system of navigable waterways.

75. Malabo - Malabo, formerly Santa Isabel, is the capital and largest community of Equatorial Guinea.
The town is located on the north coast of Bioko island, near the equator, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the
nation’s chief administrative and economic centre. Exports include locally produced cocoa, copra,
coffee, timber, and fish products.

76. Libreville - Libreville, the capital and chief port of Gabon, sits on the Gabon Estuary. With nearby
Owendo, the city is the transport hub of the republic. Rubber, palm products, cocoa, and tropical woods
are exported from Libreville, and local industries include palm-oil processing and sawmilling. It is the site
of Omar Bongo University.

77. Brazzaville - Brazzaville is the capital, largest city, and major river port of the Republic of the Congo.
The city is located on the north bank of the Congo below Pool Malebo, formerly Stanley Pool, and
opposite the larger river port of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
Brazzaville is the nation’s main administrative and economic centre, and products manufactured here
include printed materials, processed food, textiles, and construction supplies. An active transit trade
exists between Brazzaville, which is the downstream terminus for shipping on the great Congo-Ubangi
waterway, and the nation’s Atlantic Ocean port of Pointe-Noire.

78. Katanga Province - Katanga Province, known as Katanga Province until 1972, is rich in both
agricultural and mineral resources. In the eastern part of the region are large reserves of copper, cobalt,
uranium, cadmium, tin, gold, silver, and other minerals. The capital is Lubumbashi. Copper was mined
here for centuries before the Belgians took control of the region in the 1880s.

79. Kinshasa - Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (formerly Zaire) and
one of the largest African cities south of the Sahara. Kinshasa is situated on the southern bank of the
Congo River (Zaire River) above a series of enormous waterfalls. These falls prevent the teeming river
traffic from reaching the Atlantic, about 514 kilometres (320 miles) away. Throngs of river passengers
from the interior disembark in Kinshasa to continue their journey by rail, road, or air. From monkeys to
machinery, all conceivable types of goods are unloaded on Kinshasa’s docks for their continued
transport between the coastal port of Matadi and the towns and villages upstream. Although Kinshasa is
a modern city with high-rise buildings and wealthy residential districts, it contends with problems
common to many post-colonial cities. Its population is predominantly young, and one-third of its
residents live in the outlying slums. The city’s position as the economic centre of Congo (DRC) attracts a
steady migration of rural poor. These eager newcomers encounter high unemployment, traffic
congestion, inadequate housing, and food shortages. Nevertheless, Kinshasa remains the administrative,
cultural, and intellectual centre of Congo (DRC).
80. Ruwenzori Range - Ruwenzori Range in the Great Rift Valley. Several peaks in the mountain range
rise above 4,877 metres (16,000 feet), and the highest peak is Mount Stanley, at 5,109 metres (16,762
feet).

81. Lualaba River - The Lualaba consitutes the upper reaches of the Congo River. It rises in the
southeastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and flows north to Boyoma
Falls, where the Lualaba becomes the Congo. Among the major tributaries of the river are the Lukuga
and Luvua rivers.

82. Lake Edward - Lake Edward is 912 metres (2,990 feet) above sea level and straddles the border
between Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and Uganda. It is connected to the
northeast with Lake George, in Uganda, by means of the Kazinga Channel. Lake Edward is fed by the
Rutshuru River, a headwater of the White Nile, and has only one outlet, the Semliki River, which links it
with Lake Albert to the north. High escarpments run along the western shore of the lake and mountains
rise on the northwestern shore. The water is rich in mineral salts. Many fish and crocodiles live in the
lake, and there are numerous waterfowl on its shores.

83. Kasai River - The Kasai River rises in the central highlands of Angola and flows north to the Congo
River. The river forms part of the boundary between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(formerly Zaire). Most of the rivers and streams of the Kasai River system flow from south to north. The
main tributaries of the system are the Fimi, Sankuru, Lulua, and Kaonga rivers. The system is navigable
by steamboat for more than 2,410 kilometres (1,500 miles).

84. Matadi - Matadi is located on the Congo River near the border with Angola and is the capital of Bas-
Congo Region. Most of the products of Democratic Republic of the Congo are exported from Matadi—
which has one of the largest harbours in Central Africa—these include coffee, cocoa, rice, timber, palm
products, cotton, copal, and minerals.

85. Lubumbashi - Lubumbashi, situated in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire), is the capital of Katanga Province. Also the principal commercial and industrial centre of the
region, Lubumbashi is in an area rich in mineral resources. Copper smelting is the major industry, and
zinc, cobalt, and cadmium from the nearby mines are also processed.

86. Kampala - Kampala has been the capital of Uganda since the country achieved independence in
1962. It is Uganda's largest city and its commercial centre, largely due to its location on the shore of
Lake Victoria. Livestock, animal hides, coffee, cotton, and sugar cane are traded in Kampala. Industries
include flour and sugar milling, cotton ginning, tanning, coffee processing, and the manufacture of
textiles, cigarettes, and cement.

87. Kabalega Falls - Kabalega Falls, formerly called Murchison Falls, is situated on the Albert Nile. There
are three cascades, but the first fall of 40 metres (131 feet) is usually regarded as the Kabalega Falls.The
falls lie in the Kabalega National Park, which was founded in 1952. The park is known for its crocodiles
and elephants. Other animals found here include buffalo, chimpanzees, giraffes, rhinoceroses, and many
water birds.
88. Lake Albert - One of the sources of the Nile, Lake Albert receives the waters of Lake Victoria to the
southeast via the Victoria Nile, and of Lake Edward to the southwest via the Semliki. Located in the
Great Rift Valley, Lake Albert is about 35 kilometres (22 miles) across at its widest part. It drains into the
White Nile on the north via the Albert Nile.

89. Lake Kyoga - Lake Kyoga is an irregularly shaped expanse of water bordered by swamps. It forms part
of the course of the Victoria Nile between Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. Occupying a shallow basin in
the central plateau, the lake is periodically blocked by masses of papyrus reeds which break away from
the shore and drift across the water.

89. Mount Elgon - Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the Kenyan border with Uganda, has a crater 8
kilometres (5 miles) wide, from which rise several peaks. Wagagai is the highest point. Coffee and
bananas are grown on the vast and fertile lower slopes, and barren moorlands predominate above
about 3,000 metres (10,000 feet).

90. Bujumbura - Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi and of the Province de Bujumbura is situated at the
northeastern end of Lake Tanganyika. It is a trade centre in a cotton-growing region. In addition to
cotton products, handicrafts, fishing equipment, animal hides, beer, cement, and pharmaceuticals are
produced here. Lake fishing is an important occupation, and the city has fish- and coffee-processing
plants. It became the capital of Burundi in 1962, changing its name from Usumbura to Bujumbura.

91. Kigali - Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, is situated just south of the equator and has a mild climate all
year. The economy is based mainly on trade in locally produced coffee, cattle, and tin ore (cassiterite). In
addition, textile, chemical, and tin-processing industries operate in and around Kigali. An international
airport and a technical college are located here, and a major road connects the city with Burundi to the
south and Uganda to the north.

92. Nairobi - Nairobi has grown from a colonial settlement to a bustling modern city and the capital of
Kenya. Nairobi was a frontier town when it gained its independence from Great Britain in 1963. Today it
ranks as one of the most important cities in Africa, boasting broad boulevards lined with tall buildings,
many open spaces, a busy international airport, and the headquarters for the United Nations
Environment Programme. Tourism is an increasing source of foreign income for Kenya, and Nairobi is a
popular stopoff point for safaris. The Nairobi National Park game reserve, founded in 1948, is located
about 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city.

93. Mombasa - Mombasa, the capital of Coast Province, is Kenya’s chief seaport. The fast-growing city,
which also serves as a port for northeastern Tanzania and landlocked Uganda, includes Old Mombasa,
located on a small offshore island, and a larger, more modern mainland metropolitan area, which is
connected to the island by causeway, bridge, and ferries. Kilindini Harbour, a modern deep-water
harbour on the western side of the island, has extensive docks, shipyards, and sugar and petroleum
refineries. Mombasa Harbour, on the eastern side of the island, handles mainly dhows and other small
coastal trading vessels.
94. Kisumu - The chief city of western Kenya and capital of Nyanza Province, Kisumu sits on the shores of
Winam bay on Lake Victoria. Kenya’s third largest city, Kisumu is an important freshwater port and also
serves as a base for shipbuilding and repairing. The city developed as a commercial centre after a
railway stretching from the Indian Ocean to the shores of Lake Victoria stopping at Kisumu.

95. Mount Kenya - Mount Kenya is an extinct volcano in central Kenya. It is also the second highest
mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro.

96. Dodoma - Dodoma, on the mainland plateau in Dodoma Region, was a small, regional community
until 1975, when it was chosen to replace Dar es Salaam as the national capital. The transfer of some
administrative functions to Dodoma began in the early 1980s, and continued through the 1990s. The
town has grown rapidly as a result. Today, this newly constructed city is served by the main east–west
railway, a north–south highway, and an airport.

97. Dar es Salaam - Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, is the nation’s largest city and chief seaport as
well as its principal commercial, manufacturing, and educational centre. Railways extend inland to
Arusha in the north, to Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria, and to Zambia. The main exports of Dar es Salaam
include coffee, sisal, cotton, and copper, which comes from landlocked Zambia. Local industries produce
processed food, textiles, clothing, footwear, refined petroleum, and metal goods.

98. Kilimanjaro - Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, rises over northeastern Tanzania as well as
neighbouring Kenya. A dormant volcano, Kilimanjaro’s two peaks stand about 11 kilometres (7 miles)
apart and are connected by a broad ridge. Although Kilimanjaro lies just 3° south of the equator, an ice
cap covers the crater of Kibo, the highest peak, year-round. The crater is 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) wide
and up to 300 metres (984 feet) deep. Kilimanjaro supports a number of different vegetation zones on
its steep slopes, ranging from semi-arid to mossy. A number of crops, including coffee beans, are grown
on the mountain’s lower slopes.

99. Lake Tanganyika - Much of the length of Lake Tanganyika forms the border between Democratic
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and Tanzania. It is the second deepest freshwater lake in the
world. The only outlet is the Lukuga River, which flows into the Congo River. The lake is noted for its
many varieties of fish. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses are found on the shores, and the surrounding
area is very fertile.

100. Zanzibar - low-lying coral island that was possibly once part of the African continent, Zanzibar rises
out of the Indian Ocean 35 kilometres (22 miles) off the coast of east central Africa. Gently undulating
hills, coconut palms, and native forests cover the island, which lures many visitors to its tropical shores.
Zanzibar has developed into an important commercial centre in the Indian Ocean trading system. Island
residents grow coconuts and cacao for export, and together with the people of the nearby Pemba
Island, they produce most of the world's clove supply. Fishing also plays an important role in the local
economy.

101. Lilongwe - Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi and its Central Region, is a commercial centre for a
fertile tobacco- and peanut-producing region and has some light industry.
102. Lake Malawi - Located in the Great Rift Valley of southeastern Africa, Lake Malawi is about 580
kilometres (360 miles) long and an average of 40 kilometres (25 miles) wide. An outlet of Lake Malawi
flows into the Zambezi River. Much of the lake is navigable, and fishing is a major activity along its banks.

103. Maputo - Maputo’s protected deepwater harbour serves as Mozambique’s main port and as an
important outlet for the landlocked countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Maputo is also the capital and
largest community of Mozambique. Exports include cotton, coal, sugar, sisal, and processed food. The
city’s industries produce refined petroleum, building materials, clothing, footwear, and food products.

104. Delagoa Bay - Delagoa Bay, protected by the Península de Santa Maria and easily accessible to
deepwater vessels, is one of the best harbours on the eastern coast of Africa. The principal port on the
bay is Maputo.

105. Lusaka - Lusaka, the capital of Zambia and of Lusaka Province, is situated on a plateau. A sprawling,
modern city with a pleasant temperate climate, it is Zambia's principal administrative centre and a major
financial, transport, and manufacturing hub. Diversified industries, some powered by the Kariba
hydroelectric project on the Zambezi River, include food processing, motor-vehicle assembly, and the
manufacture of clothing, tobacco products, cement, and electronic equipment. Railways connect the
city with Livingstone, to the south, and with Ndola and other centres of the copper-belt mining region,
to the north. It is also served by an international airport.

106. Kitwe - Founded in 1936 as a European copper-mining centre, Kitwe is one of Zambia's largest
urban communities and a leading copper-mining and processing centre. Other industries, some using
hydroelectricity from the Kariba Dam power project to the south, include the production of processed
food, plastics, and clothing.

107. Kafue - The Kafue is one of Zambia’s major rivers. From its source in the Copperbelt near the border
with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), the Kafue flows southeast through hilly
terrain to Kitwe, then southwest to Kafue National Park, where it turns south, forming part of the park’s
eastern border. At Meshi Teshi Gap, the river turns sharply east and continues through the Kafue Flats.
Just south of Lusaka, where the Kafue is dammed, the river drops about 700 metres (about 2,300 feet)
through the Kafue Gorge. The Kafue Dam impounds the Kafue Gorge Reservoir and has a generating
capacity of 900,000 kilowatts, making Zambia self-sufficient in hydroelectricity and providing surplus
power to export to neighbouring countries. The Kafue continues east to join the Zambezi at the
Zimbabwe border. Navigation on the river is restricted by the presence of waterfalls and rapids. Because
of infertile soil, low rainfall, and tsetse fly infestation, the agricultural potential of much of the Kafue
basin is limited. However, there are large cattle ranches and irrigation schemes in the Kafue Flats, as
well as pockets of agricultural development elsewhere. Kafue National Park, one of the world’s largest
game reserves, occupies 22,400 square kilometres (8,649 square miles) of the sparsely populated,
central part of the basin. The park contains a wide variety of wildlife, including elephants, zebras,
rhinoceroses, and antelopes, and is one of Zambia’s leading tourist attractions.

108. Muchinga Mountains - The Muchinga Mountains, the main highland area in Zambia, are situated
between rivers flowing into the basin of the Congo River and other rivers flowing into the Zambezi basin
to the south. The eastern side of the mountains is bordered by steep escarpments, which were formed
when earth movements raised a block of land along a fault line, creating the mountain range. The
Muchinga Mountains overlook a rift valley drained by the Luangwa. To the west, the land descends to
the Bangweulu and Mweru swamps.

109. Zambezi River - The Zambezi River, rises in northwest Zambia and winds southeast to the Indian
Ocean.The river flows through two lakes created by hydroelectric projects: Lake Kariba, created by the
Kariba Dam, and a lake behind the Barragem Cabora Bassa. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) below its
confluence with the Linyanti River, the Zambezi forms the great cataract known as Victoria Falls, and for
the next 72 kilometres (45 miles) it rushes through a narrow gorge 122 metres (400 feet) deep. Despite
such barriers as cataracts, rapids, and sandbars, the Zambezi is navigable for long distances.

110. Luanda - Luanda, the capital of Angola and of Luanda Province, is the country's largest city and its
principal port and industrial centre. Commercial and industrial sections are located around the modern
deep-water port, and government and residential districts are situated inland, on higher ground. The
city's main exports include petroleum, coffee, diamonds, iron ore, and fish products. Among its
manufactured goods are refined petroleum, motor vehicles, textiles, and processed food. Luanda's
airport is the busiest in Angola, and a railway extends inland to the iron ore mines at Ndalatando and
the coffee-producing area around Malanje.

111. Walvis Bay - The principal port of Namibia, Walvis Bay is located at the edge of the Namib Desert at
the mouth of the intermittent Kuiseb River. The harbour, protected by the peninsula of Pelican Point,
provides one of the few safe deepwater anchorages on the Atlantic coast of southwest Africa. The town
of Walvis Bay and its hinterland, comprising an area of 1,124 square kilometres (434 square miles), was
until 1992 an exclave of South Africa.

112. Windhoek - circle of hills surrounds Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and protects the city from
the dry winds of southern Africa. Centrally located near the middle of the country, the commercial and
administrative capital is connected by roads and railway to Walvis Bay, Namibia’s major Atlantic seaport,
and to South Africa. Although the surrounding area is dry, raising cattle and sheep is the principal
activity in the region. Karakul sheepskins are traded in Windhoek and all major cattle and sheep
processing is done in the city.

113. Namib Desert - Kept cool and dry by the cold, offshore Benguela Current, the barren Namib Desert
stretches about 1,930 kilometres (1,200 miles) along the coast of southwestern Africa, mostly within
Namibia. Only about 51 millimetres (2 inches) of rain falls on the desert each year. Huge sand dunes rise
near the coast. The desert extends inland from the Atlantic Ocean for up to 160 kilometres (100 miles),
ending at the steep slopes of the Great Escarpment. Although sand dunes and rocks cover much of the
Namib Desert, rich deposits of diamonds and tungsten are found below its surface. These deposits
contribute to Namibia's main industry of mining. Agriculture is also important to the economy, and
karakul sheep are raised in the south, where the Namib Desert merges with the Kalahari. The desert
supports only a few isolated communities such as Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, both on the coast.
114. Gaborone - Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, is located near the Ngotwane River on the railway
line from South Africa to Zimbabwe. The city is primarily an administrative centre with government
offices but also has a small manufacturing sector that produces metal and wood items and beer.

115. Kalahari - The surface of the Kalahari, an arid and semi-arid plateau region, is generally covered
with red soil, except in the east, where large patches of sand are found. When a heavy rain occurs, pans
of water form in the extensive mud flats.

116. Harare - Harare, formerly known as Salisbury, is the capital of Zimbabwe. A modern city, it is the
main administrative, commercial, manufacturing, and educational centre of the country and serves as a
distribution point for the surrounding agricultural and gold-mining area. Major manufactured goods
include processed food, beverages, textiles, clothing, tobacco products, chemicals, construction
materials, and wood and plastic items.

117. Victoria Falls - At Victoria Falls, the mighty Zambezi River plunges into a chasm. The resulting mist
and noise inspired the waterfall’s local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya (“Smoke That Thunders”). The falls span
more than 1,700 metres (5,600 feet), as the entire flow of the river tumbles into the gorge. Located in
south central Africa between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the falls and the lush surrounding area have come
under the protectorate of the Victoria Falls National Park.

118. Maseru - Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, is a road and trade centre for livestock, animal hides and
skins, wool, and grain, all produced in the vicinity.

119. Drakensberg Mountains - The Drakensberg Mountains run parallel to the extreme southeastern
coast of Africa. They extend through South Africa, from Mpumalanga through Free State to Eastern Cape
Province, forming the eastern boundary of Lesotho. The mountains form part of the Great Escarpment,
an area of cliffs that separate the great plateau area of South Africa from the coastal areas. Southern
Africa’s highest peak is situated in Lesotho. Thabana Ntlenyana is 3,482 metres (11,424 feet) high. The
scenic Royal Natal National Park is close to another of the range’s higher peaks, Phofung (3,299
metres/10,823 feet). The Orange River begins on the western slopes of the Drakensberg range in
Lesotho and then flows generally west.

120. Mbabane - Mbabane is located near the border with South Africa on a high plateau in northwestern
Swaziland. The administrative capital of the country, Mbabane is the nation's largest community and its
chief administrative, commercial, and transport centre. A railway connects the town with nearby coal
mines and with the Indian Ocean port of Maputo, in Mozambique.

121. Antananarivo - Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar and of Antananarivo Province, is situated
in the central part of the island of Madagascar, on the slopes of a rocky ridge. The city is the chief
economic, cultural, and administrative centre of the country. It is the trading centre for a rice-growing
region, and industries here manufacture processed food, tobacco products, textiles, and leather goods.
122. Moroni - Moroni, the capital of Comoros, is the nation’s largest settlement and chief port.
Foodstuffs are the main imports, and small quantities of vanilla, cocoa, and coffee are exported. The
town is largely Arabian in atmosphere and has a number of beautiful mosques.

123. Port Louis - Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius and a port on the Indian Ocean, is also the country’s
largest city and main commercial and administrative centre. Major local products include processed
food—especially sugar, wood products, and printed material.

124. Algoa Bay - Algoa Bay is a large inlet of the Indian Ocean along the coast near Port Elizabeth. The
bay is of considerable commercial importance, as a result of its proximity to Port Elizabeth—one of the
principal seaports of South Africa.

125. Cape Agulhas - Cape Agulhas (Portuguese, “needles”) is the southernmost point of Africa. Fog,
uncertain currents, and rocks make passage around the point dangerous for ships. The meridian of Cape
Agulhas is used as the boundary between the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

126. Karoo - The Karoo is the collective name given to a semi-desert plateau region in South Africa. The
Little Karoo, or Southern Karoo, is situated to the east of Cape Town between the Langeberg and Groot-
Swaarteberge ranges. It is bounded on the northeast by the Great Karoo, or Central Karoo, a vast
plateau extending east and west and bounded by mountain ranges. Some authorities classify a third
plateau, which extends north from the Great Karoo to the Orange River, as the Northern Karoo. During
most of the year, the Karoos have no rainfall. In the Khoikhoi language, the plateaux are called karusa,
which means "barren" or "dry". Some parts are irrigated, however, and are very fertile. The irrigated
land is used to grow citrus fruit while sheep graze the rest of the Karoo.

127. Limpopo River - The Limpopo River rises in the mountainous Witwatersrand region of northern
South Africa. The river flows generally northeast between South Africa and Botswana, then east
between South Africa and Zimbabwe, and finally southeast through southern Mozambique before
entering the Indian Ocean through Delagoa Bay. Irrigation projects have been built on the Limpopo in
South Africa and Mozambique.

128. The Orange, rising on the west slope of the Drakensberg range in South Africa, forms part of the
border between South Africa and Namibia, before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay in
South Africa. Its chief tributary is the Vaal.

129. Table Bay - Located in the Atlantic Ocean near the southern tip of Africa, this inlet forms the
harbour of Cape Town. Although less sheltered than other bays along the coast, the availability of fresh
water there made it a regular port of call for ships voyaging to India and the East. Table Bay extends
north from Cape Town to Melkbosstrand and is 19 kilometres (12 miles) long and 13 kilometres (8 miles)
wide. Overlooking the bay is Table Mountain, a flat-topped mountain with abundant vegetation and
animal life.

130. Table Mountain - Table Mountain is a world-famous landmark that overlooks the harbour and city
of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a flat-topped mountain flanked by two distinct peaks; Lion's Head to
the northwest at 669 metres (2,195 feet), and Devil's Peak to the east at 1,001 metres (3,284 feet). Its
northern face is a sheer precipice 3 kilometres (2 miles) long, broken only by the deep cleft of Platteklip
gorge. The mountain is made up of horizontal layers of sandstone, deposited on the floor of a shallow
sea between 400 million and 500 million years ago, resting on a foundation of slates and granites.The
mountain is covered in forest and fynbos, a major vegetation type unique to South Africa that includes
species which appear nowhere else in the world. Table Mountain often has a covering of cloud, which is
commonly called "the tablecloth". This cover is formed in summer when the prevailing southeasterly
wind of the Cape collides with the mountains of the Cape Peninsula and is forced to rise, forming thick
white clouds in the cooler altitudes. A cable car takes visitors to the summit, and there are also 350
recognised paths to the top.

131. Tugela Falls - South Africa’s Tugela Falls are formed by the Tugela River in central Natal Uhiri. Rising
in Mont aux Sources, the river plunges through a gorge before flowing east to the Indian Ocean. Five
falls create a total drop of 933 metres (3,110 feet), the highest of these cascading down 405 metres
(1,350 feet).

132. Vaal River - The Vaal River rises in the Drakensberg Mountains, on the border of Swaziland. It flows
west and southwest along the northern border of the Free State to its junction with the Orange River.

133. Witwatersrand - The world's richest gold-mining area and also the chief industrial region of South
Africa, Witwatersrand consists of a series of parallel ridges running east and west in the Republic of
South Africa. These gold-bearing ridges extend about 100 kilometres (60 miles) in length and 37
kilometres (25 miles) in width, reaching a maximum elevation of 600 metres (2,000 feet) above sea
level. Witwatersrand means "ridge of white waters" in Afrikaans. This rock formation creates the
watershed between the Vaal and Olifantsrivier rivers, which empty into the Atlantic and Indian oceans
respectively. Two of the deepest mines, the Crown and the Robinson Deep, each tunnel some 3,000
metres (nearly 10,000 feet) into the earth. These mines have temperatures as much as 10°C (50°F)
warmer than regional surface temperatures. Expensive cooling and ventilation systems must be installed
in the mines so that the miners can tolerate this extreme subterranean environment. But the reef yields
great quantities of gold-in 1960 the region supplied one-third of the world's total gold production. The
Witwatersrand ridges are honeycombed with mines. Mine-shaft openings in this landscape are
surrounded by white mountains of rock crushed for mineral wealth and then abandoned as detritus
from prospectors' quests for gold. Witwatersrand also contains many mines excavated into these ridges
to extract valuable deposits of uranium, manganese, and coal.

134. Bloemfontein - Bloemfontein, which means "fountain of flowers", is noted for its beautiful natural
settings. A transport hub, it is served by several railways and airlines. In the region surrounding
Bloemfontein, farming, livestock raising, and mining are the main occupations. Railway workshops and
metalworking and meat-canning plants are located in the city. Other locally manufactured goods are
furniture and glassware. Bloemfontein, the capital of Orange Free State Province, is the site of South
Africa's highest court. The University of the Orange Free State (1855) and several colleges and
observatories are located here. Bloemfontein was founded in 1846 and was the capital of the former
Orange Free State Republic.
135. Cape Town - This metropolitan area has grown rapidly not only because it is the legislative capital
of the country, but also because of its modern dock facilities, industrial success, and natural scenic
beauty. The community extends south across the neck of the Cape Peninsula from Table Bay to False
Bay, fringed with fine beaches and flanked by the steep slopes of Table Mountain, which rises 1,086
metres (3,563 feet) above sea level. Several lesser peaks, including Lion's Head to the southwest and
Signal Hill to the west, surround the city and overlook the Atlantic Ocean. One of the country’s major
ports and industrial centres, Cape Town is a regular port of call for freight and passenger vessels
rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Gold, diamonds, and citrus fruits are the leading exports. Major
industries in the city include oil refining, shipbuilding and repairing, and diamond cutting. The city is also
a popular holiday resort.

136. Durban - Durban, situated in eastern South Africa, was founded as a township in 1835 by British
settlers. The community grew rapidly following the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand. Among the
industrial establishments of the city and seaport today are oil refineries, machine works, railway repair
yards, and soap, paint, and fertilizer factories. The principal exports are coal, manganese, chrome ore,
grain, wool, and sugar. The harbour, kept free of silt and sandbanks by the tide and by dredging
operations, is equipped with ample docking and loading facilities. Near the city is a large grain elevator.

137. Johannesburg - The sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, owes its
existence to gold rather than to an important river or harbour, historically the basis for the founding of
most major cities. Modern Johannesburg, the capital of Gauteng Province, is a cosmopolitan city and the
financial hub of South Africa. Although mining remains the city's key to prosperity, excavation and
extraction of ore now occur in other regions of the country.

138. Kimberley - Kimberley, the capital of South Africa's Northern Cape Province, is the centre of a
diamond-mining region. The principal industries include diamond cutting, the processing of lime and
tungsten, and the manufacture of cement and bricks.

139. Krugersdorp - The chief city of the West Rand District, Krugersdorp is a centre for the mining of
gold, uranium, and manganese. The city also has metalworking and tanning industries and chemical and
paint manufacturing factories. It is located in northeastern South Africa, near Johannesburg. A large
sports ground is situated in the city.

140. Pretoria - Located on the Apies in Gauteng Province, Pretoria is the administrative capital of South
Africa and a major commerical, manufacturing, transport, and cultural centre. Principal products include
iron and steel, processed food, ceramics, and chemicals.