Africa is vast. Surpassed in size and population only by Asia, most of this land is dominated by desert and savannah plains, though there are also stretches of rainforest.
Owing to its history of being a colonised land, traditional African culture is infused with Arabic and European influences. Especially the northern parts of Africa, including the Magreb countries and Egypt are more Arabic than really African. Arabic influences are also noticeable along the western coastline and islands off the coast like Zanzibar, Madagascar and Mauritius. The European influences are scattered across the continent but still are best seen en felt in southern Africa, in countries like South Africa and Namibia.
Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Northern and Southern Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Chanel to the east. Although the latter, the Suez Chanel, only divides Africa from the Middle East geographically, not politically as the Sinai Peninsula is also part of Africa, that is Egypt.
The northern part of Africa contains the largest non-arctic desert in the world, the Sahara, one of the most famous deserts.
Northwest of the Sahara lies one of the highest mountain ranges of Africa, the Atlas Mountains, which runs from southern Morocco through Algeria to Tunisia. South of the Sahara is transition zone with savanna scrubby grasslands and semi-desert landscapes. Further to the south and southeast you will find the tropical rainforests. Parts of Central Africa include volcanic mountain ranges, including the Ruwenzori Mountains and Mount Cameroon, one of the highest mountains in Africa after the Kilimanjaro. Again, south of the tropical zone you will find semi-desert landscapes and savannah before reaching the deserts of the Kalahari and Namib. Finally, South Africa’s southern parts are like it’s Mediterranean counterparts in the north with pleasant climates, enough rain and absence of real deserts. Content adapted from the Traveller’s Point.