Natural regions of Africa. south africa desert on the south african plateau
The East African Plateau is located on both sides of the equator, between the Congo Basin in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east, East Sudan, the Ethiopian Highlands, the Somali Peninsula in the north and the lower reaches of the Zambezi in the south and covers the space from 5 ° N. sh. to 17°S sh.
The plateau is a mobile, tectonically active part of the African platform. Here are concentrated the greatest system of rifts and greatest heights mainland. It is composed of Precambrian crystalline rocks, among which granites are widely developed. The ancient basement is covered in places by Paleozoic and Mesozoic, mainly continental deposits.
The plateau has long been an elevated area. In the Cenozoic, grandiose tectonic faults and rifts arose. They continue the grabens of the Red Sea and the Ethiopian highlands and branch south of Lake Rudolf, forming the western, central and eastern fault systems. Rifts are expressed in the relief as narrow depressions with steep stepped slopes; on their edges rise high mountain ranges(Rwenzori massif, volcanoes Kilimanjaro, Kenya, Elgon, etc.). Volcanic activity along the faults has not ended at the present time. The areas not affected by faults have the appearance of a typical peneplain with insular mountains. There are also extensive basins on the plateau (Lake Victoria).
Western fault system runs along the western edge of the plateau and includes deep grabens,
occupied by the valley of the Albert Nile, lakes Albert (Mobutu-Sese-Seko), Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika. From Lake Tanganyika, it stretches through the basin with the endorheic Lake Rukva, the tectonic basin of Lake Nyasa, the valley of the Shire River and the lower reaches of the Zambezi. Fault tectonics is especially pronounced here. This is one of the most seismic zones of the mainland and the arena of modern volcanism.
The grabens of Lakes Albert and Edward are separated by the Rwenzori horst massif, the highest peak in Africa (5119 m) after Kilimanjaro (5895 m) and Kenya (5199 m). The massif is composed of gneisses, crystalline schists and intrusions of basic rocks, has glacial forms of Quaternary and modern glaciation (kars, cirques, trough valleys, terminal moraines), giving an alpine character to the topography of its peaks.
Between the grabens of Lakes Eduard and Kivu is located Virunga volcanic region(seven volcanoes). Here, in addition to active volcanoes, new volcanic cones are also formed. Ancient lavas cover the tectonic trough between the basins of the Kivu and Tanganyika lakes.
Underwater volcanic eruptions occur at the bottom of Lakes Kivu and Nyasa
Adjoins the northern segment of the western fault system from the east lake plateau(Uganda Plateau), located between lakes Edward, Albert, Victoria and the White Nile basin. The plateau has a wavy surface, is composed mainly of crystalline rocks and reaches a height of 1000 to 1500 m. The central part of the plateau is occupied by swampy
186 Africa. Regional overview
plain with Lake Kyoga. The plateau breaks off with stepped slopes to the East Sudan Basin, in the east it merges with the volcanic plateau of Kenya.
Central fault system serves as a continuation of the Ethiopian graben, runs in the meridional direction from Lake Rudolf in the north to Lake Nyasa in the south, where it merges with the western fault system.
In the northern part of the central faults, within the volcanic plateau of Kenya, the volcanic relief is especially pronounced. Extinct volcanoes Kilimanjaro, Kenya, Elgon and a group of giant craters rise along tectonic cracks, the edges of which are covered with basalts and tuffs. In a group of giant craters, the Ngorongoro volcano stands out with a huge caldera.
Between the western and central fault system, on the one hand, and Lakes Victoria and Nyasa, on the other, is located Unyamwezi plateau. It is composed of granites and is heavily swamped. To the east are the Nyasa and Masai plateaus. These are peneplains on a granite base, broken by faults and crowned with rounded crystalline remnant peaks.
Eastern fault system represented mainly by unilateral faults. From the west, they limit by ledges a narrow coastal lowland, composed mainly of permeable Tertiary sandstones and limestones.
The climate of the East African Plateau is subequatorial, hot, variable-humid, with a pronounced climatic zonality on high mountain ranges. Only in the vicinity of Lake Victoria, on the Lake Plateau, does it approach the equato-
real both in terms of the amount and regime of precipitation, and in the even course of temperatures, which, however, due to high altitude areas 3-5 ° C below the average monthly temperatures of the equatorial strip in the Congo Basin.
Trade winds and equatorial monsoons dominate within the plateau. In the winter months of the Northern Hemisphere, the northeast trade wind, without changing its direction, is drawn into a baric depression over the Kalahari. Passing over the ocean from Southeast Asia to Africa, it is moistened and releases a small amount of precipitation, mainly orographic. In the summer of the Northern Hemisphere, the south trade wind (southeast wind) intensifies; passing through the equator, it acquires the character of a southwest monsoon. The main wet period is also associated with them; most of the precipitation falls on the windward slopes of the mountains.
High temperatures are observed only at low altitudes, especially on the coast indian ocean. In Dar es Salaam, for example, average temperature the warmest month (January) +28 °С, the coldest (August) +23 °С. It becomes cooler with height, although the annual course remains uniform. In the mountains at an altitude of more than 2000 m, the temperature is below 0 ° C, above 3500 m snow falls, and on the highest massifs - Rwenzori, Kilimanjaro and Kenya, there are small glaciers.
Humidification of various parts of the East African Plateau is not the same. The greatest amount of precipitation (up to 2000-3000 mm and more) is received by high mountain ranges. From 1000 mm to 1500 mm of precipitation falls in the northwest and southwest of the country, as well as on the coast of the Indian
East African Plateau 187
ocean south of 4 ° S. sh., where the mountainous meridional coast delays moist winds from the Indian Ocean. In the rest of the plateau, 750-1000 mm of precipitation falls annually, falling in the extreme northeast and in closed depressions to 500 mm or less. Kenya is the driest region of the plateau, with a long rainless period of 7 to 9 months.
For territories located between 5 ° with. sh. and 5°S sh., the equatorial precipitation regime is characteristic, with two rainy seasons (March-May and November-December), separated by two periods of their relative decrease. To the south, they merge into one rainy season (from October-November to March-April), followed by a dry period.
The East African Plateau occupies a watershed - a position between the basins of the Atlantic, Indian Oceans and mediterranean sea. In the north-west of the region, the Nile originates, to the system of which the lakes Victoria, Kyoga, Albert and Edward belong. Lakes Tanganyika and Kivu belong to the Congo river system; Lake Nyasa drains into the Zambezi. In the central part of the plateau there are drainless lakes (Rudolf, Ruk-va, Baringo, etc.). In terms of size, depth, impact on runoff and climate, the plateau lakes are comparable to the Great Lakes of North America.
Tectonic fragmentation of the plateau, diversity of relief and climatic conditions determine the variegation and diversity of landscapes. The interior is dominated by typical savannahs with rather large tracts of light forests and shrubs that shed their leaves during the dry season. The vegetation consists of cereals, acacias, mimosas, baobabs, tama-
risks, spurges, etc. Red-brown soils are developed under typical savannahs and light forests on the plains, black tropical soils are developed in poorly drained depressions of the relief, and young brown tropical soils are on the main volcanic rocks.
In the arid northeastern regions (the plateau of Kenya, north of 2°-3° N), on red-brown soils, deserted savannas and thickets of thorny shrubs of xerophytic, leafless acacias are developed for most of the year, sometimes turning into semi-desert. Similar and more arid landscapes are characteristic of deep depressions of the central fault system, where drainless lakes are half-filled with sand, covered with a crust of salts, and surrounded by solonchaks with halophytic vegetation.
Sparse, semi-desert vegetation cover has and Northern part coastal lowlands off the coast of the Indian Ocean. In the southern part of the lowland, semi-deserts are replaced by savannahs, red-brown soils give way to red ones; mixed deciduous-evergreen forests appear along the rivers and on the windward slopes of the mountains. Mangroves are developed along the coast.
In wet areas
common humid equatorial
forests on red-yellow soils and
mixed deciduous-evergreen
nye - on red soils. They are mostly cut down and replaced by secondary formations - wet tall grass savannahs. Evergreen and mixed forests are found mainly in the west (Lake Plateau), where they merge with the hylaea of the Congo Basin, as well as on the windward wet slopes of high mountain ranges.
188 Africa. Regional overview
The East African Plateau is located southwest of the "Horn of Africa" - the Somali Peninsula, south of the Ethiopian Highlands. The relief of this vast territory is strongly dissected. Here the highest mountain peaks are adjacent to deep depressions Great Rift Valley. accompanied by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Almost the entire territory is located in the subequatorial climatic zone.
East African Plateau: Exploration in the 19th century
The elevated part of the continent has been poorly studied for many centuries. Although the Kilimanjaro massif was mapped by Ptolemy (II-III century AD). snow has been reported mountain top seafarers and merchants near the equator in the Middle Ages. Colonial fragmentation made it difficult to systematically explore the area.
Initially, part of the territory where the highest peaks of Africa are located belonged to Great Britain. There is a version that in 1889 the English Queen Victoria gave the Emperor of Germany Wilhelm II (her nephew) the largest extinct volcano in Africa - Kilimanjaro. Until 1918, there was another name for its cone in Europe - "Kaiser Wilhelm Peak". The scientific elite showed interest in studying this area in the last decades of the 19th century, when the German Hans Mayer climbed Kibo. Since then, the flow of scientists and tourists who want to see giant volcanoes, picturesque lakes, and unusual corners of nature has not dried up. In Tanzania, Kenya and other countries East Africa income-generating tourism is developing.
Geological structure of East Africa
Unlike Asia and America, there are no long ranges in this part of the world, which is explained by geological history and The most elevated, fragmented and mobile block above the level of the World Ocean is the East African Plateau. The height of most of the territory is from 500 to 1500 m. The foundation is composed of the oldest crystalline and metamorphic rocks, their age is more than 2 billion years. At the base is the Precambrian platform, a fragment of the Gondwana pro-continent. A sedimentary cover has formed on the surface. In the Cenozoic era, significant movements of the earth's crust took place here, and at the last stage of mountain building, the world's largest zone of faults and uplifts arose.
The absolute height of the East African Plateau is more than 1000 m. The entire territory is characterized by high seismicity, earthquakes occur, and modern volcanic activity is observed. The total length of the most significant tectonic faults on the planet from north to south is more than 6000 km. Faults go from Western Asia along the bottom of the Red Sea. In Africa, they begin in the northeast with the Danakil depression, and end in the south at the mouth of the river. Zambezi.
Geographical position
The high plain - the East African Plateau - on the map occupies a vast area of \u200b\u200bthe mainland, which is crossed by the equator in the northern part. To the west is the Congo Basin.
Termite buildings rise in the savannahs, snakes, lizards, and land turtles are often found. In the north of Tanzania, there is a vast volcanic highland and the world-famous Ngorongoro crater (caldara) with a diameter of 22 km. At its bottom is Lake Magadi, the savannas of the biosphere reserve of the same name. In this part of the mainland (west of the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands) Olduvai Gorge is located, where the remains of ancient man, who lived 2 million years ago, the skeletons of animals he killed, primitive stone axes and scrapers.
Volcanoes and savannas of Africa attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. The largest flow of visitors occurs from June to September. Large national parks and reserves have been created on the territory of the East African Plateau to study and preserve the diversity of nature, organize ecotourism.
A. - the second largest continent after Eurasia. The area is 29.2 million km2 (with islands 30.3 million km2, about 1/5 of the land area of the globe). Population 328 million people (1967).
The main features of orography
The relief of Azerbaijan is dominated by plains, plateaus, and plateaus lying at an altitude of 200–500 m above sea level (39% of the area) and 500–1,000 m above sea level (28.1% of the area). Lowlands occupy only 9.8% of the area, mainly along the coastal margins. In terms of average height above sea level (750 m), Africa is second only to Antarctica and Eurasia.
Almost all of Africa to the north of the equator is occupied by the plains and plateaus of the Sahara and Sudan, among which the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands rise in the center of the Sahara (Mt. m). On S.-W. The Atlas Mountains (Tubkal, 4,165 m) rise above the plains of the Sahara; the Etbay Range (Mount Oda, 2,259 m) extends eastward along the Red Sea. The plains of the Sudan are framed in the south by the North Guinean Upland (Bintimani, 1948 m) and the Azande plateau; from the east, the Ethiopian highlands rise above them (the city of Ras Dashan, 4620 m). It breaks off abruptly to the Afar depression, where the deepest depression of Afar is located (Lake Assal, 150 m). Beyond the Azande Plateau lies the Congo Basin, bounded on the west by the South Guinea Upland, on the south by the Lunda-Katanga Plateau, and on the east by the East African Plateau, on which the most high peaks A. - Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m), Rwenzori (5109 m).
South Africa is occupied by the high Kalahari plains, framed in the west by the plateaus of Namaqualand, Damaraland, and Kaoko, and in the east by the Dragon Mountains (Tabana-Ntlenyana, 3,482 m). Along the southern edge of the mainland stretch the medium-altitude Cape Mountains.
The predominance of a leveled relief on the mainland is due to its platform structure. In the northwestern part of Azerbaijan, with a deep basement and extensive development of the sedimentary cover, elevations of less than 1,000 m (Low Azerbaijan) predominate; in the southwest of A., where the ancient foundation is raised and exposed in many places, the heights of St. 1000 m (High A.). The troughs and protrusions of the African platform correspond to large depressions (Kalahari, Congo, Chad, etc.) and uplifts that separate and border them. The eastern margin of Africa is the most elevated and fractured within the activated section of the platform (the Ethiopian Highlands and the East African Plateau), where a complex system of East African faults extends.
In the elevated areas of High A. largest area occupy basement plains and basement blocky mountains, framing the depressions of the grabens Vost. A. (including Rwenzori) and Katanga. In Low Africa, basement ranges and massifs stretch along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and jut out into the Sahara (in the Lhaggar and Tibesti highlands, and the Etbay range). Lava plateaus and cones are widespread in the Ethiopian highlands and in the East. A. (Kilimanjaro, Kenya, etc.), crown the peaks of Ahaggar and Tibesti, are in Sudan (Marra), Cameroon (Cameroon Volcano, Adamawa Mountains), overlap dragon mountains in Lesotho. Stratified denudation plains and plateaus occupy most of the area in Low Africa (Sahara, Sudan); in Vysokaya A. they are confined to the deposits of the Karru syneclise and make up the Drakonovy mountains, the Veldov plateau adjoining them from the west and lying south of the river. Orange Top Carr. Accumulative plains are found mainly in the Low Asia: in the middle reaches of the Niger, in the basins of the Chad and White Nile, in the depression of the Congo; in High Alps they occupy the Kalahari depression. The Cape Mountains and the hinterland of the Atlas belong to the fold-block mountains. northern ranges The Atlas Mountains are the only young folded mountains in Armenia of the Neogene-Paleogene age.
The relief of Africa is dominated by surfaces of the Neogene cycle of denudation and accumulation, which are dissected by the modern Congo cycle. Above them rise the remnants of the predominating surfaces worked out by more ancient cycles (up to the Gondwanal one).
Geological map
Geological structure and minerals.
Almost all of A., except for the Atlas Mountains in the northwest. and the Cape Mountains in the extreme south, is an ancient platform that also includes the Arabian Peninsula and about. Madagascar s Seychelles. The foundation of this African-Arabian platform, composed of Precambrian rocks, mostly folded and metamorphosed, protrudes in many regions of Africa, from the Anti-Atlas to the northwest. and Zap. Arabia in the north-east. to the Transvaal in the south. As part of the basement, rocks of all age divisions of the Precambrian are known - from the lower Archean (more than 3 billion years) to the upper Proterozoic. The consolidation of most of the A. ended by the middle of the Proterozoic (1.9-1.7 billion years ago); in the Late Proterozoic, only peripheral (Mauritanian-Senegalese, Arabian) and some internal (Ugarta-Atakor, Western Congolese, Namaqualand-Kibar) geosynclinal systems developed, and by the beginning of the Paleozoic, the entire area of the modern platform was already stabilized (according to the latest data, deposits, shown on a geological map south of the Sahara as Cambrian, turned out to be Upper Proterozoic). In areas of early consolidation, late, and in some places even early or middle Proterozoic deposits (the Transvaal, Zimbabwe, and some other massifs) already belong to the platform cover. The rocks of the Early Precambrian basement are represented by various crystalline schists, gneisses, metamorphosed volcanic formations, replaced by granites over large areas. They are subordinated to deposits of iron ores of sedimentary-metamorphic origin, gold (associated with granites), and chromites (in ultrabasic rocks). Large accumulations of gold and uranium ores are known in the coarse clastic rocks at the base of the sedimentary cover in southern Africa. near them), copper, lead, zinc and uranium ores.
The Phanerozoic sedimentary cover developed over the Precambrian basement mainly in the western and central parts of North Africa (Sahara Plate), in the large depressions of Equatorial and South Africa (Congo, Okavango, Kalahari, Karoo), in the Mozambique trough of the east coast, and between the mainland and the . Madagascar and also in the band Atlantic coast from Mauritania to Angola. Marine Early and Middle Paleozoic folded deposits are distributed mainly in the region of the Sahara Plate, where they contain large deposits of oil and gas (Algeria, Libya), as well as in the Atlas and Cape geosynclines. The formations of the Upper Paleozoic and Triassic are almost everywhere continental; in Equatorial and South Africa, they begin with glacial deposits (upper Carboniferous–lower Permian), witnessing the glaciation of a large part of the continent, and continue with Lower Permian coal-bearing deposits, with which the main coal resources of Africa are associated (South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, and others). In northern Africa, coal-bearing is the Middle Carboniferous, above which red-colored continents are common, and lagoonal sediments (in the Triassic with large strata of salts and gypsum).
The beginning of the Jurassic includes powerful volcanic eruptions and intrusions of basic (basalt) magma, which are most common in southern Africa but also occur in the west of northern Asia. During the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, most of Africa experienced uplift; continental deposits accumulated in internal depressions; at the end of the Jurassic - the beginning of the Cretaceous, alkaline granites and carbonatites were introduced with deposits of rare elements (niobium, tantalum, etc.), as well as the formation of kimberlite pipes, with which diamond deposits are associated - primary and redeposited in younger sediments and placers (South Africa, Angola , Democratic Republic of the Congo, the countries of the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea). By the same time (the end of the Jurassic - the beginning of the Cretaceous), the design of the modern contours of A., associated with the subsidence along the ruptures of the bottom of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and the formation of a system of perioceanic troughs containing significant deposits of oil and gas (Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, etc.). Madagascar separated from the continent at the end of the Paleozoic. At the same time, intensive subsidence of the modern coast of Tunisia and Libya occurs with the formation of oil deposits in the Cretaceous and Eocene deposits. In the middle and end of the Cretaceous, a significant transgression engulfed the Sahara Plate: sea straits arose that connected the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Guinea and existed until the middle of the Eocene.
From the end of the Eocene - the beginning of the Oligocene, A. (mainly eastern and southern regions) experienced an intense uplift accompanied by the formation mountainous terrain, the emergence of the East African fault zone and graben-rifts of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Ethiopia, lakes Rudolf, Albert, Rukva, Tanganyika, Nyasa, etc. The outbreak of volcanic activity, which continues in certain areas and into the modern era, dates back to the same time (Kenya, Kilimanjaro, volcanoes of the Virunga region). Uplifts and volcanic activity also manifested themselves in the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands in the Sahara, Cameroon (Cameroon Volcano) and in some areas of the Atlantic coast (Green Cape).
At the end of the Miocene, a folded structure of the Atlas Mountains arose; in the Pliocene, its central part descended along faults into the Alboran Basin of the Mediterranean Sea.
Azerbaijan has large reserves of iron ores (total reserves are estimated at approximately 16–23 billion tons), manganese ores (about 400 million tons), chromites (500–700 million tons), bauxites (3.3 billion tons), copper (certain and probable reserves are about 48 million tons), cobalt (0.5 million tons), phosphorites (26 billion tons), tin, antimony, lithium, uranium, asbestos, gold (A. provides about 80% of the total production of capitalist and developing countries), platinum and platinoids (about 60% of production), diamonds (98% of production). After World War II, large reserves of oil (the total reserves are estimated at 5.6 billion tons) and natural gas were discovered on the territory of Africa (mainly in Algeria, Libya, and Nigeria).
Tectonic map
see also photos of the nature of the South African plateau(with geographical and biological captions for photographs) from the section Natural landscapes of the world:
On the gentle slopes of the eastern plateaus, facing the interior of the continent, there is still quite a lot of precipitation; treeless terrain prevails there with a dense cover of tall grasses (). Such a landscape in South Africa is called "weld".
As we move to the west, the amount of precipitation decreases and the vegetation takes on an increasingly xerophytic appearance. It consists of various bulbs that turn green and bloom only during a short period of rains, low-growing thorny acacias, numerous types of aloe. In the Kalahari there are completely barren rocky areas where plants do not form a continuous cover (). Wild watermelons are very characteristic of the Kalahari, the lashes of which cover large areas. Apparently, all known cultivated types of watermelons originate from here. With a large lack of moisture, watermelons with their water reserves save people and animals from thirst.
The vegetation of the Namib Desert is even poorer, where there are only individual specimens of velvichia, fixed on the sands with powerful roots, and undersized thorny shrubs ().
The shores of drying lakes and swamps in the Kalahari depressions and the upper reaches of the Zambezi are covered with more moisture-loving vegetation (), which serves as a refuge for wild animals.
, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi). Altitudes 500–1500 m, mountains in the west Rwenzori (peak margherita , 5109 m), array Virunga . To the south are flat-topped mountains Mitumba (3305 m). On SW. plateau cones of volcanoes Elgon (4221 m), Kenya (5199 m), Meru (4566 m), kilimanjaro (5895 m); in the center Crater Highlands with caldera Ngorongoro . A large uplift of the ancient African platform, broken by a system of faults, united under the name of the East African Rift System. Composed of ancient crystalline and young volcanic rocks. High seismicity and modern volcanism are characteristic. Deposits of coal, fluorite, polymetallic ores and rare metals; placers of precious stones, diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe Mwadui. The largest rivers in Africa originate on the plateau: Nile , Congo , Zambezi . Series large lakes (Victoria , Edward, Tanganyika , Rudolf and etc.); modern glaciers on the volcanoes of Kilimanjaro, Kenya and in the Rwenzori massif. The climate is equatorial and subequatorial, seasonally humid, hot. Savanna woodlands and shrubs predominate. In the mountains, there are tropical rainforests, subalpine and alpine meadows. National parks Virunga, Serengeti and a number of others. Investigated by Europeans in the second half of the XIX century. (D.-H. Speke, R.-F. Burton, D.-O. Grant, D. Livingston, G.-M. Stanley, etc.).
Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of Acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .
East African Plateau
in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi. Length from north to south approx. 1750 km, lat. OK. 1400 km. It is located between the Ethiopian highlands and sowing. the edge of the lake Nyasa. In the west and south it is bounded by mountains and depressions, in the east by the coastal plains of the Indian Ocean. Shattered by a system of rifts that form part of East African Rift. Most of the plateau is composed of crystalline and metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian, there are covers of Quaternary lavas and tuffs. High seismicity and modern volcanism are characteristic. Deposits of coal, polymetallic ores, precious and ornamental stones, diamonds. High plains from cf. high from 500 to 1500 m, over which rise remnant mountains. To the west of the Rwenzori mountains with Margherita peak (5109 m), Virunga with more than 400 small and 8 large volcanoes. Of these, Nyamlagira (3058 m) and Nyiragongo (3470 m) are active. To the south - the flat-topped Mitumba mountains (3305 m). On S.-V. the cones of extinct volcanoes Elgon (4221 m) and Kenya (5199 m), and in the center - the Crater Highlands with the giant Ngorongoro Caldera (reserve of fauna and flora). The largest volcanic massif active volcano Meru (4566 m) and main peak Africa - extinct volcano Kilimanjaro (5895 m). A number of large and small lakes (Victoria, Edward, Tanganyika, Rudolf, etc.). Modern glaciers on the volcanoes Kilimanjaro and Kenya and in the Rwenzori massif. The climate is equatorial and subequatorial, seasonally humid, hot. The annual precipitation is up to 2000-3000 mm and more, in the deep valleys it is dry. The largest rivers in Africa - the Nile, the Congo, the Zambezi - originate on the plateau. Subequatorial forests, savanna woodlands and shrubs predominate. In the mountains there are subalpine and alpine meadows. National parks Virunga, Serengeti, many smaller ones; numerous reserves.
Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .
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