LESSON THREE: PHYSIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

OF AFRICA

3.1 Introduction

This lesson provides the physiographic setting of the African Continent and the general nature of the
surface. The lesson characterises various surfaces which are associated with geological structures or
formations that produce different plateaux and uplands on the continent of Africa.

The Coastal lining and its nature has also been highlighted plus various Coastal types around the continent.

3.2 Objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

(a) Describe the general physiographic features of Africa.

(b) Discuss various surfaces associated with the geological structures on the
African Continent.
(c) Characterise the nature and types of the Coastline of the African
Continent.
(d) Describe the drainage system and associated relief surfaces on the
African Continent.
3.3 The Physiographic Setting and Environment

The physiographic setting and the surface nature of the

(a) Describe the general physiographic features of Africa.

(b) Discuss various surfaces associated with the geological structures on the African Continent.
(c) Characterise the nature and types of the Coastline of the African Continent.
(d) Describe the drainage system and associated relief surfaces on the African Continent.

Depends on the underneath of the geological formation – thus the characteristics of the geological
set-up of the entire continent.

Large geological features were caused by the tectonical movement or internal processes and were
modified by external or erosional processes grouped into two categories or scales.

The large prominent examples are as follows:-

(a) Large depressions.

(b) Folded mountains.
(c) Faulted high peaks and mountains.
(d) Extensive plains and plateaux
2. The minor examples are as follows:-

(a) Big river basins.

(b) Major hills.
(c) Expand swamps.
(d) Large lake basins.
And because of such natural set-up, according to A.T. Grove (1970), the African Continent is
divided into two surface heights namely:

(a) High Africa.

(b) Low Africa.
 High and low sections of Africa are divided by a line trace contour of 1000m from Luanda in Angola
to Asmara depression in Eltrea – north of Ethiopia (Fig. IV)

Mainly, High Africa is dominated by large and high plateau/Uplands and plains standing (or found)
between 1000m and 2000m high, while low Africa the plains mostly are found between 160m and 660m
high.

Some zones within High Africa do rise above 2000m high. Some examples include:-

(a) Lesotho Highlands (Over 3800m).

(b) The Aberdare Range (Over 4400m)
(c) The Mutumba Mountains (Over 4930m)
(d) The Ethiopian Highlands (Over 5050m).
(e) The extensive Nyika zone plateaux (Over 2700m).
(f) The Cherangani Hills (Over 3500m).
(g) Ruwenzori Mountain (Over 5585m).
(h) Kilimanjaro Mountain (5895m).
(i) Mount Kenya (5199m).
(j) Mount Elgon (Over 4200m).
Some of them rise as uplands and mountains like Islands from the surrounding plains.

Low Africa a part form the Atlas Mountains (4165m), lies below 1000m, but large depressions such
as Libya, Chad, Mauritania are found below 300m high.

Large basins and boring plains do surround Low Africa.

Those which rise like Islands, Mountains from the main surrounding plains of low (or Sahara) Africa
include:-

(a) Hoggar (Over 3000m)

(b) Jebel Marra (3300m)

(c) Tibesti (3800m)

 They form a discontinuous upland arc of about 2700km long, bisecting the Sahara zone latitudinally.

The Atlas Mountains is nearly extensive as the Ethiopian Highlands contain chains between 1800m
and 2500m high.

The High Atlas in Morocco stretches for about 400km at an altitudes ranging from 2000m to 4000m
high.

Other mountain zones within low Africa included:-

(a) Cameroon - Mandara Peak (4100m).

(b) Guinea Highlands - Nimba Peak (Over 1750m)
Other physiographic setting of Africa include:-

(a) Horizontal distribution of land surface – mostly plains and plateaux.

(b) Vertical distribution of Mountains, Ranges, Chain Systems.
(c) Rivers and associated catchment zones or basins.

The extensive low plains, including the plateaux zones and steep slopes do drop to the Indian Ocean
basin, extending inland up to Zambezi, Limpopo river valleys and Luangwa depression in South Africa.

The interior depressions (Or basins) such as Okavanga and Kalahari Desert are found below 1000m.

3.4 River Drainage of Africa

According to Colin Buckle (1979) and other authors, the drainage patterns of the African Continent
have been greatly affected by ‘basin and swell’ nature of Africa’s surface with the accompaniment of
Africa’s main rivers that reflect such an effect.

A number of these rivers such as River Nile are very old which were formed on the African surface
about 65 million years ago during the Eocene times.

Since then river Nile has undergone (or experienced) numerous changes even if it has always flown
to the north (Colin B. 1979).
 It has been noted that during Pleistocene pluvial times the zone presently occupied by the Swampy
Sudd, around Juba-Khartoum area belonged to a vast Lake which was known as Lake Sudd during those
times.

Sources indicate that Lake Sudd drew its waters from ancestor rivers that formed the present White
and Blue Niles.

And eventually the White and Blue Niles over lopped the basin’s rim and started flowing to the
north, joining the Mediterranean sea passing through Sabaloka Gorge in the north of Khartoum City.

Shore deposits show that some lakes might have been formed along the former Nile course between
Khartoum-Malakal zone.

This is evidenced by the present rivers, having some lake sediments which were earlier deposited
here.

Such ancient lakes in size and length were as large as the present lakes such as Tanganyika, Malawi,
etc.

Presently the rivers that dominate the entire northeastern section of Africa are the tributaries of river
Nile such as the Blue Nile, the Sobat, the Atbara.

As it is observed form the topo map of Africa the above river Nile tributaries mainly drain their
waters from the lower northwest, eastern and southeasten slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands. Some of them
like Sobat and the Blue Nile, because of the topographic nature of the eastern Ethiopian Highlands are
characterised with series of falls and rapids before they join the eastern low plains of the river Nile (Fig.
…..).

According to Colin Blue (1979), the three rivers maintain tremendous erosive power that is
evidenced by large amounts of silt which have been deposited along the lower and huge delta of the river
Nile.

Africa has a number and famous rivers and it ranks among the world’s largest rivers. But mainly it is
drained by five major rivers, which have sources within the high zones or highlands of Africa. They are:-

(1) River Congo, (2) River Nile, (3) River Niger, (4) River Zambezi and (5) River Orange.
Both in size and basins, these rivers are complex and they are longer than 1000km in distance.

About 75% of African rivers drain in humid zones, where about ½ of Africa is usually drained by the
said five rivers.

Some rivers like the Nile and Niger drainage systems derive from the amalgamation of several
systems during the Cainozoic Era.

In contrast river Congo has a more well defined basin and compact.

River Zambezi and some of its tributaries for example pass through interior swampy basins on the
plains of High Africa before they descend to their large lowland along the Coastal zone of the Western
Sections of the Indian Ocean.

However, J.M. Pritchard (1979), indicated that the drainage systems of the African Continent falls
into three groups or categories in a ranking river categories namely (Fig….).

I. Main drainage systems with rivers:

1. River Nile
2. River Congo
3. River Niger
4. River Zambezi
5. River Orange
II. Regional drainage systems:-

1. Maghreb region
2. Western region
3. West Equatorial region
4. Southwestern region
5. Southern region
6. Southeastern region
7. Eastern region
III. Basins of internal drainage systems:-

1. Lake Turkana
2. Okavanga Basin
3. Lake Chad
IV. With no specific drainage systems:-

1. Sahara zone
2. Northeastern zone
Considering those (Category I) with sharp contrast to these complex continental rivers which are
spread over the interior large plains of Africa before they descend to their respective oceans, also there are
the short simple drainage basins of the continental margins.

And this possibly what Colin Buckle (1979) categorised as ‘regional drainage systems’.

Rivers belonging to this category maintain less than 650km long and the nature or cause of these
rivers are basically linear and at right angles towards the Coastline.

The African Continent drainage system also comprises numerous large and small lakes, where some
wide and deep like Tanganyika, Malawi, etc. some are shallow like Chad, Victoria, etc.

Fairly, a number of African lakes in form and nature are associated with the Great East African Rift
System. Some lakes are human-made like; Nasser, Kariba, Volta, Niger, etc.

3.5 African Coastlines

Compared to other Continents like North America, Europe, Asia Africa’s Coastline has a smooth
outline in nature and fairly a short Coast in length.

But in few places it is broken by some rivers estuaries with limited deep inlets (J.M. Pritchard 1979;
W.J. Minns 1984).

It is noted that the African Continent has been uplifted, therefore there are few extensive or wide
Coastal low-plains.

The nature of the African Continental shelf is considerably shallow and slopes gently towards east,
west, south mainly.
 Such a Coastal nature affects the formation of adequate and proper natural harbours which are not
many in the Africa’s Coastline W.J. Minns, 1984).

However, there are few Africa’s Coastlines that are not completely smooth ones such as the West
African Coast which has a number of gaps and marks with the sea stretching further inland where rivers here
seems to be greatly deep.

There are notable African Coastlines such as the low-plains of Mozambique, northern and northeast
Kenya, southern Somalia, Senegal, Mauritania and few others.

The surface nature along the African Coast do range from high cliffs in the north and south to sand
bars, lagoons of the west and the eastern coral reefs.

In some places mangrove swamps change with drowned river’s valleys.

Along some Coasts are found old beaches that stand in a raised form high above the usual shoreline,
indicating the previous higher sea level.

The African continental shelf is a little wider in the Gulf of Gabes (East of Tunisia, ≃10 L.E.).

The depths here are less than 200m, extending up to about 400km from the shores and up to about
249km out from the South African coast on the Aghulas Banks (at times C. Agulhas – the Southmost point
of Africa, at 20 L.E.)

In general the African Continental shelf is comparatively narrow. It has less than 50km, but some
places like off Natal, Angola, etc., the Coastal zones do not exceed 5km wide.

The total length of the African Cost is about 27,000km, which is a half of the Asian Continent
Coastline.

The African Coasts are usually low and sandy, with few good natural harbours, as indicated earlier.
 But where downwarping or local faulting and sinking has taken place, then there are productions of
deep inlets like that of Freetown in Sierra Leone and Mombasa in Kenya. Deep river estuaries are usually
few, but only rivers Gambia and Congo can be cited as outstanding examples of Africa.

Some of them include:

(a) Work of waves.

(b) Tidal currents
(c) Land’s height along the Coast
(d) Geological formation or nature of the rocks along the Coast
(e) Relative sea level movement effect – if any.
(f) Regional Climatic Conditions/Regimes
(g) Effect of human activities along Coasts

3.6 Summary

In this lesson you have learned:-

a) The physiographic setting of the African Continent.

b) Characteristics of various surfaces of Africa associated with their geological structures and
examples (Major/Minor).
c) Drainage patterns and distribution systems.
d) Coastline characteristics – i.e. nature, types, extends etc.

3.7 Revision Questions

(a) Describe the major and minor physiographic surfaces of Africa.

(b) Explain the association of geology and that of surface layout.
(c) Discuss the drainage systems of low Africa.
(d) Explain what a Regional Drainage System(s) is.
(e) Describe any two factors that influence the Coastline of Africa.
3.8 Definition of Key Words

Physiographic: Depiction or describe of surface nature or physical features

on a given topo-map using standardized systematic

applicable appearances and causal relationships.

Geolgoical Structure: Rock layout in the Earth’s crust. Horizontal rock

arrangements and disposition from the centre of the Earth.

Drainage Pattern: Actual arrangement of the main river and its tributaries

(System or net-work).

Drainage System: Discharge of water from a zone through a system of natural

streams of a single river system.

Continental Shelf: Gently sloping margins of continents, submerged below

sea /ocean.

Coastline: Edge of the land and water masses or line reached by the

highest storm waves or the high-water points.

3.7 Further Reading

1. A.T. Grove (1970): Africa, South of Sahara, 2nd ed.

2. Colin Buckle 91979): Landforms in Africa 2nd version.

3. W.J. Minns (1984): A Geography of Africa, New ed.

4. Richard White (1990): Africa in Focus; A Physical, Human and Economic

Geography.