Central Africa_Physical Geography

Central Africa is a region that has two distinct climates, mostly humid. Central Africa is shaped like a wide, flat bowl and in the middle of the bowl is called the Congo Basin. Many low hills and plateaus surround the Congo Basin. A huge river called the Congo River lies in the middle of the region. It is fed by hundreds of smaller rivers. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean and there are many waterfalls that lie along its route making it impossible for the ships to travel through. Central Africa lies along the equator and in the low altitudes. Therefore, most of the region in Central Africa are humid and receives warm temperature and a lot of rainfall all year long. The climate support the large tropical rain forest which is a home to such organisms as gorillas, elephants, insects and birds. The government has set up many national parks to save the forests from farming and logging. While the middle of the Central Africa is always rainy and humid, North and South of the Central Africa have a tropical savanna climate. It is warm all year long too, but it has distinct dry and wet season. There are grasslands, a few trees, and some shrubs. Dry area and desert areas are found in the far southern part of the region. The warm weather and water source make a perfect condition for the crops to grow. Common crops are coffee, bananas, and corn. Africa is rich in natural resources as well. The forests provide timber, and the rivers give out hydroelectricity. Central Africa also has a lot of valuable minerals such as diamond, gold, copper, etc. Overall, Central Africa is a region rich of natural resources.