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The Land Africa is the world's second largest continent. More than three times the size of the There are many tall mountains in East Africa. Mount Kilmanjaro, the continent's largest peak, is a volcano that is no longer active. Kilmanjaro is located near the equator, but is so high that its peak is always covered with snow. The Great Rift Valley of East Africa is a huge crack in the earth’s surface. The result is a stunning landscape stretching from Mozambique in the south, to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan in the north. There are Many lakes have formed in the Great Rift Valley. Lake Victoria, on the border of Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, is the world’s second largest freshwater lake. Victoria is a source of the Nile, the world’s longest river. Lake Tanganyika formed in a rift and is almost a mile deep. Most of equatorial Africa, or land near the equa-tor, is a lush, tropical rainforest. The climate is hot and wet; an average of more than 70 inches of rain falls annually. The rainforest is home to some of the world’s most important vegetation because it provides oxygen to the entire planet, and keeps the earth’s temperature from rising. If the earth’s tem-perature rises, even by a few degrees, the ice near the north and south poles will melt and the oceans will rise. Most of Palm Beach County is less than ten feet above sea level; so global warming could have a strong impact on our lives. North and south of the rainforests are savannas, areas with tall grasses and scattered trees and bushes. The savanna is home to large grazing ani-mals like elephants, lions, tigers, giraffes, and ze-bras. The savanna is generally not used for farming because the topsoil is too thin. |
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United States, it is home to enormous mountains, tropical rainforests, grassy savannas, three large deserts, and the world's longest river.
places along the rift where the walls of the valley are more than a mile high.