Af'rica, the second largest grand division of the globe, lies in the eastern hemisphere, between latitude 37deg 25' north and 34deg 50' south, and longitude 51deg 21' east and 17deg 30' west. Its greatest extent from north to south is about 5000 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west, a little less. The area of the continent, exclusive of islands, is 11,250,000 sqare miles, and including the islands, a little over 11,500,000 square miles. The coast line is 15,000 miles. The surrounding waters are the Mediterranean Sea and Strait of Gibraltar on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the south, and the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea on the east. Aside from the Gulf of Guinea, which fills the great bend in the western coast, and the indentation which forms the Rea Sea on the northeast, there are no coast waters of special significance, the coast line being very regular. On the north are the two small gulfs of Gabes and Sidra, formerly known as the Great and Lesser Syrtes. Africa is joined to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, and barely separated from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar, which in its narrowest place is only eight and one-half miles wide. The important projections are capes Bon on the north, Verde on the west, Good Hope on the south and Guardafui on the east. The islands are few, and with the exception of Madagascar, the most important groups geographically connected with the continent are the Madeira, the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands. Single islands of some geographic and historic importance are Fernando Po, Saint Helena, Saint Thomas, Ascension, Saint Mary, Bourbon and Mauritius. SURFACE AND DRAINAGE. In general, Africa consists of a plateau which rises abruptly from the ocean, with narrow lowlands at its base. Upon this plateau rise disconnected mountains and fragments of ranges. The great bend in the western coast naturally divides the surface into two sections, the northern, which is approximately elliptical in form, and the southern, which is roughly triangular. The northern division is considerably lower than the southern, but it contains an important mountain range, the Atlas, running parallel to the southern coast of the Mediterranean and attaining its greatest height in the western half, where some of the peaks exceed 14,000 feet. Toward the east it descends rapidly and is followed by some depressions that are below the sea level. On the south the Atlas range slopes directly to the plateau which forms the Sahara. This region has an irregular surface containing small plateaus of different degrees of elevation separated by wadys, or the valleys of dried-up streams. Running across these plateaus are ranges of hills and low mountains, which extend in various directions. (See SAHARA.) South of the Sahara is the Sudan, which extends to the Gulf of Guinea. This is a still lower region and has a surface consisting of plains and valleys interspersed with hills. To the southwest of the Sudan are the Kameroon Mountains, a low range which forms the highlands at the head of the Gulf of Guinea. Extending southward from the vicinity of the Red Sea is the most important ridge of highlands. This attains its greatest elevation in the vicinity of mounts Kenia and Kilimanjaro, which are the most lofty peaks on the continent, the former having an elevation of over 18,000 feet and the latter of 19,750 feet. In the equatorial regions this highland is broken up into a number of parallel ridges, and between these are found the basins which contain the great lakes, Victoria Nyanza, Albert Nyanza and Tanganyika. Proceeding southward from Kilimanjaro, this highland takes the form of a mountain range and is known as the Drakenberg Mountains, which attain an altitude of 10,000 feet and extend to the southern extremity of the continent. On the western side of the southern plateau the highlands are lower, but the average altitude of this portion of the continent is about 4000 feet, while that of the northern section is but a little over 2000 feet. The relief of the continent exerts an important influence over its drainage. Of the four great river systems all but one, the Zambezi, flow into the Atlantic or its tributary waters. Of these, the Nile and the Kongo have their head waters in or near the equatorial regions. Where the streams flow over the edge of the plateau they contain falls which obstruct navigation. The celebrated cataracts of the Nile, the rapids in the Kongo at Leopoldville. and Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi, are among the best illustrations of these cataracts, which are described in the articles upon their respective rivers. In the western portion of the northern projection of the continent the Senegal and Niger are the most important streams. The latter has its source quite near the coast and makes a remarkable bend before discharging its waters into the gulf. The southern portion of the continent is drained by the Orange and its tributaries flowing into the Atlantic, and the Limpopo into the Indian Ocean. To the north of the Zambezi are the Rovuma, Tana, Juba and Shebli, all comparatively unimportant streams. Aside from North America, Africa contains the largest fresh-water lakes. Leading these is the Victoria Nyanza, approximately circular in form and having a diameter of about 180 miles. Next to Lake Superior it is the largest body of fresh water on the globe. The other lakes found in this portion of the continent are Albert Nyanza, Albert Edward, Tanganyika and Nyassa. Directly west of Nyassa is Lake Bangweolo, in which the Kongo has its source. Lake Chad, in the center of the Sudan, is an important inland lake with no outlet. Salt lakes are comparatively few and small. MINERAL RESOURCES. But little is yet known of the geology of Africa, but so far as it has been studied, the indications are that the continent has been subject to fewer convulsions than those to the north, and the formations seem to be more regular than in Europe, Asia or America. Among the rocks are found many excellent building stones. The granite and syenite of the Nile basin have been known to the civilized world since the days of the Pharaohs. Extensive deposits of granite are also found along the Orange River, and deposits of sandstone and other stones are found to the north of the Orange River and in other localities. Iron and copper are also distributed over the continent. The Kongo basin contains valuable deposits of these ores, and some of the native tribes have attained considerable skill in fashioning the iron into agricultural implements and weapons, but none of the mines has been in the least developed. Coal has been found in paying quantities near the Zambezi River and is known to exist in some other sections, but no systematic survey has yet been made to determine the extent and value of the deposits. The most valuable mineral region as far as known consists of the diamond and gold regions in South Africa, the former near Kimberley in the northern part of Cape Colony, and the latter in Transvaal Colony. The diamond mines at Kimberley were opened in 1868, and since that time more than $400,000,000 worth of diamonds in the rough have been taken from them. They produce about 98 per cent of the world's output of this precious stone. The gold mines near Johannesburg were opened in 1883, and their value increased rapidly until at the breaking out of the Boer War in 1897 it was $55,000,000 a year. During that conflict operations practically ceased, but since then the mines have been rapidly developed, and their yearly output is now about $152,000,000. See DIAMONDS; KIMBERLEY. CLIMATE. The climate of Africa is more uniform than that of any other continent. This is due largely to the fact that the equator crosses it almost midway between the northern and southern extremities; therefore, the temperature gradually diminishes from the central portion of the continent toward the north and the south. The climate can be divided into tropical and warm temperate. The tropical region extends on the north almost to the northern boundary of the Sahara, and because of altitude and other local conditions the region of greatest heat is found between the tenth and twentieth parallels of north latitude. To the north of the Sahara and in the region of the Atlas Mountains the climate very closely resembles that of southern Europe, but in the Sahara there is a marked difference between summer and winter. During the winter this is an area of high pressure and the wind blows outward, while during the summer the intense heat of the sun causes sea breezes, but because of the hot surface over which these blow, they are dry winds, and the region seldom has any rain. The altitude of the southern part of the continent gives it a cooler climate in corresponding latitudes than is found in the northern. Even in the equatorial regions the interior is healthful, and Europeans can reside there without difficulty, while in the same latitude, with scarcely any exception, the low regions along the coast prove fatal to white men. South Africa has a temperate climate corresponding quite closely to that found in the states of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The distribution of rainfall is very unequal. In the equatorial regions, especially along the course of the Kongo, the precipitation is very heavy. Here there are two rainy seasons in the year, caused by the vertical position of the sun, but as we go north or south from this region the rainfall diminishes, and in the temperate regions there is practically only one rainy season each year; over portions of the Sahara no rain ever falls, and over the rest of it very little. The arid region south of the Zambezi, forming the so-called Desert of Kalahari, is not totally devoid of rain and has enough moisture to make it a profitable grazing country. To the south of this the rainfall is frequent throughout the year. and agriculture can be successfully followed. VEGETATION. The vegetation is very closely related to the rainfall. In the northern portion of the continent the oak and olive are found, as are the semi-tropical fruits, grains and vegetables common to the countries of southern Europe. The inhabitants of Algiers, Morocco and other states bordering upon the Mediterranean derive considerable income by exporting these products to Europe. As we go southward from this region the vegetation becomes very scarce until at the Sahara it ceases altogether, except in the isolated cases where springs are found, but as we near the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea, the desert yields to the savanna region which characterizes most of the Sudan. This is composed of open country covered with herbage and interspersed with groups of forest. From the Gambia River to the coast, and extending southward to within a short distance of the mouth of the Kongo and thence eastward almost to Lake Victoria Nyanza, there is an area of tropical forest which, for extent, size, variety of trees and density of vegetation, is equaled only by the forests of the Amazon. The region covered by this forest is more than half as large as the United States, and over most of this the vegetation is so dense that the sun seldom penetrates to the ground. A few other forest regions are found. These are in Abyssinia, around the sources of the Kongo, in British Central Africa and along the coast of German East Africa. With these exceptions, south of the great forest area the savanna belt extends across the continent until the Zambezi River is reached. From this, the southwestern portion almost to the Cape of Good Hope is arid, and a narrow strip along the western coast is almost a desert. This region follows the coast northward as far as the tenth parallel of south latitude. The corresponding portions of the east coast contain forests and open country and are sufficiently well watered to admit of successful agriculture. The trees in these regions, as well as other forms of vegetation, are peculiar to the locality, a fact undoubtedly due to the distance of this portion of the continent from other land masses. The interior of the plateau contains extensive areas which are valuable for grazing and other agricultural purposes. Many varieties of palm are found in the warm temperate regions on both sides of the equatorial belt. ANIMAL LIFE. Africa is the home of the largest members of the animal kingdom, and owing to the absence of great central mountain barriers they may be found in all regions without special modification of type. Among the carnivorous animals are the lion, the panther, hyena, leopard, fox and jackal. The leading herbivorous animals are the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, giraffe and hippopotamus. Several species of antelopes are also found. The monkey family is spread over the whole continent, represented by numerous types such as the Barbary ape, the dog-faced baboon, the Gallago lemur and the anthropoid chimpanzee and gorilla. Animals resembling the horse are the zebra, quagga, the pigmy Mauritanian ass and the camel. Of the mammals there are about 500 species peculiar to this continent, of which about 50 are of the antelope family. Among the birds found in Africa are the ostrich, secretary, ibis, guinea fowl, weaver bird, roller bird, love bird, wax bill, sun bird, parrot, quail and others. The reptiles include the huge python, the crocodile and many poisonous snakes; while among the insects are termites, locusts, the destructive Tsetse fly and many butterflies of brilliant hues. INHABITANTS. Africa is peopled by four races, the Semitic and Hamitic races in the north, and the negro and Hottentot races in the central and southern portions. From time immemorial northern Africa has been the home of the white race, and equatorial and southern Africa the home of the colored race; but these have gradually intermingled so that the Sudan is peopled by a mixed race. Frequent conquests by the Mediterranean countries have also caused so many changes in the population that race distinctions are now difficult to trace. The equatorial regions are peopled by the negro race belonging to the branch generally known as the Bantus. This branch is very extensive and includes all of the tribes from the region south of the Sudan to the country of the Hottentots, almost in the extreme southeastern portion of the continent. The various tribes inhabiting this vast section differ from one another in size, color and features; yet they all speak kindred languages and possess numerous other points of resemblance, sufficient to classify them as belonging to the Bantu branch. A rare exception to these tribes is found in the dwarfs dwelling in the dense forests along the Aruwimi. The Hottentots, inhabiting the southeastern portion of the continent, are undoubtedly a branch of the negro race, but they differ from the Bantus in color, in general features and in language. The most important nations inhabiting this part of the continent are the Kaffirs, Bushmen and Hottentots. These were brought under the control of the British government during the 1800s. See NEGRO RACE, color plate. A hundred years ago, the best authorities estimated the population of Africa at about 175,000,000, but the number of people in the interior was not definitely known. In the late 1900s, the population of Africa was 623 million, 70% of whom were black. Whites predominate north of the Sahara. There are also large populations of European and Asian descent in South Africa and in the southeast.