For centuries, Africa has mesmerized the world with its stunning scenery, its ancient civilizations, its hypnotizing music. Come on safari and experience the world's most fascinating continent.

Africa is a land of diversity and contrasts. This is true of its land, climate, people, and wildlife. The continent of Africa comprises one-fifth of the total Earth's land mass. It is the second largest continent and is divided into 53 different countries. In 1994, the population of the continent was estimated to be around 683,000,000 and is comprised of several thousand different ethnic groups.

Africa's coastline is 18,950 miles long, with very few inlets and bays. From north to south the continent measures approximately 5,000 miles in length. From east to west above the Equator it measures approximately 4,600 miles.

Africa's land mass was formed by a rigid platform of rock that serves as the base for the widespread plateaus of the interior. From the higher plateaus in southeastern Africa the land descends into the plains and coastal lowlands of northeastern Africa. The average elevation is 2,200 feet. Basically the plateau can be divided into two regions. The southeastern portion includes the Ethiopian Plateau, the East African Plateau and the Drakensberg Range.

The northeastern portion contains the Sahara Desert with the Ahaggar Mountains, and in northwestern Africa, the Atlas Mountains.

When viewing a topographical map of Africa you will notice the East African Rift System which runs from the north to the south of the continent. It is made up of the Western Rift Valley and the Eastern Rift Valley. It begins with the Red Sea basin, follows along the Ethiopian Plateau with heights of 15,000 feet and includes the Virunga Mountains' volcanic formations.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is the most well known of the African mountains with an elevation of 19,340 feet. Other mountains include the Ruwenzori Range with elevations over 16,000 feet. in central eastern Africa.

The Drakensberg Range at 11,000 feet is on the southeastern coast. Up along the northwestern coast are the Atlas Mountains at 13,000 feet however, the remainder of this region averages between 500 and 1,000 feet. It is also the region that contains the Sahara Desert.

The world's largest desert is The Sahara. It is a major land feature of the continent since it is one-fourth of Africa's land mass. It is located in the northwestern portion of the continent and divides the continent into three regions - north of the Sahara, the Sahara and Sub-Sahara. In southwestern Africa there are two other notable deserts, the Kalahari and the Namib.