This article needs additional citations for
verification. (July 2010) |
The African Union covers almost the entirety of continental Africa and several off-shore islands. Consequently, it is wildly diverse, including the world's largest hot desert (the Sahara), huge jungles and savannas, and the world's longest river (the Nile).
The AU presently has an area of 29,922,059 square kilometres (11,552,972 sq mi), with 24,165 square kilometres (9,330 sq mi) of coastline. The vast majority of this area is on continental Africa, while the only significant territory off the mainland is the island of Madagascar ( the world's fourth largest), accounting for slightly less than 2% of the total.
Northernmost | Ras ben Sakka | Tunisia | (37°21′ N) |
Southernmost | Cape Agulhas | South Africa | (34°51'15"S) [1] |
Westernmost | Santo Antão | Cape Verde | (25°25'W) |
Easternmost | Rodrigues | Mauritius | (63°30'E) |
Most distant point from the coastline | African pole of inaccessibility | near the town Obo. | |
Highest point above land | Mount Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | 5,895 m (6,447 yd) |
Lowest point below sea level | Lake Asal | Djibouti | −156 m (−171 yd) |
Longest River | Nile |
|
6,650 km (4,130 miles) long |
Deepest Lake | Lake Tanganyika | 1,470 m (4,820 ft) deep | |
Largest lake by area | Lake Victoria | 68,800 km2 (26,600 sq mi) | |
Highest waterfall | Tugela Falls | South Africa | 948 m (3,110 feet) |
Largest Island | Madagascar Island | Madagascar | 587,040 km2 (226,657 sq mi) |
The AU has two land borders: Morocco borders the Spanish semi-enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula borders the Gaza Strip for 11 km (6.8 mi) and Israel for 400 km (248 mi) on its western frontier. Since it is Asian, the Sinai is the only territorial region of the AU on another geopolitical continent.
The AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity, an international organization that gradually included sovereign African states as the continent was decolonized. The membership of the African Union, and consequently its borders, have not changed since its founding.
Cape Verde, Comoros, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe join the OAU.
Zimbabwe joins the OAU.
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (July 2010) |
The African Union covers almost the entirety of continental Africa and several off-shore islands. Consequently, it is wildly diverse, including the world's largest hot desert (the Sahara), huge jungles and savannas, and the world's longest river (the Nile).
The AU presently has an area of 29,922,059 square kilometres (11,552,972 sq mi), with 24,165 square kilometres (9,330 sq mi) of coastline. The vast majority of this area is on continental Africa, while the only significant territory off the mainland is the island of Madagascar ( the world's fourth largest), accounting for slightly less than 2% of the total.
Northernmost | Ras ben Sakka | Tunisia | (37°21′ N) |
Southernmost | Cape Agulhas | South Africa | (34°51'15"S) [1] |
Westernmost | Santo Antão | Cape Verde | (25°25'W) |
Easternmost | Rodrigues | Mauritius | (63°30'E) |
Most distant point from the coastline | African pole of inaccessibility | near the town Obo. | |
Highest point above land | Mount Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | 5,895 m (6,447 yd) |
Lowest point below sea level | Lake Asal | Djibouti | −156 m (−171 yd) |
Longest River | Nile |
|
6,650 km (4,130 miles) long |
Deepest Lake | Lake Tanganyika | 1,470 m (4,820 ft) deep | |
Largest lake by area | Lake Victoria | 68,800 km2 (26,600 sq mi) | |
Highest waterfall | Tugela Falls | South Africa | 948 m (3,110 feet) |
Largest Island | Madagascar Island | Madagascar | 587,040 km2 (226,657 sq mi) |
The AU has two land borders: Morocco borders the Spanish semi-enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula borders the Gaza Strip for 11 km (6.8 mi) and Israel for 400 km (248 mi) on its western frontier. Since it is Asian, the Sinai is the only territorial region of the AU on another geopolitical continent.
The AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity, an international organization that gradually included sovereign African states as the continent was decolonized. The membership of the African Union, and consequently its borders, have not changed since its founding.
Cape Verde, Comoros, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe join the OAU.
Zimbabwe joins the OAU.