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Physical Geography of Africa

  • Textbook
  • Aug 2025

Overview

Authors:
  1. Roland Baumhauer

    1. Institut für Geographie und Geologie, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

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  • The first modern, comprehensive overview of the physical geography of Africa
  • With numerous excursions to delve deeper into selected topics
  • With excellent cartography and rich, captivating photographs

Part of the book series: Geography of the Physical Environment (GEOPHY)

Buy print copy

About this book

Africa, with an area of over 30 million square kilometers, is the second-largest continent, accounting for about 20 percent of the Earth's total land area. It offers unparalleled insights into some of the planet’s oldest geological strata, is home to the world’s largest desert, and is immensely rich in mineral resources. These are just a few of the facts we commonly associate with Africa’s physical geography. But the continent deserves a closer look—Africa is closer to us and far more important than many might think.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the physical geography of Africa. It focuses on the integrated analysis of the continent’s geology, geomorphology, climate, hydrology, soils, and vegetation geography. Additional excursions examine the impact of major environmental challenges related to human activity - such as soil erosion, desertification, and climate change - and also explain key geoscientific terms. Rich color photographs and engaging cartography support and enhance understanding.

The book serves a dual purpose: it offers the interested reader a concise introduction to Africa’s physical geography while also functioning as a structured reference work. It will be of enduring value to students and scholars of African physical geography and anyone interested in Africa’s environment and environmental change - including staff of development organizations and development professionals seeking reliable background information on the continent’s natural conditions.

Keywords

  • Physical geography
  • Geological structure of Africa
  • Sahara
  • Sahel
  • Congo Basin
  • Desertification
  • Tropical circulation
  • Natural spatial foundations of Africa
  • Maghreb
  • Soil-forming factors
  • Cape Province of South Africa
  • Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
  • Madagascar
  • Savanna fires
  • Geo- and environmental factors
  • Climate Change

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institut für Geographie und Geologie, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Roland Baumhauer

About the author

Prof. Dr. Roland Baumhauer held the Chair of Geography - Physical Geography and has been a Senior Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Würzburg since 2022. He is the author of relevant textbooks in physical geography. His research focuses on geomorphology, landscape and climate development, environmental history, and dry areas within the Old World arid belt.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Physical Geography of Africa

  • Authors: Roland Baumhauer

  • Series Title: Geography of the Physical Environment

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2025

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-662-71405-8Due: 08 September 2025

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-662-71408-9Due: 08 September 2026

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-662-71406-5Due: 08 September 2025

  • Series ISSN: 2366-8865

  • Series E-ISSN: 2366-8873

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations, 102 illustrations in colour

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