View source for Geography of the African Union

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{More citations needed|date=July 2010}}
{{Main|Geography of Africa}}
[[File:Location of the African Union.svg|thumb|300px|right|The African Union in location to the rest of the world.]]
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 [[jungle]]s and [[savanna]]s, and the world's longest river (the [[Nile]]).

==Overview==
The AU presently has an area of {{convert|29,922,059|km2}}, with {{convert|24,165|km2}} of coastline. The vast majority of this area is on [[continent]]al Africa, while the only significant territory off the mainland is the island of [[Madagascar]] ([[List of islands by area|the world's fourth largest]]), accounting for slightly less than 2% of the total.

==Extreme points==
{| class="wikitable"
|+African Union at large
|-
| Northernmost  || [[Ras ben Sakka]]|| {{TUN}} || (37°21′ N)
|-
| Southernmost || [[Cape Agulhas]] || {{ZAF}} || (34°51'15"S) <ref name="South">If the [[Prince Edward Islands]] are included in Africa, then [[Marion Island]] is the southernmost point at 46°54'S.</ref>
|-
| Westernmost || [[Santo Antão, Cape Verde|Santo Antão]] || {{CPV}} || (25°25'W)
|-
| Easternmost || [[Rodrigues (island)|Rodrigues]] || {{MRI}} || (63°30'E)
|-
| Most distant point from the coastline || [[Pole of inaccessibility#Africa|African pole of inaccessibility]] ||  {{flagicon|Central African Republic}} {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of Congo}} {{flagicon|South Sudan}} || near the town [[Obo]].
|-
| Highest point above land || [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] || {{TZA}}  || 5,895 m (6,447 yd)
|-
| Lowest point below sea level || [[Lake Asal (Djibouti)|Lake Asal]] || {{DJI}} || −156 m (−171 yd)
|-
| [[List of rivers by length|Longest River]] || [[Nile]] || {{flagicon|Burundi}} {{flagicon|Rwanda}} {{flagicon|Tanzania}} {{flagicon|Uganda}} {{flagicon|Kenya}} <br /> {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of Congo}} {{flagicon|South Sudan}} {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} {{flagicon|Sudan}} {{flagicon|Egypt}} 
||  6,650&nbsp;km (4,130 miles) long
|-
| [[List of lakes by depth|Deepest Lake]] || [[Lake Tanganyika]] || {{flagicon|Tanzania}} {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of Congo}} {{flagicon|Burundi}} {{flagicon|Zambia}} || 1,470 m (4,820&nbsp;ft) deep
|-
| Largest lake by area || [[Lake Victoria]] || {{flagicon|Tanzania}} {{flagicon|Uganda}} {{flagicon|Kenya}} || 68,800&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (26,600 sq mi)
|-
|[[List of waterfalls by height|Highest waterfall]] || [[Tugela Falls]] || {{ZAF}} || 948 m (3,110 feet) 
|-
| [[List of islands by area|Largest Island]] || [[Madagascar (island)|Madagascar Island]]  || {{MAD}} || 587,040 km2 (226,657 sq mi)
|}

==Countries bordering the African Union==
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&nbsp;km (6.8&nbsp;mi) and [[Israel]] for 400&nbsp;km (248&nbsp;mi) on its western frontier. Since it is [[Asia]]n, the Sinai is the only territorial region of the AU on another geopolitical [[continent]].

===Previous borders===
{{Main|Enlargement of the African Union}}
[[Image:Organisation of African unity.svg|thumb|right|350px|OAU member states by the decade they joined.]]
The AU is the successor to the [[Organisation of African Unity]], an [[international organization]] that gradually included [[sovereignty|sovereign]] African [[Sovereign state|states]] as the continent was [[Decolonization|decolonized]]. The membership of the African Union, and consequently its borders, have not changed since its founding.

====Founding of the OAU: May 25&nbsp;– December 13, 1963====
*[[The Gambia]] – Surrounded by [[Senegal]].
*[[Guinea-Bissau]] – A dependent area of [[Portugal]], joined on November 19, 1973, prior to internationally recognized independence, bordering [[Guinea]] to the east and south, and Senegal to the north.
*[[Kenya]] – A [[colony]] of the [[United Kingdom]] at the time, Kenya joined on December 13, 1963, the day after its independence. It is bordered by [[Ethiopia]] to the north, [[Somalia]] to the east, [[Tanzania]] to the south, [[Uganda]] to the west, and [[Sudan]] to the northwest.
*[[Malawi]] – A colony of the United Kingdom at the time, Malawi joined on July 13, 1964, one week after independence.
*[[Portugal]] – At the time, [[Angola]] was a [[Provinces of Portugal|province]], with the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] to its north; the [[Cabinda Province|Cabinda]] [[Enclave and exclave|enclave]] is surrounded by the [[Republic of the Congo]] to its north and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its east and south. Angola joined on February 11, 1975, prior to its internationally recognized independence.
*[[Spain]] – Enclaves of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]] are surrounded by Morocco; [[Spanish Sahara]] was a [[Provinces of Spain|province]] at the time, to the south. [[Equatorial Guinea]] was also a province, bordering [[Cameroon]] to the north and [[Gabon]] to the east and south.
*[[Zambia]] – A colony of the United Kingdom at the time, Zambia joined the AU in October, 1965, after gaining independence on October 24, the year prior. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and [[Tanzania]] lie to the north.

====December 13, 1963&nbsp;– July 13, 1964====
*Kenya joins the OAU.

====July 13&nbsp;– December 16, 1964====
*Malawi joins the OAU.

====December 16, 1964&nbsp;– October 1965====
*Zambia joins the OAU. It bordered the following territories to the south:
*[[Botswana]] – A [[colony]] of the United Kingdom at the time, Botswana joined the OAU on October 31, 1966; it achieved independence the September 30 prior.
*[[South West Africa]] – A colony of the United Kingdom under the mandate of [[South Africa]], the territory wouldn't become independent until March 21, 1990, as [[Namibia]]. It joined the OAU in June of that year.
*[[Zimbabwe]] – A colony of the United Kingdom at the time, Zimbabwe joined the OAU in June, 1980; it achieved independence as [[Rhodesia]] on November 11, 1965.

====October 31, 1965====
*The Gambia joins the OAU.

====October 31, 1966&nbsp;– July 13, 1964====
*Botswana and Lesotho join the OAU. The bordered:
*South Africa – While independent, South Africa was ruled under the system of [[apartheid]], and was ineligible and uninterested in membership. Following a democratic revolution in 1994, it joined the OAU that June 6; becoming the most recent member. It bordered Botswana to the south and is perforated by Lesotho.

====August 1968&nbsp;– September 24, 1968====
*[[Mauritius]] joins the OAU.

====September 24, 1968&nbsp;– October 12, 1968====
*Swaziland joins the OAU.

====October 12, 1968&nbsp;– November 19, 1973====
*[[Equatorial Guinea]] joins the OAU upon independence. The OAU still shares a border with Spain along [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]] (via Morocco), and [[Spanish Sahara]] (via Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco.)

====November 19, 1973&nbsp;– February 11, 1975====
*[[Guinea-Bissau]] joins the OAU. At the time, it was still considered a dependency of Portugal. It gained independence on September 10, 1974.

====February 11&nbsp;– July 18, 1975====
*[[Angola]] joins the OAU.  At the time, it was still considered a dependency of Portugal. It gained independence on November 11, 1975.

====July 18&nbsp;– February 27, 1976====
[[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Mozambique]], and [[São Tomé and Príncipe]] join the OAU.

====February 27&nbsp;– June 29, 1976====
*The [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] is declared in [[Western Sahara]] as Spain decolonizes. This leads to a land war between the [[Western Sahara|Sahrawi]] nationalist [[Polisario Front]] and [[History of Western Sahara|the armies of Mauritania and Morocco]].

====June 29, 1976&nbsp;– June 27, 1977====
*[[Seychelles]] joins the OAU.

====June 27, 1977&nbsp;– June 1980====
*[[Djibouti]] becomes independent of France and joins the OAU.

====June 1980&nbsp;– February 22, 1982====
[[Zimbabwe]] joins the OAU.

====February 22, 1982&nbsp;– November 12, 1984====
*The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic joins the OAU. It does not participate in the next two summits, due to pressure from Morocco.

====November 12, 1984&nbsp;– March 21, 1990====
*Morocco leaves the OAU; leaving no border with Spain.

====March 21&nbsp;– June 1990====
*[[Namibia]] becomes independent of the South African mandate.

====June 1990&nbsp;– May 24, 1993====
*Namibia joins the OAU.

====May 24, 1993&nbsp;– June 6, 1994====
*[[Eritrea]] becomes independent from Ethiopia and joins the OAU.

====June 6, 1994&nbsp;– 2011====
* South Africa joins the OAU after the fall of [[apartheid]].

====2011 – January 30, 2017====
* [[South Sudan]] joins the African Union after becoming an independent state following [[Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011|a referendum]].

====January 30, 2017 – present====
* [[Morocco]] readmitted, moving the border to Spain.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
*''Most geographic data comes from the [[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]], 2006 edition.''
{{African Union}}
{{Africa in topic|Geography of}}
{{Portal bar|Africa|Geography}}

[[Category:Geography of Africa|African Union]]
[[Category:African Union]]