The Atlas Mountains in the northwest and the Cape ranges in the south are the continent's youngest mountains.
Between these mountainous ranges are plateaus with vast, level or slightly undulating landscapes.
Around these surfaces is a plateau slope with thin coastal belts expanding down the Mediterranean shore below.
The west and north of the continent are much lower than the south and east.
Most of the land south of a line drawn from near the Congo River mouth to the Gulf of Aden is 1,000 feet or higher.
Most of the land south of a line drawn from near the Congo River mouth to the Gulf of Aden is 1,000 feet or higher.
Except for the Atlas Mountains and the eastern Nile, there are extensive coastal lowlands.