When it comes to Africa, scorching deserts or meandering elephants are often the first things that come to mind. But there's certainly much more to the dynamic continent. CGTN's Wang Tongxuan brings us a small taste of all that Africa's natural splendor has to offer. Today, Global Watch continues its five-episode special coverage--------China and Africa: A Youthful Perspective. Here's episode four.  

Africa enjoys a unique natural landscape. The world-famous Sahara desert is the source of many people's impression of the continent's searing heat and climate. In fact, the annual average temperature in Africa is 20 degrees Celsius, with the highest-ever recorded temperature being 58 degrees Celsius in Libya.

Africa boasts what is perhaps the world's largest combination of wild animal populations. There are 7 million to 8 million large mammals: ranging from carnivores like lions, hyenas, and cheetahs, to herbivores like buffalo, elephants, camels, and giraffes. The continent is also home to a variety of "jungle" creatures: including snakes, monkeys and crocodiles.

There are nearly 500 national parks in Africa. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania covers more than 14-thousand square kilometres - twice the size of the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. The park is famous for its massive annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeests.

Africa has over 20,000 species of seed-producing plants. Trees make up 1,700 of those species, including acacias, albizia, large aloes and buddleia butterfly trees.

The continent enjoys rich mineral resources, especially precious gems. The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds the world's largest diamond reserves. And South Africa's Venetia mine contains more than 71 million carats of diamonds, making Africa well-deserving of its common nickname: "the shining land".

Nearly 40 million people traveled to African countries in 2017. Some of the most visited tourist attractions in Africa were South Africa's Cape Town, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Great Rift Valley in the continent's East, and Egypt's Pyramids and Valley of the Kings.