In Africa's ancient south west corner, two extraordinary deserts sit side by side. Water is in short supply, yet these deserts are somehow full of life because the creatures that live here have turned the rules of survival on their head.

East Africa is a land which is constantly changing. To survive here, creatures must be able to deal with unpredictable twists and turns - wet turning to dry, famine to feast, cold to hot - no matter how hostile and unpredictable it becomes.

The Congo rainforest covers the very heart of Africa, it is a dynamic and pulsating habitat, packed with life. From the competitive centre of the forest to the open edge of the Atlantic Ocean, this is all about carving out space in a crowded world.

Two great ocean currents collide off South Africa. The Agulhas current provides moisture to a rain forest, while giant kingfish live in the waters offshore. To the west, great white sharks thrive in the Benguela current.

North Africa is home to the greatest desert on Earth, the Sahara. This vast wilderness, the size of the United States, is the toughest part of the African continent - the sun rules mercilessly here.

With more than a billion people, Africa might now be at its tipping point, but it is also the one continent that has not lost its biggest animals - despite the fact that mankind has lived here longer than anywhere else on the planet!