This is Mars during the 1988 close approach. The dark feature that looks like Africa is Syrtis Major, the bright circular area above that is the Hellas basin. You can just see the polar cap at the very top.

This image was taken about the same time as the one above, but Mars has rotated so you are looking at different surface features. The dark region near center is Aurorae Sinus. The lighter area below the polar cap is the Argyre basin. The darkest albedo feature on the left limb of the planet is Sinus Meridiani. The zero longitude line on Mars passes through this, it is the Greenwich of Martian cartography.

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