Overview
Africa is the second-largest and second-most-populous continent on Earth, covering about 30.3 million square kilometers including its adjacent islands. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Indian Ocean to the east, and the Red Sea to the northeast. The continent is divided into 54 fully recognized sovereign states.
Geography and Physical Features
Africa straddles the equator and contains a vast diversity of climates and ecosystems, from tropical rainforests in the Congo Basin to the arid Sahara Desert in the north. Major physical features include the Great Rift Valley, Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895 meters, the Nile River, and Lake Victoria. The continent has the lowest elevation range of any continent relative to its size.
Significance
Africa is widely regarded as the birthplace of humanity, with the earliest hominin fossils discovered in East Africa. It holds immense cultural, linguistic, and biological diversity, with over 1,500 distinct languages spoken and unparalleled wildlife, including the iconic megafauna of the savanna.
Notable Facts
Africa contains the longest river in the world, the Nile, stretching roughly 6,650 kilometers. It is also home to the largest hot desert, the Sahara. The Serengeti hosts the world's largest mammal migration, involving over a million wildebeest annually.