Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, after Asia. It makes up about one-fifth of all the land on Earth. Large bodies of water surround it.
With nearly 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Based on 2024 projections, Africa's population will exceed 3.8 billion people by 2100.
The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south by the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Africa’s total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), and the continent measures about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west.
Geography and Climate
Africa straddles the equator and the prime meridian. Africa's climate changes a lot, from desert in the north to rainforest near the equator in the middle. Africa has many different types of climate from north to south. Most of North Africa is covered by the Sahara Desert.
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It is very dry and hot and does not get much rain. Rivers and water sources are rare in the Sahara. Water found underground, like springs, are very important, often creating oases.
Two rain shadows cause the Sahara Desert to be so dry. In that part of the world, winds mostly come from the east. These winds usually bring rain, but the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau block the monsoon rains, stopping the rain from reaching North Africa.
Conditions are different further south. Huge amounts of rain fall near the equator. The equator crosses the middle of Africa.
Running from the northeast to the south is the East African Great Rift Valley.
History and Culture
The history of Africa goes back to the very first modern human beings. Africa, particularly Eastern Africa, is widely accepted to be the place of origin of humans and the Hominidae clade, also known as the great apes. The earliest hominids and their ancestors have been dated to around 7 million years ago, and Homo sapiens (modern human) are believed to have originated in Africa 350,000 to 260,000 years ago.
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Africa's ancient history includes the rise of the Egyptian civilization. Other societies also grew outside the Nile River Valley. These societies traded and interacted with civilizations outside of Africa.
In the late 600s, Islam spread to North and East Africa. This led to new cultures like the Swahili people. It also led to powerful kingdoms like the Mali Empire.
Slavery has been a part of African history for a long time. Between the 600s and the 1900s, the Arab slave trade took about 18 million enslaved people from Africa. Later, between the 1400s and 1800s, the Atlantic slave trade took about 7-12 million enslaved people.
From the late 19th century to early 20th century, driven by the Second Industrial Revolution, most of Africa was rapidly conquered and colonised by European nations, save for Ethiopia and Liberia. European rule had significant impacts on Africa's societies, and colonies were maintained for the purpose of economic exploitation and extraction of natural resources.
African countries started gaining their independence in 1951. Libya was the first former colony to become independent.
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Modern African history has seen many changes and some conflicts. Groups like the African Union are working to help countries cooperate more.
African culture is rich and diverse both within and between the continent's regions, encompassing art, cuisine, music and dance, religion, and dress.
Languages
Some languages spoken in eastern Africa include Swahili, Oromo, and Amharic. In western Africa, languages like Lingala, Igbo, and Fulani are spoken. Africa is home to well over a thousand languages, and some estimates say there are around two thousand! Most of these languages originated in Africa.
The Khoisan languages are mainly spoken in Southern Africa by about 400,000 people. After colonial rule ended, most African countries adopted European languages like English or French as their official languages.
Wildlife
Africa has many kinds of wildlife. It is the only continent that still has many native species of large mammals. Some of these animals are found in very large numbers.
You can find antelope, buffalo, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinoceros, apes, hyenas, and many more.
Economy and Development
Africa makes up around 20% of the earth’s landmass, and is home to approximately 16% of the world’s population. Nevertheless, Africa’s economies account for just 3% of the world’s GDP. In the past, economic ties between African nations and strong economies outside of Africa have been fundamentally exploitative.
Stronger, often Western economies drew value from the continent by enslaving its people and extracting its natural resources. The extractive approach to African economies has not only wreaked havoc in Africa; it has also impeded the establishment of mutually profitable business ventures that would have created value both on the continent and outside of it.
In recent years, however, several factors have come together to create a particularly auspicious time for the African private sector. Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest growing population. Young people are generally more optimistic about the future, are more likely to believe that they can positively impact their country’s governance, and are more likely to start their own business. As of 2018, annual population growth world-wide stood at apx. 1.1%; annual population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at apx. 2.7%.
Infrastructure in Africa is profoundly underdeveloped, and the shortcomings extend across numerous sectors, including roads, railways, electricity generation, water purification, sewage and waste management, and ICT frameworks. In addition to impeding human development on the continent, The lack of basic infrastructure raises the cost of travel, communication, producing and shipping goods, and generally poses an obstacle to African economic integration and expansion.
The majority of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa owns a mobile phone, which allows them to call, text, and make and receive mobile payments. In 2020, 3G will overtake 2G to become the leading mobile technology in Sub-Saharan Africa, which will allow more Africans to access the internet regularly and efficiently.
Increased internet and mobile phone penetration create economic opportunity for Africans and for those wishing to engage economically with the continent by giving business owners the tools needed to research the market, find investors, and reach customers, while allowing consumers to find and pay for products and services online.
The African private sector is growing. African household consumption has increased faster than GDP in recent years, and is expected to reach $ 2.1 trillion by 2025. Companies operating in Africa that are based in Africa or that operate out of a local African office are generally more successful than their foreign counterparts, so African companies or foreign companies with local business relationships are most likely to capitalize on the growing consumer market.
Manufacturing and agriculture are two particularly attractive sectors that can generate profits to investors, create economic opportunities for the expanding working age population, and help fill the needs of Africa’s growing population. Indeed, as the continent continues to industrialize and urbanize, manufacturing and processing of foodstuff and other goods is expected to increase to meet the local demand.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in March 2018, will further encourage manufacturing on the continent by removing many of the tariffs that currently hinder intra-African trade. Private investments will be critical to unlocking Africa’s manufacturing potential.
The agriculture sector also holds major promise. Although 60% of the world’s arable land is in Africa, productivity is so low that the continent is a net importer of food. According to estimates, the current agricultural yields can be doubled or even tripled, but such an increase would require large investments in inputs (such as fertilizer and seeds) and in infrastructure.
The African Union (AU) is an international organization. It was created to help keep peace among Africa's many countries. It has a government with law-making, justice, and executive parts.
People from Africa are called Africans. People living north of the Sahara Desert are called Maghrebis. Those living south of the Sahara are called Subsaharans.
Africa is the least wealthy inhabited continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead of Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, corruption, colonialism, the Cold War, and neocolonialism.
Africa is a beautiful continent that is rich in cultural heritage, diversity and wildlife which makes it unique in the world. Most people know Africa based on what they see in the media and those images are dominated by negative portrayals of the continent. Africa is a continent that continues to develop and increase its influence and impact on the world.
Africa is the 'cradle of humankind'. Africa is the 2nd most populated continent in the world. There are 1.3 billion people in Africa, 17% of the world population. Over 50% of Africans are under the age of 25. There are over 3000 languages spoken in Africa.
Key Economic Indicators
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (2021) | Approximately 1.4 billion |
| Share of World's GDP | 3% |
| Household Consumption (Projected 2025) | $2.1 trillion |
| Arable Land | 60% of the world's total |
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