Africa, the second-largest continent after Asia, covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's total land surface. With a rich and complex history, diverse cultures, and unique geography, Africa offers a wealth of fascinating facts to explore.
Geographical and Environmental Facts
Africa's total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), measuring about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west. The continent is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the east, and the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans to the south.
Africa is the world’s hottest continent and the second driest after Australia. Despite being nearly four times the size of Europe, it has a shorter overall coastline due to its straighter shores. The Sahara Desert, one of the most iconic features, is larger than the continental USA. The continent is cut almost equally in two by the Equator, placing most of Africa within the tropical region, bounded by the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.
Paradoxically, the coastline of Africa-18,950 miles (30,500 km) in length-is shorter than that of Europe, because there are few inlets and few large bays or gulfs. Off the coasts of Africa a number of islands are associated with the continent. Of these Madagascar, one of the largest islands in the world, is the most significant.
Historical Overview
Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on Earth, with the Human species originating from the continent. During the mid-20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as seven million years ago (Before present, BP). In antiquity the Greeks are said to have called the continent Libya and the Romans to have called it Africa.
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Before colonial rule, Africa comprised up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs. 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.
Map of Africa in 1914 showing colonial possessions.
Population and Demographics
With nearly 1.4 billion people as of 2021, Africa 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. Due to high fertility rates and rising numbers of women of reproductive age, the continent is expected over the next 35 years to have nearly 2 billion babies.
Africa’s urbanization rate is around 37 percent, comparable to China’s and larger than India’s. It’s expected to be the fastest urbanizing region from 2020 to 2050. In 2034, Africa is expected to have the world’s largest working-age population of 1.1 billion.
Languages and Cultures
Over 25 percent of all languages are spoken only in Africa with over 2,000 recognized languages spoken on the continent. The most common language spoken on the continent is Arabic (spoken by 170 million people), followed in popularity by English (130 million), Swahili (100), French (115), Berber (50), Hausa (50), Portuguese (20) and Spanish (10). African culture is rich and diverse both within and between the continent's regions, encompassing art, cuisine, music and dance, religion, and dress.
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Economic Landscape
Between 2000 and 2010 the continent achieved average real annual GDP growth of 5.4 percent, adding $78 billion annually to GDP (in 2015 prices). But growth slowed to 3.3 percent, or $69 billion, a year between 2010 and 2015. About over three-quarters of African countries are still ranked in the bottom half for the per capita GDP ranking worldwide.
The continent’s richest country is Equatorial Guinea, with over $33,000 of GDP per capita. Almost half of the gold ever mined on Earth has come from a single place-Witwatersrand, South Africa.
GDP per capita (PPP) in African Countries
| Country | GDP per capita (USD) |
|---|---|
| Equatorial Guinea | $33,000+ |
| Other African Countries | Varies, with many below $2,000 |
Health and Social Issues
In sub-Saharan Africa, more than one-third of adults cannot read and write. An estimated 25.5 million people living with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the Cold War ended, the number of armed conflicts on the continent has fallen from more than 30 to about a dozen.
Between 2000 and 2015, the estimated number of malaria cases in Africa declined by 88 percent while malaria death rates declined by 90 percent. Despite the improvement, malaria remains a major killer of children, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, taking the life of a child every two minutes.
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Biodiversity
Africa is highly biodiverse; it is the continent with the largest number of megafauna species, as it was least affected by the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna. Africa has over 25 percent of the world’s bird species.
May 25 is Africa Day, a holiday originally created to celebrate the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (now known as the African Union) on May 25, 1963.
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