Africa is the world's second-largest and
second-most-populous continent. At about 30.2 million km2 (11.7 million sq mi)
including adjacent islands, it covers six percent of Earth's total surface area
and 20.4 percent of its total land area. With 1.1 billion people as of 2013,
it accounts for about 15% of the world's human population. The continent is
surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the
Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the
southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes
Madagascar and various archipelagos. It has 54 fully recognized sovereign
states (or countries), nine territories and two de facto independent states
with limited or no recognition.
Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the
continents; 50% of Africans were born in 1991 or later Algeria is
Africa's largest country by area, and Nigeria by population. Africa, particularly
central Eastern Africa, is widely accepted as the place of origin of humans and
the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest
hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to
around seven million years ago, including Sahelanthropus tchadensis,
Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H.
ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia
being dated to circa 200,000 years ago. Africa straddles the equator and
encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from
the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.
Africa hosts a large diversity of ethnicities, cultures
and languages. In the late 19th century European countries colonized most of
Africa. Most modern states in Africa originate from a process of decolonization
in the 20th century.
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