Africa

About Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest continent and the second-most populous. At about 30.3 million square kilometres (12.3 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the world's total land area and 20.4% of the total land area. With 1.2 billion people as of 2016, it accounts for about 16% of the world's population. The continent is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, 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 recognised sovereign states, nine territories, and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition. Africa's population is the youngest of all continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the median age worldwide was 30.4. Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area, and Nigeria is the most populous.