Important Facts about Africa

1. Area and Geographical Size

🔸 Africa covers an area of 30.3 million square kilometres, which is:

• About 6% of the Earth’s total surface area, and
• 20% of Earth’s total land area.

📌 This makes Africa the second-largest continent in the world—

• By area (after Asia)
• By population (again, after Asia)

🧭 Location-wise, most of Africa lies above the Equator, i.e., in the Northern Hemisphere.

2. Political Divisions: Countries and Territories

• Africa is made up of 54 countries and 9 dependent territories.

🗺️ Largest countries (by area):

1. Algeria
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
3. Sudan
4. Libya
5. Chad

🌍 Smallest countries (by area):

• Island nations: Seychelles, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mauritius, Comoros
• Mainland Africa: Gambia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Djibouti, Rwanda, Burundi

3. Population

👥 Africa’s population is around 1.4 billion.

📈 Most populous countries:

1. Nigeria
2. Ethiopia
3. Egypt
4. Democratic Republic of the Congo
5. Tanzania

🧒 A very important point: Africa has the youngest average population in the world. Median age: around 19 years.
This has huge implications for demographic dividend, development potential, and policy planning.

4. Geographical Extent

Let’s understand the continent’s spatial spread.

📍 Longitudinal Extent:

• From 17°W (Cape-Vert in Senegal) to 51°E (Ras Hafun in Somalia)
• This makes the width ~7,400 km

📍 Latitudinal Extent:

• From 37°N (Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia) to 34°S (Cape Agulhas in South Africa)
• So the height is ~8,000 km

🧭 Observation: Africa is more north-south elongated, and this has consequences for climate zones, vegetation, and cultural diversity.

5. Coastline

🌊 Africa’s coastline is about 30,500 km long, which is surprisingly shorter than Europe’s coastline (~38,000 km), even though Africa is much larger.

💡 Why? Because Africa lacks:

• Deep inlets
• Prominent bays and gulfs

🗾 The island of Madagascar has Africa’s longest individual coastline (~4,800 km).

6. Major Cities

🏙️ Largest urban agglomerations (by area):

• Cairo (Egypt)
• Lagos (Nigeria)
• Kinshasa (DRC)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Largest by population:

1. Lagos
2. Kinshasa
3. Cairo

📌 Historical Trivia:

• Pietermaritzburg (South Africa): The place where Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train in 1893. A defining moment in his life.
• Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): Known as the “political capital of Africa” — Headquarters of the African Union is here.

7. Major Islands and Island Groups

🌴 Important islands and their political associations:

• Madagascar – Largest island in Africa; 4th largest in the world
• Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius
• Reunion – Overseas territory of France
• Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands – Belong to Spain
• São Tomé and Príncipe, Madeira Islands – Linked with Portugal

These islands are not just geographic trivia; they play critical roles in marine biodiversity, strategic geopolitics, and colonial history.

8. Major Lakes

🧭 By Surface Area:

1. Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest lake, and second largest freshwater lake in the world
2. Lake Tanganyika
3. Lake Malawi

🧭 By Volume:

1. Lake Tanganyika
2. Lake Malawi
3. Lake Victoria

🌊 Deepest Lakes:

• Lake Tanganyika – Second deepest lake in the world (after Russia’s Lake Baikal)
• Lake Malawi – Also very deep

9. Highest Mountains

🗻 Africa’s major peaks:

1. Mount Kilimanjaro – Tanzania – 5895 m (Tallest in Africa)
2. Mount Kenya – 5199 m

🔍 Kilimanjaro is volcanic and snow-capped — despite being near the equator!

10. Longest Rivers

🌊 Major rivers (approximate lengths):

1. Nile River – ~6,650 km (world’s longest or second-longest, depending on how you measure the Amazon)
2. Congo River – ~4,700 km
3. Niger River – ~4,200 km
4. Zambezi River – ~2,500 km

🛶 These rivers are crucial for agriculture, hydroelectric power, transport, and culture.

11. Landlocked Countries

🌍 Total landlocked countries in Africa: 16

Examples:

• Ethiopia
• Uganda
• Mali
• Burkina Faso
• Malawi, etc.

🔐 Special Term – Enclave: A country or territory completely surrounded by another country.

Examples:

• Lesotho – Entirely surrounded by South Africa
• (For global comparison: San Marino and Vatican City, both enclosed by Italy)

12. Unique Geographical and Ecological Facts

🌐 Africa is the only continent that stretches from the northern temperate zone to the southern temperate zone.

🌾 Dominant biome: Grasslands or savannahs—more than half of the continent!

💎 Mineral wealth:

• ~95% of the world’s diamonds
• ~50% of global gold production
• 90% of platinum reserves

👣 Cradle of Humankind:

• Early fossils and tools (e.g., in Olduvai Gorge) suggest that Homo sapiens originated in Africa.

🌞 Africa is the only continent crossed by:

• Equator
• Tropic of Cancer
• Tropic of Capricorn

🌿 Madagascar’s biodiversity is extremely rich and endemic:

• 95% of reptiles
• 89% of plants
• 92% of mammals are found only there