Africa
Also known as African continent
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers around 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With nearly billion people as of , it accounts for about 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. Africa is the least wealthy inh
AI overview
Africa is the world's second-largest continent by both land area and population, covering about 20% of Earth's land and home to roughly one-sixth of humanity, with a notably young population compared to other continents. It matters globally because of its vast size, demographic significance, and projected population growth—Africa's population is expected to exceed 3.8 billion by 2100, making it an increasingly important region for global economic, social, and political developments.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Continent.title
- Africa
- Continent.area
- (2nd)
- Continent.population
- (; 2nd)
- Continent.density
- ()
- Continent.GDP_nominal
- $2.82 trillion (2025 est; 5th)
- Continent.GDP_per_capita
- $1,920 (Nominal; 2025 est; 6th)
- Continent.demonym
- African
- Continent.countries
- 54 recognised states, 2 partially recognised states, 4 dependent territories
- Continent.list_countries
- List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Africa
- Continent.languages
- 1250–3000 native languages
- Continent.time
- UTC-1 to UTC+4
- Continent.cities
- Largest urban areas:
Article
51 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- History in Africa
- Prehistory
- 4th millennium{{Nbsp}}BC – 6th century{{Nbsp}}AD
- Northeast Africa
- Horn of Africa
- Northwest Africa
- West Africa
- Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa
- 7th to 18th centuries
- Height of the slave trade
- Colonialism
- Independence struggles
- Post-colonial Africa
- Geography
- African plate
- Climate
- Climate change
- Ecology and biodiversity
- Fauna
- Environmental issues
- Politics
- African Union
- Boundary conflicts
- List of states and territories
- Other territories
- Economy
- Electricity generation
- Infrastructure
- Water resources
- Demographics
- Alternative estimates of African population, 1–2018 AD (in thousands)
- Shares of Africa and world population, 1–2020 AD (% of world total)
- Genetic history
- Religion
- Languages
- Health
- Culture
- Visual art
- Architecture
- Cinema
- Music
- Dance
- Sports
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers around 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With nearly billion people as of , it accounts for about 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. 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. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and a large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context, and Africa has a large quantity of natural resources.
Africa straddles the equator and the prime meridian. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Arabian Plate and the Gulf of Aqaba to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Yemen have parts of their territories located on African geographical soil, mostly in the form of islands.