Quick Facts
Area11.67 million sq miles
Countries54 and 2 disputed
Largest CountryAlgeria
Highest Point Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres, 19,341 feet) above from sea level
Lowest PointLake Assal (Djibouti) (155 metres 509 feet)
Major ReligionsChristianity, Islam, Yoruba, Serer and Igbo
Major LanguagesAfroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, Khoe-san, Austronesian
Interesting Africa Facts
- Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent in the world.
- North Africa was formerly known as Ifriqiya, or sunny place.
- Before Africa fell prey to colonial rule, some 10,000 different states and autonomous groups comprised the continent.
- The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
- Victoria is Africa's largest lake. It is also the largest tropical lake in the world, and the second largest freshwater lake in the world.
- The longest river in the world is the Nile River.
- Ancient Egypt’s Pharaonic civilization is the oldest literate civilization in the world.
- The continent is rich in natural resources, especially coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium, radium, iron ores, diamond, and gold.
- South Africa alone, contributes to around 50% of the manufacturing output of the entire continent.
- The continent’s population will more than double, to 2.3 billion people by 2050.
- Africa has approximately 30% of the Earth’s remaining mineral resources.
- Africa has over 85% of the world’s elephants, and over 99% of the remaining lions.
- Africa has over 25% of the world’s bird species.
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