Continents: Africa

Humans and their ancestors have been living in Africa for more than three million years - longer than anywhere else on Earth. That’s why Africa is sometimes called the “Mother Continent.” Some maps make Africa look quite small, but in reality, it is the world’s second largest continent. All of the United States, China, India, and most of Europe could fit inside Africa’s borders! Africa has 54 countries and two areas that are disputed. There is some disagreement over whether Somaliland and Western Sahara are independent countries or parts of other countries.

North Africa refers to the region of the continent along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. South of the Mediterranean coast, the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Not many people live in the Sahara because the hot and dry desert conditions make it difficult to survive or grow food. West Africa refers to the area north of the Gulf of Guinea in the north-western part of the continent. One of Africa’s largest cities is here.

It’s Lagos, in Nigeria, with a population of over 21 million. Central Africa refers to the tropical, central portion of the African continent. 80 percent of Africa's rainforest is here, along the Congo River basin. East Africa is the eastern portion of the African continent. The Serengeti is a famous vast grassland in East Africa.

It is home to many of Africa’s most well-known animals, such as lions, African elephants, and zebras. Southern Africa is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east. Southern Africa is rich in resources, including diamonds, gold, platinum, and coal. From North to South, many ancient empires have existed in Africa throughout history. The Kingdom of Aksum in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Mali Empire, which once controlled much of West Africa, and the medieval Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe in Southern Africa are just a few examples of impressive African empires.

As early as 3150 BCE, the Ancient Egyptians in North Africa built the first monumental stone buildings, the great pyramids, and they were also some of the first people to put their language into writing. Africa has a very high number of languages. There are over 2000 languages spoken across the continent! One group of African languages is called Khoisan, unique in the world for its use of clicking sounds as consonants. Africa is also home to thousands of groups of people that share common cultural backgrounds or ancestors, ethnic groups.

There are more than 70 ethnic groups in Ghana alone. In Ethiopia, there are over 90. It’s estimated that there are 3000 different ethnic groups across the whole continent! At the beginning of the 1900s, almost all of Africa was controlled by different European countries who wanted Africa’s valuable resources for themselves. The Europeans created internal country borders without thinking about the different ethnic groups in Africa and their history.

This led to conflicts and wars, some of which continue today. Cooperation between African countries has increased thanks to the African Union, the AU. The AU negotiates for Africa internationally, works to fight diseases, and uses peacekeepers to help end disputes. Because of their work, some long and difficult conflicts are beginning to resolve.