Satellite map of AfricaLocation of Africa on the world map
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populouscontinent afterAsia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% ofEarth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With nearly 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about18% of the world'shuman population.Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; themedian 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 continentper capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead ofOceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors includinggeography,climate,corruption,colonialism, theCold War, andneocolonialism. 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 ofnatural resources.
Thedromedarycamel (Camelus dromedarius) is a largeeven-toed ungulate native to northernAfrica and westernAsia. It is often referred to as the one-humped camel, Arabian camel, or simply as the "dromedary".
Image 2Male lion and cub eating a cape buffalo in Northern Sabi Sand, South Africa
Thelion (Panthera leo) is amammal of the familyFelidae and one of four "big cats" in thegenusPanthera. The lion is the second largest feline species, after thetiger. The male lion, easily recognized by hismane, weighs between 150 and 250 kg (330–500 lb). Females range 120–150 kg (260–330 lb). In the wild, lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20 years. Though they were once found throughout much ofAfrica,Asia andEurope, lions presently exist in the wild only in Africa andIndia. They enjoy hot climates, and hunt in groups.
Image 3Hippopotamus skull at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Theroan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is a species ofsavanna antelope found in western, central and southern Africa. Named for its reddish-brown coat, it has a black face with white patches around the eyes and the mouth, and a short erect mane of greyish brown hair extending from the back of the neck to the rump. This roan antelope, of thesubspeciesH. e. koba, was photographed in Senegal; the subspecies's range extends from Senegal to Benin in western Africa.
Acomposite satellite image of thegeography of Africa, the Earth's second-largest continent, and its adjacent islands. Separated from Europe by theMediterranean Sea and from much of Asia by theRed Sea, Africa is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by theIsthmus of Suez. Forgeopolitical purposes, theSinai Peninsula – east of theSuez Canal – is often considered part of Africa, although geographically it belongs in Asia. Africa can be divided into a number of geographic zones: TheAtlas Mountains in the north, theSahara, the coastal plains, and the inner plateaus.
Adansonia digitata is a sub-Saharan African species ofbaobab tree. The genus, scientifically known asAdansonia, consists of nine species native to Madagascar, Africa, Arabia and Australia, and can reach heights of 5 to 30 m (16 to 98 ft) with trunk diameters of 7 to 11 m (23 to 36 ft).
TheRose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is a plant indigenous to various parts of southern Africa, and in particularSouth Africa. This specific species has great importance in theperfume industry. Itscultivars have a wide variety of smells, includingrose,citrus,mint,coconut andnutmeg, as well as variousfruits.
Idi Amin (c. 1925 – 16 August 2003) was President ofUganda from 1971 to 1979. While President, Amin committed acts of violence against the people of his country; an estimated 300,000, possibly 500,000 civilians may have been killed under his regime. In thiscaricature byEdmund S. Valtman, Amin is depicted as a bloated, powerful figure in military dress covered with medals and insignia, holding a scepter, and crowned by a small head with heavy features.
Erg Chebbi (Arabic:عرج شبّي) is the soleSaharanerg inMorocco. In places, the dunes rise up to 150 metres (490 ft) from the surroundinghamada (rocky desert) and altogether, it spans an area of 28 kilometres (17 mi) from north to south and up to 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from east to west, lining theAlgerian border.
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The government is anabsolute monarchy, the last of its kind in Africa, and the country has been ruled by KingMswati III since 1986. One of the country's important cultural events isUmhlanga, the reed-dance festival, held in August or September each year. This photograph shows PrincessSikhanyiso Dlamini, the eldest daughter of Mswati III, at the 2006 festival.
Panoramic view of theAmphitheatre of El Jem, an archeological site in the city ofEl Djem, Tunisia. The amphitheatre, one of the best-preserved Roman ruins and a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site since 1979, was built around 238 AD, when modern Tunisia belonged to the Roman province ofAfrica. It is the third-biggest amphitheatre in the world, with axes of 148 m (486 ft) and 122 m (400 ft) and a seating capacity of 35,000, unique in Africa.
Therupie was the unit of currency ofGerman East Africa between 1890 and 1916. DuringWorld War I, the colony was cut off from Germany as a result of a wartimeblockade and the colonial government needed to create an emergency issue of banknotes. Paper made fromlinen orjute was initially used, but because of wartime shortages, the notes were later printed on commercial paper in a variety of colours, wrapping paper, and in one instance, wallpaper. This twenty-rupie banknote was issued in 1915, and is now part of theNational Numismatic Collection at theSmithsonian Institution.
Other denominations: '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001B-QINU`"'
TheGiza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts ofCairo,Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some eight kilometres (5 mi) inland into the desert from the old town ofGiza on theNile, some 25 kilometres (15 mi) southwest of Cairo city centre. Thepyramids are the only remaining monuments of the7 Wonders of the World.
Dallol is acinder-cone volcano in theDanakil Depression, northeast of theErta Ale Range in Ethiopia. The area lies up to 120 m (390 ft) below sea level, and has been repeatedly flooded in the past when waters from the Red Sea have inundated it. The Danakil Depression is one of the hottest places on Earth, and the evaporation of seawater after these flooding episodes produced thick deposits ofsalt, as seen in this landscape. The deposits at Dallol include significant quantities of the carbonate, sulfate and chloride salts of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Hot springs discharge brine to form the blueish ponds, and small, temporarygeysers produce cones of salt.
TheLarabanga Mosque was built in theSudanese architectural style in the village ofLarabanga,Ghana. It is the oldest mosque in the country and one of the oldest in West Africa, and has been called the "Mecca of West Africa". It has undergonerestoration several times since it was founded. TheWorld Monuments Fund has contributed substantially to its restoration, and lists it as one of the 100 most endangered sites.
Portrait of aMaasai woman, with shaved head, stretched earlobes, and beaded adornments, typical of the Maasai culture. The Maasai are aNiloticethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa. Their primary languageMaa (ɔl Maa) is a member of theNilo-Saharan language family that is related toDinka andNuer.
Thesable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is anantelope which inhabits woodedsavanna ineastern andsouthern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separate population in Angola. The species issexually dimorphic, with the male heavier and about one-fifth taller than the female. It has a compact and robust build, characterized by a thick neck and tough skin, and both sexes have ringed horns which arch backward. The sable antelope has four subspecies.
This picture shows an adult male common sable antelope (H. n. niger) in theTswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa.
... that the communist-era science-fiction novelMałe zielone ludziki presents a futuristic depiction of Africa that reflects Polish perceptions of the continent during the Cold War?
Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha (Arabic:نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا,IPA:[næˈɡiːbmɑħˈfuːzˤ]; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptianwriter who won the1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, theSwedish Academy described him as a writer "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind". Mahfouz is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers inArabic literature, along withTaha Hussein, to explore themes ofexistentialism. He is the only Egyptian to win theNobel Prize in Literature. He published 35 novels, over 350 short stories, 26 screenplays, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and seven plays over a 70-year career, from the 1930s until 2004. All of his novels are set in Egypt, and always mention the concept of "the lane" as a microcosm of the world. His most famous works includeThe Cairo Trilogy andChildren of Gebelawi. Many of Mahfouz's works have been adapted intoEgyptian and international films; Making him one of the most widely adapted Arab authors. While Mahfouz's literature is classified asrealist literature,existential themes appear in it. (Full article...)
Ghana, officially theRepublic of Ghana, is a country inWest Africa. It bordersCôte d'Ivoire to the west,Burkina Faso to the north,Togo to the east, and theGulf of Guinea to the south. It was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga Adangbes on the eastern coast, the inlandEmpire of Ashanti and variousFante states. Trade with European states flourished after contact with thePortuguese in the 15th century, and theBritish established acrown colony,Gold Coast, in 1874. Upon achieving independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancientEmpire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of west of Africa.
In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French protection, and by 1900, it became the capital ofFrench Dahomey. After Benin's independence in 1960, Porto-Novo retained its status as the official capital, whileCotonou emerged as the economic and administrative hub. (Full article...)
Image 13A figure wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and whose face appears to reflect the features of the reigning king, most probablyAmenemhat II orSenwosret II. It functioned as a divine guardian for theimiut, and it is wearing a divine kilt, which suggests that the statuette was not merely a representation of the living ruler. (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 24An Ethiopian woman preparing Ethiopian coffee at atraditional ceremony. She roasts, crushes, and brews the coffee on the spot. (fromCulture of Africa)
Image 25Sudan basket-tray, tabar of weaved natural plant fiber, in different colors (fromCulture of Africa)
Image 28Map of trade centres and routes in precolonial Zimbabwe. (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 29Areas controlled by European powers in 1939. British (red) and Belgian (marroon) colonies fought with the Allies. Italian (light green) with the Axis. French colonies (dark blue) fought alongside the Allies until the Fall of France in June 1940. Vichy was in control until the Free French prevailed in late 1942. Portuguese (dark green) and Spanish (yellow) colonies remained neutral. (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 38Map of the westernSahel andSudan (northern West Africa) c. 1200. (Songhai isGao) Kingdoms in this era were centred around cities and cores, with variations of influence radiating out from these points, borders here are estimates. (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 39Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC) (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 40A terra-cotta head sculpture (1100–1500) of theYoruba, showing extraordinary naturalism. This head represents the oni or king ofIfe. (fromCulture of Africa)
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