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.
Theroyal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is aWest Africanantelope recognized as the world's smallest. It was firstdescribed by Swedish zoologistCarl Linnaeus in 1758. It stands up to merely 25 cm (10 in) at the shoulder and weighs 2.5–3 kg (5.5–6.6 lb). A characteristic feature is the long and slender legs, with the hindlegs twice as long as the forelegs.Horns are possessed only by males; the short, smooth, spiky horns measure 2.5–3 cm (0.98–1.18 in) and bend backward. The softcoat is reddish to golden brown, in sharp contrast with the whiteventral parts. In comparison toBates's pygmy antelope, the royal antelope has a longer muzzle, broader lips, a smaller mouth and smaller cheek muscles.
Typicallynocturnal (active at night), the royal antelope exhibits remarkable alertness.Territories are marked with dung. An herbivore, the royal antelope prefers small quantities of fresh foliage and shoots; fruits and fungi may be taken occasionally. Like otherneotragines, the royal antelope ismonogamous. Both sexes can becomesexually mature by as early as six months. Births have been reported in November and December. A single, delicate young is born after an unknown gestational period. (Full article...)
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dar es Salaam is the largest city inTanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts:Kinondoni to the north,Ilala in the center of the region, andTemeke to the south. The Dar es Salaam Region had a population of 2,497,940 as of the official 2002 census. Though Dar es Salaam lost its official status as capital city toDodoma in 1974, it remains the center of the permanent central government bureaucracy and continues to serve as the capital for the Dar es Salaam Region.
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.
Plagues of thedesert locust ( the scientific name beingSchistocerca gregaria) have threatenedagricultural production inAfrica, theMiddle East andAsia for centuries. The livelihood of at least one-tenth of the world’s human population can be affected by this hungry insect. The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of thelocust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances. The 2004 desert locust outbreak has caused significantcrop losses inWest Africa and had a negative impact onfood security in the region.
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.
TheGreat Sphinx of Giza is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on theGiza Plateau on the west bank of theNile, near modern-dayCairo, inEgypt. It is the largestmonolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. It is the oldest knownmonumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built byancient Egyptians in thethird millenniumBC. After the Giza Necropolis was abandoned, the Sphinx became buried up to its shoulders in sand. The first documented attempt at an excavation dates toc.1400BC. In 1817AD, the first modernarchaeological dig, supervised by theItalian CaptainGiovanni Battista Caviglia, uncovered the Sphinx’s chest completely. The entire Sphinx was finally excavated in 1925.
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 fifty-rupie banknote was issued in 1915, and is now part of theNational Numismatic Collection at theSmithsonian Institution.
Other denominations: '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001B-QINU`"'
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.
Jason Sendwe (1917 – 19 June 1964) was a Congolese politician and the founder and leader of theGeneral Association of the Baluba of the Katanga (BALUBAKAT) party. He later served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (thenRepublic of the Congo) from August 1961 until January 1963, and as President of theProvince of North Katanga from September 1963 until his death, with a brief interruption.
Sendwe was born in 1917 in Mwanya,Kabongo Territory, Belgian Congo, to an ethnicBaluba family. He was educated inMethodist schools and nursing institutions. Unable to become a doctor due to a lack of medical schools in the Congo, he found work as a minister, teacher, and nurse. He became involved in several cultural organisations, and in 1957 founded BALUBAKAT to fight for the interests of the Baluba. He espousedCongolese nationalism and believed that the Congo should remain a united country after Belgian rule. In May 1960, shortly before the country's independence, he was elected to the newly constitutedChamber of Deputies. Sendwe sought to obtain control over the government ofKatanga Province, but lost to a power struggle against his rival,Moïse Tshombe, and theConfederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga (CONAKAT) party. Regardless, Prime MinisterPatrice Lumumba nominated him for the office of State Commissioner for Katanga. (Full article...)
Formerly called theRepublic of Upper Volta, it wasrenamed on August 4, 1984 by PresidentThomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" inMoré andDioula, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated as "men of integrity", from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. Independence fromFrance came in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year toCôte d'Ivoire andGhana in search of paid labour.(Read more...)
Dakar is situated on theCap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. Cap-Vert was colonized by thePortuguese in the early 15th century. The Portuguese established a presence on the island ofGorée off the coast of Cap-Vert and used it as a base for theAtlantic slave trade.France took over the island in 1677. Following the abolition of the slave trade and French annexation of the mainland area in the 19th century, Dakar grew into a major regional port and a major city of theFrench colonial empire. In 1902, Dakar replacedSaint-Louis as the capital ofFrench West Africa. From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-livedMali Federation. In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal. Dakar will host the2026 Summer Youth Olympics. (Full article...)
Image 3Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC) (fromHistory of Africa)
Image 4A terra-cotta head sculpture (1100–1500) of theYoruba, showing extraordinary naturalism. This head represents the oni or king ofIfe. (fromCulture of Africa)
Image 5An Ethiopian woman preparing Ethiopian coffee at atraditional ceremony. She roasts, crushes, and brews the coffee on the spot. (fromCulture of Africa)
Image 6A 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 8Traditional male dancers from Northern Nigeria (fromCulture of Africa)
Image 9Areas 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 13Map 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)
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