Africa, the second largestcontinent (afterAsia), covering about one-fifth of the total land surface ofEarth. The continent is bounded on the west by theAtlantic Ocean, on the north by theMediterranean Sea, on the east by theRed Sea and theIndian Ocean, and on the south by themingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Africa’s total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), and the continent measures about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west. Its northern extremity is Al-Ghīrān Point, near Al-Abyaḍ Point (Cape Blanc), Tunisia; its southern extremity isCape Agulhas, South Africa; its farthest point east is Xaafuun (Hafun) Point, near Cape Gwardafuy (Guardafui), Somalia; and its western extremity is Almadi Point (Pointe des Almadies), onCape Verde (Cap Vert),Senegal. In the northeast, Africa was joined to Asia by theSinai Peninsula until the construction of theSuez Canal. Paradoxically, the coastline of Africa—18,950 miles (30,500 km) in length—is shorter than that ofEurope, because there are few inlets and few large bays or gulfs.

Off the coasts of Africa a number of islands are associated with the continent. Of theseMadagascar, one of the largest islands in the world, is the most significant. Other, smaller islands include theSeychelles,Socotra, and other islands to the east; theComoros,Mauritius,Réunion, and other islands to the southeast;Ascension,St. Helena, andTristan da Cunha to the southwest;Cape Verde,the Bijagós Islands,Bioko, andSão Tomé and Príncipe to the west; and theAzores and theMadeira andCanary islands to the northwest.

The continent is cut almost equally in two by theEquator, so that most of Africa lies within the tropical region, bounded on the north by theTropic of Cancer and on the south by theTropic of Capricorn. Because of the bulge formed by western Africa, the greater part of Africa’s territory lies north of the Equator. Africa is crossed from north to south by theprime meridian (0° longitude), which passes a short distance to the east ofAccra,Ghana.

In antiquity the Greeks are said to have called the continentLibya and the Romans to have called it Africa, perhaps from the Latinaprica (“sunny”) or the Greekaphrike (“without cold”). The name Africa, however, was chiefly applied to the northern coast of the continent, which was, in effect, regarded as a southern extension of Europe. The Romans, who for a time ruled the North African coast, are also said to have called the area south of their settlements Afriga, or the Land of the Afrigs—the name of a Berbercommunity south ofCarthage.

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The whole of Africa can be considered as a vast plateau rising steeply from narrow coastal strips and consisting of ancient crystalline rocks. The plateau’s surface is higher in the southeast and tilts downward toward the northeast. In general the plateau may be divided into a southeastern portion and a northwestern portion. The northwestern part, which includes theSahara (desert) and that part of North Africa known as theMaghrib, has two mountainous regions—theAtlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, which are believed to be part of a system that extends into southern Europe, and theAhaggar (Hoggar) Mountains in the Sahara. The southeastern part of the plateau includes theEthiopian Plateau, the East African Plateau, and—in easternSouth Africa, where the plateau edge falls downward in a scarp—theDrakensberg range. One of the most remarkable features in the geologic structure of Africa is theEast African Rift System, which lies between 30° and 40° E. The rift itself begins northeast of the continent’s limits and extends southward from the Eritrean Red Sea coast to theZambezi River basin.

Africa contains an enormous wealth of mineral resources, including some of the world’s largest reserves offossil fuels, metallic ores, and gems andprecious metals. This richness is matched by a greatdiversity of biological resources that includes the intensely lush equatorial rainforests of Central Africa and the world-famous populations of wildlife of the eastern and southern portions of the continent. Although agriculture (primarily subsistence) still dominates the economies of many African countries, the exploitation of these resources became the most significant economic activity in Africa in the 20th century.

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Climatic and other factors have exerted considerable influence on the patterns ofhuman settlement in Africa. While some areas appear to have been inhabited more or less continuously since the dawn of humanity, enormous regions—notably thedesert areas of northern and southwestern Africa—have been largely unoccupied for prolonged periods of time. Thus, although Africa is the second largest continent, it contains only about 10 percent of the world’s population and can be said to be underpopulated. The greater part of the continent has long beeninhabited by Black peoples, but in historic times there also have occurred major immigrations from both Asia and Europe. Of all foreign settlements in Africa, that of the Arabs has made the greatest impact. The Islamic religion, which the Arabs carried with them, spread from North Africa into many areas south of the Sahara, so that many western African peoples are now largely Islamized.

This article treats the physical and human geography of Africa, followed by discussion of geographic features of special interest. For discussion of individual countries of the continent,see such articles asEgypt,Madagascar, andSudan. African regions are treated under the titlesCentral Africa,eastern Africa,North Africa,Southern Africa, andwestern Africa; these articles also contain the principaltreatment of African historical and cultural development. For discussion of major cities of the continent,see such articles asAlexandria,Cairo,Cape Town,Johannesburg, andKinshasa. Related topics are discussed in the articlesliterature, African;literature, South African;architecture, African;art, African;dance, African;music, African;theatre, African;art and architecture, Egyptian;Islam;arts, Islamic; andIslamic world. For an overview of when countries in Africa were established or became independent,seeList of African Countries’ Independence Dates.