Africa is big enough to swallow the United States, China, India, and most of Europe combined, and still have room left over. One continent, 54 countries, and an astonishing range of landscapes packed inside it.
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The Geography of Africa
One continent, 54 countries, five regions
Size~30.4 million km², 2nd-largest continent
Longest RiverThe Nile
Highest PointMount Kilimanjaro, 5,895 m
Biggest DesertThe Sahara
Did you know? Africa is large enough that the USA, China, India, and most of Europe could all fit inside it at once.
🏛️ Must Know
The Basics: Size, Regions, and Borders
- Second-Largest Continent Africa covers roughly 30.4 million square kilometres and is home to 54 recognised countries, making it the world’s second-largest continent by both area and population, after Asia.
- Bounded by Three Water Bodies Africa is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, connected to Asia only via the narrow Sinai Peninsula.
- Five Conventional Regions Africa is commonly divided into five regions: North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa — each with its own distinct climate, history, and political groupings.
- The Equator Runs Through It Africa is the only continent the Equator crosses through its middle, giving it a broadly symmetrical climate pattern of tropical zones near the centre and drier zones toward the north and south.
🏘️ Good to Know
Rivers, Mountains, and Deserts
- The Nile The Nile, generally considered the world’s longest river, flows north through Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean, with Lake Victoria as one of its main sources.
- The Congo The Congo River, Africa’s second-longest, drains the vast Congo Basin rainforest — the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon.
- Six Congo Basin Countries The Congo Basin itself spans six countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon — see EnvEco0060 — The Congo Basin Peatlands for its peatlands and climate significance.
- The Niger and the Zambezi The Niger River loops through West Africa, while the Zambezi flows across Southern Africa and plunges over Victoria Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls.
- The Atlas and Kilimanjaro The Atlas Mountains run along Africa’s northwest coast, while Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, a dormant volcano, is Africa’s highest point at 5,895 metres.
- The Sahara and the Sahel The Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert, covers most of North Africa; the Sahel is the semi-arid transition belt immediately south of it, stretching coast to coast.
⚡ Great to Know
The Great Rift Valley and Beyond
- A Continent Splitting Apart The East African Rift System runs from the Red Sea south to the Zambezi basin — a tectonic rift where the African continent is slowly splitting into two plates, the Somali and Nubian plates.
- The Great Lakes The rift’s movement created Africa’s Great Lakes, including Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake by area) and Lake Tanganyika (one of the world’s deepest lakes).
- Related Reading See WorldGeo0021 — The Sahara Desert, WorldGeo0026 — Lake Turkana, EnvEco0060 — The Congo Basin Peatlands, and WorldGeo0028 — The Equator for deeper dives into specific African features already covered on this site.
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