Africa is the second-largest continent after Asia and is separated in the north from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. To the northeast, just over the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, begins Asia. The Indian Ocean separates eastern Africa from Australia and southern Africa from Antarctica. On the west, the Atlantic Ocean separates western Africa from North and South America.
Africa's area is 11,711,000 square miles (30,331,000 square kilometers) Although many people think of Africa as a land of humid, steamy jungles; waterless, sandy deserts; and sweltering equatorial forests, it is also a continent of massive peaks snowcapped all year round; of long, sweeping savannas; of cold, misty rain; and of bitter, frosty nights. Africa is very rich in minerals. Among them are diamonds, gold, uranium, copper and oil and much mineral wealth still remains to be developed.
Asia is the most populous continent and Africa is in second place with an estimated population in 2006 of 991,400,000. Africa contains a variety of peoples, languages, and cultures. Generally there are two major racial groups in Africa --the Negroid, or black, and the Caucasoid, or white. Africa has over 1,000 languages classified into several broad language categories: Afro-Asian and Nilo-Saharan; Niger-Kordofanian and Khoisan; European languages and others.
The three main religions in Africa are Islam, Christianity, and traditional religions.
Web Sites
- Open Directory Project (a directory listing of African countries)
- countryreports.org
- nationsonline.org
- The World Clock-Time Zones
Maps
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Africa guidebooks
Databases
Enter Africa in these databases: