The continent of Africa is a transcontinental country, straddling the Equator. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, by Asia to the east and northeast, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The only country that borders both North and South America is Canada, which also borders Mexico across the Rio Grande.

Africa is the second largest continent in terms of population and area. The only continent that is larger than it is Asia. It has an area of 30 million square kilometers (11 million sq mi), or about 15% of Earth’s total land area. With 1 billion people, it accounts for 16% of world population as of July 2010. Africa has 54 sovereign states with populations ranging from just over 1 million to over 50 million people each.

Africa is divided into five major regions: North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Africa, West Africa and Southern Africa. These are further divided into 25 countries, which are listed below.

Last modified: October 6, 2022