Africa Continent: Geography, History, and Population Facts

Africa: Continent Facts and History

Africa is the third continent of the world by geographical area. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. It connects to Asia via the Suez Canal.

Although Africa has a total area of 30,272,922 square kilometers (including 621,600 sq km of insular mass), representing 22% of the total landmass, its population is 910,844,133 inhabitants, which is less than 16% of the world's population.

Political Structure

The continent is divided into 53 countries, all of which are members of the African Union, with the exception of Morocco.

Human Origins and Demographics

It is widely believed that Southern or Eastern Africa is the cradle of humanity. Successive species of hominids and apes that gave rise to humans expanded to other continents, including Homo sapiens sapiens around 190,000 years ago.

Population Composition

• Most of Africa's population is Black (90%).
• The minority population is White (9%).

Historical Development

Throughout antiquity and into the first centuries of the Christian era, the history of North Africa blended with that of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, developments in Saharan Africa followed different paths.

Ancient Circumnavigation

According to the Greek historian Herodotus (484 BC), a Phoenician expedition sponsored by Pharaoh Necho (616 BC) circumnavigated the African continent for the first time.

Trade and Roman Influence

The origins of trade between West and Central Africa and the Mediterranean are lost in prehistory. The first historical accounts date back to antiquity, detailing organized nomadic trade between Leptis Magna and Chad.

Roman Era Trade

This trade experienced its first major heyday in the 1st century BC with the rise of the Roman Empire. The primary goods traded were gold, slaves, ivory, and exotic animals for the circus games in Rome, exchanged for Roman luxury goods.

Naming the Continent

It was during this time that the name Africa was exploited. After Rome defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War, the Roman province of Africa was established, covering approximately modern-day Tunisia. It was the territorial spread of this province that gave its name to the entire continent. The increased use of the camel in North Africa, starting from the first century, was also crucial.

The Seventh Century Onward

From the seventh century, Arabs invaded North Africa. The caravan trade and Islamic expansion fueled the development of new relationships between the "two Africas" (North and Sub-Saharan).