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Africa
Africa is the world's third-largest continent. At 11,608,000 sq. miles (30,065,000 sq. km), it covers 20.3% of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants it accounts for around one seventh of Earth's human population. The ancient Romans used the name Africa terra --- "land of the Afri" (plural, or "Afer" singular) --- for the northern part of the continent, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The origin of Afer may be the Arabic afer, dust; the Afridi tribe, who dwelt in Northern Africa around the area of Carthage; Greek aphrike, without cold; or Latin aprica, sunny. History For most of humanity's history, Africa had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by many small, loosely associated tribal groups, kingdoms, and families. In the 14th century European explorers arrived in Africa. By bargaining with some local tribal leaders, Europeans were able to capture millions of Africans, and export them for labour around the world in what became known as the global slave trade. In the early 19th century the European imperial powers staged a massive "scramble for Africa" and occupied most of the continent, creating many colonial states. This occupation continued until the conclusion of the Second World War, after which all colonial states were gradually granted independence. Today, Africa is home to over 30 independent countries, many of which still have borders drawn during the era of European colonialism. Politics Since independence, African states have frequently been hampered by instability, violence, and authoritarianism. Until recently, few nations in Africa were able to sustain democratic governments, instead cycling through a series of brutal coups and military dictatorships. Border and territorial disputes have also been common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts. Failed government policies have also resulted in many widespread famines, and significant portions of Africa remain without enough food or water to survive. The spread of dangerous diseases is also rampant, especially the deadly AIDS virus. Despite numerous hardships, there have been some signs the continent has hope for the future. With international help, many African governments have been able to turn their economies around, and some nations are showing growth for the first time in decades. Democratic governments seem to be spreading, and although still not the majority, more and more Africans are living in freedom than ever before. Political associations such as the African Union are also offering hope for greater co-operation and peace between the continent's many countries. Demographics The population of Africa is almost entirely black. The nations of Zimbabwe and South Africa maintain small, but significant white and Asian minorities groups. Some northern countries, such as Egypt and Morocco, have Arabic majorities. Africa is home to a wide variety of different religious groups. Christianity and Islam have a significant presence in many countries, while others retain regionally unique tribal beliefs and customs. Countries Central Africa * Central African Republic * Chad * Democratic Republic of the Congo * Republic of the Congo Eastern Africa * Burundi * Comoros * Djibouti * Eritrea * Ethiopia * Kenya * Seychelles * Rwanda * Somalia -- Somaliland -- Puntland * Tanzania * Uganda Northern Africa (see also North Africa) * Algeria * Ceuta * Egypt * Libya * Mauritania * Melilla * Morocco * Sudan * Tunisia * Western Sahara Southern Africa * Angola * Botswana * Lesotho * Madagascar * Malawi * Mauritius * Mozambique * Namibia * Reunion * Swaziland * South Africa * Zambia * Zimbabwe Western Africa * Benin * Burkina Faso * Cameroon * Cape Verde * C™te d'Ivoire * Equatorial Guinea * Gabon * The Gambia * Ghana * Guinea-Bissau * Liberia * Mali * Niger * Nigeria * Sao Tome and Principe * Senegal * Sierra Leone * Togo List of countries/dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km2. Saint Helena, being closest to Africa, has been included. The figures in this table are based on areas including inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers) and may therefore be lower here. country pop. dens. area population Ê (/sq.km) (sq.km) (2002-07-01 est.) Mauritius 588 2,040 1,200,206 Mayotte (Fr.) 457 374 170,879 Reunion (Fr.) 296 2,512 743,981 Comoros 283 2,170 614,382 Rwanda 281 26,338 7,398,074 Burundi 229 27,830 6,373,002 Seychelles 176 455 80,098 Sao Tome and Principe 170 1,001 170,372 Nigeria 141 923,768 129,934,911 Gambia 129 11,300 1,455,842 Uganda 105 236,040 24,699,073 Cape Verde 101 4,033 408,760 Togo 93 56,785 5,285,501 Malawi 90 118,480 10,701,824 Ghana 85 239,460 20,244,154 Sierra Leone 78 71,740 5,614,743 Lesotho 73 30,355 2,207,954 Egypt 71 1,001,450 70,712,345 Morocco (excluding Western Sahara) 70 446,550 31,167,783 Swaziland 65 17,363 1,123,605 Benin 60 112,620 6,787,625 Ethiopia 60 1,127,127 67,673,031 Tunisia 60 163,610 9815,644 Senegal 54 196,190 10,589,571 Kenya 53 582,650 31,138,735 C™te d'Ivoire 52 322,460 16,804,784 Burkina Faso 46 274,200 12,603,185 Tanzania 39 945,087 37,187,939 Guinea-Bissau 37 36,120 1,345,479 Eritrea 37 121,320 4,465,651 South Africa 36 1,219,912 43,647,658 Cameroon 34 475,440 16,184,748 Guinea 32 245,857 7,775,065 Liberia 30 111,370 3,288,198 Zimbabwe 29 390,580 11,376,676 Madagascar 28 587,040 16,473,477 Mozambique 24 801,590 19,607,519 Democratic Republic of the Congo 24 2,345,410 55,225,478 Djibouti 21 23,000 472,810 Equatorial Guinea 18 28,051 498,144 Saint Helena (UK) 18 410 7,317 Sudan 15 2,505,810 37,090,298 Algeria 14 2,381,740 32,277,942 Zambia 13 752,614 9,959,037 Somalia 12 637,657 7,753,310 Mali 9.1 1,240,000 11,340,480 Republic of the Congo 8.7 342,000 2,958,448 Angola 8.5 1,246,700 10,593,171 Niger 8.4 1,267,000 10,639,744 Chad 7.0 1,284,000 8,997,237 Central African Republic 5.8 622,984 3,642,739 Gabon 4.6 267,667 1,233,353 Libya 3.1 1,759,540 5,368,585 Mauritania 2.7 1,030,700 2,828,858 Botswana 2.7 600,370 1,591,232 Namibia 2.2 825,418 1,820,916 Western Sahara (Morocco) 1.0 266,000 256,177
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