Africa is made up of 55 countries. Some on the mainland, some islands.
Total landmass 30.1 million square kilometres or 11.6 million square miles.
Africa covers 6% of the earth's surface and 20.4% of the earth's landmass.
As of 2017 there are about 1.2 billion people living in Africa.
16.3% of the world's population live in Africa.
Africa sits across the equator and the climate is very varied across the continent.
The main landmass is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the north east, the Indian Ocean in the south east and the Atlantic Ocean along the west coast.
In the 19th century, European countries conquered most of Africa and made the various tribal kingdoms and countries into colonies.
During the 20th century nearly all African nations gained independence from their European rulers.
There are a vast number of cultures, ethnicities and languages across the continent.
It is generally agreed that our ancestors originated in some parts of East Africa. The earliest homo sapien, that is a modern human being, was found in Ethiopia and dates back some 200,000 years.