Africa is the world’s second-largest continent with a total area of 11,712,434 sq miles (30,335,000 sq km). It has 54 separate countries, including Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It straddles the equator and is the only continent to stretch from the northern to southern temperate zones.
Area: 11,633,846 sq miles (30,131,536 sq km).
Highest point: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,341 ft (5,895 m).
Lowest Point: Lac ‘Assal, Djibouti -512 ft (-156 m) below sea level.
Longest river: the Nile, Egypt/Sudan/Uganda, 4,187 miles (6,738 km).
Largest lake: L. Victoria, Tanzania/Uganda/Kenya, 26,828 sq miles (69,484 sq km).
Largest island: Madagascar, 226,660 sq miles (587,040 sq km).
Highest recorded temperature: Al’Aziziyah, Libya 136°F (58°C).
Lowest recorded temperature: Ifrane, Morocco -11°F (-24°C).
Wettest Place: Cape Debundsha, Cameroon 405 in (10,290 mm).
Driest Place: Wadi Halfa, Sudan <0.1 in (<2.5 mm).
Population: approximately 849,000,000 people.
The number of countries: 53.