Africa, the second biggest continent on Earth, has the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north, and the Red Sea on the northeast. It has Nile, the world's longest river, and the world's largest desert, the Sahara. The 53 countries of Africa have an area of almost 1.2 million Sq miles; 20.2% of the earth’s land with almost 877 million people.
Mankind evolved as we are today about a hundred thousand years ago in eastern and southern Africa. These Stone Age humans made tools such as hooks and needles from bone, and also made precise stone blades. The stone blades were used as scrapers and knives, or fixed sticks to become spears or arrows. They began to move out of Africa into the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, and the rest of the world.
Most of the inhabitants of Africa are indigenous people of diverse cultures. They speak different languages; have hundreds of different religions, and livelihoods. Arabs have been the earliest immigrants in the 7th century AD when they entered into Africa from the Middle East. They brought Islam with them. Europeans first arrived in Africa in the 17th century near the Cape of Good Hope.
Most of Africa's population is rural. Barring a few crops, like cacao and peanuts, agricultural production is low. Africa produces three forth of the world's cocoa beans and about one third of its peanuts. Africa is rich in precious minerals such as diamonds. It has oil, gas, and phosphate deposits. Manufacturing industry exists mainly in South Africa and in North Africa in Egypt and Algeria. It has a huge potential for hydroelectric power but it is hardly utilized. Africa's coastline has also not been developed to the extent possible for movement of large ships.
Countries of Africa:
