5 Africa

 Eastern Africa

Northern Africa

Western Africa

Middle Africa

Southern Africa

Africa Wiki - FiveAfrica.Com
Enter Search Term
 Help
Book creator (disable)

Portal:Africa

From Africa Wiki - FiveAfrica.Com, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, title
Cheetah.png
For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic Africa topics.
Main   Countries   Projects
Location of Africa on the world map
Satellite map of Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,599 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 20.4% of the Earth's total land area, and with over 900 million inhabitants in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world's human population. Modern human evolutionary theory recognizes Africa, particular the area in and around present-day Ethiopia, as the cradle of humankind.

The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas and is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. Because of the lack of natural regular precipitation and irrigation as well as glaciers or mountain aquifer systems, there no natural moderating effect on the climate exists except near the coasts.

Show new selections...

Featured article

A map of Johannesburg indicating regions and freeways

The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although the term has a somewhat stronger meaning in South Africa as most suburbs have legally recognised borders and separate postal codes. The municipal functions for the area, such as police and social services, are still managed by either the local region or the city government.

Johannesburg, like many other boom towns, grew rapidly and with little planning, and thus the city covers an extremely large area. The main differences between the city's suburbs tend to be socioeconomic. The wealthy live to the north of the City Centre in the northern suburbs, while the poor live to the south and on the fringes of the city in former townships. (Read more...)

Featured picture

Sphinx, partially excavated
Credit: Maison Bonfils

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, in Egypt. It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in the third millennium BC. After the Giza Necropolis was abandoned, the Sphinx became buried up to its shoulders in sand. The first documented attempt at an excavation dates to c. 1400 BC. In 1817 AD, the first modern archaeological dig, supervised by the Italian Captain Giovanni Battista Caviglia, uncovered the Sphinx’s chest completely. The entire Sphinx was finally excavated in 1925.

Did you know ...


portrait of white headed man with glasses

In the news

Categories

Featured biography

Robert Baden-Powell

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB (22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement.

After being educated at Charterhouse School, Baden-Powell served in the British Army from 1876 until 1910 in India and Africa. In 1899, during the Second Boer War in South Africa, he organised a successful defence of Mafeking when it was besieged by the Boers. He wrote several books for military reconnaissance and scout training in his African years. During writing, he tested his ideas through a camping trip on Brownsea Island that began on August 1, 1907, which is now seen as the beginning of Scouting. (Read more...)

Topics in Africa

Culture Architecture (World Heritage Sites) · Art · Cinema (Film festivals · List of films) · Cuisine ·
Etiquette · Languages · Literature (Writers by country) · Music (Musicians) · Religion
Demographics People · Countries by population · Countries by population density · HIV/AIDS ·
Urbanization (List of most populous cities)
Economy Countries by GDP · Countries by HDI · Central banks and currencies · Poverty · Renewable energy · Stock exchanges · Natural resources
Geography Countries · Ecology · List of impact craters · List of islands · List of rivers · Regions
History Colonisation (European exploration · African slave trade · Scramble for Africa) ·
Decolonisation · Economic history · Military history (List of conflicts)
Politics African Union · Elections in Africa · Human rights in Africa · Pan-Africanism
Society African philosophy · Caste system · Education · Media (List of radio stations · List of television stations)
Sport African Cricket Association · All-Africa Games · Australian rules football · FIBA Africa ·
Confederation of African Football (African Cup of Nations) · Stadiums by capacity ·
Confederation of African Rugby (Africa Cup) · Tour d'Afrique
Years 2005 in Africa · 2006 in Africa · 2007 in Africa

Related portals

Associated Wikimedia

FiveAfrica.Com