Deserts, wild animals, savannas and many tribes with authentic customs are the first images that come to mind when thinking about Africa. In fact, it is a very developed continent with a huge variety of cultures, languages and attractions.
Africa
The area of the entire continent, which is located east of the Atlantic Ocean and west of the Indian Ocean, is a little over 30 million km2, i.e. it occupies 22, 2% of the total land area. The population of the mainland varies both in nationality and religion. Now the number of its inhabitants reaches the number of 1.33 billion people.
Among the most populated countries - Nigeria and Ethiopia, and the third place is occupied by Egypt. Africa's annual population growth is higher than on any other continent at 2.3%.
Colonial Africa
Most of the states of this continent for a long time remained colonies of Europe, and became independent only in the second half of the twentieth century. All these countries aremembers of the African Union, which deals with the settlement of problems on the mainland, especially in states with the least stable political background. Among these, Somalia, Chad and Sudan are in the lead.
African countries by area
Among the largest states in terms of territory, the first places are occupied by Algeria, Congo and Sudan. These countries differ in many ways, such as population, language, area, etc. In addition to the largest states, there are others such as Libya, Chad, Niger and Angola. These countries occupy a significant area of Africa.
Algeria
This is the largest state in this part of the world and, in addition, one of the richest in various minerals such as oil and natural gas. Algiers is located in the northern part of the continent, and its area is 2.38 million km2. The fertile subtropical climate and diverse Mediterranean vegetation make the north of the country a fertile and densely populated area. Algeria accounts for a large proportion of the world's largest desert, the Sahara.
The country's population is very diverse. Its total number is 32.36 million inhabitants. The capital of the country - Algiers - has become an important tourist center, which is visited annually by about 1 million travelers. There are many world heritage sites on the territory of the state that could attract more tourists, but the unstable situation scares away potential visitors. Among the main attractions arename Tassilin-Adzher (cave complex), the Mzab Valley (settlements of the 10th century), Tipaza (a group of ancient monuments of various cultures), etc.
Congo
This democratic republic, like Algeria, occupies a significant area of the African continent, which reaches 2.34 million km2. Despite the fact that the state is located in the central part of the mainland, it has a small outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The river of the same name flows through the country. The extreme east is occupied by a chain of lakes located in tectonic depressions. As for the climate and vegetation, they are very diverse here, since the state is located in several zones at once, starting from the equatorial, in which tropical rainforests are located, and ending with the subequatorial, where you can find a number of tall grass savannahs.
The population of the state is about 55.85 million inhabitants. The capital of the country is the city of Kinshasa, and the official language is French. Congo is less rich in attractions than tourist Algeria, however, here you can visit several national parks and reserves.
Sudan
The third largest state of Sudan also occupies a considerable area of Africa. Its total area is 2.5 million km2. The country is located in the eastern part of the continent and has direct access to the Red Sea. The White and Blue Nile flow through the territory of Sudan, which form a river near Khartoum. The climate here also varies, the country has belts from tropicalup to subequatorial.
The population of the country is 35.5 million inhabitants. The capital of the state is the city of Khartoum, and the official language here is Arabic. An important historical landmark is considered to be Napatan, where you can visit various archaeological sites located in the Nile Valley.
Libya
This state is located in the northern region of the continent, and almost entirely it is occupied by the Sahara. The total area of the country is 1.76 million km2. It has a tropical climate, and on the territory of Libya, the highest temperature on the planet was even noted, which amounted to +58 degrees. There are no surface waters here, but there are underground sources that support the life of fruitful oases.
Despite the fact that Libya occupies a considerable area of Africa, due to the arid climate, the population here is only 5.74 million inhabitants.
Chad
This is the fourth largest country on the continent, 1.28 million km2 is its total area. Chad is located in central Africa. The water system here is rather poorly developed, and all of its often drying up rivers are found in Lake Chad. The capital of the country is the city of N'Djamena, and French is recognized as the official language.
Niger
This country is located in the central part of the Sahara, which, of course, speaks of a tropical climate. The territory of the country is sparsely populated, except for the south, where the Niger River of the same name flows. The area of the state is 1.27 million km22, and its capital is Niamey.
Angola
The country is located in the southwestern region of the continent and has a wide outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the state is 1.25 million km22, the capital of the country is the city of Luanda.
Result
Total area of Africa in sq. km is 30.249 million, which makes the continent the second largest in the world. A large part of the territory is occupied by the Sahara desert, parts of which belong to different states. The largest state of the continent is Algeria, which occupies a significant area of Africa. In addition, the first positions in the list of African countries by territory are occupied by all the above states.
