Africa

Africa is the world’s second-largest continent, covering about 30 million square kilometres and home to more than 1.4 billion people. Its 54 countries are grouped by the United Nations into five regions: Northern Africa, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Middle Africa (also known as Central Africa), and Southern Africa. The land ranges from the hot Sahara Desert in the north to thick rainforests near the equator, with broad savannas and high mountains farther south. Africa also holds the Nile, the longest river on Earth, and Mount Kilimanjaro, its highest peak. People across the continent speak hundreds of languages—such as Arabic, Swahili, Hausa, and French