Libya is the largest country on its continent.
Africa is the world 's second-largest and second-most-populous continent .. continent. continent. At about 30.3 million km2 -LRB- 11.7 million square miles -RRB- including adjacent islands , it covers 6 % of Earth 's total surface area and 20.4 % of its total land area .. Earth. Earth. With 1.2 billion people as of 2016 , it accounts for about 16 % of the world 's human population .. human population. human population. human. human. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north , both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast , the Indian Ocean to the southeast , and the Atlantic Ocean to the west .. continent. continent. Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea. Suez Canal. Suez Canal. Red Sea. Red Sea. Sinai Peninsula. Sinai Peninsula. Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean. Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic Ocean. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos .. continent. continent. Madagascar. Madagascar. It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states -LRB- countries -RRB- , nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition .. fully recognized. diplomatic recognition. countries. country. territories. Territory ( country subdivision ). states with limited or no recognition. List of states with limited recognition. Africa 's population is the youngest amongst all the continents ; the median age in 2012 was 19.7 , when the worldwide median age was 30.4 .. median. median. Algeria is Africa 's largest country by area , and Nigeria by population .. Algeria. Algeria. Nigeria. Nigeria. Africa , particularly central Eastern Africa , is widely accepted as the place of origin of humans and the Hominidae clade -LRB- great apes -RRB- , as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors , as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago , including Sahelanthropus tchadensis , Australopithecus africanus , A. afarensis , Homo erectus , H. habilis and H. ergaster -- with the earliest Homo sapiens -LRB- modern human -RRB- found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 200,000 years ago .. Eastern Africa. Eastern Africa. human. human. Hominidae. Hominidae. clade. clade. hominids. hominids. Sahelanthropus tchadensis. Sahelanthropus tchadensis. Australopithecus africanus. Australopithecus africanus. A. afarensis. Australopithecus afarensis. Homo erectus. Homo erectus. H. habilis. Homo habilis. H. ergaster. Homo ergaster. Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens. Ethiopia. Ethiopia. Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas ; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones .. continent. continent. equator. equator. temperate. temperate. Africa hosts a large diversity of ethnicities , cultures and languages .. In the late 19th century European countries colonized most of Africa .. countries. country. colonized most of Africa. new imperialism. Africa also varies greatly with regard to environments , economics , historical ties and government systems .. However , most present states in Africa originate from a process of decolonization in the 20th century .. decolonization. decolonization. African nations have attempted to cooperate through the establishment of the African Union , which is headquartered in Addis Ababa .. African. Ethnic groups of Africa. African Union. African Union. Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa