Africa has 54 sovereign countries—the most on any continent—and is the second largest continent in terms of both land area and population. Africa is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by the Red Sea to the northeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Africa is a vast continent spanning over 5,000 mile north to south and 4,800 miles east to west (not including islands) and contains a wide array of peoples, skin colours, religions, and cultures. Africa contains the world's longest river—the 4,100 miles Nile River running from Burundito Egypt—while the Congo River in the DRC is the second largest in terms of discharge as well as the deepest with a depth of over 750 feet in some spots. Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the world's tallest free-standing mountain at 19,340 feet. Djibouti's Lake Assal is the second lowest point on Earth, the saltiest lake outside Antarctica, and one of the hottest places on Earth.
North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara) - The countries that rim the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Sahel (Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan) - The desert and savanna nations that span the Sahel and southern half of the Sahara Desert.
West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo) -The tropical Atlantic coastal nations.
Central Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan) - The heart of Africa.
Southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe) - Natiosn at Africa's southern tip.
East Africa (Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Rwanda, Reunion, Somalia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganada) - The nations that border the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
