Africa

Africa has a total land area of 11.7 million square miles making it the second largest continent on Earth. It is also the second most populous continent as it contains just over 1 billion people in 54 countries. Excluding Antarctica, Africa has the third lowest population density behind South and North America. According to the CIA World Factbook, the nations with the highest gross domestic product (total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year) are Egypt, Nigeria, and Algeria.

The countries with the lowest GDP in Africa are São Tomé and Príncipe, Tonga, and Comoros.

The African climate varies greatly and ranges from tropical to subarctic at its highest point. The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro rising to 19,341 feet above sea level. Despite the subarctic conditions found at its extremes, Africa is the hottest continent on Earth. On September 13, 1922 in Al’Aziziyah, Libya the mercury reached 136 degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 Celsius).

Many think Africa to be the birthplace of humanity as paleoanthropologists believe it has been inhabited longer than any other place on Earth. Today, Africa is home to over 1 billion people who speak over 1,500 languages. There are six major language families spoken in Africa: Afroasiatic , Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, Khoe, Austronesian, and Indo-European. While many other small language families exist, these six are the largest.

The African country reports included in this category will analyze and forecast political risk, macroeconomic trends, financial markets and the business environment, and global market views. In addition to individual nation coverage, regional coverage is available for the areas of North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East and West Africa.