Africa: The continental giant

Africa is made up of 54 recognized countries, more than any other continent. That number reflects a long and complicated history of colonial borders drawn by European powers, which were redrawn again as nations gained independence throughout the twentieth century, leaving the continent split into dozens of separate states.

Africa earned the name because the oldest known fossils of human ancestors have been found there, some dating back several million years. Genetic studies also show the deepest branches of the human family tree sit within African populations, supporting the idea that our species originated and spread out from this continent.

Africa is home to well over a thousand languages, more than any other continent on earth. This diversity grew out of thousands of distinct ethnic groups developing in relative isolation across the continent's deserts and mountain ranges, with only a handful of languages like Swahili and Arabic spreading widely enough to cross borders.

Africa has the youngest population because birth rates remain high while child mortality keeps falling, so each generation is larger than the one before it. Fewer older adults survive to balance out the numbers, which pulls the average age of the whole continent down compared to slower-growing regions elsewhere.