Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. At about 30.3 million km² (including adjacent islands), it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area. Due to being the oldest inhabited continent on Earth. Africa is often nicknamed the "Mother Continent" or "cradle of humankind". Africa is divided almost equally in half by the Equator with eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rainforest, the African Great Lakes, and southern Africa. Each of these regions has unique animal and plant communities.

Highest Elevation Point: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (5,895 meters/19,340 feet)
Largest Urban Area : Cairo, Egypt (15.6 million people)
Largest Watershed: Congo River (4 million square kilometers/1.55 million square miles)