African History Africa is a large and diverse continent that extends from South Africa northward to the Mediterranean Sea. The continent makes up one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. Description: This Map of Africa shows seas, country boundaries, countries, capital cities, major cities, islands and lakes in Africa. Size: 1600x1600px / 677 Kb | 1250x1250px / 421 Kb Author: Ontheworldmap.com Detailed Maps of Africa Maps of African Regions This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title African. If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Many African countries became highly dependent on foreign aid. The sudden loss of both Soviet and American aid at the end of the Cold War and fall of the USSR resulted in severe economic and political turmoil in the countries most dependent on foreign support. Africa, the planet's 2nd largest continent and the second most-populous continent (after Asia) includes (54) individual countries, and Western Sahara, a member state of the African Union whose statehood is disputed by Morocco. Stay on top of Africa latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps. Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi have been nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or - but when will an African claim football's top individual prize for the first time since 1995? Peter Spencer, founder of the Mother African Union Church, started the festival in 1814, two years before the church became the birthplace of the entire AME denomination. West-central Africa may be considered as an eastern extension of western Africa: in the north are the savannas of Chad, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and South Sudan, stretching to the Nile River, and in the south is the largely forested area of the Congo River basin. African regions are treated under the titles Central Africa, eastern Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, and western Africa; these articles also contain the principal treatment of African historical and cultural development.