Africa is a continent, one of the seven big masses of land that make up
the Earth. It is the second-biggest continent, with 11,500,000 square
miles; North America has only 9,300,000 square miles, and the United
States only 3,000,000. There are about 200 million people living in
Africa, not very many more than live in the United States. That is
because in large parts of Africa there are very few people, or none at
all.
Africa is a continent, one of the seven big masses of land that make up the Earth. It is the second-biggest continent, with 11,500,000 square miles; North America has only 9,300,000 square miles, and the United States only 3,000,000. There are about 200 million people living in Africa, not very many more than live in the United States. That is because in large parts of Africa there are very few people, or none at all. Africa is shaped somewhat like a pear, with the wide part "on top"—that is, in the north—and closest to the Americas. During World War II, American airplanes flew to the nearest places in Africa in a day's time, and it could be done faster now. But most of Africa is thousands of miles from the United States and it takes weeks to get there.
For hundreds of years Africa was called "the Dark Continent." No one in Europe and America knew much about it. It had not been explored, the way America was, until less than 100 years ago. In the last hundred years much has been learned about Africa and its people, and now it is not the Dark Continent any more. Some parts of Africa are as modern and up-to-date as the United States, but millions of square miles are still wild jungle and desert, with no signs of civilization as we know it. the countries of africa Like other continents, Africa has a number of different countries and territories under different governments. Egypt, which lies along the rich valley of the great river Nile, on the northern coast of Africa. It is one of the oldest civilized countries on earth, and has figured in our history longer than any other.
Ethiopia, a kingdom in the northeastern part of Africa. It too is very old, going back to Biblical times, but it is just beginning to become a modern country. Libya, on the northern coast of Africa (that is, on the Mediterranean Sea). Until after World War II, Libya was a territory controlled by Italy. Now it is independent. Libya is big but it is mostly desert and so there are not many people living there. Liberia, a small republic on the western coast (that is, on the Atlantic Ocean). Liberia was settled about a hundred years ago by Negroes who had been slaves in America. Union of South Africa, a big, modern country at the southern tip of Africa. It was settled by Dutch and British peoples, and it is now one of the British Commonwealth of Nations. the territories
