how many african countries are there in the world
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent (the first being Asia). At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million squareÂ miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of its total land area.[2] With 1.2 billion[1] people as of 2016, it accounts for about 16% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos. It contains 54 fully recognised sovereign states (countries), nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition.[3]