Africa
hideAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people (as of 2009, see table) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the World's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Not counting the disputed territory of Western Sahara, there are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.
Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae tree (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago – including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (human) found in Ethiopia being dated to ca. 200,000 years ago.
Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.
For more information about Africa, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with africa
Scientists: New dinosaur species found in SAfrica
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 11, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Scientists say they've discovered a new dinosaur species in South Africa that may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land.
Researchers complete draft genome sequence for cassava
Nov 09, 2009 |
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A team of academic, government and industry researchers has completed a first draft of the cassava (Manihot esculenta) genome. The project is an important first step in accelerating the pace of research on this subsistence ...
W. Africa's last giraffes make surprising comeback
Nov 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A crisp African dawn is breaking overhead, and Zibo Mounkaila is on the back of a pickup truck bounding across a sparse landscape of rocky orange soil.
Study uses satellite imagery to identify active magma systems in East Africa's Rift Valley
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 04, 2009 |
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A team from the University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester have employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic activity ...
Expect the unexpected when adapting to climate change in Africa, says researcher
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Nations, communities and families in Africa need to safeguard their homes and livelihoods against the unpredictable effects of climate change, according to a discussion paper written by Imperial ...
Maize research reduces poverty in west and central Africa
Oct 28, 2009 |
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An analysis of three and half decades of maize research in African farming communities finds big benefits. A multi-country study, in Agricultural Economics, reports the significant role international maize research plays ...
Boys with urogenital birth defects are 33 percent more common in villages sprayed with DDT
Oct 23, 2009 |
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Women who lived in villages sprayed with DDT to reduce malaria gave birth to 33 per cent more baby boys with urogenital birth defects (UGBD) between 2004 and 2006 than women in unsprayed villages, according to research published ...
Trigger of deadly food toxin discovered
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, ...
Scientists discover largest orb-weaving spider
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Researchers from the United States and Slovenia have discovered a new, giant Nephila species (golden orb weaver spider) from Africa and Madagascar and have published their findings in the Oct. 21 issue of the ...
SAfrica to limit trans fats as heart disease rises
Oct 15, 2009 |
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(AP) -- South Africa's health department says it will draft regulations aimed at reducing the trans fats South Africans consume.
Researcher studies monkeys in Africa to better understand virus evolution
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Oct 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite the importance of AIDS in human health, scientists still know very little about the diversity and ecology of AIDS-like viruses in nature.
Scientists join forces to explain HIV spread in Central and East Africa
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Sep 29, 2009 |
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Scientists studying biology and geography may seem worlds apart, but together they have answered a question that has defied explanation about the spread of the HIV-1 epidemic in Africa.
With an Eye on Locusts and Vegetation, Scientists Make a Good Tool Better
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Locusts, the grasshopper-like insects of Biblical lore, are normally docile creatures that prefer solitary lives in the desert, away from other members of their species. But sometimes, when ...
IBM offers low-cost computing solution for Africa
Sep 23, 2009 |
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US computer giant IBM and South Africa's Canonical on Wednesday announced the launch of a Web-based service aimed at helping African businesses that cannot afford traditional personal computers.
Carrier Pigeon Faster Than Broadband Internet
Sep 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In South Africa, a carrier pigeon carrying a 4GB memory stick proved to be faster than the ADSL service from the country's biggest web firm, Telkom. Winston the pigeon took one hour and eight ...
