Claim: Cry Freedom was set on Earth.

Africa is the world 's second-largest and second-most-populous continent . At about 30.3 million km2 -LRB- 11.7 million square miles -RRB- including adjacent islands , it covers 6 % of Earth 's total surface area and 20.4 % of its total land area . With 1.2 billion 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 recognized sovereign states -LRB- countries -RRB- , nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition .   Africa 's population is the youngest amongst all the continents ; the median age in 2012 was 19.7 , when the worldwide median age was 30.4 . Algeria is Africa 's largest country by area , and Nigeria by population . Africa , particularly central Eastern Africa , is widely accepted as the place of origin of humans and the Hominidae clade -LRB- great apes -RRB- , 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 -LRB- modern human -RRB- found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 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 .   Africa hosts a large diversity of ethnicities , cultures and languages . In the late 19th century European countries colonized most of Africa . Africa also varies greatly with regard to environments , economics , historical ties and government systems . However , most present states in Africa originate from a process of decolonization in the 20th century . African nations have attempted to cooperate through the establishment of the African Union , which is headquartered in Addis Ababa .