2d ago
How Many Countries Fit in Africa? Visualizing the Continent's True Size
Key Takeaways
- The continent of Africa covers 11.7 million mi² (30.4 million km²), roughly equal to the size of 30 countries.
- These 30 include some of the world’s largest countries like the (contiguous) U.S., China, and India.
- However, the most common map projection, called the Mercator projection, makes Africa appear smaller than it actually is.
- The African Union has urged governments to not use it anymore as it gives the impression that Africa is “marginal” on the world stage.
- For reference, Africa is the second-largest continent, both by size and population (1.6 billion people).
