Africa 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.[2] With a billion people (as of 2009, see table) in
61 territories, it accounts for about
14.72% 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 has 54 sovereign states, including Madagascar, various island groups, and the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a member state of the African Union whose statehood is disputed by
Morocco.