Africa

American  

[af-ri-kuh] / ˈæf rɪ kə /

noun

1. a continent south of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. About 11,700,000 square miles (30,303,000 square kilometers).

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Africa British  

/ ˈæfrɪkə /

noun

1. the second largest of the continents, on the Mediterranean in the north, the Atlantic in the west, and the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean in the east. The Sahara desert divides the continent unequally into North Africa (an early centre of civilization, in close contact with Europe and W Asia, now inhabited chiefly by Arabs) and Africa south of the Sahara (relatively isolated from the rest of the world until the 19th century and inhabited chiefly by Negroid peoples). It was colonized mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries by Europeans and now comprises independent nations. The largest lake is Lake Victoria and the chief rivers are the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi. Pop: 887 964 000 (2005 est). Area: about 30 300 000 sq km (11 700 000 sq miles)

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Africa Cultural  

1. The second-largest continent, after Asia; located south of Europe and bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Indian Ocean.

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Discover More

Africa south of the Sahara is sometimes called sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa has been the home of great civilizations, particularly in Egypt (see also Egypt), along the Mediterranean Sea. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, European nations colonized much of the continent (see colonialism). In the twentieth century, the colonies became independent countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit especially hard by HIV/AIDS, drastically decreasing the life expectancy of much of the population.

Etymology

Origin of Africa

See African ( def. )

Example Sentences

The previous outbreak of Ebola -- which has killed around 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years, despite advances in vaccines and treatment -- was last August in the central region.

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

She points out that the first girls' high school in sub-Saharan Africa was built in the country, and describes Sierra Leone as a place marked by religious tolerance.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

In the U.S., there were 11 likely cases, mostly in people who had traveled to West Africa.

From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026

Sinoguards provides armed guards to protect ships sailing out of Fujiarah and five other locations in Asia and Africa, according to its website.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The British were everywhere: they were fighting the Japanese in Burma, and they were fighting the Germans in North Africa.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein