<P> Africa is the world 's second - largest and second-most - populous continent ( the first being Asia ) . At about 30.3 million km ( 11.7 million square miles ) 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 recognised sovereign states ( countries ) , nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition . </P>
<P> Africa is the world 's second - largest and second-most - populous continent ( the first being Asia ) . At about 30.3 million km ( 11.7 million square miles ) 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 recognised sovereign states ( countries ) , nine territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no recognition . </P>
how many african countries are there in the world
how many african countries are there in the world
54
54