A world map showing the continent of Africa.A composite satellite image of Africa.Map of Africa 1890Map showing European claimants to the African continent at the beginning of World War I
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Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 mi²) including adjacent islands, it covers 6.0% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area. more...

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With more than 890,000,000 people (as of 2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world's human population.

The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. Because of the lack of natural regular precipitation and irrigation, as well as virtually no glaciers or mountain aquifer systems there is no natural moderating effect on the climate except near the coasts.

Although European speculation about the nature of Africa south of Sahara (Aethiopia) dates back more than two millennia, Africa is generally assumed to be the continent longest inhabited by human beings.

Etymology

Afri was the name of several peoples who dwelt in North Africa near the provincial capital, Carthage. The Roman suffix "-ca" denotes "country or land".

Other etymologies that have been postulated for the ancient name 'Africa' with less support include:

the Latin word aprica, meaning "sunny";; the Greek word aphrike, meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian Leo Africanus (1488-1554), who suggested the Greek word phrike (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the negating prefix "a-", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror. However, as the change of sound from ph to f in Greek is datable to about the 10th century, it is unlikely this is the origin.;

Roman Ancient Africa lay to the west of Egypt, while "Asia" was used to refer to Anatolia and lands to the east. A definite line was drawn between the two continents by the geographer Ptolemy (85 - 165 AD), indicating Alexandria along the Prime Meridian and making the isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea the boundary between Asia and Africa. As Europeans came to understand the real extent of the continent, the idea of Africa expanded with their knowledge.

Geography

Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth's exposed surface. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez (transected by the Suez Canal), 130 km (80 miles) wide. (Geopolitically, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal is often considered part of Africa, as well.) From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia (37°21' N), to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa (34°51'15" S), is a distance of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 miles); from Cape Verde, 17°33'22" W, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun in Somalia, 51°27'52" E, the most easterly projection, is a distance of approximately 7,400 km (4,600 miles). The coastline is 26,000 km (16,100 miles) long, and the absence of deep indentations of the shore is illustrated by the fact that Europe, which covers only 10,400,000 km² (4,010,000 square miles) — about a third of the surface of Africa — has a coastline of 32,000 km (19,800 miles).

Read more at Wikipedia.org


Great Selection of Stamps From Tanzania (15) £1.61 Zimbabwe Fdc 75th/125th Anniv. Scouting/Baden-Powell £4.99
Set Of Triangular Mozambique Pre War Stamps £1.99 The Belgian Congo 48 Stamps 1894-1931 Stanley 1928X8 . £2.49
Tanzania-Air Mail To Tanga-Nice Cover £4.22 Kenya, Uganada, Tanzania-Reg.Air Mail To Denmark £5.67
Rwanda-Air Mail To Switzerland £2.61 Togo - 1967 - French Space Achievements - U/M £1.50
Guinea - 1964 - Olympic Games 1st Issue - U/M £2.99 Guinea - 1962 - Airmail High Values/Birds - U/M £4.99
Uganda Protectorate 1898 Victoria Mint Stamps- Freepost £5.00 Southern Rhodesia1929 M.N.H.Coil Join Pair.1d Error £4.99
British East Africa 14 Stamps Mm & Used Cat £42+ £5.19 Guinea Bissau Stamps Collection - 190 Different Stamps £5.50
Equat. Guinea Stamps Collection - 430 Different Stamps £11.95 Burundi Stamps Collection - 295 Different Stamps £7.95
1982 Football Espana Complete set of 4 Miniature sheets £23.00 Ghana/ Gold Coast 1958 The Talking Drums Fdc £5.52
Togo - 1960 - Olympic Games - U/M £3.75 Liberia - 1981 - Usa Presidents 2Nd Series - U/M £1.50
Guinea - 1983 - Tb Discovery Centenary - U/M £4.50 Guinea - 1974 - Flowers Of Guinea - U/M £5.99
Postcard & Postage Stamp, Egypt, 1911 £1.25 Belize 471-87 (Cto) £2.61
Burundi Collection Large Cat Val Many Mint Never Hinged £53.73 Ethiopia selection of interesting stamps with overprint £1.99
Ethiopia selection of $1 stamps all different £1.99 Mozambique 1947 Airmail to Beligium £9.99
East Africia and Uganda. £1.25 Tanganyika- 0108/19**R - year 1961 £8.50
Biafra Collection Of 9 Sets.(Total Of 44 Stamps)(Rare) £5.50 Somalia - 0038**V - 1923 pair £7.50
Liberia 1928 Africa Map 5c...Sheet of 100 stamps £19.75 Orange Free State - Sg77 var - misplaced oblit. bar £4.50
3 East Africa Stamps 1973 Kenya Ibrd Imf Nairobi Exc £1.99 Liberia 1961 Scouts imperf. souvenir sheet,Sc.C136 var. £10.75
Liberia 100 Years,Usa stamps 1947 souv. sheets perf+imp £40.32 Liberia airmail 1944,local surcharge $1.00 on 3C. sign. £10.75
Liberia airmail 1944 Local surcharge 30 on 3C. signed £43.00 Liberia airmail Sc.C1-C3 unused, Bloch certificate £145.14
Republic of Senegal airmail set imperf. 1971. £9.99 Upper-Volta 1971, 3 imperforated pairs, 10c, 20c & 35c. £9.99
Algeria 2f & 5f postage due, mint imperf pairs. £4.99 Niger Sg104 10f Lamantin Mint £0.95
Togo Sg418-22 1st African Games Set Mint £0.95 Togo Sg440-4 20th Anniversary Of Uno Set Mint £0.95
Togo Sg291-6 15th Anniversary Of Unicef Set Mint £0.95 Upper Volta Sg243-6 Mexico Olympic Games Set Mint £1.15
Niger Sg107 25f Giraffes Mint £1.15 Togo Sg183 110f Lockheed Constellation Mint £1.15
Togo Sg459-64 7th Ann Of Togolese Red Cross Set Mint £1.15 Togo Sg445-50 Pope Paul'S Visit To Uno Set Mint £1.25
collection Mint Republic Rwandaise £1.20 Upper Volta Sg215 250f 2nd Death Ann Of Dr A Schweitzer £1.35
Collection Thematics Mocambique Fish stamps £1.00 Togo Sg603-8 Olympic Games Mexico Set N.H.Mint £1.45
Togo Sg392-6 Inauguration Of Air Togo Set Mint £1.35 Togo Sg596-601 20th Anniversary Of W.H.O. Set Mint £1.35
Togo Sg386-90 Olympic Games Set Mint £1.35 Mini Sheet From Equatorial Guinea 1976 Usa Bicential £1.49
Togo Sg563-8 Olympic Games Mexico Set Mint £1.45 Lovely Full Set Of 5 From Niger 1978 '400th Rubens' £1.49
Lovely Full Set Of 5 From Upper Volta 1978 'Aviation' £1.49 Togo Sg451-7 Inauguration Of W.H.O. Hq Set Mint £1.55
Togo Sg508-15 French Space Achievements Set Mint £1.65
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Prices current as of last update, 08/21/08 1:25pm.


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