Africa: Fact at a glance

Largest Agglomeration

Egypt - Cairo

Major Island

Madagascar

Major River

Nile, (Other important rivers: Congo, Niger, Zambezi)

Longest Man-Made

River Libya Great Man Made River Project

Major Lake

Victoria, 69,500 km2 (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania)

Longest Freshwater Lake

Tanganyika (32,900 km2) 676 km long, max 72 km wide, (Congo DR Tanzania).  Lake Tanganyika is also the world's second deepest lake with a maximum of 1435 m.

Largest Desert

Sahara, North Africa, Kalahari, south-western Africa

Main Language Families

Over 1000 languages. The 240 Afro-Asiatic languages throughout East Africa,North Africa, the Sahel. The 100 Nilo-Saharan languages (30 million) in Chad, Ethiopia,Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and northern Tanzania. The Niger-Congo (and Banthu) Saharan Africa. Probably; the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages. The 50 Khoisan languages in Southern Africa. The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa.

Main Religions

Approximately 46% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% are Muslims. Roughly 12% percent of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions.

Largest Cities

Lagos (Nigeria); Cairo (Egypt); Kinshasa, (Conqo-Kinshasa); Alexandria (Egypt); Casablanca (Morocco); Abidjan (Cot d'ivoire); Addis Ababa (Ethiopa); Giza (Egypt); Algiers (Algeria); Nairobi (Kenya); Dakar (Senegal).

Highest Point

Tanzania - Mt Kilimanjaro 5895 m

Lowest Point

Djibouti; Lake Assai