Immense vastness: Africa's largest country

Africa is one of the largest continents on the planet, second only to Eurasia. It is famous for its cultural diversity, natural monuments, flora and fauna. It is home to over 1 billion people.

The settlement of peoples in Africa is uneven. The climate in some regions is not designed for human habitation, the northern part of the continent is deserted sparsely populated areas. A total of 54 states and six dependent territories on the continent. Let us tell you about which country is the largest in Africa.

Territorial Characteristics of Africa

The African continent stretches from north to south, covering several climatic zones, from the northern to the southern subtropics. The distance from the northern Cape Blanco to the southern point, Cape Agulhas, is 8,000 kilometers.

• The area with adjacent islands is 30.3 million km;
• Population density per square kilometer - 30.5 people;

The geographical problem of the continent is the lack of water. If you look at Africa from space, the desert zone in the northern part - the Sahara - attracts attention. Difficult conditions also in the south, where the Kalahari desert runs. According to these features, the continent is considered the hottest on the planet. Another problem is the consequences of the territorial division of the continent between the leading European powers on the eve of World War I.

The "race for Africa" led to the fact that borders on the continent were drawn without regard to national characteristics. The imperialist countries, which saw the territory only as a means of extracting resources, did not care about societal issues. Today, some border lines are still disputed, and the newly independent countries are plagued by wars and local conflicts.

The area of a country can change as a result of a civil war or other local conflict. This happened to Sudan in 2011, when South Sudan held a referendum and declared its independence. Until then, it was the largest country in Africa by territory.

What is the area of Africa?

Earlier we touched on the subject of the area of Africa. Since the continent has nearby and distant islands, distinguish:

• The area of the mainland without islands - 29.2 million km.²;
• area with outlying islands - 30.3 million km².

And while we're on the subject of land area, let's talk about what is the largest country in Africa in terms of land area.

Rating by area

Looking at the political map of the African continent, many people will notice that the borders of states are as if outlined along a ruler. This is how Europeans limited their own zones of influence. By 1914 the entire territory was divided between seven countries:

• Portugal;
• Spain;
• France;
• Germany;
• Belgium;
• Great Britain;
• Italy.

Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent. Today a number of borders coincide with those shown on the map of the early twentieth century. The largest countries in Africa in terms of area are shown below.

Algeria

Algeria is a democratic republic located in the northwestern part. Most of the territory is located in the Sahara zone with an arid climate, so agriculture is underdeveloped and the economy is based on oil production.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa, an area of 2.38 million square kilometers. For a long time it was under the influence of France, in the XX century it tested nuclear weapons at the Algerian sites. Since 1962 it declared independence.

Politically, the country is not stable, there are conflicts. About 20% citizens are officially considered to live below the poverty line. The level of development of industry and health care is low.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Located in central Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. Note that its geographic location and abundance of minerals may have contributed to the rapid development of its economy. For decades, the controversial military conflict in Congo has not ended.

The area of the state is comparable to the territory of Western Europe and is equal to 2.34 million km²Congo ranks second in this indicator. Among the natural resources:

• diverse flora and fauna;
• the basin of the full-flowing Congo River;
• stable annual average temperature and weak winds.

Congo has access to the sea, although the coastline is only 37 kilometers.

Sudan

Let's go back to the country, which until 2011 was the first in the continent in terms of area. Today it is the third largest. The Republic of Sudan is located in the northeastern part of Africa and its climate is arid. The source of water is the Nile River.

Territory of the country - 1.88 million km²Only 10% of it is occupied by forests. Previously the land was controlled by Great Britain, all modern conflicts are in one way or another related to the colonization era. The boundaries are disputed to this day. In 2018, the cause of unrest was the sharply deteriorating economic situation.

The capital is Khartoum, with a population of over 5 million people. The economy of Sudan is based on agriculture and oil production. Industrial production is almost undeveloped and in decline.

Libya

Another country from northern Africa, located west of Egypt in the Maghreb zone. Only 10% of the territory is covered with vegetation, the rest is desert. The area is 1.76 million km.²The capital of Libya is the port city of Tripoli.

The state is one of the most developed in Africa, before the civil war with elements of foreign intervention, Libya was developing, attracting foreign investment. The economy is based on oil and gas production. The main buyer of energy resources was Italy, between the countries on the seabed was launched a gas pipeline "Green Stream", which is currently in operation.

At the moment the level of development has decreased significantly, part of the territory is controlled by terrorist groups.

Chad

This state, located in the central part of the continent, is one of the 5 largest countries in Africa. It is landlocked. The territory is a huge plateau with the Sahara Desert and the volcano Amy-Kusi in the north.

A French colony for many years, Chad gained its independence in 1960. The internal political situation here is not stable, there are often local conflicts in different areas.

The territory of Chad is 1.28 million km.²Most citizens live below the poverty line, against the backdrop of a prolonged war, the government finds no money for education, health and other areas.

Republic of Niger

Niger is a landlocked state in the northwestern part of the continent. The area of 1.27 million square kilometers is the desert zones of the Sahara, the Tenere, the Sahel. The geographic location has greatly influenced the economic situation of Niger. 3% lands are suitable for plant cultivation.

The economy is based on uranium mining, but investment is hampered by armed conflicts. Today, the Republic of Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Angola

As a colony of Portugal, Angola gained its independence late, in 1975. Today, the state is developing rapidly, carrying out reforms and showing economic results that are exemplary for the region. Natural wealth:

• oil;
• diamonds;
• iron ore.

The territory of Angola - 1.25 million km.²It differs from many African countries by its relatively high population density, 21 people per 1 km.²The capital. city Luanda. Agriculture is underdeveloped, and most food is imported by the inhabitants.

Mali

The territory of Mali is 1.24 million km.² Forests are very rare in this country of the western part of the continent. There is no access to the sea.

The state's source of income is from the sale of gold, cotton, meat, and livestock. economic partners:

• Switzerland;
• UAE.

Despite the deposits of minerals the question of economic development is acute, the population lives below the poverty line, higher education is almost non-existent. Young people want to get from here to France, to find work, few are able to make their own dreams come true.

SOUTH AFRICA

The southernmost country of the continent is the Republic of South Africa, it is famous for the diversity of nationalities, which is a rarity for African countries.

The area of South Africa is 1.22 million km.². peculiarity - inside the country is a poor enclave state called Lesotho. South Africa has a good location, it is actively developing industries:

• cattle breeding;
• fishing;
• tourism;
• silviculture;
• agriculture;
• mineral extraction.

It is noteworthy that in South Africa there are no oil deposits; manganese, platinum, gold are mined. The country also produces electricity for export. Winemaking is developed.

With a population of over 55 million people, South Africa has three capitals at once:

• Cape Town (according to the law);
• Bloemfontein (judicial capital);
• Pretoria (where the administrative centers are located).

Ethiopia

The East African country of Ethiopia was formerly called Abyssinia. It gained its independence from Italy back in 1941. However, slavery was legalized here for at least another 10 years.

The area of Ethiopia is 1.12 million km.²Territorially it had access to the sea, but after the secession of Eritrea it lost this advantage. The population is poor, engaged in agriculture. External conflicts are legally resolved.

The world knows Ethiopia as a producer of coffee. The country also exports gold and oil crops. The development of agriculture is facilitated by its geographical position.

Despite being poor, the country is home to more than 102 million people, a high number for the mainland.

This is what the top ten countries on the African continent look like in terms of land area. Let's also answer the question of which country in Africa is the largest in terms of population.

Largest country by population

When it comes to population size, the example of India and China comes to mind, where the number of inhabitants has exceeded 1 billion 300 million. 37% of the world's population live on the territory of the two states.

And while a number of politicians are looking for a way to increase the population, other states are experiencing a population boom. The best example is Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa in terms of population. At the beginning of 2019, that number was 200487914, which is 7th in the world ranking.

It is noteworthy that experts assure: in 2050, Nigeria will confidently take the fifth place in the list, and by the end of the century - the third. Demographic growth is so stable that they can not stop it:

• high infant mortality rate (94 per 1,000);
• level of HIV infection (more than 3%);
• low quality of life;
• life expectancy not exceeding 50 years for men and women.

Each woman in Nigeria gives birth to an average of 5.5 children. The annual population growth rate is 2.5%. The Nigerian government has tried to reduce the birth rate, but in the Muslim-dominated north it remains at record levels (6.7 live births per woman).

Conclusions

1. Many African states boast large areas of land comparable to the size of several European countries at once. However, the problem is the unsuitability of land for agricultural development and habitation. Deserts and semi-deserts prevail on the continent.
2. Algeria is the largest state of the continent, ranking tenth in the world ranking. Another important problem for Africa is its involvement in conflicts of various kinds. This not only hinders development, but also creates conditions for the fragmentation of territories into smaller ones and the birth of new states.
3. The largest country in Africa in terms of population is Nigeria, which is experiencing a population boom.