Population: 748 million
Countries: 56
Area: About 30.33 million square km. It makes up about 22 percent of the world's total land area.
Languages: More than 1000 different languages are spoken in Africa. Somalia is the only country in the world where all the citizens speak one language, Somali.
Fastest animals: Four of the five fastest land animals live in Africa.
Longest river: The Nile drains northeastern Africa, and, at 6650 km, is the longest river in the world.
Lowest point: Lake 'Asal (153 m below sea level) in Djibouti.
Highest point: Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in Tanzania.
Malaria: Over 3000 children under the age of five die each day from malaria in Africa.
Employment: Africa has one of the world's highest youth unemployment rates (25.6% in the Middle East and North Africa, and 21% in sub-Saharan Africa). Africa loses an estimated 20000 skilled personnel a year to developed countries.
AIDS: At least 25 million people in Africa are HIV-positive. It has two-thirds of the world's AIDS sufferers.
Diamonds: The world's largest diamond was the Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905. It weighed 3106.75 carats. It was cut into the Great Star of Africa and 105 other diamonds.