Africa is a continent of immense diversity, with a rich and complex history. It is the second largest continent in the world, covering an area of approximately 11.7 million square miles and containing 54 countries, home to more than 1.2 billion people. The continent is divided into two regions: North Africa, which includes Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Morocco; and Sub-Saharan Africa, which includes most of the rest of the African countries. The geography of Africa varies greatly from region to region; it ranges from lush tropical rainforests in Central Africa to semi-arid desert regions in the north. The terrain also varies greatly; there are mountainous regions like the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, vast plains like those of East Africa’s Great Rift Valley and large bodies of water such as Lake Victoria in Tanzania. Africa is home to a wide variety of cultures and languages. There are over 2000 languages spoken on the continent; some are indigenous African languages while others have been influenced by colonialism or immigration from other countries such as Arabic or Portuguese. In addition to its diverse cultures, Africa also has a wide array of religions including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and traditional African beliefs. Africa has an incredibly rich history that dates back hundreds of thousands of years to early Homo sapiens and Neolithic societies who lived on the continent before it was colonized by Europeans in the 19th century. During this time period many powerful empires were established such as Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom and Kushite Empire in Nubia (modern-day Sudan). In addition to its rich historical legacy, Africa has made significant contributions to modern science such as discovering ancient fossils that show evidence for human evolution as well as developing revolutionary medical treatments like herbal medicine used throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa today. Africa is full of natural resources that have not been fully exploited due to political instability or lack of infrastructure development across much of the continent. These resources include oil reserves located off the coastlines throughout West Africa as well as vast amounts minerals such as gold found throughout Central and Southern Africa among other precious metals like diamonds or platinum found in South African mines. In recent decades there have been significant changes within African society with many countries making progress towards democracy after years under oppressive dictatorships or authoritarian regimes while other countries still face major challenges related to poverty or disease outbreaks like HIV/AIDS or Ebola virus disease that have devastated communities across parts of West