A Survey of the Geographic Area, Altitude, Coastline, and Climate of African Countries and Regions: Implications for Africa’s Development

,


Introduction
The study of the geographic area of Africa, Africans in Africa, and the African diaspora, always tend to illustrate contradictions.Africans are rich and poor.For example, Africa has one of the highest proportions of prime working age populations in the world.However, this has not resulted in the economic benefits that one would expect from this phenomenon.Africa has large deposits of all types of natural resources and massive amounts of fertile lands, yet the continent remains relatively poor.It is the continent at the greatest risks of disease epidemics yet was the least impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of infections and deaths (Kaba, 2006a(Kaba, , 2007abc, 2014(Kaba, , 2020(Kaba, , 2024;;Mazrui and Kaba, 2016;Kaba and Kaba, 2020;Sackeyfio and Kaba, 2022).
Interestingly, Africa's population as a share of the world population is almost that of its landmass proportion as percent of the world.In 2023, Africa's 1,447,549,975 population is 18.14% of the world population of 7,979,261,010.Its landmass of 30.32 million sq km is 20% of the world total landmass of 148.94 million sq km.Africa's total coastline of 40,188 km is 11.3% of the total 356,000 km coastline of the world (Compiled and computed from the 2023 CIA World Factbook; Table A1).However, this current study finds a reverse of some of these paradoxes, whereby the continent of Africa is endowed with many countries and regions having temperate climates than the conventional understanding of Africa as a very hot continent.It is reported that the length of Africa from its northernmost point in northern Tunisia (Cape Angela) to its southernmost point in South Africa (Cape Agulhas), is 8000 km (4,971 miles) (Collins, 2011:3658).According to Collins (2011): "Africa has eight climate zones according to the Ko¨ppen climate classification system.The northern half of Africa is primarily desert or arid, while the central and southern areas contain savanna and rain forest regions" (p.3650).

Findings
The results or findings of this study illustrate that the continent of Africa has a lot more countries and regions with high altitude and cool or temperate climates than one would expect given the perception of Africa as a whole, as a very hot continent.It is a fact that from the period from 10 am to 5 pm during the day most of the time the temperature in most African nations would be relatively high.However, the data show that for many months in the year, various countries and regions across Africa experience temperate climates or pleasant weather.Even in some countries where the temperature can go up to or above 100 degrees, they tend to have low relative humidity.
It is useful to note that the population figure of 652,271 for Western Sahara is included in the figure for Morocco, because that entity is currently politically a part of Morocco (Tables A1 and A4).However, for this study it is important to understand the climate and altitude and weather patterns of Western Sahara as an entity in Africa.

Area: Land and Water
Utilizing the United Nations Population Division's classification of the five regions of Africa, according to Table A1, the total area of Africa is 30, 319,532 sq km (29, 100,810 (95.9%) sq km of land, and 574, 393 (1.9%) sq km of water.Note that the land and water data for South Sudan are not available, but the total area figure of 644,329 sq km is available, and it is part of the overall total above.It is also useful to note that the figure of 266,000 sq km as of 2004 (all land) for Western Sahara is not included in the Africa and North Africa totals because it is now included in the total for Morocco in the 2023 World Factbook.However, for this study it is important to understand the climate and altitude and topography of Western Sahara as an entity in Africa.Of Africa's total area of 30,585,532 sq km, Northern Africa accounted for 7,884,374 (26%) sq km (7,740,061 (98.2%) sq km of land and 144,313 (1.8%) sq km of water); Eastern Africa,7,005,860 (23.1%) sq km (6,150,321 (87.8%) sq km of land and 211,210 (3%) sq km of water; the remaining 9.2% represents the missing land and water figures for South Sudan); Middle Africa,6,612,664 (21.8%) sq km (6,496,824 (98.2%) sq km of land and 115,840 (1.8%) sq km of water); Western Africa,6,143,803 (20.3%) sq km (6,061,555 (98.7%) sq km of land and 82,248 (1.3%) sq km of water); and Southern Africa, 2,672,831 (8.8%) sq km (2,652,049 (99.2%) sq km of land and 20,782 (0.8%) sq km of water (Tables A1 to A6).
There are 12 nations in Africa with an area of 1 million sq km or more, with Algeria, (2,381,740 sq km, all land) accounting for the largest area in the continent, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, 2,344,858 sq km (2,267,048 sq km of land and 77,810 sq km of water), Sudan, 1,861,484 sq km (1,731,671 sq km of land and 129,813 sq km of water), Libya, 1,759,540 sq km (all land), Chad, 1,284,000 sq km (1,259,200 sq km of land and 24,800 sq km of water), Niger, 1,267,000 sq km (1,266,700 sq km of land and 300 sq km of water), Angola, 1,246,700 sq km (all land), Mali,1,240,192 sq km (1,220,190 sq km of land and 20,002 of water), South Africa, 1,219,090 sq km (1,214,470 sq km of land and 4,620 sq km of water), Ethiopia, 1,104,300 sq km (1,096,570 sq km of land and 7,730 sq km of water), Mauritania, 1,030,700 sq km (all land), and Egypt, 1,001,450 sq km (995,450 sq km of land and 6,000 sq km of water) (Tables A1 to A6).
The following nations in Africa have areas ranging from below 1 million sq km to above 500,000 sq km: Tanzania, 947,300 sq km (885,800 sq km of land and 61,500 sq km of water), Nigeria, 923,768 sq km (910,768 sq km of land and 13,000 sq km of water), Namibia, 824,292 sq km (823,290 sq km of land and 1,002 km of water), Mozambique, 799,380 sq km (786,380 sq km of land and 13,000 sq km of water), Zambia, 752,618 sq km (743,398 sq km of land and 9,220 sq km of water), Morocco, 716,550 sq km (716,300 sq km of land and 250 sq km of water), South Sudan, 644,329 sq km (no data available for land and water), Central African Republic, 622,984 sq km (all land), Somalia, 637,657 sq km (627,337 sq km of land and 10,320 sq km of water), Madagascar, 587,041 sq km (581,540 sq km of land and 5,501 sq km of water), Botswana, 581,730 sq km (566,730 sq km of land and 15,000 sq km of water), and Kenya, 580,367 sq km (569,140 sq km of land and 11,227 sq km of water) (Tables A1 to A6).
The following nations in Africa have areas ranging from below 500,000 sq km to above 100,000 sq km: Cameroon, 475,440 sq km (472,710 sq km of land and 2,730 sq km of water), Zimbabwe, 390,757 sq km (386,847 sq km of land and 3,910 sq km of water), Republic of Congo, 342,000 sq km (341,500 sq km of land and 500 sq km of water), Cote D'Ivoire, 322,463 sq km (318,003 sq km of land and 4,460 sq km of water), Burkina Faso, 274,200 sq km (273,800 sq km of land and 400 sq km of water), Gabon, 267,667 sq km (257,667 sq km of land and 10,000 sq km of water), Guinea, 245,857 sq km (245,717 sq km of land and 140 sq km of water), Uganda, 241,038 sq km (197,100 sq km of land and 43,938 sq km of water), Ghana, 238,533 sq km (227,533 sq km of land and 11,000 sq km of water), Senegal,196,722 sq km (192,530 sq km of land and 4,192 sq km of water), Tunisia, 163,610 sq km (155,360 sq km of land and 8,250 sq km of water), Malawi, 118,484 sq km (94,080 sq km of land and 24,404 sq km of water), Benin, 112,622 sq km (110,622 sq km of land and 2,000 sq km of water), Liberia, 111,369 sq km (96,320 sq km of land and 15,049 sq km of water), Eritrea, 101,000 sq km (16,600 sq km of land and 853 sq km of water) (Tables A1 to A6).
The following nations in Africa have areas below 100,000 sq km: Sierra Leone, 71,740 sq km (71,620 sq km of land and 120 sq km of water), Togo, 56,785 sq km (54,385 sq km of land and 2,400 sq km of water), Guinea-Bissau, 36,125 sq km (28,120 sq km of land and 8,005 sq km of water), Lesotho, 30,355 sq km (all land), Equatorial Guinea, 28,051 sq km (all land), Burundi, 27,830 sq km (25,680 sq km of land and 2,150 sq km of water), Rwanda, 26,338 sq km (24,668 sq km of land and 1,670 sq km of water), Djibouti,23,200 sq km (23,180 sq km of land and 20 sq km of water), Eswatini, 17,364 sq km (17,204 sq km of land and 160 sq km of water), Gambia, 11,300 sq km (10,120 sq km of land and 1,180 sq km of water), Cabo Verde, 4,033 sq km (all land), Reunion, 2,517 sq km (2,507 sq km of land and 10 sq km of water), Comoros, 2,235 sq km (all land), Mauritius, 2,040 sq km (2,030 sq km of land and 10 sq km of water), Sao Tomi and Principe, 964 sq km (all land), Seychelles, 455 sq km (all land), Saint Helena, 394 sq km (all land), and Mayotte, 374 sq km (all land) (Tables A1 to A6) (Tables A1 to A6).

Lowest Elevation Points in African Countries
The data for the lowest elevation points in African nations show that two of the regions with countries that have the highest elevation points in Africa also have the lowest points: Eastern Africa and Northern Africa.Eastern Africa also has many countries with the highest lowest points in Africa.The following African countries have the highest lowest points on the continent: Lesotho, 1,400 meters (junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers), Rwanda, 950 meters (Rusizi River), Burundi, 772 meters (Lake Tanganyika), Uganda, 614 meters (Albert Nile), Botswana, 513 meters (junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers), South Sudan, 381 meters (White Nile), Central African Republic, 335 meters (Oubangui River), Zambia, 329 meters (Zambezi river), Burkina Faso, 200 meters (Mouhoun (Black Volta) River), Niger, 200 meters (Niger River), Zimbabwe, 162 meters (junction of the Runde and Save Rivers), Chad, 160 meters (Djourab), Malawi, 37 meters (junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique), Mali, 23 meters (Senegal River), and Eswatini, 21 meters (Great Usutu River).
The African nation with the highest annual average temperature increase from 1921 to 2021 is Tunisia, 4.01 degrees, followed by Egypt, 3.16 degrees, Lesotho, 3.03 degrees, Senegal, 2.88 degrees, Guinea-Bissau, 2.83 degrees, Eswatini, 2.77 degrees, Gambia, 2.77 degrees, South Africa, 2.54 degrees, Guinea, 2.52 degrees, Sudan, 2.49 degrees, Mauritania, 2.45 degrees, Burkina Faso, 2.29 degrees, Eritrea, 2.29 degrees, Sierra Leone, 2.27 degrees, Libya, 2.25 degrees, Algeria, 2.08 degrees, Benin, 2.03 degrees, Togo, 2.03 degrees, Ghana, 1.96 degrees, Mali, 1.92 degrees, Cote D'Ivoire, 1.84 degrees, Mauritius, 1.84 degrees, South Sudan, 1.83 degrees, Zimbabwe, 1.7 degrees, Botswana, 1.62 degrees, Chad, 1.59 degrees, Republic of Congo, 1.58 degrees, Gabon, 1.57 degrees, Uganda, 1.53 degrees, Kenya, 1.51 degrees, Central African Republic, 1.5 degrees, Mozambique, 1.49 degrees, Liberia, 1.48 degrees, Nigeria, 1.48 degrees, Sao Tome & Principe, 1.46 degrees, Equatorial Guinea, 1.38 degrees, Cameroon, 1.35 degrees, Tanzania, 1.33 degrees, Cabo Verde, 1.3 degrees, Malawi, 1.24 degrees, Niger, 1.17 degrees, Rwanda, 1.17 degrees, Seychelles, 1.17 degrees, Ethiopia, 1.14 degrees, Burundi, 1.1 degrees, Zambia, 1.01 degrees, Djibouti, 0.99 degrees, Comoros, 0.85 degrees, Democratic republic of Congo, 0.85 degrees, Angola, 0.75 degrees, Namibia, 0.72 degrees, Madagascar, 0.6 degrees, and Somalia, 0.07 degrees (Tables B1 to B6).Countries, Location, Month, andYear, from 1914-2023 The data on the coldest and hottest temperatures in nations across Africa show that due to its massive size, Africa can be argued to have the characteristics of a planet.The reason is that Africa, like the United States, tend to have the climates of almost all parts of the world.This means that a person can leave anywhere in the world and relocate to Africa and will be able to reside in a region of the continent with a similar climate to their home region.The available data on the coldest and hottest temperatures across countries in Africa show that among those with the coldest temperatures for different periods for each country or entity, in the past 109 years (ranging from 1914 to 2023) are spread across the continent, showing that the various parts of the continent have temperate climates, which is one key theme of this study.According to Collins (2011): "Some of the extreme temperature variations that have been experienced in Africa include a high of 57.8°C (136°F) at El Aziza, Libya, on 13 September 1922 and a low of −23.9°C (−11°F) at Ifrane, Morocco, on 11 February 1935" (p.3650).

Coldest Temperatures (Coldest Day) in African Nations from 1914 to 2023
According to Tables B1 to B6, as of November 2023, the coldest temperatures in the thirties or lower in Africa in the past 109 years were recorded in: Madagascar (1951 B1 to B4).

Hottest Temperatures (Hottest Day) in African Countries Ranging from 1914 to 2023
Africa's climate is unique in that countries that have relatively cold temperatures during at least several months of the year, could also experience very hot temperatures during certain periods of the year.This phenomenon is observed in Tables B1 to B6 B1 to B6).

Most Humid City/Town in Every African Country in 2023
Tables B1 to B6 show the day when it was the most humid or muggy in a country, and the city or town where it happened in 2023.It is reported that a humidity figure of 60% or less is manageable.Above 60% it is uncomfortable.Although the city or town that holds the record for being the most humid in the world in 2023 is not in Africa, many of the highest-ranking cities or towns were in Africa.

Discussion
The statistics in this study present numerous interrelated findings illustrating that many countries and regions across Africa experience temperate climates for significant periods during the year.The data on climate zone or location show that of the 58 countries/entities in Africa in this study, 44 (75.9%) are categorized under tropics, and 14 (24.1%) are categorized under equatorial tropics/subtropics, subtropical, subtropics and tropics, subtropical/desert, subtropics of the northern hemisphere and subtropics of the southern hemisphere.Of the five regions in Africa, all the countries of Middle Africa, and all 16 countries of Western Africa are categorized under tropics; and the entity of Saint Helena in Western Africa is categorized as equatorial tropics/subtropics.Of the six countries and one entity (Western Sahara) in Northern Africa, only Sudan is categorized under tropics; the remaining five countries and Western Sahara are categorized under subtropics and tropics, subtropical/desert, and subtropics of the northern hemisphere.Finally, all the countries in Southern Africa are categorized under equatorial tropics/subtropics, subtropical, and subtropics of the southern hemisphere (Tables A1 to A 6; also see Cole, 2008: 65).
The statistics in this study also show that while Africa as a geographic location is categorized as being in the Southern Hemisphere, many countries and regions across the continent are on higher altitudes above sea level, including even certain countries in Western Africa (with 12 countries with an average elevation of 236 meters or higher) which have more countries with average low elevation.African countries especially from Eastern, Southern, and Middle Africa, have some of the highest elevation points in the world.For example, of the Top 50 most prominent peaks on earth, 7 (14%) are in Africa: #4, Tanzania (Kilmanjaro, #23, Ethiopia (Ras Dejen), #28, Democratic Republic of Congo/Uganda (Ngaliema; Mount Stanley), #31, Cameroon, (Mount Cameroon), #32, Kenya (Mount Kenya), and #37 Morocco (Jebel Toubkal) ("World Top 50: 50 Most Prominent Peaks on Earth," 2007).
It is useful to point out that some of the regions with countries/entities having the highest elevation, also tend to have the lowest points in Africa and the world, with negative figures.The countries are as follows: Algeria (-40 meters), Djibouti (-155 meters), Egypt, (-133 meters), Eritrea (-75 meters), Ethiopia (-125 meters), Libya (-47 degrees), Mauritania (-5 meters), Morocco (-59 degrees), Tunisia (-17 meters), and Western Sahara (-55 meters).It is useful to note that the figure for Lesotho's lowest point (1,400 meters) is higher than the highest points of 15 nations in Africa.For comparative purposes, a careful observation of data on the lowest point of each state in the United States shows that 48 of the states have lowest points either by a lake, river/stream, gulf, or ocean.The two states with a lowest point that is not one of these mentioned above are California (Death Valley), and Louisiana (New Orleans) ("List of U.S. states by elevation facts for kids," 2023).
The statistics in this study show that as one moves in the interior from an ocean of a country or region, the higher the elevation to the point whereby, on average, the 16 landlocked countries in Africa have higher elevation levels than those countries or regions by an ocean.For example, 8 of the 16 landlocked countries in Africa have average elevation of 1,000 meters or more: Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia.Zimbabwe at 961 meters.A careful observation of the elevation data for states in the United States finds that landlocked states have higher elevation ("List of U.S. states by elevation facts for kids," 2023).
The statistics in this study also show that Africa is a massive geographic area, with 12 countries each with total area of 1 million sq km or higher: Algeria, Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, and South Africa.Nigeria is the only other country in Africa with an area of 900,000 sq km or higher (923,768 sq km) (Tables A 1 to A6).Of Africa's total area of 30,319,532 sq km, 574,393 sq km (2% excluding South Sudan) is water, with Eastern Africa accounting for 211,210 (36.8% of 574,393 sq km).
An interesting observation is that nations and regions with the highest or highest average elevation from sea level (Eastern, Southern, and Northern Africa) experienced an increase in average annual temperatures from 1921 to 2021 of 1.5 degrees or more: Algeria, Botswana, Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe.Sao Tome & Principe (at 1.46 degrees).For Western African countries, only 4 countries did not experience an increase in temperature of 1.5 degrees or more: Cabo Verde, 1.3 degrees, Liberia and Nigeria, 1.48 degrees each (almost 1.5 degrees), and Niger, 1.17 degrees (Tables B1 to B6).According to Wu et al. (2023): "Over the past 100 years, the global average temperature has risen by 0.3-0.6 •C and will be 1.8-4.0•C higher than that of the past century by the end of the twenty-first century.Global warming has accelerated the hydrological cycle and poses a potential threat to the survival and development of terrestrial ecosystems and human beings (pp.1-2).Rahimi et al. (2020) claim that: "Climate change is happening and affects all aspects of agricultural systems and consequently food security in the future… This is especially true in West Africa (WA), a region which is highly vulnerable to climate change due to low adaptive capacity …. the average temperature in this region for the year 2100 is expected to increase by 2 to 6 °C… in the future, most human population in the Sahel and the Western Sahara Desert would be at risk of experiencing heat stress conditions" (p.666).Marx et al. (2021) point out that: "… the Arabic-speaking desert countries of the Gulf Region in the Middle East and the French-speaking parts of Africa are expected to suffer from heat waves beyond the limit of human survival" (pp.793-794).
A potential factor for the relatively high increase in temperatures from 1921 to 2021 for relatively developed countries in Africa such as South Africa and countries in northern Africa, might be their industrial development and urban centers.The figure of 3.03 degrees for Lesotho may also be influenced by South Africa since that nation is geographically located inside South Africa.For example, writing about significant warming of the developed regions of South Africa, Collins (2011) finds that: "The observed warming in South Africa occurs largely on parts of the southern and eastern coast.This is in agreement with … [a scholar] studying the period 1940-1989 using station data who noted that only the coastal stations of South Africa had significant increasing temperature trends" (p.3658).
For the humidity data of the most humid towns or cities in African nations, it is noted that a humidity figure of 60% or less is bearable.However, a humidity figure of over 60% can become unbearable.According to Willett (2020), "In the simplest terms, humidity is a measure of how much water there is suspended in the air."It is reported that: "Relative humidity [RH] could be 100% on a day when the temperature is at 86ºF (30ºC) and also on a day with 14ºF (-10ºC).But the reality is that no matter what the RH is at such a low temperature, it's doubtful that you'll be sweating and the air will feel muggy.However, if the temperature is 86ºF (30ºC) and the RH is at 60%, it will likely feel humid when the dew point sits at 70ºF (21ºC)… indoor relative humidity (RH) should be kept below 60% -ideally between 30% and 50%" (Navarro, 2023).
The 12 nations in this study with cities or towns with humidity figures of 60% or less are as follows: Algeria, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, and Tunisia.Kenya has a humidity figure at 60.8%, and Mauritania, 60.9% (Tables B1 to B6; also see Oluwole, 2023).2018): "Since 1850, the Earth's surface has become successively warmer and especially so over the past three decades.From 1880 to 2012, global average temperature (calculated with a linear trend for combined land and ocean surface temperature) shows a warming of 0.85 [0.65-1.06]∘C….Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010, and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have increased by almost 50% since 1990" (p.1154).
Finally, the coldest day temperature data in African countries/entities are available for only 40 of them.Of the 40 countries/entities, 22 (55%) have coldest day temperatures in the 30s or lower, ranging from -10.48 degrees (Ranohira weather station, Madagascar in July 2017), to 37.22 degrees (Accra weather station, Ghana in January 2020), representing all five regions of Africa.There are 15 (37.5%) countries in Africa with coldest day temperatures of 32 degrees or less, ranging from -10.48 degrees (Ranohira weather station, Madagascar in July 2017), to 32.18 degrees (Dedougou weather station, Burkina Faso in July 2008), representing all five regions of Africa.For the coldest year data in African nations, 2019 appeared 6 times; 2005 appeared 5 times; and 2010, 2013, and 2015 each appeared 3 times.It is useful to note that the coldest day temperature (for example 32 degrees or less) happened for most of these nations with relatively high elevation areas: Ranohira, Madagascar, 2,372 ft; Jimma, Ethiopia,5,640 ft;Bulawayo,Zimbabwe,4,423 ft: Dodoma,Tanzania,3,691 ft;Mecheria,Algeria,3,642 ft;Siwa,Egypt,;Gafsa,Tunisia,968 ft;Pandamatenga,Botswana,3,517 ft;Grootfontein,Namibia,4,724 ft;Bloemfontein,South Africa,4,580 ft;Dédougou,Burkina Faso,991 ft;and Bilma,Niger,1,168 ft (Compiled from "The Weather Year Round Anywhere on Earth," 2024).The figure for Gariat El Sharghia, Libya, is 497 meters/1,631 ft ("Temperature records of the last 74 years," 2023).
This study has illustrated that the continent of Africa has many important advantages as it relates to its current and future development.The continent has abundant land that can be utilized for agriculture to produce food to feed itself and not depend on the importation of food, which costs substantially more (Kaba, 2006a;Sackeyfio and Kaba, 2022).It also has the strategic minerals and related natural resources needed for its development whereby it does not have to go abroad for the natural resources needed for its development (Kaba, 2004(Kaba, , 2024:72):72).The continent has the human resources needed for its development -its people, with a very high proportion of prime working age (Kaba, 2020(Kaba, , 2024:72):72).
The African Union, which is now recognized as a full-fledged member of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations now has the ability, technical expertise, and resources to lead the way in the continent's development.The African Union must work with the African diaspora (which is designated by the African Union as the sixth region of Africa), especially the 50 million Black population in the United States, who are now among the wealthiest, most educated, and politically powerful entities in the world.The painful history of slavery and colonialism are what have separated these two entities (Africa and the African diaspora), and each needs the other.These two entities must work together and the sooner they forge a stronger economic and social partnership the faster they can solve the interrelated problems they face (Kaba, 2006b(Kaba, , 2008(Kaba, , 2009ab, 2010abc, 2011abcdef, 2012ab, 2013ab, 2015(Kaba, , 2016(Kaba, , 2017;;Kaba and Ward, 2009).The Black population in the United States is increasingly engaging with the continent of Africa, and one positive sign is that those returning or relocating partially or fully to Africa are spread across the continent, and they bring their expertise with them.Many are integrating themselves in societies across the continent, including intermarrying with native born Africans on the continent, especially as the marriage rates for Black women and Black men tend to be relatively low in the United States (Kaba, 2004(Kaba, , 2011g, 2012c(Kaba, , 2021)).The African Union, the African diaspora in the United States, and the United States government must all work together to strengthen the Africa -U.S. partnership, including in trade, technology transfer, agriculture, and education.The United States must significantly increase the number of international students from Africa in its colleges and universities so that they can return to staff the African Union and regional organizations' bureaucracy (Kaba, 2004(Kaba, , 2005(Kaba, , 2006c(Kaba, , 2009a(Kaba, , 2019;;M'Cormack-Hale and Kaba, 2015).

Conclusion
This paper began by discussing the paradoxes of Africa, Africans in Africa, and the African diaspora.The geographic territory of Africa and Africans in Africa have the characteristics of the richest and poorest region or continent and people in the world, while people of African descent in the diaspora being among the wealthiest and most educated people in the world.Africa's is reported to have extreme climates, but this study finds that the continent actually has countries and regions with indicators or characteristics of temperate climates.
The study finds that of the 58 countries/entities in Africa, 44 (75.9%) are categorized under tropics, and 14 (24.1%) are categorized under equatorial tropics/subtropics, subtropical, subtropics and tropics, subtropical/desert, subtropics of the northern hemisphere and subtropics of the southern hemisphere.The study finds that Africa's 1,448 billion people in 2023, accounting for 18.14% of the world population of 7.979 billion, reside on a landmass of 30.32 million sq km, which is 20% of the world total landmass of 148.94 million sq km.The continent's total coastline of 40,188 km is 11.3% of the total 356,000 km coastline of the world.Of Africa's total population in 2023, Eastern Africa accounted for 32.3%;Western Africa, 30.5%;Northern Africa, 17.9%; Middle Africa, 14.7%; and Southern Africa, 4.6 percent.

068,423 7,005,860 6,150,321 211,210 15,931.2
Table A 2. Population, Area (land and water), Climate Zone, Average Elevation from Sea Level, Highest Point (name), Lowest Point (name), and Coastline of Eastern African Countries, 2023 Table A 3. Population, Area (land and water), Climate Zone, Average Elevation from Sea Level, Highest Point (name), Lowest Point (name), and Coastline of Middle African Countries, 2023 It is useful to note that the 2004 CIA World Factbook's data for Morocco did not include Western Sahara, and listed a total population of 32,209,101; area of 446,550 sq km (446,300 sq km of land and 250 sq km or water); and a coastline of 1,835 km (https://user.iiasa.ac.at/~marek/fbook/04/print/mo.html) Source: see methodology section.Note: Data for average elevation from sea level for Sao Tome & Principe are from Confiduss Solutions: https://www.confiduss.com/en/jurisdictions/sao-tome-and-principe/geography/Table A 4. Population, Area (land and water), Climate Zone, Average Elevation from Sea Level, Highest Point (name), Lowest Point (name), and Coastline of African Northern Countries, 2023

Table A 5
. Population, Area (land and water), Climate Zone, Average Elevation from Sea Level, Highest Point (name), Lowest Point (name), and Coastline of Southern African Countries, 2023 Source: see methodology section.Table A 6. Population, Area (land and water), Climate Zone, Average Elevation from Sea Level, Highest Point (name), Lowest Point (name), and Coastline of Western African Countries, 2023 Data for average elevation from sea level for the Cabo Verde are from Confiduss Solutions: https://www.confiduss.com/en/jurisdictions/cape-verde/geography/. Note:

Table B 1
. Average Annual Temperature, Number Change, and Coldest and Hottest Temperature, Location, and Date (Month and Year) of African Countries, 2023