AFRICA, the name of a continent which is the largest of three great southward projections of the main land-mass of the earth's surface, joined to Asia by the isthmus of Suez, 8om. wide. From its northern extremity, Ras ben Sakka, a little west of Cap Blanc in 37° 21' N. to the southern, at Cape Agulhas, 51' 15" S., it is about 5,000m. long while west to east it is about 4,600m. from Cap Verde, 17° 33' 22" W., to Ras Ha fun, 5i° 27' 52" E. Length of coastline is 16,1oom. for a mainland area of 11,262,00o square miles.