African describes anything relating to Africa, the world's second-largest continent, or to people who come from there. When we say someone is African, we mean they were born in Africa or their family comes from one of Africa's 54 countries. African languages, African music, African wildlife, and African history all connect to this vast and diverse continent.

Africa contains an extraordinary range of climates, landscapes, and cultures. The Sahara Desert stretches across North Africa, while tropical rainforests cover parts of Central Africa. The continent is home to the Nile River, Mount Kilimanjaro, vast savannas where lions and elephants roam, and ancient civilizations like Egypt that built pyramids thousands of years ago.

When people say “African culture” or “African food,” they're using a very broad term. Africa has over 3,000 distinct ethnic groups speaking more than 2,000 languages. Egyptian culture differs dramatically from Nigerian culture, just as Moroccan food tastes nothing like South African food. Someone from Kenya and someone from Senegal are both African, but their traditions, languages, and daily lives might be completely different.

The term African American specifically refers to Americans whose ancestors came from Africa, particularly those descended from enslaved people brought to America centuries ago. This is a distinct identity within the broader meaning of African.