Africa is the only continent crossed by the Equator and both the Prime Meridian and the 180th meridian, placing it in all four hemispheres. Its territory extends north and south of the Equator and east and west of the Prime Meridian.
The Equator crosses countries including Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Somalia. The Prime Meridian passes through Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana before continuing southward through the Gulf of Guinea. Africa’s islands and maritime boundaries make the continent’s geographic relationship with the hemispheres especially notable.
The 180th meridian does not cross Africa’s mainland, but the continent’s associated islands and territories extend far enough eastward for Africa to be represented in the eastern and western hemispheres while its mainland occupies both northern and southern hemispheres. Africa is also the only continent through which the Equator, the Prime Meridian, and both tropics pass. These distinctions are sometimes confused with the fact that Africa is the only continent located in all four hemispheres.