why is the dead sea so salty

There are officially 54 countries in Africa that are recognized by the United Nations. I’ve sailed around that continent a few times now, and honestly, the sheer scale of the place always hits me whenever we dock at different ports. It’s a massive continent with so much diversity that you really can't compare one country to the next.

Some people might get confused because the African Union actually recognizes 55 member states, including Western Sahara. It’s one of those things that depends on who you ask, but for most general purposes, sticking with 54 is the standard answer. It's wild to think about how much history and culture is packed into all those different borders.