Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, comprising 54 sovereign countries. It is unique as the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to the southern temperate zones, and the Prime Meridian and Equator intersect just off its coast. Algeria is the largest country on the continent by land area, following the partition of Sudan in 2011. Africa is home to the world's longest river, the Nile, and its largest hot desert, the Sahara. It is also the most linguistically diverse continent, with over 2,000 distinct languages spoken. Geologically, Africa is splitting along the East African Rift, which will eventually form a new ocean basin. The continent contains a wide range of biomes, from the tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin to the arid plains of the Serengeti. Despite its vast resources, many African nations continue to develop their infrastructure to better connect their diverse capitals and growing urban centers.