Wanderlust World Wanderlust World No. Africa lies northeast of South America.
From South America's eastern bulge (Brazil), the shortest great-circle path to Africa (Gulf of Guinea) heads ENE (~060°). The South Atlantic separates them—narrowest point: ~2,575 km (1,600 mi) between Natal, Brazil and Monrovia, Liberia.
Map projections (especially Mercator) can distort this relationship. On a globe, the azimuth is clearly northeast.