Google is reportedly starting to bulk up a bit in Africa. The company is doing some new hiring in its Nairobi, Kenya African headquarters and opening new offices in several countries. International revenues represented 48 percent of Google’s earnings in Q4 2007.

Internet penetration in Africa right now is extremely low at under 5 percent. There are between 700 million and 900 million people on the continent (population estimates vary). That compares with just over 330 million in the US and Canada.

Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa currently have the largest number of Internet users:

Related Topics: Google: Employees | Google: Outside US

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling