55 Facts About Africa | Amazing Facts 4U
- Africa is in fact the second largest and the second-most populous continent in the world. In fact, it encompasses all four hemispheres and has the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Equator passing through it.
- The name ‘Africa’ came from ‘Afri’, the title for a group of people who dwelt in North Africa, and ‘ca’, the Roman suffix for ‘country’ or ‘land’.
- In Latin, ‘Africa’ means ‘sunny’ and in Greek ‘Aphrike’ means ‘without cold’.
- Africa covers 6% of the earth’s total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. There are 54 countries and 1 non-self-governing territory in Africa.
- An amazing fact is before colonial rule, Africa comprised of 10000 distinct autonomous states with a distinct identity, language & customs.
- All of Africa was colonized by foreign powers during the “scramble for Africa”, except Ethiopia and Liberia.
- In the 1950s, the independence struggle in Africa gathered momentum. Libya was the first African country to declare its independence.
- The northernmost countries of Africa (bordering the Mediterranean Sea) are generally called ‘The Middle East’ and the countries to the south are referred to as ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’.
- Algeria is the largest country in Africa and Seychelles is the smallest.
- Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and Seychelles is the least populated.
- Namibia is the least densely populated country in Africa.
- Cairo, Egypt is the largest urban agglomeration in Africa. The second-largest in Lagos, Nigeria.
- The largest land animal in the world, the African elephant lives in Africa.
- The tallest animal in the world, the giraffe lives in Africa.
- The fastest animal in the world, the cheetah lives in Africa.
- The largest reptile in the world, the Nile crocodile lives in Africa.
- The largest primate in the world, the gorilla lives in Africa.
- The world’s largest wildlife migration occurs in Serengeti, Tanzania.
- Africa has more than 25% of the total bird species in the world.
- Lake Malawi has in fact more fish species than any other freshwater lake in the world.
- Africa has about 3,000 protected areas which include 129 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 50 Biosphere Reserves, and 198 Marine Protected Areas.
- Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m) is the highest peak in Africa. It is a dormant volcano.
- Lake Assal (Djibouti) is the lowest point in Africa. It is 155m below sea level.
- Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
- Victoria Falls is the largest waterfalls in Africa. It is about 1.7 km wide and 108m high.
- Madagascar is the largest island in Africa. It is also the fourth largest in the world.
- The deepest river in the world is River Congo (220m). It is also the second-largest river in the world by volume of water discharged.
- The River Nile is in fact the longest river (6,650km) in the world. It is formed by the confluence of two smaller rivers namely the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
- Egypt is called ‘The Gift of Nile’.
- Africa is the world’s hottest continent.
- Africa is the second driest continent in the world (after Australia).
- The Sahara is the world’s hottest desert and the third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic.
- The Sahara desert covers around one-tenth of the total land area of Africa.
- The highest temperature ever recorded in the world is in Al-Aziziyah (Libya) in the Saharan desert which was amazing (136 F or 58 C in 1922).
- The oldest human remains (Lucy) ever discovered were in Ethiopia (dating back to amazing 200,000 years).
- The skeleton of ‘Lucy’, a hominid (discovered in Ethiopia, 1974), and a 165-foot trail of hominid footprints (discovered in Tanzania, 1979) helped scientists mark the northeastern territory of Africa as the birthplace of humanity.
- The Pharaonic civilization (Egypt) is in fact one of the oldest and longest-lasting civilizations in the world.
- Arabic is the most common language spoken in Africa.
- Amazingly more than 2,000 languages are spoken in Africa and there are at least 3,000 different ethnic groups in Africa.
- Islam is the most followed religion in Africa, with Christianity being the second.
- Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa.
- Africa is the world’s poorest and the most underdeveloped continent.
- Africa is the only continent to have a large percentage of its inhabitants transported elsewhere for slave labor.
- The Second Congo War (1998 – 2006) is the deadliest worldwide conflict (in terms of death toll) since World War II. It is also considered the largest war in African history.
- The amazing fact is Ethiopia counts its time on the opposite side of its clock. This can be tallied to being behind by 6 hours. 6 pm would be 12 noon and 12 noon would be 6 am.
- The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months. The calendar is eight years behind the Western calendar. The months are usually 30 days long but the last month has 5 or 6 days. September 11th is celebrated as the day of New Year.
- Ethiopia is the country where coffee was first discovered. Hence it is considered coffee’s homeland.
- Amazingly in the African country of Lesotho, the people are known as Basotho and speak Sesotho.
- Liberia, United States &, Burma are the only countries that haven’t yet adopted the Metric system as the standard of measurement.
- Amazingly a “Stock exchange System” exists in Somali pirates. One could invest in a pirate group and get the rewards as per the investment made after the successful heist.
- The two most popular sports in Africa are football and cricket. The success of African teams added to the popularity and flourishing of these games in the continent.
- More than 90% of the soils in Africa are unsuitable for agriculture.
- Deforestation rates in Africa are twice that of the rest of the world.
- Africa is connected to Asia via the Sinai Peninsula.
- Suez Canal is the artificial waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It allows ship transport between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa.
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