Discover Africa
101 facts about Africa
- Here are 101 Interesting Facts about Africa:
- Clocks in Ethiopia are turned upside down, their 6 o’clock is where our 12 would be.
- Residents in South Africa are literally allowed to attach flamethrowers to their cars to deter hijackings, this invention was made in 1998.
- The official title of the dictator who served Uganda from 1971 to 1979 was “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular”.
- Most of the gold in the world comes from South Africa, almost half of it.
- The African Elephant is the largest living land animal which weighs up to 7 tons and consumes over 160 liters of water in a day.
- Cape Town in South Africa has the bluest skies in the world according to the UK national science lab.
- The first successful heart transplant was done in South Africa by a South African Doctor, Christiaan Barnard.
- South Africa has the third best quality tap water on earth.
- In Madagascar, it is against the law for pregnant women to wear hats.
- Tanzanite can only be found in Kenya in Tanzania, nowhere else on earth is this stunning gemstone found.
- In Africa, more people speak French than France.
- “Kalenjin” tribe from Kenya is known to produce the fastest runners in the world.
- Facebook has 170 million users in Africa.
- Zimbabwe has a total of 16 official Languages.
- Africa is the second largest continent in the world with an area of 30,370,000 km2.
- Africa has a total population of about 1.25 Billion people and it is estimated that the population will double by 2050.
- Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa with an estimated population of about 192 million people.
- Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria, is the largest city in Africa and is home to about 17.5 million people.
- Seychelles is the least populated country in Africa with an estimated population of about 97,000 people.
- Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the North, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the east
- Africa is big, it covers 6 percent of the earth’s total surface and 20.4 percent of the total land area, yep that’s right, 1 in 5 places is Africa.
- The worlds largest Desert is found in Africa covers a massive land area of 9 200 000 km².
- Africa is home to the Worlds Largest Desert, The Sahara desert.
- The size of the Sahara desert can be compared to China and the USA.
- Africa is also the worlds hottest Continent, Dalol in Ethiopia hold the records of the worlds highest average annual temperature of 34.6 degrees Celsius.
- Also the Largest Waterfalls, the Victoria Falls is also in Africa.
- Africa is home to the Worlds Largest River, River Nile, which is 4,132 Miles long. In the river, you can find the infamous Nile Crocodile which weighs about 220–550 kg and has a lifespan of 70-100 years.
- The River Nile runs through 11 countries.
- Angola has more Portuguese speakers than Portugal itself. Angola was colonized by the Portuguese back in 1575.
- One of the oldest universities in Africa, The University of Timbuktu, was founded in the 12th century.
- There is a beer in Africa that is brewed from Bananas.
- There is a pink Lake in Africa, Lake Retba, found in Senegal. It is a man-made lake and it is the Largest in the world.
- The film industry(Nollywood) in Nigeria produces about 50 movies every week.
- The largest producer of cocoa comes from Ghana.
- Africa is a Continent, not a Country.
- The only Countries that were never colonized in Africa were Ethiopia and Eritrea during the Scramble for Africa.
- All other Countries in Africa were colonized by the Europeans
- There are a total of 54 countries in Africa.
- The Black Panther was recently found in Kenya and the last time the Black Panther was spotted was in 1909 in Ethiopia.
- In Lake Malawi, there are about 500 species of fish, this is the most in any lake in the world.
- In some parts of Africa, farmers use ”Beehive fences” to help deter elephants without harming them.
- South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia have Collectively produced more human fossils than every other country combined.
- The South African Constitution has emerged and is said to be the best constitution in the world.
- Africa is currently moving towards Europe at 2 Centimetres per annum meaning it might squash the Mediterranean out of existence.
- Africa and Europe are separated by less than 9 miles.
- AK-47 assault rifle embedded into the Flag of Mozambique to symbolize the nation’s struggle for independence.
- Africa has 99% of the total lion population and 85% of the total elephant population of the world.
- Countries in Africa are taking an initiative to ban plastic bags in order to save the environment, therefore, it is illegal to be found with a plastic paper bag in those countries.
- Sudan has pyramids too and they are more than 200 of them, which is double the number found in Egypt. They are called the ”Nubian Pyramids”
- African Continent is the most centrally located continent in the world. Both the equator (0 degrees latitude) and the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude) cut across it.
- Africa is united under a political organization known as the African Union (AU). The African Union was established on 9 July 2002.
- There is a tribe in Africa, Mursi Tribe, where women pierce their lips and insert plates that are as large are 5 inches in diameter, inside them(lips).
- The most popular tourist destination in Africa is Egypt, it receives more than 10 million visitors a year. The Great Pyramids of Giza are found there.
- Africa has the shortest Coastline due to its rough edges along with its continental mainland.
- Africa also includes Madagascar and a number of other small island groups, also known as, Archipelago.
- Eliud Kipchoge, the World’s Greatest Marathon Runner of All Time, is the first Athlete to complete a marathon under 2 hours, after he ran 26.2 miles in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna, Austria.
- Promoting Homosexuality is punishable by 5 years imprisonment in Uganda.
- Plastic bags, imported second hand clothes/shoes, hookah/shisha, skin bleaching products and motorcycles/cars older than 10 years are all banned in Rwanda.
- Hope you enjoyed our Interesting Facts about Africa!
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