37 Interesting & Fun Facts About AFRICA

Trying to find some info about Africa? I do know it sounds cliche, however there may be simply nothing like Africa. There are such a lot of lovely nations, animals to see, distinctive cultures, and quite a lot of distinctive actions to partake in that it makes choosing one place virtually not possible.

We spent a beautiful yr touring Africa and there may be merely nothing on this world prefer it. I do understand Africa is an entire continent and there are various issues to learn about completely different components of Africa. It’s a different land with many Africa info, so we wished to select only a few that will pique your curiosity.

Enjoyable and attention-grabbing Africa Details

1. Africa is HUGE

This is likely one of the most necessary info about Africa to know. It is vitally, very huge. Sure, Asia’s large takes the primary spot for the most important and most populous continent on Earth, however Africa is available in second and takes up plenty of area. We spent an entire yr testing a few of the greatest locations to go to in Africa and clearly didn’t even scratch the floor!

2. Earth’s floor space is 6% of Africa

One other important truth about Africa is that this one. To present you an thought of how huge Africa is, it covers 6% of your complete world’s floor space. Not spectacular sufficient? Nicely then, how does 11.7 million sq. miles sound? And 16% of all people reside in Africa, with 1.2 billion individuals residing on the continent as of 2016. Mainly, it’s huge.

3. Africa isn’t simply continental Africa

Madagascar – an enormous island off the southeast coast – and numerous different archipelagos comprise only a portion of the 54 nations that comprise this large continent. Other than these acknowledged nations, there are 9 territories and two largely unrecognized unbiased states.

4. Africa can be very younger

Africa truly boasts the youngest inhabitants, on common, on the earth. In 2012, for instance, the common age was 19 years outdated – that’s fairly younger. In the identical yr, the worldwide common was 30 years outdated. That is one among my favourite attention-grabbing info about Africa to inform individuals!

5. Africa straddles the equator

With nations within the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the one continent to embody temperate zones within the north and within the south – and with plenty of different local weather areas and biospheres in between.

6. Algeria is the largest participant by way of land, Nigeria for its inhabitants

Algeria positively hogs the land space right here, taking over virtually 1,000,000 sq. miles (919,595, to be actual). In the meantime, Nigeria boasts 186 million inhabitants, making it simply the highest canine by way of inhabitants in Africa; it’s additionally the seventh most populous nation on the earth. The smallest nation in Africa is Seychelles, an island archipelago within the Indian Ocean.

7. Human Life started in Africa

The proof means that, sure, people originated in Africa. Particularly in East Africa. And that proof is…? 200,000-year-old human stays.

That’s proper; early Homo sapiens (that’s trendy people to you and me) have been unearthed in Ethiopia courting again all these hundreds of years.

8. Historical Egypt is likely one of the world’s earliest civilizations

Starting in round 3300 BC, historic data of the pharaohs began. That may be a mad truth about Africa. What’s crazier nonetheless is simply how lengthy this civilization lasted. In all its pyramidal glory, the Egyptian state continued till 343 BC.

That’s virtually 3,000 years of Pharaonic affect, with proof of the civilization so far as Libya and even Crete.

8. There have been hundreds of states and kingdoms in pre-Colonial Africa

There was the already-Christian Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974). The Wadai Empire was in Chad (earlier than the French took over in 1918, anyway). There was the Kingdom of Kongo, which went on for 500 years or so earlier than Portugal suppressed the monarchy and absorbed it into Angola.

The Empire of Benin was one of many longest-lasting, most developed of any African empire… earlier than the British got here alongside in 1897. The checklist goes on.

9. There was a colonial scramble for Africa 

It was truly known as the “Scramble for Africa.” European powers went loopy to regulate the African continent. From 1881 to 1914, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany wished a slice of the pie. Cue a long time of oppression, colonialism, and cruelty.

10. Decolonization hit the African continent arduous

Many African nations have been “made” unbiased from the early Sixties to the Eighties. Many of those nations had by no means existed earlier than, with borders drawn by European powers. This resulted in plenty of craziness.

Throughout this era, there have been greater than 70 coups and 13 presidential assassinations continent-wide. Border, territorial, ethnic, and political disputes have been – and nonetheless are – widespread.

11. The Second Congo Struggle was the deadliest worldwide battle since World Struggle II

This truth about Africa is unfortunately very true. Starting in 1998 and with treaties signed in 2002 (although not truly ending until 2003), this horrific battle claimed over 5.4 million lives. It has left a legacy of instability ever since.

12. Africa is the world’s second-driest continent (after Australia)

It’s very, very dry in lots of components of Africa. A mean of 1,000 millimeters of rain falls yearly throughout the continent. Although the (fairly substantial) deserts convey that common down, let’s put that into perspective. Naples, Italy, will get over 1,000 millimeters of rainfall yearly!

13. The African Union (AU) is a 55-member federation consisting of all of Africa’s states

Identical to the European Union for Europe, it’s a identified truth about Africa that it has its African Union, with its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In contrast to the EU, nevertheless, all nations are included.

Curiously, Africa has “formally” 54 nations, so the place does the final one come from? The unrecognized nation is Western Sahara (claimed by Morocco), a Spanish colony till 1975.

14. Africa is probably the most multilingual continent on the earth

One of many craziest info about Africa is that properly over one thousand languages are spoken throughout the continent. UNESCO had a go at estimating and got here up with round 2,000 languages. Regardless of the precise quantity, it’s lots.

15. Arabic is probably the most extensively spoken language in Africa

Are you able to consider this attention-grabbing truth about Africa? 100 seventy million individuals communicate Arabic. The second-most extensively spoken language is English, with 130 million audio system, adopted by 115 million French audio system. Swahili is subsequent; with 100 million audio system, it’s the continent’s most generally spoken African language.

16. The continent’s inhabitants will greater than double by 2050

For those who have been being attentive to your info about Africa, you’d know that doubling the continent’s present inhabitants will equal round 2.3 billion individuals. 

17. African artwork and structure mirror the variety of African cultures

The oldest identified jewellery on the continent is regarded as… beads. These have been made from Nassarius shells, which is a reasonably cool African tradition truth. Individuals have been rockin’ these round 72,000 years in the past. Then there’s the Nice Pyramid at Giza: the tallest construction on Earth for hundreds of years.

The ruins of Nice Zimbabwe showcase an incredible Iron Age energy. The traditional church buildings of Ethiopia will go away you in awe. Morocco’s medieval mosques are gorgeous. Africa is extremely numerous.

18. Africa is legendary for its animals

That is an apparent truth about Africa, however that doesn’t make it any much less correct. It’s one of the vital biodiverse locations and has giant populations of some improbable creatures. Lions, hyenas, cheetahs, in addition to giraffes, elephants, camels, are all safari animals to look out for. Then there are snakes. Mountain gorillas. Crocodiles.

A complete vary of bugs and amphibians. Don’t neglect the million-strong wildebeest migration. We forgot hippos. And rhinos. It’s a really wild continent.

Greatest Safari in Africa – The place is Proper for You?

19. Africa has over 3,000 protected areas

And all that wildlife wants defending. There are millions of protected areas scattered throughout Africa. We’re speaking 198 marine protected areas. We’re speaking 50 biosphere reserves. We’re speaking 80 wetlands reserves. That’s only for starters.

20. Among the world’s fastest-growing economies are in Africa

The area, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, is growing. Put up-colonial democratization and broader entry to cell phones and the web are ensuing within the fast improvement of many economies. Ethiopia’s economic system is ready to develop by 8.5% in 2019, Ghana by 7.6%, Côte d’Ivoire by 7%. 

21. Most African migration occurs inside Africa

Sensationalist information tales would have you ever pondering in any other case, however that is an attention-grabbing truth about Africa: it’s to not Europe or North America that almost all African migrants go, however to different African nations.

Growing ease of motion between African nations is making it increasingly of a viable possibility. It’s displaying no indicators of slowing down. Escaping poverty and in search of work are the most typical causes.

22. China is the African continent’s prime commerce companion

For actual. That commerce is pushing (virtually) $200 billion per yr. The direct funding in Africa by China, we’re speaking direct, already is way more than $50 billion.

The one nation that will not have China knocking on its door anytime quickly is Eswatini (Swaziland). China has no diplomatic relations with Eswatini as a result of it acknowledges Taiwan as a rustic.

23. Angola alone has a inhabitants of over 350,000 Chinese language

There may be, nevertheless, a menace of neocolonialism. China truly has a protracted historical past of funding in Africa, courting again to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), however solely now could be it reaching a state that is perhaps referred to as exploitation.

Money owed may simply be racked up, which China is aware of can’t be paid. There are at the moment a million Chinese language residents on the African continent, too.

24. Rwanda was one of many first nations on the earth to ban plastic baggage

This wild truth about Rwanda’s African nation comes after the current Rwandan Genocide (1994). In 2008, the nation banned plastic baggage. Bangladesh banned them in 2002, however Rwanda has banned all the things about them: their use, importation, manufacture, and sale. Even vacationers getting into the nation are searched – no joke – it’s so wonderful!

25. Africa is the most well liked continent on Earth

That is a type of info about Africa that most likely isn’t stunning. We’ve established that it’s the driest continent, however sure – Africa is the most well liked continent, too.

That’s most likely one thing to do with the truth that 60% of all of Africa’s land space is made up of desert (or simply actually, actually dry land). There’s the Kalahari Desert, the Namib Desert, the Sahara Desert… Scorching.

26. Africa is shedding over 4 million hectares of forest per yr

One of many saddest info about Africa. That’s round twice the worldwide charge of deforestation, on common. For instance, 90% of Madagascar’s unique forest has disappeared since people first arrived 2,000 years in the past.

27. However Africa is excessive in minerals

The continent boasts 30% (give or take) of the Earth’s mineral sources. The entire of the Earth’s remaining mineral sources. We’re speaking plenty of the remaining gold (40%), cobalt (60%), and platinum (90%) reserves.

28. Music and dance are tremendous necessary

There are influential genres of music like highlife and afrobeat, extra localized kinds just like the upbeat guitar-based sungura music of Zimbabwe and the soulful African blues of Mali; there’s an entire lot extra. North Africa reveals Arab influences, and Southern Africa reveals Western influences, however all of it reveals a love of music that’s simple.

29. Nearly 40% of adults in Africa are illiterate

Not precisely a type of heartwarming info about Africa, however a truth nonetheless. Literacy just isn’t widespread. Two-thirds of that 40% are ladies. In some nations – Benin, Guinea, Niger, to call just a few – literacy charges sink beneath 50%.

30. The Sahara is the most important (sizzling) desert on the earth

Positive, a lot of Africa is dominated by desert or desert-like landscapes, however none fairly as large because the Sahara Desert. At 3,600,000 sq. miles in space, this huge expanse of sand, camels, and Bedouin tribes takes up 25% of Africa.

It’s larger than the Contiguous United States, which weighs at slightly below 3 million sq. miles. The Arctic and Antarctica depend as bigger deserts, however they’re most likely not the nice and cozy deserts you’re pondering of.

31. And Lake Victoria is the most important lake in Africa

And it’s the second-largest freshwater lake on the earth, with an space of 26,590 sq. miles. The precise largest freshwater lake on the earth is Lake Superior (31,700 sq. miles).

35. Africa boasts one of many oldest universities on the earth (one among my favourite Details About Africa)

No method? Sure, method. It’s in Timbuktu, Mali. The truth is, within the twelfth century, there have been three universities in Mali. One in all these had over 25,000 college students in attendance. In contrast to trendy universities, you bought to decide on your academics. Although primarily Quran research, educational stuff was lined, too, fortunately.

36. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest level

It soars up from virtually nowhere to tower 19,340 ft above sea stage. It’s additionally the 4th most outstanding peak on the earth, with nothing wherever close to as tall wherever within the neighborhood. Oh, and it’s additionally a volcano.

It has three craters; two are extinct, however one is lively. It final erupted 360,000 years in the past – who is aware of when it is going to occur once more.

37. The Nile is the longest river on the earth

Our closing, and grandest truth about Africa, is clearly concerning the Nile. It has supported numerous civilizations all through the ages; the Historical Egyptians worshipped the Nile flooding as a god (the androgynous Hapi).

It runs 6,670 kilometers from Tanzania, by Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and eventually Egypt earlier than erupting into the unimaginable Nile Delta.

I hope you loved these enjoyable and attention-grabbing info about Africa! When you’ve got another Africa info, go away a remark!