100 interesting facts about Africa

Africa is one of the most amazing continents in the world. Some scientists believe that it was in Africa that the first life on earth originated. However, here are 100 things to know about Africa.

Africa is simultaneously the poorest and richest in the world. After all, it is here that practically the lowest standard of living is observed. At the same time, it is possible to single out the lands rich in flora and fauna, which captivates with its incredibility.

100 interesting facts about Africa

1. Africa is the cradle of civilization. This is the first continent on which human culture and community emerged.
2. Africa is the only continent on which there are places where no man has ever set foot in his life.
3. The area of Africa is 29 million square kilometers but four-fifths of the territory is occupied by deserts and rainforests.
4. At the beginning of the 20th century, almost the entire territory of Africa was colonized by France, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal, and Belgium. Only Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, and Liberia were independent.
5. Mass decolonization of Africa took place only after the Second World War.
6. Africa is home to the rarest animals that are not found anywhere else: for example, hippos, giraffes, okapis, and others.
7. Earlier, hippos lived throughout Africa, today they are found only south of the Sahara Desert.
8. Africa has the largest desert in the world – the Sahara. Its area is larger than the area of the United States.
9. On the continent flows the second longest river in the world – the Nile. Its length is 6850 kilometers
10. Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
11. ‘Thundering smoke’ – this is the name of the Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River by local tribes.
12. Victoria Falls is over a kilometer long and over 100 meters high.
13. The noise from falling water from Victoria Falls spreads 40 kilometers around.
14. At the edge of Victoria Falls, there is a natural pool called the devil’s pool. You can swim along the edge of the waterfall only during dry periods when the current is not so strong.
15. Some African tribes hunt hippos and use their meat for food, even though hippos have the status of a rapidly declining species.
16. Africa is the second-largest continent on the planet. There are 54 states here.
17. Africa has the lowest life expectancy. Women, on average, live 48 years, men 50.
18. The equator and the prime meridian cross Africa. Therefore, the continent can be called the most symmetrical of all.
19. In Africa, the only surviving wonder of the world is located – the pyramids of Cheops.
20. There are over 2000 languages in Africa, but Arabic is the most widely spoken.
21. It is not the first year that the African government has raised the issue of renaming all geographical names received during colonization into traditional names used in the language of the tribes.
22. There is a unique lake in Algeria. Instead of water, it contains real ink.
23. In the Sahara Desert, there is a unique place called the Eye of the Sahara. It is a huge crater with a ring structure and a diameter of 50 kilometers.
24. Africa has its own Venice. The houses of the inhabitants of the village of Ganvie are built on the water, and they move exclusively by boats.
25. Local tribes consider Howik Falls and the reservoir into which it falls as the sacred abode of an ancient monster similar to Loch Ness. Livestock is regularly sacrificed to him.
26. Not far from Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, there is the sunken city of Heraklion. It was discovered quite recently.
27. In the middle of the great desert, there are Ubari lakes, but the water in them is several times saltier than in the sea, so they will not save you from thirst.
28. The coldest volcano in the world, Ol Doinyo Lengai (Oldoinyo Lengai), “Mountain of God” in the Maasai language, is located in Africa. The temperature of the lava that erupts from the crater is several times lower than that of ordinary volcanoes.
29. Africa has its own Colosseum, built in the Roman era. It is located in El Jem.
30. And Africa has a ghost town – Kolmanskop, which is slowly absorbed by the sands of the great desert, although 50 years ago, it was densely populated with inhabitants.
31. The planet Tatooine from Star Wars is not a fictional title. Such a city exists in Africa. This is where the shooting of the legendary film took place.
32. Tanzania has a unique red lake, the depth of which changes depending on the season, and along with the depth, the lake’s color changes from pink to deep red.
33. On the territory of the island of Madagascar, there is a unique natural monument – a stone forest. High-thin rocks resemble a dense forest.
34. Ghana has a large landfill where household appliances from all over the world are brought.
35. Unique goats live in Morocco that climbs trees and feeds on leaves and branches.
36. Africa produces half of all the gold that is sold in the world.
37. Africa has the richest deposits of gold and diamonds.
38. Lake Malawi, which is located in Africa, is home to the most species of fish. More than sea and ocean.
39. Lake Chad, over the past 40 years, has become smaller, by almost 95%. It used to be the third or fourth-largest in the world.
40. The world’s first sewerage system appeared in Africa, on the territory of Egypt.
41. In Africa, some tribes are considered the tallest in the world, and tribes that are the smallest in the world.
42. In Africa, the health care and medical system, in general, is still poorly developed.
43. More than 25 million people in Africa are believed to be HIV-positive.
44. An unusual rodent lives in Africa – the naked mole-rat. His cells do not age, he lives up to 70 years and does not feel pain at all from cuts or burns.
45. In many tribes of Africa, the secretary bird is poultry and serves as a guard against snakes and rats.
46. Some lungfish that live in Africa can burrow in dry land and thus survive drought.
47. The highest mountain in Africa – Kilimanjaro, is a volcano. Only he had never erupted in his life.
48. Africa has the hottest place in Dallol, the temperature rarely drops below 34 degrees.
49. 60-80% of Africa’s GDP is agricultural products. Africa produces cocoa, coffee, peanuts, dates, rubber.
50. In Africa, most countries are considered third countries in the world, that is, poorly developed.
51. The largest country in Africa is Sudan, and the smallest is Seychelles.
52. The top of Mount Dining, located in Africa, has a top that is not sharp, but flat, like the surface of a table.
53. The Afar Basin is a geographic area in the eastern part of Africa. Here you can watch an active volcano. About 160 strong earthquakes occur here annually.
54. The Cape of Good Hope is a mythical place. Many legends and traditions are associated with it, for example, the legend of the Flying Dutchman.
55. There are pyramids not only in Egypt. There are over 200 pyramids in Sudan, and they are not as tall and famous as those in Egypt.
56. The name of the continent is believed to come from one of the tribes, “Afri”.
57. In 1979, the oldest human footprints were found in Africa.
58. Cairo is the most populous city in Africa.
59. The most populous country is Nigeria, the second most populous is Egypt.
60. A wall was built in Africa, which turned out to be twice as long as the Great Wall of China.
61. An African boy was the first person to notice that hot water freezes faster in the freezer than cold water. This phenomenon was named after him.
62. Penguins live in Africa.
63. South Africa is home to the second-largest hospital in the world.
64. The Sahara Desert is increasing every month.
65. South Africa has three capitals at once: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein.
66. The island of Madagascar is home to animals that are not found anywhere else.
67. There is an ancient custom in Togo: a man who compliments a girl must certainly marry her.
68. Somalia is the name of both the country and the language at the same time.
69. Some tribes of African aborigines still do not know what fire is.
70. The Matabi tribe, living in West Africa, loves to play football. Only instead of a ball, they use a human skull.
71. Matriarchy reigns in some African tribes. Women can keep men’s harems.
72. On August 27, 1897, the shortest war took place in Africa, which lasted 38 minutes. The Zanzibar government declared war on England but was quickly defeated.
73. Graça Machel is the only African woman to have been the “first lady” twice. The first time she was the wife of the President of Mozambique, and the second time – the wife of South African President Nelson Mandela.
74. The official name of Libya is the longest country name in the world.
75. African Lake Tanganyika is the longest lake in the world, its length is 1435 meters.
76. The Baobab tree, which grows in Africa, can live from five to ten thousand years. It stores up to 120 liters of water, so it does not burn in a fire.
77. Sports brand Reebok chose its name after a small but very fast African antelope.
78. The trunk of the Baobab can reach 25 meters in volume.
79. The inside of the trunk of the Baobab is hollow, so some Africans arrange houses inside the tree. Enterprising residents open restaurants inside the tree. In Zimbabwe, a railway station was opened in the trunk, and in Botswana, a prison.
80. Very interesting trees grow in Africa: bread, dairy, sausage, soap, candles.
81. The insectivorous plant Hydnora grows only in Africa. It can rather be called a parasitic fungus. The fruits of the Hydnora are eaten by the locals.
82. The African tribe Mursi is considered the most aggressive tribe. Any conflicts are resolved by force and weapon.
83. The largest diamond in the world was found in South Africa.
84. South Africa has the cheapest electricity in the world.
85. Only off the coast of South Africa, there are more than 2000 sunken ships, which are more than 500 years old.
86. In South Africa, three Nobel Prize winners lived on the same street at once.
87. South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique are tearing down some national park boundaries to create one large nature reserve.
88. The first heart transplant was performed in Africa in 1967.
89. About 3000 ethnic groups are living in Africa.
90. The largest percentage of cases of malaria is in Africa – 90% of cases.
91. Kilimanjaro’s snow cap is rapidly melting. Over the past 100 years, the glacier has melted by 80%.
92. Many African tribes prefer to wear a minimum of clothing, wearing only a belt to which the weapon is attached.
93. The oldest active university in the world, founded in 859, is located in Fez.
94. The Sahara Desert covers as many as 10 countries in Africa.
95. Under the Sahara Desert is an underground lake with a total area of 375 square kilometers. That is why oases are found in the desert.
96. A large area of the desert is occupied not by sands but by petrified earth and pebble-sandy soil.
97. There is a map of the desert with marked places in which people most often observe mirages.
98. The sand dunes of the Sahara Desert may be taller than the Eiffel Tower.
99. The thickness of loose sand is 150 meters.
100. Sand in the desert can heat up to 80°C.