FACTS ABOUT THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
1. Over 30 Million km2 make Africa the second largest continent in the world.
2 There are 54 countries in Africa.
3. Only two African countries have never been colonised: Ethiopia and Liberia.
4. More than half of the African continent is covered by grassland or savannah. The northern part is dominated by the Sahara desert and the semi-arid Sahel zone. Central Africa has rainforests, coastal plains and the continents highest mountains and lakes. Southern Africa lies mainly on a high plateau and only has a small coastal band.
5. Lake Victoria is the largest lake on the continent and the 2nd largest in the world.
6. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain of Africa with its 5,895 meters. It is high enough to have glaciers on the summit. Quite remarkable near the equator.
7. Madagascar in the Indian Ocean off the East coast is the fourth largest island in the world.
8. The Victoria Falls are the largest of Africa. They are some 108 meters high and 1.6 kilometres wide.
9. The ten countries in Africa with the highest GDP are Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Namibia, Morocco.
10. The oldest and still operating educational institution is the University of Karueein. It was founded in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco.
11. Deforestation rates in Africa are twice the average of the rest of the world. Four million hectares of primary forest are cut down every year.
POPULATION
12. Africa is the ‘cradle of humankind’. The first hominids (human beings and their closest relatives the gorilla and chimpanzees) evolved here 5 to 10 million years ago.
13. Africa has approximately 1.3 billion inhabitants. This amounts to some 16 % of the world population.
14. It is the second most populated continent after Asia.
15. Over 50% of Africans are under the age of 25.
16. It is estimated that by 2050 the population will more than double.
17. Thirty-eight percent of African adults are illiterate; two-thirds thereof are women. The good news is that Africa’s literacy levels has risen tremendously as compared to 50 years ago.
18. In 2016, the youth had a higher literacy level at 91% than adults at 78%.
HEALTH RELATED
19. Malaria and HIV/AIDS cause 69% of deaths in Africa.
20. More than 90% of the estimated malaria cases world wide occur in Africa. Of the 42 malaria-endemic countries on the continent, 33 have adopted artemisinin-based combination therapy—the most effective antimalarial medicines available today—as first-line treatment.
21. Two-third of HIV/AIDS infected people come from Africa. In 2012, the number of people treated for this disease has seen a seven time increase.
22. Africa is the only continent having to deal with the deadly Ebola virus.
MINERALS
23. Africa has some 30% of world’s mineral resources.
24. Is has 40% of the largest reserves of precious metals with over 40% of gold reserves, 60% of cobalt, 90% of platinum
25. Niger is home to the world’s largest Uranium underground mine.
SOME AMAZING RECORDS
26. The Sahara is the largest desert of the world measuring 9.2 million square kilometres.
27. Dallol in Northern Ethiopia has the world’s hottest average temperature measuring 33.89 degrees Celsius.
28. The longest river in the world is the Nile with its 6,650 km. It passes through 11 countries.
29. Giraffes, zebras, gorillas, hippos, chimpanzees, and wild beast can only be found in Africa.
30. Giraffes are the tallest living animal. They can be as tall as 5.8 metres.
31. The largest land living animal is the African elegant. It can weigh up to 7 tons.
32. The cheetah is the fastest mammal in the world reaching speeds of 110km/hour.
33. Africa is home to the world’s largest reptile, the Nile crocodile.
34. The gorilla is the world’s largest primate. It is found jungle areas of the continents.
35. The world largest frog, the Goliath frog lives in Africa. It can be found in the central African countries of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. It can grow to lengths of over 30.5 centimetres.
AND DID YOU KNOW
36. In Africa, more inhabitants are killed by hippos than any other animal.
37. The translations of the Kiswahili word Mzungu stands for “someone who roams around. It was first used in the 18th century by the indigenous population in the Great Lake region to describe European explores that apparently moved around aimlessly.
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