The African continent is able to surprise and enchant any traveler. Africa attracts with its mystery and naturalness. Today it is one of the most interesting places on Earth, thanks to its nature and landscapes, color and, of course, inhabitants. This article contains the most interesting facts about Africa:
- According to archaeological excavations, it was on the African continent that human civilization originated.
- Africa is considered the only one of the 6 continents on which there are still places untouched by man.
- It is home to unique species of wild animals that are not found anywhere else in the world.
- The area of the Sahara (the largest desert in the world) - exceeds the area of the entire United States.
- The Nile is the longest river in Africa and the second longest in the world (after the Amazon).
- Lake Victoria is a freshwater reservoir that is considered the second largest in the world and is second only to Lake Baikal.
- The noise of the water of the Victoria Falls is heard at 40 km.
- African men and women have the lowest life expectancy. This is 49 years on average.
- This is the most "seven-dimensional" continent, because it is crossed by the prime meridian and the equator.
- The pyramids of Cheops, which are in Egypt, are one of the wonders of the world. It is the only surviving miracle.
- Black Lake is a natural phenomenon where ink is contained instead of water. No fish live and no algae grow in it. The reasons for the origin of this unique phenomenon are still unknown.
- Few people know that Venice is not the only city on water in the world. So in Africa there is a city of Ganvier, where houses are built on water.
- Richat, aka the Eye of the Sahara, is a geological structure in the desert. Due to its considerable diameter (50 km), the Eye of the Sahara was clearly visible from space and for a long time served as a reference point for astronauts.
- Heraklion is an ancient, sunken, Egyptian city. Discovered relatively recently during the search for sunken ships.
- Ol Doinio Lengai is an African volcano, the lava temperature of which does not exceed 600C. It is considered the only "cold volcano" in the world.
- Sidi Bou Said is the third largest surviving Colosseum in the world. Included in the UN heritage list. This is a city in the north of Tunisia, it is also called "the blue pearl of Africa", the city got this name due to the fact that it is painted in white and blue.
- Kolmanskop is a city in Namibia, one of the most famous ghost towns in the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was the center of diamond mining in Africa. Now, its territory can be visited only for a fee, as part of a tourist group.
- Natron is a red and pink lake in Tanzania. Due to the excess salt on the surface of the lake, it changes its color from pink to bright scarlet. It is one of the few places on earth where flamingos breed.
- The Stone Forest or Tsingy de Bemaraja is a geological plateau located in Madagascar with an amazing landscape of caste origin. Included in the list of sites protected by UNESCO.
- Tatavin is the prototype city of the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars saga. Some episodes of the film were shot right here.
- Gold and diamond production in Africa is the highest of any continent.
- At the same time, tribes live on the African continent, the population of which is considered the tallest people in the world. The average growth of an adult male here is about 1m 85cm. There are also tribes where people live, whose height does not exceed 1m 35cm.
- Equatorial Guinea is the richest country on the continent. It ranks 24th in the ranking of the richest countries in the world.
- Kilimanjaro is a volcano that has never erupted (according to other sources, the eruption was more than 2 thousand years ago), but is considered active.
- The naked mole rat is a small rodent, unique in its kind, because it is insensitive to some types of pain. Lives in Kenya and Ethiopia.
- Egypt is not the only country on the African continent to have pyramids. There are over 200 pyramids in Sudan. Only they are no less famous than the Egyptian ones. Sudan is the largest country on the African continent. The smallest country is considered to be the Seychelles.
- Nigeria is the country with the largest population.
- Penguins also live in Africa. These spectacled penguins are an endangered species that lives on the coasts of Namibia and South Africa.
- Cannibalism is still prevalent in a number of some African tribes.
- Graça Machel is an African woman who has been honored to be the first lady twice. The first is as the wife of Zamora Machela, the second is as the wife of Nelson Mandela.
- The baobab can live up to 10 thousand years. The tree can change in volume, since during the rainy season the baobab accumulates moisture, and then consumes it.
- 8 Nobel laureates were originally from South Africa - this is the highest number of any country in Africa.
- The world's first heart transplant (1967), was done in Africa.
- An underground lake in the Sahara is the source of water for all desert oases.
- The oldest operating university in the world is located in the city of Fez. This is Al-Karooin. Outstanding oriental philosophers and mathematicians studied there.
- Cartographers have created a unique map of the Sahara. It shows the places where people most often see mirages.
- More than 35% of Africans have no education.
- Egypt is the most popular country in Africa among travelers. More than 10 million tourists visit it annually.
- Islam is the most widespread religion on the continent. More than 75% of the total population professes it.
- The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. Its weight ranges from 6 to 7 tons.
- Morocco is the only African country that is not a member of the African Union.
- Africa has the lowest number of Internet users of any continent.
- Nigeria is the largest oil importing country in Africa.
- Translated from Latin, "Africa" means "solar".
- The distance between Morocco and Spain is only 13 km.
- More people speak French in Africa than in France.
Of course that's not all interesting facts about Africa It is impossible to list everything unusual and mysterious about this continent in one article. Africa still keeps a lot of unknown things for itself!
- During the so-called "struggle for Africa", almost all countries were colonized by foreign states. Only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent - an interesting fact.
- On the territory of Africa, there are 54 countries and one disputed territory called Western Sahara.
- Before the beginning of colonization in Africa, there were up to 10,000 different states and autonomous tribes with their own languages, customs and culture.
- Official statistics say that the most popular language on the continent is Arabic. It is spoken by over 170 million people. The second most popular is English (130 million people), followed by Swahili (100 million people), French (115 million people), and Hausa (50 million people) - an interesting fact.
- There are 2,000 languages spoken on the continent.
- About 50% of Africans are under 25.
- According to demographic trends, the population of Africa will more than double by 2050 - to 2.3 billion people.
- Africa is the poorest and most undeveloped continent in the world, an interesting fact. The total GDP of all African countries is only 2.4% of world GDP.
- About 40% of the adult population in Africa has no secondary education.
- More than 5.4 million people died during the Second Congolese War! In terms of the number of victims, this conflict is second only to the Second World War - an interesting fact.
- There are more Internet users than throughout Africa.
- The Sahara is the largest desert in the world! Its territory is larger than the continental part.
- Africa is the second driest continent after Australia.
- There are more than 1 million Chinese citizens on the African continent. There are over 350,000 Chinese in Angola alone, an interesting fact.
- Africa is the second largest continent in the world and occupies about one fifth of the world's total land area. Its territory is about 30.2 million km²
- Awful fact about Africa: There are over 25 million people living with HIV on the continent. At the moment, more than 17 million people have already died from the disease.
- Roughly 90% of all malaria cases in the world occur in Africa, an interesting fact.
- Africa is the hottest continent in the world. Deserts and arid regions cover more than 60% of its area.
- Interesting facts: Africa has more than 30% of the Earth's mineral resources.
- Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. Its population is 125-145 million people. Egypt is the second most populous country with over 76 million people - an interesting fact.
- Algeria is the largest country in Africa. Its area is 2500 thousand km 2. The smallest country is the island state of the Seychelles with a total area of just over 453 square kilometers.
- Fun Facts: Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Its area is 69,490 km 2.
- Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa, attracting about 10 million visitors a year - an interesting fact.
- The world's largest animal, the African elephant, lives in Africa. It can weigh 6 to 7 tons.
- Scientists believe Africa was once part of a single super-continent called Pangea. Asia and South America split from Africa about 80 million years ago. The African continent remains relatively stable and has not changed over time. Geologists believe that it separated from the African continent about 160 million years ago - an interesting fact.
- The ancient Greeks and Romans originally used the term "Africa" only to refer to the northern part of the continent. Translated from Latin, the word Africa means "sunny", and from Greek Aphrike means "without cold".
- Fun Facts: Historians estimate that about 7-12 million slaves were transported from Africa to America between the 15th and 19th centuries.
- Since 2001, all the countries of the continent, with the exception, have entered the so-called "African Union" - an interesting fact.
- Islam is the dominant religion in Africa. Together with Christianity, these two religions cover 85% of the continent's population. The remaining 15% of the population are atheists and representatives of traditional African religions.
- Fun Facts: Nigeria is the fourth largest oil exporter in the world and the largest oil producer in Africa. Nigeria supplies the world market with about 2.2 million barrels every day.
- is Africa's main trading partner. Trade volumes are about $ 200 billion a year, which is an interesting fact.
- China's direct investment in Africa exceeds $ 50 billion.
- More than 90% of Africa's soils are unacceptable for agriculture.
- Fun Facts: Over 240 million Africans suffer from chronic malnutrition.
- Among the peoples of Africa, there are the smallest and tallest people in the world.
- Equatorial Guinea is the richest country in Africa. GDP per capita is $ 16,507. Botswana comes in second with a GDP of $ 14,906. Zimbabwe comes in last with $ 589 a year, an interesting fact.
- Chad is the second fastest growing economy in the world.
- Unfortunately, the top 10 poorest countries in the world are in Africa.
And even glaciers. The continent is located in all four hemispheres of the Earth. Find out more information about the continent from the following ten amazing and important geographic facts about Africa.
Perhaps Africa is the cradle of humanity
The East African Rift Valley, which separates the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates, is the site of several important discoveries of human ancestral remains by anthropologists. The active expanding valley is considered the cradle of humanity, where our journey probably began, millions of years ago. The discovery of fragments of the Lucy skeleton in 1974 in Ethiopia prompted serious research in this region.
Africa is the second largest continent on the planet
Less than half of Africa's population lives in cities
Africa is a poorly urbanized region of the world. Only 39% of the continent's population lives in cities. The continent is home to only two metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants: Cairo (Egypt) and Lagos (Nigeria). Cairo is home to 11 to 15 million people, and Lagos - 10 to 12 million people. The third largest city in Africa is probably Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 8 to 10 million inhabitants.
Kilimanjaro is the highest point on the continent
The summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is above the level. Located in Tanzania near the Kenyan border, this dormant volcano rises to a height of 5,895 meters. Kilimanjaro is home to Africa's only glacier, although scientists predict that all the ice on the top of the mountain will disappear by the 2030s due to global warming.
Africa has the largest arid desert in the world
Although the Sahara is not the hottest desert on Earth, it is the most conspicuous. The desert covers more than 9 million km² or about 31% of the total land area of the mainland.
Africa is an amazing continent, captivating with its natural charm and naturalness. Many scholars consider it the cradle of civilization. After all, it was on this great land that human civilization began to develop. A selection, which presents all the most amazing about Africa, will help to reveal the unusual world that the continent lives with.
Interesting facts about the local population
Africa is home to 16% of the world's population. Of these, experts identify about 3 thousand ethnic groups. The second largest continent of the planet has 54 states.
Among the 2 thousand languages spoken on this continent, the most widespread is Arabic.
Not everyone knows the amazing fact about Africa that the smallest people on the planet live on its lands. Negrilli are a group of undersized peoples, better known as pygmies. The growth of adult men of people of a special race varies within the range of 125-150 cm. The growth restrictor in pygmies is triggered even during the period of intrauterine development. Children are initially born small and grow much more slowly than Europeans.
At the same time, it is quite remarkable that there are many tall people among black residents of other African countries. The tallest people in the world are the Nilot people. Their average height is 184 cm.
This continent has the lowest life expectancy. Men live on average 50 years, and women even less - 48 years. Among the total number of malaria cases in the world, 90% of cases occur in the inhabitants of this continent. About 3 thousand African children die from this disease every year. The number of HIV-infected people living in the southern part of the Sahara is also estimated in hundreds of thousands.
Countries of the continent attractive for tourists
Africa is considered both the poorest and the richest on the planet at the same time. The lowest level of well-being is noted here. At the same time, there are lands on the mainland with amazing flora and fauna, the bowels of which are rich in such precious metals and stones as gold, emerald, diamond, garnet, tanzanite, amethyst, ruby.
The most populous state is Nigeria. Egypt ranks second in terms of number and attractiveness for tourists. The list of countries that are peaceful and safe for tourists also includes: Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, Cape Verde, Zimbabwe.
It is in Africa that you can see the only surviving wonders of the world - the pyramids of Cheops. But few people know an amazing fact about Africa, that the pyramids were erected not only in the lands of Egypt. In Sudan, the number of "desert temples" reaches 223 pieces. True, the dimensions are several times smaller.
Among the most amazing countries in Africa are:
- Kenya... An equatorial line runs through the lands of this state. The country is interesting for tourists because it makes it possible to witness firsthand the great migration of animals, including representatives of the "African Big Five": buffaloes, rhinos, elephants, leopards and lions. Those who like to study the peculiarities of cultures of different nationalities can get acquainted with tribes that have preserved their traditional way of life: Meru, Samburu, Masai.
- Uganda... The pearl of the mainland is located in the fault zone of the earth's crust. It is famous for its amazing and diverse nature. Of the natural attractions, they are popular among locals and visitors: the Cabarega waterfall, the White Nile mountain river, as well as the picturesque lakes Edward, Kyoga, Victoria, Alberta. In Uganda's state-protected natural parks, you can find representatives of the fauna of endangered species, including mountain gorillas.
- Tanzania... This country is attractive for its pristine jungle. Tourists come here in an effort to admire exotic animals during safari. Tanzania has the legendary volcano Kilimanjaro and the salt lake Ngoro Ngoro formed at the bottom of the crater.
But still, most of the states of the mainland belong to the number of third world countries that are still only following the path of development. Visiting them for an ordinary tourist can be life-threatening.
Spectacular corners of nature
Since Africa is crossed by the central line of the earth's surface and the prime meridian, it is rightfully considered the hottest and most symmetrical of all continents. The area of the mainland is 29.2 million square kilometers. And four-fifths of this was swallowed up by rainforests and deserts.
One of the amazing facts about Africa is the moment that the Sahara is the largest desert not only on a continental scale, but on the entire planet. It accounts for 30% of the area of the entire continent. The area of this uninhabited space of land is larger than the total area of the United States. At the same time, the Sahara continues to expand. Every year it increases in size, expanding its borders up to 10 km. There are salt water lakes in the middle of the Sahara. But their life-giving moisture is not able to quench your thirst.
Amazing natural attractions in Africa:
- Nile- The river with a length of 6850 km is considered the longest on the planet.
- Victoria Is a freshwater lake, the impressive size of which makes it the second largest on Earth.
- Ink lake- a natural phenomenon. Instead of clear water, it contains ink created naturally, but at the same time toxic to living organisms.
- "Thundering smoke"- the grandiose Victoria Falls with a height of over 100 m and a length of almost 1000 m, the noise from the fall of streams in which spreads over the district for 40 km.
- Oh Doinio Legai- a volcano erupting black sodium carbonate lava is rightfully considered the coldest in the world.
Very amazing trees grow on the mainland. For example: soap, the fruits and leaves of which are soapy, or candle, the elongated seeds of which contain a high concentration of oils. Dairy, sausage and bread trees also grow here.
A large number of rare animals also live on the desert lands: elephants, bongos, giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs, gazelles, zebras, hippos, lions, okapi, aardvarks. Some species are not found anywhere else in the world.
The most dangerous African animals are hippos. Previously, they were widespread throughout the territory. Today, hippos live only in the southern part on the border with the Sahara. Therefore, they have been assigned the status of "rapidly declining species". Despite this, individual tribes continue to hunt forbidden animals.
Among the most amazing animals in Africa, rodents "naked mole rats" deserve special attention, the skin of which does not age and does not feel pain from exposure to fire and cuts. Lung-breathing fish also live here, which in critical dry periods are able to bury themselves in the ground.
Africa is an amazing continent that has always attracted the attention of travelers with its mystery, natural naturalness and inexplicable charm.
If not for Eurasia, which ranks first, then Africa would be the largest continent on Earth. Its area is 29.2 million km². For comparison, it must be said that the area is 17.1 km². If this surprises you, because, looking at the map, you see slightly different proportions, then we advise you to read about.
Among other things, this is the most flat continent. If other parts of the world can show us plains and seas, then with Africa the situation is extremely simple.
The smallest people on earth live in Africa. You probably know that these are pygmies. In another way, they are called "negrilli". Their maximum height is 150 cm, and the average is 135 cm.
And of course, everyone knows that there are a lot of tall people among black people. The record for this indicator also belongs to Africans. The Nilots are an African people with a population of about 10 million. They are the tallest on earth. Their average height is 184 cm.
It is in Africa that the largest hottest in the world is located. It . Its area is 8.6 million km², which is about 30% of the entire area of Africa. An interesting fact is that this desert increases in size every year, expanding its boundaries by 6-10 kilometers to the south.
The longest freshwater lake in the world is located in Africa. It is also considered one of the deepest on the planet.
It is believed that the largest is also located in Africa. This is the East African Rift Valley. Its width reaches one hundred kilometers, but the depth is simply fantastic. The exact mileage has not yet been established, but it is reliably known that it is thousands of kilometers. Imagine falling into such a "hole"!
In the African city of Tripoli (capital), in 1922, it was possible to record the highest temperature on earth in history. Celsius degrees rose to +58.
An interesting fact is that the longest strait in the world is Mozambique. It is equal to approximately 1760 km.
Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa. It is dangerous, potentially active.
For a long time it was believed that the longest river in the world is located in Africa, and its name is
