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Home 31 Interesting Facts About Africa That You May Not Know

31 Interesting Facts About Africa That You

May Not Know

 South Africa


32,153 VIEWS

Famous for the pyramids in the north, the jungles at the central and the beaches
in the south – Africa is a land that is full of surprises. A land which nurtured one
of the earliest civilizations of the world, Africa is the home of an incredible variety
of people, animals, climates, and spectacular places. While you can Google
about Africa and know more, here are 2 most interesting facts about the
continent that are worth knowing.
Scroll down to know about some fascinating facts about Africa, before you
make your mind to explore the land.
1) The name ‘Africa’ came into Western use through the Romans. The word has
its roots in two different languages – in Latin (“Aprica”) it means ‘Sunny’, and in
Greek (“Aphrike”) it means ‘Without cold’.

2) The oldest human remains ever discovered were found in Ethiopia, which is
approximately 200,000-year-old.

3) Between the period of 1881 and 1914, entire African continent went through
the turmoil of invasion, occupation, division, colonization and annexation by
European powers. This phase was popularly known as “Scramble of Africa”. Only
Ethiopia and Liberia were out of this turmoil.

4) The Second Congo War (1998-2006), claimed the second-highest number of

casualties (5.4 million lives) since World War II. The conflict involved eight
African countries.

5) Between 1525 and 1866, 12.5 million Africans were kidnaped and sold into
slavery in the Americas.

6) Africa has the world’s longest river, the Nile (4,132 miles). The Nile runs
through 11 countries in Africa.

7)Africa also has the world’s largest desert, Sahara, which is nearly as big as the
USA!

8) Not just that, but the largest waterfalls, the Victoria falls is also in Africa.
Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.
9) The Victoria Lake is the largest lake in Africa, and the second largest
freshwater lake in the world.

10) There are over 3,000 protected areas in Africa, including 198 Marine
Protected Areas, 50 Biosphere Reserves, and 129 UNESCO World Heritage
Sites.

11) The South African Rovos Rail is considered the most luxurious train in the
world.

12) Africa has the second largest population in the world, at about one billion
people. The total African population is approximately 14.72% of the world’s
population (as recorded in 2009).

13) Africa is the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped continent with a
continental GDP that accounts for just 2.4% of global GDP.

14) The national flag of Mozambique has the image of an AK-47 assault rifle
embedded into it. It is one of only two national flags of UN member states to
feature a firearm. The other is Guatemala.
15) Africa has the largest-remaining populations of lion, elephant, rhinoceros,
cheetah, hyena, leopard and hundreds of other species.

16) Almost 40% of adults in Africa are illiterate, and two-third of them are women.

17) About 41% of children in Africa aged between 5-10 years are actively
involved in child labor.

18) It is the hottest continent, with water scarcity impacting the lives of over 300
million Africans.

19) There’s a beer brewed from bananas in Africa!

20) While people keep expecting to see tigers in Africa, there aren’t any! Wild
tigers are found in Asia, and not in Africa.

21) The Serengeti (Tanzania) hosts the world’s largest wildlife migration on Earth
with over 750,000 zebras marching ahead of 1.2 million wildebeest as they cross
this amazing landscape.

22) Africa has 85% of the total elephant population of the world and 99% of the
total lion population.

23) Africa has more than 25% of the world’s bird species.
24) In spite of extremely poor internet facilities, there are more than 100 million
Facebook users in Africa.

25) While Egypt is popular all over the world for its pyramids, the Republic of
Sudan actually has nearly 223 pyramids, double the number of pyramids in
Egypt.

26) The Palace of the Lost City is the world’s biggest themed resort, located in
South Africa.

27) There are more people speaking French in Africa than in France!

28) Most of the world’s fastest runners come from a single tribe in Kenya, Africa,
called the “Kalenjins.”
29) The women of the Mursi and Surma tribes in Africa wear plates on their lips
that can be as large as 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter.

30) South Africa is home to the highest commercial bungy jump in the world,
called Bloukrans Bridge Bungy (216 meters).

31) The world’s oldest educational institution is still functioning in Africa.

University of Al-Karaouine, located in Morocco, was originally a madrassa,
founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri.

While these are just like a trailer, you’ll get to discover a lot more during your
volunteer trip to Africa. So what are you waiting for? Either plan your trip for your
Spring Break or go for the Summer Program – explore Africa and contribute the
way you can!
Volunteering Solutions has affordable volunteering and internship programs in 6
different African countries.

To know more, get in touch with our Program Advisor

at info@volunteeringsolutions.com

Riyanka Roy
I feel I’m born with gypsy blood, and stagnation makes me feel claustrophobic.
Life, for me, is like a book and whatever we do adds more chapters to it. I enjoy
writing about whatever I come across, for each and every bit helps in making the
chapters more and more colorful.
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