AFRICA ROCKS The 25th of May is Africa Day; a day all Africans commemorate the day that leaders of the independent states of Africa came together in Addis Ababa on the 25th of May 1963 to sign a founding charter for the Organisation of African Unity, which was subsequently disbanded by former South African President Thabo Mbeki and replaced by the African Union in 2002. Even though there are vast problems that the continent still faces, such as war and poverty, Africa is a place that should be celebrated because it is beautiful in every way. Here are 35 interesting facts about Africa: Africa is the second largest continent in the world at 30.2 million km²; that is six percent of the earth’s entire surface. Africa is the hottest continent on earth. The Sahara is one of the largest deserts in the world and is also the hottest desert in the world. The Namib is the world’s oldest desert, and the only desert in Africa inhabited by elephant, rhino, giraffe and lion. Africa has over 85% of the world’s elephants and over 99% of the remaining lions are on the continent. Africa is the most centrally located of all of the continents with both the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude) and the equator (0 degrees latitude) passing through it. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, covering an area of over 69 000 square kilometers. Lake Malawi has more fish species than any other freshwater system on earth. Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa at a depth of 1,436 metres. The Nile River is the longest river in the world with a total length of over 6600 kilometres. Even though it is associated with Egypt, it runs through Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Sudan. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the continent. It towers over 19,300 feet (5882.64 metres), which is so tall that glaciers can be found at its summit even though the mountain is near the equator. Africa is the home of the human species, which developed on the continent about 5 million years ago. ‘Afri’ was the Latin name for an ancient people located on the shores of the southern Mediterranean Sea near the city of Carthage (modern day Tunisia). The Romans referred to the region as Africa terra (land of the Afri), based on the stem Afr- with the adjective suffix -ic-. The oldest human remains ever discovered were found in Ethiopia. They are approximately 200,000 years old. Evidence of the oldest recognizable monarchy in human history, prior to the rise of the earliest Egyptian kings by several generations, was been discovered in artefacts from ancient Nubia, which was the territory of the northern Sudan and the southern portion of modern Egypt. Ethiopia was called Aithiopis by the Ancient Greek; a name meaning ‘black face’ which applied to all black people. The ancient Egyptians called it Kush, the Hebrew Kush, the name of a son of Cham. Africans pioneered basic arithmetic approximately 25,000 years ago. Toilets and sewerage systems existed in ancient Egypt. Sudan has more pyramids than any other country on earth, even more than Egypt. These pyramids are generally 20 to 30 metres high and steep sided. Over 25% of all languages are spoken only in Africa with over 2000 recognized languages spoken on the continent. Over 50% of Africans are under the age of 25. The only remaining kingdoms on the continent are Morocco, Swaziland and Lesotho. The smallest African country is the Seychelles, and the largest is Sudan. Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa, attracting around 10 million visitors per year. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an estimated population of 125–145 million people. 90% of Libya is desert but it has the 9th highest GDP in Africa because of its petroleum and low population. Liberia, which means ‘Liberty’, was so named because the nation was created as a homeland for freed American slaves in 1922. South Africa has the longest wine route in the world. Kenya is the second largest exporter of flowers in the world. The Nile crocodile is Africa’s largest living reptile. The world’s biggest frog can be found in Cameroon. It’s called the Goliath Frog, and it can live up to 15 years. Madagascar is the largest island in Africa and the fourth largest island in the world. It’s located off the East coast of Africa. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg is one of the largest hospitals in the world, occupying around 173 acres (0.70 km2), with approximately 3 200 beds and about 6 760 staff members. Soccer and cricket are the two most popular sports in Africa. Both sports were introduced during colonial times and have flourished on the continent due to the international success of African teams. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners is in Soweto. It is called Vilakazi Street, which was home to Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Bloukrans Bungee is the world’s highest commercial bungy bridge. It is also the highest commercial natural bungee jump in the world. It’s located in South Africa. Be proud to be African!
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 04:24:21 +0000
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