Some useful facts around Africa

Africa

Africa ie world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area.With 1.0 billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.72% of the world's human population.

Culture


Ancient Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone. ( find out more about Ancient Egypt )


Beer
Apart from Muslim nations, Ghana has the lowest per capita consumption of beer in Africa, yet its brewery industry is one of the most competitive


Weddings
Did you know that in Africa it is almost imposible to hold a small wedding? The idea of a private wedding 
is unknown and is greatly frowned upon. Friends and relatives expect to be invited to a wedding and to play a role in the ceremony.


---------------------------------------------------------Geographical


Africa, second-largest of the Earth's seven continents - covering about 30,330,000 sq km (11,699,000 sq mi), which makes up 
about 22 per cent of the world's total 
land area.


Largest Country
Sudan, Republic of, republic in north-eastern Africa, the largest country of the African continent. Sudan has a total area of 2,505,800 sq km (967,490 sq mi).


Smallest Country
The smallest African country is The Seychelles covering an area of 453 sq km but Gambia is the smallest of the mainland African states, covering an area of 11,300 sq km (4,363 sq mi).


Largest City
Egypt's capital city, Cairo, is the largest city in Africa with an estimated 9.2 million population


Highest Point
Mount Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Point - (5895m/19,340 ft) in Tanzania


Lowest Point
the lowest is Lake 'Asal (153 m/502 ft below sea level) in Djibouti


Northernmost tip
is Cape Blanc (Ra's al Abyad;) in Tunisia


Southernmost tip
is Cape Agulhas in South Africa


Largest Lake
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the is the world's second-largest freshwater lake - covering an area of 69,490 sq km (26,830 sq mi) and lies 1,130 m (3,720 ft) above sea level. Its greatest known depth is 82 m (270 ft).


Deepest Lake
Lake Tanganyika is the deepest lake in Africa reaching at its greatest depth is 1,436 m (4,710 ft), making it the second deepest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Baikal.


Longest River
The River Nile drains north-eastern Africa, and, at 6,650 km (4,132 miles), is the longest river in Africa and in the world. It is formed from the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, and the White Nile, which originates at Lake Victoria.


The Great Africa Rift Valley
The Rift Valley extends more than 4,830 km (3,000 mi) from Syria in south-western Asia to Mozambique in south-eastern Africa.


The width of the valley ranges from a few miles to more than 160 km (100 mi). In eastern Africa, the valley splits into two branches: the Eastern Rift and the Western Rift


The fault in which the Rift sits is still moving: the western side of the rift is pulling away from the eastern ridge at about 6 mm per year, while in the south it is moving together at a rate of 2 mm per year.


Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi contains the largest number of fish species of any lake in the world, probably over 500 from ten families. Particularly noteworthy are the Cichlidae, of which all but five of over 400 species are endemic to Lake Malawi. The lake contains 30% of all known cichlid species. Of particular interest is the 'mbuna' rock fish.


Namib Desert
The Namib is the world's oldest desert, and the only desert in Africa inhabited by elephant, rhino, giraffe and lion


Namibia - Fish River Canyon
The Fish River canyon is the second largest canyon in the world.


The Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert alone is expanding southwards at an average of 0.8 km (½ mile) a month.

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Wildlife

Four of the five fastest land animals live in Africa - the cheetah (70 mph), wildebeest, lion, and Thomson's gazelle (all about 50 mph).

Penguins (see our photo)
South Africa has a penguin colony, which thrives thanks to the cold Antarctic currents on the west coast near the Cape.

Chameleons
Madagascar is the home of the worlds largest as well as the smallest chameleons! Almost half of the world’s chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar. ( more info )

Seals
The largest seal colony in the southern hemisphere is a Cape Cross in Namibia. ( more info )

Frogs
The world's biggest frog is found in Cameroon. Named the goliath frog, their body can be one-foot long. (more info )

Nile Crocodiles
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest living reptile - growing to an average length of 5 m. (more info )

African Elephants
The African elephant is the largest living land mammal.An elephant can weigh up to 6-7 tons and has no natural enemies for he is not a predator and there is none large enough to challenge him.

Did you know elephants drink up to 160 liters of water per day and a mature elephant can carry up to 6.8 liters of water in its trunk

An African elephant possesses such "manual" dexterity in his/her trunk tip that he/she can actually turn the pages of a book with it. (more info )

Giraffes
Did you know that the tongue of a giraffe can be as long as 45 cm?

Giraffes are 6 ft tall when they are born. (more info )

Even though their necks can be 6-7 feet in length, Giraffe have the same number of vertabrae in their necks as humans (7)

The tallest animal on earth is the giraffe - its horn tops being up to 6 metres above ground level.

Gorillas
The Gorilla is the largest of the living primates, male gorillas weight up to 200kg, yet are shy and retiring. (more info )

Cheetahs
The cheetah is the fastest land animal at 95 km/h (60mph).

Beetles
The world's largest and heaviest beetle, the Goliath Beetle is found in tropical Africa. It can reach a length of 5 inches and weigh up to ¼ lb more info

Butterfly
Having a wingspan of only ½", the smallest butterfly is in the world is found in South Africa. It is know as the Dwarf Blue Butterfly

Fish

The only place where shools of fresh water sardines are found is in Lake Tanganyika.

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Health

Malaria
90% of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa
3,000 children under the age of five die each day from malaria in Africa
1-5% of GDP in Africa covers costs of malaria control and lost labour days

Did you know, that Africa would have been an estimated US $100 billion better off in 1999 if malaria had been eliminated years ago?

Aids
17 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have died of AIDS

At least 25 million people in Africa are HIV-positive.

12 million children who have lost their parents to AIDS face a precarious future.

Hospitals
The world's biggest hospital is in Soweto.

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Language

Kiswahili

The word "Crossword" in Kiswahili is "chemshebongo" which, when translated, means "boil brains".

In East & Central Africa the British Army was still remembered. One regiment was known in Kiswahili as "Magi Bareedi Askari", translated this is "Water Cold Soldiers" or in other words the "Cold Stream Guards".
(supplied by Simon Vivian)

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Misc


Diamonds
The world's largest diamond was the Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905. It weighed 3,106.75 carats uncut. It was cut into the Great Star of Africa, weighing 530.2 carats, the Lesser Star of Africa, which weighs 317.40 carats, and 104 other diamonds of nearly flawless colour and clarity. They now form part of the British crown jewels.


Windmills
Did you know there are about 280 000 windmills on farms across South Africa, second in number only to Australia?


Most Populated Country
With a population of more than 113 million, Nigeria is easily the most populated country in Africa and the 10th most populous country in the world.