Quick Facts to Know about Africa: Wealth, Nature and Interesting Traditions

Africa is the continent of the vast savannas and unbelievably hot deserts, the cradle of wild untouched nature and various tribes of well-preserved traditions and customs. We have put together a list of interesting facts about Africa and top exotic places to visit on the continent.



To start off we would like to suggest you an interesting video presentation about the continent.


Africa: 12 Fun Facts about African Continent and Countries

#1. Sahara desert

The scorching African heat is usually associated with the Sahara. What is today the biggest desert in on planet Earth, used to be a fertile region, where hundreds of ancient peoples lived and even engaged in cattle breeding and various forms of farming (as it is depicted on the ancient rock art in central Sahara desert – it is believed to date back to 6000 BC.

#2. Fully recognized sovereign states

Nowadays African continent is comprised on 54 countries. It is the largest amount of countries, situated on a continent. The most densely populated sovereign state in Africa is Rwanda, as it is home to over 10 million people and the area of just 26,338 km2 (10,169 mi2).

#3. African wealth

Various African countries have a great potential for growth, as this continent has probably the most diverse and rich deposits of minerals and precious metals. The richest placer deposits of diamonds and precious metal ores. Moreover, for many years the African continent has served as main supplier for the global diamond mining industry.

#4. Unusual medical practice

Mandibles on ants (genus Dorylus), which are found in Africa, have such an incredible closing force that the local tribes have started using these ants in their unusual medical practices. The pinching movement of the mandibles is used to close small cuts on human body, as the ants are applied to the skin along the wound. The protective reflex causes the ant to plunge its mandibles into the skin, thus closing cut.

#5. The first lady

Graça Machel is the only African woman in the #history of the world, who serves as the first lady of two separate countries. From 1975 to 1986 she, being the wife of wife of the President of Mozambique, was the first lady of Mozambique. Later in 1998 being the wife Nelson Mandela, the South African President, she started her mission as the first lady of this country (until 1999).

#6. The inspiration for Reebok

The name of an internationally famous sports brand - Reebok – originates from Grey rhebok, which is a small, but very quick antelope (found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Swaziland).

#7. Spoken languages

Over 3,000 ethnic groups, which reside on the African continent, are known to have and speak their own language. It’s interesting to know that Nigeria alone has over 300 ethnic groups.

#8. Water resources

Africa is the place, where the longest river on the planet - the Nile - is flowing. The length of the River Nile is a bit shy of 7000 km - 6,853 kilometers (4,258 miles).

#9. A unique tribe

The group of people, actually a tribe, which is credited to have smallest height in the world, is the tribe of pygmies. The people belonging to this tribe (Pygmy peoples) don’t usually grow taller than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches).

#10. Unbelievable Baobab trees

Baobab are fun African phenomena – these trees are capable of living up to ten thousand years and storing up to 120 liters of water in its wood; that is why they are known not to catch fire.

The baobab trunk can reach 25 meters in volume. The room inside the hollow trunk a baobab tree is sometimes turned into a living space by some Africans. Nowadays baobabs are turned into great tourism attractions - there are small restaurants inside the trees.

#11. Canaan Banana

The president of Zimbabwe, Canaan Banana, has left a trace in the history of mankind not only as the first president of independent Zimbabwe (in 1980) but also a person, who after just two years of presidency initiated a law forbidding citizens to joke about his last name.

Other quick facts about the African continent:

- The African Lake Tanganyika is considered to be the second longest lake in the world (after Lake Baikal in Siberia). Its water volume is 18,900 km3 (4,500 cu mi).
- There is a map of Sahara, which has the locations, where people most often observe mirages.

- The height of the Saharan dunes may exceed the height of the Eiffel Tower.
- The thickness of the loose sand is 150 meters.

- The temperature of sand in the desert can reach up to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit).

- Despite the fact that penguins, unlike the African continent, are associated with cold and ice, Africa is home to a species of penguin named the black-footed penguin.

- South Africa may be regarded as a unique country, as it has three capital cities:
Pretoria (for executive purposes); Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).

- The snow caps of Kilimanjaro are melting at an unseen before pace. Over the past 100 years, the Kilimanjaro glacier has melted by about 80%.

- Many African tribes prefer to wear minimal amount of clothing. Sometimes the outfit consists only of a body belt, to which the much needed tools are mounted.

- The Mursi are considered the most aggressive among all African tribes. They believe power is the only way to resolve a conflict.


- The Sahara Desert covers the territory of 10 African states. Most of the Sahara is taken by sandy soil with gravel but the sands.

- Not only does the island of Madagascar have a large variety of animals but also animals, which cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

- Some African tribes have the matriarchal rule. As a result, many women chose to have male harems.

- The official name of Libya, having 74 characters, is one of the longest country names in the world.

Image credits:

1) www.gallery.hd.org/_exhibits/places-and-sights/_more2001/_more04/Portugal-Lisbon-Belem-pavement-world-map-Africa-Europe-Asia-1-BG.jpg
2) www.storyzetu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/072_max.jpg
3) www.allwonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/sahara-desert-africa.jpg
4) www.s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1a/6a/81/1a6a81f4e3ae33043d4411f82668400e.jpg
5) www.ispotnature.org/sites/default/files/images/40758/284117468dfc5a7dab3b462b47af147d.jpg
6) www.static.thousandwonders.net/Nile.River.original.2315.jpg
7) www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Adansonia_grandidieri02.jpg