Random facts about africa

1. Africa is the second largest of the earth’s seven continents and makesup approximately 22% of the earth’s total land area. g 2. With the inclusion of the disputed Western Sahara territory and the island nations off the continental coast, there are a total of 54 independent nations in Africa. a 3. The current population of Africa is nearly one billion people. Due to rapid population growth in the continent over the last 40 years, its general population is relatively young. In many African states, morethan half of the population is underthe age of 25. g 4. 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. a 5. The primary region of Africa is often called sub-Saharan Africa and excludes the mostly Islamic countries of North Africa: Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Sub-Saharan Africaincludes 42 nations on mainland Africa and the six island nations. a 6. While Africa makes up about 16% of the world’s population, fully one quarter of the world’s languages are spoken only in Africa. g 7. Arabic (in various dialects) is the most common language spoken in Africa with about 170 million speakers, primarily residing in North Africa. In the continent as a whole, there are over 2,000 recognized languages spoken. g 8. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an estimatedpopulation of 125–145 million people. Egypt is the second most populous country with over 76 million people. g 9. The most populated city in Africa is the Egyptian capital of Cairo with anestimated 17 million residents in the metropolitan area. g 10. The largest country in Africa is Sudan with a total area of 967,490 square miles (2.5 million square kilometers), and the smallest country is the island nation of The Seychelles with a total area of just 175 square miles(453 square kilometers). g 11. Population experts estimate that there are at least 3,000 distinct ethnic groups (tribes) in Africa. Nigeria alone has more than 370 recognized tribes within its population. h The Nile River is the longest river in the world with a total length of 4,132 miles 12. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, covering an area of 26,830 squaremiles (69,490 square kilometers). e 13. The Nile River, which drains into the Mediterranean Sea at the northeastern edge of Africa, is thelongest river in the world with a total length of 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometers). It is formed from the juncture of two smaller rivers: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. e 14. Africa contains the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, which makes up an area greater in size than theentire continental U.S. e 15. Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa, attracting around 10 million visitors per year. e 16. While Egypt is most well known for its pyramids, the Republic of Sudan actually has 223 of its own pyramids, double the number of pyramids in Egypt. Smaller and steeper than their Egyptian counterparts, the pyramids of Sudan are not nearly as famous. e 17. Four of the five fastest land animals reside in Africa: the cheetah, the wildebeest, the lion, and the Thomson’s gazelle. All of these animals can run at speeds above 50 miles per hour, with the cheetah reaching a top speed of about 70 miles per hour. e 18. Africa is home to the world’s largest living land animal, the African elephant, which can weighbetween 6 and 7 tons. e 19. The novel Tarzan of the Apes , set in Africa and published by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, created such a compelling image of Africa and the book’s title character that a New Orleans newspaper writer only half-jokingly suggested that ifTarzan were to run for president in 1929, he would receive as many votes as incumbent president Herbert Hoover. e 20. The deserts of Tunisia housed the original Star Wars movie sets for the film's planet Tatooine. More than 30 years after the premier of the first movie in the series, the sets are still very well preserved and visitors to Tunisia can even stay in Luke Skywalker’s home.