African Culture – 16 most interesting traditions.
- Population: 1.1 billion people
- Countries: 54
- Demonym: African
- Religions: Islam is the largest religion, with Christianity second
- Currencies: 54 in total. The Zambian Kwacha is the strongest currency in Africa
- Largest Country: Algeria by area and Namibia by population
- Government: The African Union was established in 2001 and includes all countries except Morocco
- Area: 11.7 million square miles
- Climate: Ranges from Subarctic to Tropical
- Languages: Between 1,250 and 2,100 different languages spoken
Contents
Africa Is Home to 5 Famous Record Breaking Animals
The second of our Africa facts tells us a bit about the continent’s animal kingdom. While the wildlife is, generally speaking, very diverse in Africa, some of the most well-known animals are record breakers. The world’s largest mammal, the African elephant is found here, as is the fastest land animal on Earth – the cheetah. You’ll find the gorilla, which is the world’s largest primate, and the Nile crocodile, which is the world’s largest reptile. Finally, Africa is also home to the world’s tallest mammal – the giraffe.
There Are Believed to Be around 3,000 Different African Tribes
However, some people think this figure might be a gross underestimation, with the real number much, much higher! The oldest tribe in the country is believed to be the San who live in the Kalahari Desert and are now a farming tribe. However, thousands of years ago they were actually hunter/gatherers. Probably the most well-known and recognizable tribe is the Tutsi. This tribe is the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi.
Africans Were among the First People to Mummify Their Dead
All Human History Has Its Roots in Africa
Africa Used to Be Joined to 4 Other Continents
Africa’s Sahara Dessert Is the Largest in the World
90% of All the World’s Malaria Cases Occur in Africa
This sad statistic is made even worse when we find out that as many as 3,000 infants die each day from the disease on the continent. This might not come as such a surprise when you find out that parts of Africa are so poor that some people have only $0.70 per day to live on.
Africa Is Home to the World’s Longest River – The Nile
Lake Assal Is Africa’s Lowest Point
Lake Assal is located in Dijibouti and is what is known as a crater lake. It is located at around 500 feet (155 meters) below sea level. Assal also happens to be the world’s largest salt reserve. It is thought that the concentration of salt there is 10 times stronger than it generally is in the sea.
Africans Pioneered Basic Arithmetic
One of our really fascinating Africa facts surrounds math! Around 25,000 years ago the most basic form of arithmetic was pioneered in Africa. In actual fact we can be fairly precise about the exact location in which this took place – a tool called the Ishango bonewas found in the Congo. It is a very basic piece of equipment with notches carved into it that can be used to help with basic multiplication, addition and subtraction techniques.
In Africa Hippos Kill More People than Lions or Crocodiles
Africa’s People Make Up 15% of the World’s Entire Population
Africa Was First Explored by Humans in 322 BC
This is one of our most important and interesting historical Africa facts. It was around this time that Alexander the Great first founded Alexandria. After this, the Roman Empire began to try and integrate and include a great proportion of the Mediterranean coastline of northern Africa into their empire.
The Term “Evil Eye” Originates in Africa
Many of us are familiar with this term and use it in a derogatory fashion, but most of us are unaware of where it comes from. Some African people are very superstitious, and believe that giving anyone the evil eye can cause great harm, or even sickness and death. In Morocco, for example, some men paint or embroider red eyes onto the back of their clothes to effectively counteract the potential danger of evil eyes.
In the 1950s Libya Became the First African Nation to Declare Independence
The 1950s were a decade of great upheaval and change in the country of Libya. At this time, many of the countries within Africa sought to gain freedom from imperial rule and Libya was the first to manage to achieve this. This fight for freedom inspired the US Civil Rights movement and made people like Malcolm X famous for wanting to push for further rights and freedoms in their own countries.