28 interesting facts about Africa/African countries...
See below...
1. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners is in Soweto, South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both have houses in Vilakazi Street
2. More people are killed in Africa by crocodiles than by lions
3. There are about 2000 different languages spoken in Africa
4. The sciences of chemistry originated in the land of Khem, i.e. in Africa
5. The word "Crossword" in Kiswahili is "Chemshabongo" which, when translated, means "boil brains"
6. Africa's people have more physical variations than people on any other continent in the world
7. Africa is almost an island. Its only connection to other land is the tiny Sinai Peninsula in Egypt
8. Africa is the second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia
9. Nigeria has three of the four largest ethnic nations in Africa
10. Yoruba culture can be traced to Cuba, Brazil and other Caribbean countries
11. Somalia is the only African country composed of only one ethnic group - Somalis
12. Dreadlocks originated from Kenya. The Rastafarians of Jamaica saw pictures in the 1950s of Kenyan Mau Mau freedom fighters with dreadlocks, and adopted the hairstyle.
13. The World's tallest and shortest tribes can be found in Africa. The tallest are the Dinka of Sudan, and the Tutsis of Rwanda. The shortest are the Mbuti pygmies of Congo
14. The Republic of Biafra was a secessionist state in SE Nigeria. The nation survived for three years (1967-1970)
15. In 1492 a Chinese ship was shipwrecked near the Kenyan Coastal island of Pate. A small group of Afro-Chinese families that are believed to be the descendants of the crew and the locals still live there
16. Sundiata Keita was the 13th century ruler who united all the kingdoms of the Malian empire. During his reign, he united and ruled over 14 nations of present day West Africa. He was also known as the Lion King, and the Disney character is loosely based on his legacy
17. The Kenyan coastal town of Lamu is a UNESCO world heritage site. The city dates back to the 14th century
18. Sankore University in the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali is one of the world's oldest universities. It dates back to the 13th century
19. Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia ruled from 1930-1974. He was a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. His name 'Ras Tafari' is the origin of the name of the Rastafarian religion
20. The Maji Maji uprising was the greatest resistance to German colonial rule in Tanganyika (Tanzania). It was led by a medium called Kinjikitile Ngwale who convinced the Ngoni people his magic portion would turn the German's bullets to water
21. The Herero genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century. Between 1904-1907 the Germans killed 70% of the Herero tribe in Southern Africa mostly by starvation and poisoning wells in the Namib desert
22. Legendary Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila was the first African to ever win an Olympics medal. He ran barefoot in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and not only won the gold medal, but set a new world record
23. Gambia is the smallest African country
24. Sudan is the largest African country
25. The great mosque of Djenne in Mali is the largest mud-brick building in the World. The orginal structure was built in the 13th century
26. 'Lucy' is the name given to the Australopithecus Afarensis specimen discoverd in 1974 in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia. She is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago
27. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and the eighth largest in the world
28. Based on some estimates, 1 out of every 5 Black people in the world lives in Nigeria
Source:
http://www.kenyanlist.com/kls-listing-show.php?id=19730A warm welcome to
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