Africa is known as the second largest continent and second most populous. But there are some rather interesting facts that you may not know about the giant continent.
Africa has 56 countries (technically)
The truth is that 54 countries are recognized by the United Nations and African Union (but one of the two is part of the African Union, we will get to that soon.)
The 54 countries you already know are;
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Now for the remaining two; They are not recognized by the UN and they are dependent on other countries.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (recognized by the African Union)
Somaliland
Africa is the most multi-lingual continent
There are over 3000 different languages in Africa. Imagine that!
For instance; there are different dialects of Yoruba according to the Yoruba states.
Also, languages such as Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and Afrikaans have been traced back to outside of Africa.
She is believed to be the origination of human civilization
You better believe it!
Scientists believe that humans originated from Africa as evidence of fossils dating back a long time ago were discovered.
She is home to the largest desert in the world; The Sahara desert
She has the longest river in the world; The river Nile
Africa has one of the oldest civilization in the world; Ancient Egypt
She has over 1,720 dams built
She has the tallest statue in the world (outside of Europe and Asia) i.e; "African Renaissance" located in Dakar, Senegal.
She has the largest population of wildlife on Earth; ranging from Exotic birds to magnificent Lions
She is home to the largest land living animal on Earth; The African Elephant, which weighs up to 7 tons.
Lake Victoria (located through Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) is the world's largest tropical lake and second largest freshwater lake.
Africa has a pink lake (Lake Retba) located in Senegal
Yeah, you read right, there is such a thing like a pink lake.
The "pink" colour is obtained as a result of the sun's effect on a salt-loving algae.
One of the oldest universities in the world is located in Mali; Timbuktu
Three of the world's largest gold producers have their primary operations in Africa.
That's all for now.
🖤Afro Teens
*references: Wikipedia and National Geographic