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Seven Interesting Facts About Africa

By Chidirim Ndeche
07 April 2018   |   1:00 pm
Although it was once called the Dark Continent, Africa is full of extraordinary wonders. There is always room to learn more about our motherland. Here are some interesting things you probably didn’t know about the continent. 1. The term “Africa” means “sunny” in Latin and Aphrike in Greek means “without cold”. 2. Egypt is the…

Although it was once called the Dark Continent, Africa is full of extraordinary wonders. There is always room to learn more about our motherland. Here are some interesting things you probably didn’t know about the continent.

Amazing Africa. Photo credit: Africa Today

1. The term “Africa” means “sunny” in Latin and Aphrike in Greek means “without cold”.

2. Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa, attracting about 10 million visitors annually. Although it is mostly known for its pyramids, the Republic of Sudan has double the number of pyramids in Egypt.

3. The oldest known mathematical object, called the Lebombo bone, dates back to approximately 35,000 B.C and was discovered in the Lebombo Mountains of Swaziland.

4. Africa is home the world’s largest frog called the Goliath frog. It can be found in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.

5. Africa inhabits four of the five fastest land animals in the world: the cheetah, wildebeest, lion, and the Thomson’s gazelle. All of these animals can sprint above 50 miles per hour, while the cheetah races at the top speed of about 70 miles per hour.

6. According to history, nearly half of all the world’s gold ever mined has come from Witwatersrand in South Africa.

7. Part of the Star Wars movie, starring George Lucas, was filmed in the Tunisian Sahara Desert.

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