It is universally believed that the ancient Romans gave the African continent its name.
Even with that, there’s no doubt that Africa is indeed a blessed continent. In fact, there are many mind blowing facts about Africa that you probably didn’t know about but thanks to this post.
You can about to learn 8 mind blowing facts about Africa and bet you might not have come across some.
1. Africa is the second largest continent on earth.
Africa is the second largest continent in the world with a total area of around 11.73 million square miles (30.37 million square kilometers) that account for 5.7% of the earth’s surface as well as 20% of the total surface of land on our planet.
It is divided up into five sub-sections; North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa. One of the most interesting facts about Africa is that the length and breadth of the continent are about the same, Horizontal Width: 4,355 miles (7,009 km) from Dakar, Senegal, east to Mogadishu, Somalia and Vertical Length: 4,504 miles (7,248 km) from Cape Town, South Africa north to Tripoli, Libya.
2. In Africa, almost 2,000 languages are spoken
In Africa, there are at least 3,000 different ethnic groupings, and there are at least 2,000 different languages and dialects spoken there.
However, the most common language on the African continent is Arabic, which is followed by English, Swahili, and French, in that order.
3. The longest river in the world is in Africa.
The Nile River, which is the longest river in the world at 4,258 miles (6,853 kilometers) in length, flows through As it moves north, it passes through 11 nations: Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Egypt.
4. Nigeria has the highest number of twins born in the world
Nigeria, one of the biggest nations in Africa, has earned the moniker “The Land of Twins” from the BBC due to having the highest number of twin births worldwide.
The center of it all is a sleepy little town in Nigeria called Igbo-Ora where the most recent data shows an average of 50 sets of twins in every 1,000 births, making West Africa the region with the highest twin birth rates in the whole globe.
5. The oldest university in the world is located in Africa.
The University of Karueein, also known as the Athens of Africa, was established in Fez, Morocco, in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri and was first known as a madrassa. It is the oldest continuously running educational institution in the world. The oldest university in Europe was established at Bologna, Italy, in 1088.
Also read: 6 Stunning Islands in Africa
6. Africa’s Sahara desert is bigger than the USA
Being the biggest desert on earth, the Sahara is truly enormous. 9.4 million square kilometers make up its enormous size, which is larger than the entire USA.
The Sahara is spreading in the southern areas at a rate of half a mile each month, which corresponds to six miles per year, and as a result, it is literally getting bigger.
7. The richest person in history is African
Mansa One of history’s richest men was Musa, also known as Musa I of Mali. Musa was the ninth emperor of the Mali Empire, one of the several Sahelian kingdoms that arose alongside the Saharan slave trade routes in the latter medieval era.
His estimated net worth, in late-2000s dollars adjusted for inflation, was between $300 billion and $400 billion at the time of his death in 1937.
8. Tunisian buildings are made with fish bones
In Tunisia, a country in North Africa, many people believe that fish have spiritual importance, and they employ them as a form of protection against evil spirits.
Many homes in this area have been built with fish bones inserted into the walls and floors to protect the occupants from evil spirits, unlike some families who only use fish photos as decorations.
