13 Major Facts About Africa You Don’t Know

Africa is a unique continent among all other continents of the world. From the culture to the people, lifestyle, and beliefs, the uniqueness of the African heritage is simply beautiful.

The scenic beauty and variety are quite stunning, it is home to vast deserts, tropical rain forests, rugged mountains, and fertile grasslands. It is abundant in flora and fauna unsurpassed by any other continent.

A major fact about Africa is that it has so many lucrative avenues and wonderful secret landscapes full of greenery with a secret majestic sun.

An ever-increasing number of tourists from around the globe are drawn to this amazing continent every year to experience its wonders.

So, want to know more mind-blowing facts about Africa? Continue reading.

10 Major Facts About Africa You Should Know

Here are 10 Major facts about Africa that makes it a unique continent on the globe.

1. The world’s largest, tallest, and fastest animals come from Africa.      
2. The richest man ever is African and his name is Mansa Musa who died in 1337. At the time of his death, estimates place his net worth between $300-$400 billion dollars.
3. Africa is home to the world’s oldest university, which is the University of Al-Karaouine, also written as al-Quaraouiyine and al-Qarawiyyin. The University was founded in 857-859.
4. 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]. This accounts for 5.7% of the earth’s surface as well as 20% of the total surface of land on our planet.
5. Africa is the only continent to extend from the northern temperate zone to the southern temperate zone. And it is the world’s hottest continent and the second driest after Australia.
   
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6. Over 25% of the world’s languages are spoken only in Africa. And about 2000 languages are considered official languages of the African Union on the continent.
7. Africa has around 30% of the earth’s remaining mineral resources, and this includes over 40% of gold reserves and 90% of platinum reserves.
8. More than half of the world’s mobile money accounts are in Africa and 12% of African adults have access to one. Hence, only a third of adults have access to a traditional bank account across the continent.
9. Almost 40% of adults in Africa are illiterates, two-thirds of them are women. According to UNESCO statistics, progress in improving literacy on the continent has been slow, and in 1990 the proportion of adults who couldn’t read and write stood at 48%.
10. Africa’s population will more than double to 2.3 billion people by 2050, and 40% of the global population will be African by the year 2100, up from 9% back in 1950.
    
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11. The African population is much younger than the rest of the world. It has the world’s highest child-dependency ratio with 73 children under the age of 15 for every 100 people of working age. Over 50% of Africans are under the age of 20, compared to a global median age of 30.
12. Ethiopia was the world’s fastest-growing economy in 2015. According to reports, Ethiopia which is one of the countries in Africa had its GDP grow by 10.2%.
13. Nollywood is Nigeria’s second-biggest employer after agriculture. Nigeria which is also one of the countries in Africa has its film industry which produces around 50 movies each week and employs over one million people. As of 2014, the Nigerian government released data showing Nollywood was a $3.3 billion industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Africa is closest to nature. Africa is beautiful and unique in every way. So, if you’ve ever doubted the uniqueness of Africa, I hope these facts about the continent prove you wrong.