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♥ Africa Facts By Ramlah ♥

The African continent has the second largest population in the world, at about one billion people.

Well over one thousand languages are spoken by the people of Africa. Some estimates put this number closer to two thousand.

The largest religion in Africa is Islam, followed by Christianity.

The African population is approximately 14.72% of the world's population (as of 2009).

The oldest human remains ever discovered were found in Ethiopia. They are approximately 200,000 years oldThe longest river in the world, the

Nile (4,132 miles), is located in Africa.

Africa has the world's largest desert, the Sahara, which is almost the size of the United States.

Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in Africa; it is 355 feet high and one mile wide.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the continent. It towers over 19,300 feet, which is so tall that glaciers can be found at its summit even though the mountain is near the equator.

Madagascar is the largest island in Africa and the fourth largest island in the world. It is in the Indian Ocean off the East coast of Africa. Interesting Africa Animal Facts •Over 1,100 species of mammals are living in Africa. •Over 2,600 species of birds are living in Africa. •The last animal you might expect to see in Africa is a penguin, but they are there. There is a colony living near the cape in South Africa. They are attracted to the cold currents there. •What large animal kills the most people in Africa? Not the lion, and not the crocodile; it is in fact the hippo. The males are very territorial and will attack anything that enters their area. Females aggressively protect their babies. Hippos have even been known to kill crocodiles. •Cape Buffalo are also extremely dangerous; in fact they kill approximately two hundred people annually. They quickly charge and gore anyone they perceive as a threat. •Besides being one of the fastest animals in the world the Thompson's Gazelle has an amazing sense of smell, sight, and hearing. These senses, along with it's speed, often enable it to sense and escape a predators attack. •Second in size only to the African elephant are Rhinos. Adult White Rhinos can weigh in at six thousand pounds (2721 kilograms). They are known to have a bad temper which along with their size and sharp horn make them extremely dangerous. •Male African lions can weigh up to 550 pounds (250 kg) and have been known to occasionally attack elephants. •Only a few minutes after being born a Wildebeest can run. After a few days they can go fast enough to keep up with the herd. Until this time they are easy prey for predators and must stay close to their mothers for protection. •There are plenty of vultures in Africa. This African animal will feed on dead animal carcasses which are often rotting in the hot African sun. They are well equipped for this type of meal. They have very strong acids in their digestive system which kills dangerous bacteria in their meal. •Millions of years before modern day animals roamed Africa dinosaurs lived there. In Tanzania, a country in East Africa, the oldest dinosaur bones ever discovered were unearthed. This dinosaur, named Nyasasaurus Parringtoni, roamed the earth around 240 million years ago.

'''The Savannah Biome: ''' The savannah biome is mostly made up of grass but there are a few trees. Because of the availability of grass in the savannah, there are many grazing animals who take advantage of this abundant food supply. The savannah biome is rich with herbivores such as elephants, zebras, gazelles, and buffalo. The largest part of the savannah biome is located in Africa. Almost half of Africa is considered a savannah. Because of the extended periods of wet and dry climate in the savannah biome, the availability of food changes throughout the year. Some animals go so long without water during the dry season that they barely make it alive to the wet season. The savannah biome receives about 59 inches of rain. Majority of this occurs during the wet season. Although there are various types of soil in the savannah biome, it is not suitable for farming. In the savannah biome, all the animals and plants are extremely dependent upon each other for a food supply. If one species of animal were removed, the entire ecosystem would be altered. Climate is very important in the savannah biome. If the rainfall decreases and/or the temperature increases, the animals and plants will not be able to continue to survive. The savannah in Africa is a big tourist attraction but the introduction of vehicles and humans into that environment is very stressful to the plants and animals there. The savannah remains warm all year long. During the wet season, the temperature is more pleasant with an average of 63° F. There are many herbivores in the savannah biome which also bring many carnivores. Herbivores have developed traits which help them escape predators such as being fast, being large, or being tall. The savannah biome does have a long dry season so plants there have adapted to this climate. Some store water in their roots and others extend their long roots deep into the ground to recover water from the water table.

19.The Victoria Falls, located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Zambezi River is the fall’s main water source. 20.The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria. It is also the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, spanning 26,830 square miles. 21.Africa’s Sahara desert is the world’s largest hot desert covering 9.1 million km2. Of the deserts of the world, it is the third largest after the Arctic (second largest) and Antarctic (largest) deserts. 22.The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It rises 5895 meters (19,340 feet) above sea level. 23.Both the world’s tallest and largest land animals both come from Africa. They are the giraffe and African elephant, respectively. 24.The giraffe is already extinct in at least 7 African nations. 25.The hippopotamus is Africa’s deadliest animal. It kills more people in Africa than do crocodiles and lions combined. 26.Today, the San people, who reside in southern Africa, use the same tools as those found in a cave, which dates 44,000 years back. 27.About 41 percent of children in Africa aged between 5-1 years are actively involved in child labour. 28.In Africa, just like in Asia, people have to walk an average of 3.7 miles daily to fetch water for various uses. 29.39 percent of children under the age of five years in Burundi are underweight. 30.Over 90 percent of all malaria cases reported worldwide come from Africa. Every year, 3,000 children die from the disease. 31.In Swaziland, Africa, one in every four adults is HIV positive. 32.To date, over 17 million people in SSA have succumbed to AIDS. Estimates put the current number of HIV infection in Africa at 25 million people. 33.16 countries in Africa record higher rates of vaccination than the U.S. alone. 34.The Second Congo War, which began in 1998 and lasted until 2006, claimed the second-highest number of casualties (5.4 million lives), after World War II. The conflict involved eight African countries. 35.According to the World Bank, Seychelles had a 92 percent women literacy rate in 2010. Chad’s equivalent was 13 percent while Niger’s was 15 percent. 36.As of 2010, it took 216 days to complete each procedure required to start a business in Guinea-Bissau. In Rwanda, the same took only 3 days. 37.Only 24 percent of SSA’s rural population has access to standard sanitation. This is in comparison to 42 percent of the urban population with access to the same. 38.Tanzania, Africa, has the world’s highest Albinism rates. In the country, Albino are hunted by witchdoctors to use their organs for rituals believed to heal diseases. 39.Witwatersrand, South Africa, produces almost half of all the gold mined in Africa. 40.More people speak French in Africa than do those in France. 41.A single tribe in Kenya-called the “Kalenjin”-produces most of the world’s fastest long-distance runners. 42.Egypt is Africa’s most popular tourist destination. The country receives over 10 million visitors every year. Cairo, Egypt’s capital city, is also Africa’s largest city. 43.Women from Africa’s Mursi tribe pierce their lips and wear plates as large are 5 inches in diameter, inside them (lips). 44.Mainland Africa is home to two of Spain’s exclaves, Melilla and Ceuta. 45.The national flag of Mozambique has the image of an AK-47 assault rifle embedded into it. It is the only national flag in the world featuring such a modern rifle. 46.All of Africa’s nations were colonized by the Europeans except two: Ethiopia and Liberia. The former was an Orthodox Christian country, while the latter was established by African-American settlers from the United States, who previously served as slaves. 47.Currently, Africa is united under a political organization known as the African Union (AU). The AU was established in 2001. Only one African country, Morocco, is not a member of the AU. 48.Soccer and cricket are two of Africa’s most popular sports. They were both introduced during the colonial era. 49.There are more than 100 million Facebook users in Africa