World African Heritage Day: Interesting facts about the world’s hottest continent

DID you know that there is a day dedicated to celebrating Africa’s rich and diverse culture? African World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on May 5 to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the cultural and natural heritage of Africa. Whether you’re proud and knowledgeable about your African heritage or want to learn more and embrace your roots, this article will highlight the significance of African World Heritage Day and inform you of some interesting facts about the African continent.

The Significance of African World Heritage Day

African World Heritage Day was established by the African Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to recognise the rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage of Africa. The day provides an opportunity for all Africans to reflect on the importance of preserving our heritage for future generations, celebrating our shared cultural and natural treasures and promoting sustainable development.

Interesting Facts about Africa  

Africa is the world’s second-largest continent and is home to some of the most beautiful countries in the world, with some of the most unique landscapes and wildlife, which is why it is a top holiday destination. Here are some amazing facts about Africa to remind us about the wealth and complexity of Africa and the people who inhabit the continent.

1. There are 54 countries in Africa

Africa is the second-largest continent in the world and boasts more countries than Asia, the largest continent in the world. In alphabetical order, the countries are as follows: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome & Principe, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2. Africa covers 30 million square kilometres

Africa is a huge continent, and it is divided up into five sub-sections: North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa. The entirety of Africa covers over 30 million square kilometres, which makes up more than 20% of the world’s land!

3. There are more than 2 000 recognised languages

Over a quarter of all of the different languages that are spoken in the world are spoken in Africa. There are over 2 000 different recognised languages spoken in Africa. Around 200 of these are spoken in Northern Africa, including Central Sahara, and are known as Afro-Asiatic languages; 140 are spoken in Central and Eastern Africa, known as Nilo-Saharan languages, and more than 1 000 are Niger-Saharan languages.

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4. Africa is the world’s hottest continent

Around 60% of land in Africa is dry and covered by desert, and the Sahara is the world’s biggest desert with temperatures often topping 100°F (or exceeding 40°C). But while the hottest recorded temperature on Earth was once in Africa in El Azizia, Libya, at 136.4°F (58°C), the continent also has the other extreme with the coldest temperate in Africa being as low as −11°F (−23.9°C) in Ifrane, Morocco. The diversity of the different countries here in Africa doesn’t end with the climate!

5. Over 5 million people died in the Second Congo War

The Second Congo War, which began in August 1998, happened only one year after the First Congo War and is the second deadliest worldwide conflict, subsequent only to World War II. The war started as a political and military tension between Rwanda and Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) and later led to involve seven other countries – more than 5 million lives were taken during the Second Congo War. In order to keep the peace and stop the death toll from rising, a peace agreement was signed in 2002, but some of the violence still continues today so the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently considered to be an unsafe place to travel to. However, do not confuse this with the Republic of Congo which is a peaceful destination.

6. Africa’s Sahara Desert is bigger than the USA

Africa is the hottest continent on the planet and so much of its land is made up of desert. The Sahara, being the largest desert in the world, is truly vast. Its expansive size is 9.4 million square kilometres – bigger than the entire United States of America! Another interesting fact about the Sahara is that it is actually growing in size as it’s been expanding in the southern regions at a rate of half a mile per month which equates to six miles per year!

7. Africa has one of the oldest universities in the world

Africa is home to one of the oldest universities in the world. Built in the 12th Century, Timbuktu in Mali was the centre of all intelligentsia, and historians have even branded it as the ’Paris of Medieval Times’. The University of Timbuktu was built in 982 CE, and it is one of the oldest known educational establishments.

8. Africa is the biggest source of gold in the entire mining industry

Africa is home to some great resources sought after by the Western world. Almost half of the gold ever mined on Earth has come from Africa, and more specifically, from Witwatersrand in South Africa. Despite the decline in production, gold exports were valued at US$3.8b (about R70b) back in 2005. South Africa is also famous for its diamonds, although Botswana leads the way in terms of production.

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9. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt

The country of Egypt may be famous for its pyramids, but many people don’t know that the country of Sudan, in Africa, has a total of 223 pyramids. This is twice the number of pyramids that Egypt has! These forgotten pyramids are the Meroe Pyramids; they once made up the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, ruled by the Nubian kings.

10. Lake Malawi boasts the largest number of fish species

Lake Malawi is home to the largest number of fish species, and the countries of Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Tanzania and Mozambique all border the lake. There are around 500 different types of fish, more species than in any other lake in the world, so make sure that you keep a lookout for some interesting ones when you get the chance to go.

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