Egypt moved a temple
Abu Simbel was cut into more than 1,000 blocks and reassembled 65 metres higher to escape the rising Aswan reservoir.
Author not specified in the imported source
Abu Simbel, Egypt · Africa
External reference (site language): Abu Simbel ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Alexandria's library burned more than once
The famous library declined over centuries through several fires, funding cuts and political upheaval rather than one dramatic blaze.
Author not specified in the imported source
Alexandria, Egypt · Africa
External reference (site language): Library of Alexandria ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt
The Nubian kingdom of Kush built over 200 steep-sided pyramids at Meroe, roughly twice Egypt's total.
Author not specified in the imported source
Meroe, Sudan · Africa
External reference (site language): History of Sudan ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Ethiopia keeps its own calendar
Ethiopia runs a 13-month calendar about seven years behind the Gregorian one, and the day starts at sunrise.
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Ethiopia · Africa
External reference (site language): Ethiopia ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Ethiopia carved churches downward
The eleven churches of Lalibela were cut down into solid rock in the 12th century, roofs level with the ground.
Author not specified in the imported source
Lalibela, Ethiopia · Africa
External reference (site language): Lalibela ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Coffee likely began in Ethiopia
Wild Coffea arabica still grows in Ethiopian forests, and the country's coffee ceremony can take well over an hour.
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Ethiopia · Africa
External reference (site language): Ethiopia ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Danakil is one of the hottest places
Average yearly temperatures above 34 degrees make the Danakil Depression among the hottest inhabited regions on Earth.
Author not specified in the imported source
Danakil, Ethiopia · Africa
External reference (site language): Ethiopia ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Eritrea's capital is modernist
Asmara holds one of the world's best-preserved collections of 1930s modernist architecture, including a petrol station shaped like a plane.
Author not specified in the imported source
Asmara, Eritrea · Africa
External reference (site language): Asmara ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Djibouti has a lake saltier than the sea
Lake Assal is about ten times saltier than the ocean and sits 155 metres below sea level.
Author not specified in the imported source
Lake Assal, Djibouti · Africa
External reference (site language): Hypersaline lake ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Somalia has the longest mainland coast in Africa
Somalia's coastline runs roughly 3,300 kilometres along the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
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Somalia · Africa
External reference (site language): Somalia ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Kenya's rift is splitting the continent
The East African Rift is slowly tearing Africa apart, and in millions of years a new ocean may fill the gap.
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Great Rift Valley, Kenya · Africa
External reference (site language): Great Rift Valley ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The wildebeest migration never stops
Around two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle circle continuously between Tanzania and Kenya following the rains.
Author not specified in the imported source
Serengeti and Masai Mara · Africa
External reference (site language): Maasai Mara ↗
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Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones
Africa's highest mountain is made of Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Kibo is dormant rather than extinct.
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Kilimanjaro, Tanzania · Africa
External reference (site language): Kilimanjaro Region ↗
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Zanzibar fought the shortest war
The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 lasted under 45 minutes, the shortest recorded war in history.
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Zanzibar, Tanzania · Africa
External reference (site language): Anglo-Zanzibar War ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Ngorongoro is a collapsed volcano
The crater is a caldera 20 kilometres wide, home to around 25,000 large animals that rarely need to leave.
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Ngorongoro, Tanzania · Africa
External reference (site language): List of Ngorongoro Crater plants ↗
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Uganda has half the world's mountain gorillas
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest shelters roughly half the remaining mountain gorillas, whose numbers have slowly risen.
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Bwindi, Uganda · Africa
External reference (site language): Tourism in Uganda ↗
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Lake Victoria touches three countries
Africa's largest lake is shared by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and supports tens of millions of people.
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Lake Victoria · Africa
External reference (site language): Victoria Newman ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Rwanda banned plastic bags early
Rwanda outlawed non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2008, and bags are confiscated from arriving travellers.
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Rwanda · Africa
External reference (site language): Rwanda ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Rwanda has a monthly cleaning day
On Umuganda, the last Saturday of each month, communities across Rwanda close shops and work together on public projects.
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Rwanda · Africa
External reference (site language): Rwanda ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Burundi's drummers are UNESCO listed
The royal drummers of Burundi perform with drums carved from single tree trunks, a tradition recognised as intangible heritage.
Author not specified in the imported source
Burundi · Africa
External reference (site language): Culture of Burundi ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Congo is the deepest river
The Congo reaches depths over 220 metres, deep enough that fish in the same river have evolved in isolation.
Author not specified in the imported source
Congo River · Africa
External reference (site language): Congo River ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Congo rainforest is the second largest
The Congo Basin holds the world's second largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon and absorbs enormous amounts of carbon.
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Congo Basin · Africa
External reference (site language): Congo Basin ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Gabon is almost entirely forest
Close to 88 percent of Gabon is forested, and the country set aside 13 national parks in a single decree in 2002.
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Gabon · Africa
External reference (site language): Gabon ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Sao Tome sits on the equator
Africa's second smallest country is two volcanic islands where cocoa once made it the world's leading exporter.
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Sao Tome and Principe · Africa
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.