Comoros exports ylang-ylang
The Comoros supply a large share of the world's ylang-ylang essence, a key note in classic French perfumes.
Author not specified in the imported source
Comoros · Africa
External reference (site language): Comoros ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
South Africa has three capitals
Pretoria is administrative, Cape Town legislative and Bloemfontein judicial, a compromise dating from 1910.
Author not specified in the imported source
South Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Provinces of South Africa ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Table Mountain has its own cloth
A flat cloud called the tablecloth pours over Table Mountain when southeast winds push moist air up the slope.
Author not specified in the imported source
Cape Town, South Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Cape Verde ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Cape Town's mountain is a plant hotspot
Table Mountain alone hosts more plant species than the entire United Kingdom, part of the tiny Cape Floral Kingdom.
Author not specified in the imported source
Cape Town, South Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Cape Town ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Cradle of Humankind holds early fossils
Caves northwest of Johannesburg have produced some of the richest early hominin fossil finds anywhere.
Author not specified in the imported source
Gauteng, South Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Gauteng ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Lesotho is entirely above 1,000 metres
Lesotho is the only country whose entire territory sits above 1,000 metres, and it gets snow most winters.
Author not specified in the imported source
Lesotho · Africa
External reference (site language): Lesotho ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Eswatini changed its name
Swaziland officially became Eswatini in 2018, meaning land of the Swazis, partly to avoid confusion with Switzerland.
Author not specified in the imported source
Eswatini · Africa
External reference (site language): Eswatini ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Kalahari is a thirst land, not a desert
The Kalahari receives enough rain to support grass and trees, so technically it is a semi-arid savanna.
Author not specified in the imported source
Kalahari · Africa
External reference (site language): Kalahari Desert ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Africa has over 2,000 languages
Estimates put the number of living African languages between 1,500 and 2,000, roughly a third of the world's total.
Author not specified in the imported source
Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Languages of Africa ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Swahili is a trade language
Swahili grew along the Indian Ocean coast blending Bantu grammar with Arabic vocabulary from centuries of trade.
Author not specified in the imported source
East Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): East Africa ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Africa is bigger than it looks on maps
The Mercator projection shrinks Africa. In reality the United States, China, India and most of Europe would fit inside it.
Author not specified in the imported source
Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): Africa–China relations ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Rift Valley lakes are alkaline
Some rift lakes are so alkaline they can burn skin, yet flamingos thrive on the algae that grow there.
Author not specified in the imported source
Kenya and Tanzania · Africa
External reference (site language): Great Rift Valley, Kenya ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Timbuktu was a university town
Sankore in Timbuktu was a centre of learning in the 15th century with thousands of students in residence.
Author not specified in the imported source
Timbuktu, Mali · Africa
External reference (site language): University of Timbuktu ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Saharan salt still moves by camel
Salt slabs are still cut in the desert and carried by camel caravan, though trucks now do most of the work.
Author not specified in the imported source
Taoudenni, Mali · Africa
External reference (site language): Taoudenni ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
African wild dogs hunt by vote
Researchers found wild dog packs decide when to hunt by sneezing, with more sneezes meaning stronger consensus.
Author not specified in the imported source
Southern Africa · Africa
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Meerkats take turns on watch
Meerkat sentries rotate duty and give different alarm calls for aerial and ground predators.
Author not specified in the imported source
Kalahari · Africa
External reference (site language): Kalahari Desert ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Weaver birds build apartment blocks
Sociable weavers build communal nests weighing a tonne that house over a hundred birds for generations.
Author not specified in the imported source
Namibia · Africa
External reference (site language): Namibia ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
The Atlas Mountains hold snow
North Africa has ski resorts. Oukaimeden near Marrakech sits above 2,600 metres and opens most winters.
Author not specified in the imported source
Atlas Mountains, Morocco · Africa
External reference (site language): Morocco ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Africa's largest market is in Lagos
Balogun and its surrounding markets sprawl for blocks, and navigating them without a guide is close to impossible.
Author not specified in the imported source
Lagos, Nigeria · Africa
External reference (site language): University of Lagos ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Ostriches cannot fly but can outrun horses
Ostriches sprint at 70 km/h and their kick can be lethal, which is why farm handlers keep to their side.
Author not specified in the imported source
Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): .africa ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Hippos kill more people than lions
Hippos are responsible for far more human deaths in Africa than big cats, especially near riverside paths at night.
Author not specified in the imported source
Africa · Africa
External reference (site language): .africa ↗
Imported text; story or fact not individually verified. A reference may provide background only.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu: I am because we are.
Southern African philosophy
Africa · Africa
Attribution reproduced from the source, not authenticated.
Hakuna matata
Hakuna matata: there are no worries.
Swahili phrase
Africa · Africa
Attribution reproduced from the source, not authenticated.
Pole pole
Pole pole: slowly, slowly. The pace that gets you up Kilimanjaro.
Swahili phrase
Africa · Africa
Attribution reproduced from the source, not authenticated.