- itemProductivity of about 65% of the continent’s agricultural lands has declined significantly with vast tracts of land have been degraded by erosion, poor land management practices, mining and pollution over the last 50 years.
- itemSome landscapes are estimated to lose over 50 metric tonnes of soil per hectare per year due to neglect and desertification.
3.Over 30% of Africa’s pastural land and almost 20% of all forests and woodlands are classified as moderately- or heavily-degraded.
4.Six of the top ten countries with the largest annual net loss of forested area are in Africa.Primary forests shrink by on average 40,000 square kilometres (or 0.6% of total remaining forest cover) each year with most significant losses in heavily-forested countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon.
5.Africa has the most extensive biomass burning in the world, yet only emits about 4% of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions.
6.Africa has eight of the 11 major biomes and the largest-remaining populations of lion, elephant, rhinoceros, cheetah, hyena, leopard and hundreds of other species.
7.Africa is the world’s second driest continent (after Australia)
8.Algeria is the largest country by area.
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the world’s second largest fresh water lake.
9.There are 54 countries in Africa.
One of the oldest universities in the world is in Timbuktu, Mali. By the 12th century Timbuktu was home to three universities. Over 25,000 students attended one of the Timbuktu universities in the 12th century.Nigeria is the most populated country with over 145 million people.
10.Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the world’s second largest fresh water lake
11.The northern most point in Africa is Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia.
12.The most southerly point is Cape Agulhas in South Africa.
13.Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest point in Africa. It tops out at 19,340 feet above sea level. (5,895 m)Equatorial Guinea is the richest country in Africa. The GDP per capita is $30,200. Botswana is second with a GDP of $15,800. Coming in last is Zimbabwe at $200 per year.
14.Chad has the second fastest growing economy in the world.Unfortunately the top 10 poorest countries in the world are all in Africa.
15.Mogadishu, Somalia is the fourth most dangerous city in the world.
16.Johannesburg, South Africa is 10th. (For comparison’s sake Washington, DC is the 5th most dangerous city in the world!!!)Libreville, Gabon is the 5th most expensive city in the world to live in. Tokyo is the most expensive city.
17.The Nile is the longest river in the world – the 6,670 kms takes you through Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt.Six of the driest places in the world are in Africa – Al’Kufrah, Libya, Aswan and Luxor in Egypt, Wadi Halfa in Sudan, Pelican Point in Namibia and Aoelef in Algeria.
18.The hottest place in the world is recorded at Al’Aziziyah in Libya.
19.Niger, Mali and Uganda take the #1,2 and 3 spots for the highest birth rates in the world.
In the Gulf of Tadjourah in Djibouti you can swim from November to January with massive whale sharks who come to feed on plankton during their annual migration.
20.Almost 100 species of lemurs are found in Madagascar.African elephants are the largest living land animals. They can weigh up to 6-7 tons and drink over 160 liters of water a day.
21.Human remains were discovered at Omo in Ethiopia that were dated at 195,000 years old, the oldest known in the world.
22.Skeletons of pre-humans have been found in Africa that date back between 4 and 5 million years. The oldest known ancestral type of humanity is thought to have been the australopithecus ramidus, who lived at least 4.4 million years ago.
23.The first Great Pyramid of Giza, the most extraordinary building in history, was a staggering 481 feet tall - the equivalent of a 40-storey building. It was made of 2.3 million blocks of limestone and granite, some weighing 100 tons
