50 Facts about Africa for Kids
50 Fascinating Facts About Africa for Kids
Africa is huge, colorful, and full of surprises! It has ancient cities, rare animals, and amazing cultures. These 50 quick facts will show why Africa is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.
50 Fun Africa Facts
- Africa and Europe are less than 9 miles apart at the Strait of Gibraltar.
- The Sahara Desert is bigger than the entire United States.
- Africa has 54 countries; South Sudan is the newest, Liberia is the oldest republic.
- More than 25% of the world’s bird species live in Africa.
- Over 85% of elephants and nearly all wild lions are in Africa.
- Africa is the second largest continent, covering 20% of Earth’s land.
- It’s the second most populated continent with about 1.1 billion people.
- Humans have lived in Africa longer than anywhere else on Earth.
- The Kalahari Desert stretches across seven countries.
- Almost half of the gold ever mined came from South Africa’s Witwatersrand.
- About 90% of global malaria cases happen in Africa.
- There are three ideas about the name “Africa”: from the Afri people, the Greek “Aphrike,” or the Latin “Aprica.”
- Africa’s population is very young — millions are under 24 years old.
- China is Africa’s top trade partner, trading nearly $200 billion yearly.
- Dragon’s Breath Cave in Namibia is the world’s largest underground lake.
- Ethiopia uses its own alphabet — the oldest living script still in use.
- Four of the five fastest land animals live in Africa: cheetah, lion, wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle.
- The Goliath frog in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea weighs up to 8 pounds.
- Graca Machel is the only woman to be First Lady of two nations: Mozambique and South Africa.
- Intonga, or stick fighting, is a traditional Xhosa rite of passage in South Africa.
- Kenya has one of Africa’s most culturally diverse populations.
- Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest; Lake Tanganyika is its deepest.
- Lemurs live only in Madagascar and nearby islands.
- Liberia was founded by freed slaves from the U.S. in 1847.
- Madagascar is the world’s 4th largest island.
- Mancala games like Oware began in Africa and teach math skills.
- Africa’s land is so big you could fit the USA, China, India, and most of Europe inside.
- Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is Africa’s tallest mountain at 19,300 feet.
- Namibia is one of the least crowded countries — just 3 people per sq km.
- Twyfelfontein, Namibia, has one of the world’s largest rock art sites.
- Storytelling and clapping games are key parts of African culture.
- Over 2,000 languages are spoken in Africa.
- Rwanda and Nigeria are the most densely populated African nations.
- Sudan has more than twice as many pyramids as Egypt.
- “The” belongs officially in The Gambia’s name to avoid confusion with Zambia.
- Kahun in Egypt was the world’s first planned city around 1870 BC.
- The deserts of Tunisia became the Star Wars planet Tatooine on screen.
- The Gambia banned gambling in 2015 to protect its youth.
- The Gambia is almost completely surrounded by Senegal.
- The Kalahari Desert is well vegetated despite little surface water.
- Algeria is Africa’s largest country; Seychelles is the smallest.
- The Nile River flows through 11 African nations.
- Uganda’s Lugazi Little League team played in the 2015 World Series.
- Soccer, rugby, cricket, and wrestling are Africa’s top sports.
- The ostrich — the world’s largest bird — is native to Africa.
- Great Zimbabwe’s stone ruins show Africa’s powerful medieval kingdoms.
- Western Sahara is Africa’s main disputed territory.
- Mali’s mosques in Djenné and Mopti are giant adobe masterpieces.
- Timbuktu, Mali, has one of the world’s oldest universities (built in 982 CE).
Discover 50 fascinating facts about Africa's history, landmass, people, languages, and wildlife — perfect for kids and curious learners.
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