Africa is a huge continent that usually even tourists don’t pay attention to special attention. But in vain, meanwhile, their own special, original, unhurried life is taking place there, in the midst of a centuries-old cultural heritage. Today we will take a short trip to some of the brightest spots of this continent, let's see interesting places Africa without getting up from the couch.
Interesting places in Africa - desert cinemas
Each part of Africa has its own cultural identity. The northern part often encountered Europeans and Arabs. Here you can see the Egyptian pyramids, the ruins of Carthage, the Moroccan desert and much more. Central Africa is more distinctive than its neighbors - it rarely had contact with outside world. Here you can meet famous Voodoo, Somali pirates and endless savannas. South part The mainland was actively friends with the Portuguese, Spaniards, Belgians, British and Boers, thanks to which it has a rich colonial heritage. But let's look at some interesting places in Africa in detail.
Have you ever wanted to watch a movie in an empty theater? Then welcome to the Sinai Peninsula, where in the middle of the desert there is a real “End of the World” cinema. Despite its ruined state, the building is only 10 years old. The initiator of the creation of such a cultural institution was a Frenchman who used the equipment of an abandoned cinema in Cairo. However, local authorities did not accept the idea, which is why the Frenchman’s plans were not successful.
If you list interesting places in Africa, you cannot ignore the monument to the “African Objection”. The statue, by the way, was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Currently, this is the main attraction of Senegal. Despite the fact that Senegal is one of the poorest countries on the continent, it is on this territory that a delightful monument flaunts. The idea put into the construction is the liberation of the “dark continent” from the colonial oppression of Europeans. The monument depicts a man holding a child in his left hand and hugging a girl with his right. Only a few are taller than such a statue Egyptian pyramids, which makes this attraction popular among visitors.
Ketshava Mosque, interesting places in Africa
Visiting interesting places in Africa, you will definitely come across the Ketshava Mosque - one of the religious shrines of the “dark continent”. It is located in Algeria. Initially, the building of the mosque had a different purpose, only several centuries after its founding by the Turks in the 17th century, the building was converted into a mosque. The attraction is made in a hybrid of Byzantine and Moorish style. Important feature mosque, is that all the bewitching beauty today is presented in virgin form.
Africa is the most interesting continent. For a long time it was inaccessible to Europeans because it was inhabited by warlike tribes, and the terrain was very difficult for movement. Travelers were in wait for wild animals, exotic diseases, and visiting people risked being robbed, killed, and sold into slavery. And now this continent is very diverse and not fully explored. We present interesting facts about Africa.
Geography
- Second largest continent.
- State borders often run in a straight line, since there are no other landmarks; the division of territories was carried out by Europeans who did not understand the boundaries of tribal territories.
- The largest desert is located here. This desert is growing rapidly, absorbing new lands. The Sahara region was not always as dry as it is today. About 10 thousand years ago, the climate was more humid, there were pastures for animals that people hunted, as evidenced by numerous rock paintings. It is believed that when the rains stopped falling, the population of the Sahara moved to the Nile River, where they created.
- In the Tanzanian volcano Ol Doinio Lengai, the lava contains alkali
- Victoria Falls is over 100 meters high and over a kilometer wide.
- Lake Chad is very old, more than one million years old. But it quickly dries out, as people actively take water from it for cooking and household needs.
- Some interesting facts about the rivers of Africa. The longest river is the Nile, its length is 6853 kilometers. Here live animals that can pose a danger to humans - Nile crocodiles and hippopotamuses. After the construction of the Aswan Dam, these animals do not penetrate downstream from Aswan, but there are still many of these animals in the upper reaches of the river.
- The deepest river in the world is the Congo, the depth can reach 250 meters. The length of the shipping routes of the Congo River basin is 20 thousand kilometers. The basin itself (the area occupied by the river and its tributaries) is 4 million square kilometers.
Society
Interesting facts about society. Africa is one of the largest suppliers of diamonds, accounting for a third of the world's reserves. There are also large reserves of gold, oil and other valuable minerals. Despite this, most Africans live in poverty, often go hungry, and there is a shortage of medicines.
The most common on the continent is Arabic, but at the same time in African countries many peoples use more than 2 thousand different languages and adverbs.
The most populous city is the capital of Egypt - Cairo, it is one of the most big cities world with a population of almost 20 million inhabitants. There are many tourists here who visit the Cairo Museum, which houses a large collection of ancient Egyptian exhibits; on the left bank of the Nile, a large statue of the Sphinx has also been preserved.
The African Maasai tribe are tall, they often reach a height of two meters, so the Maasai are considered the most tall people on the ground.
Pygmies are considered the most low people on earth, the height of adult men is from 124 to 150 centimeters.
Animal and plant life
In Senegal there is Retba or Pink Lake - a reservoir with very salty water. Pink color imparted by bacteria that live in a salty environment. You cannot stay in water for more than ten minutes, as you can get a chemical burn. Locals Those who extract salt are in the water for more than ten minutes, and to prevent the skin from being damaged, they rub it with special oil.
- mostly thermophilic, but there are also representatives of the Antarctic continent - penguins. They nest on the southwestern coast of the mainland, and are especially numerous in South Africa. A large colony of these birds is located near Cape Town, the second most populous city in the Republic of South Africa.
Baobab is interesting not only for its unusual shape both size and lifespan. These trees can live for several thousand years, during which time the pillar grows up to 25 meters in diameter.
In Africa there lives a tsetse fly, the bite of which can cause “sleeping sickness.” Thousands of people and animals die every year from the bites of this insect.
The island of Madagascar is famous for being home to the most species, the smallest being about 1.5 centimeters long and considered the smallest vertebrate in the world.
The Congo River is home to a large goliath fish, the weight of which can reach 80 kilograms. The goliath has a very menacing appearance, with many sharp teeth in its mouth. The fish feeds on small animals, but can attack a crocodile and even a person; it is considered the most dangerous freshwater fish in the world.
An amazing continent home to more than one billion people. There are jungles and even glaciers here. The continent is located in all four hemispheres of the Earth. find out more information about the continent from the following ten amazing and important geographical facts about Africa.
Africa may be the cradle of humanity
The East African Rift Valley, separating the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates, is home to several important discoveries remains of human ancestors by anthropologists. The active, expanding valley is considered the cradle of humanity, where our journey likely began, millions of years ago. The discovery of fragments of the skeleton of "Lucy" in 1974 in Ethiopia was the impetus for serious research in this region.
Africa is the second largest continent on the planet
Less than half of Africa's population lives in cities
Africa is a poorly urbanized region of the world. Only 39% of the continent's population lives in cities. The continent is home to only two megacities with populations over ten million: Cairo (Egypt) and Lagos (Nigeria). Cairo has a population of 11 to 15 million and Lagos a population of 10 to 12 million. The third largest city in Africa is probably Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to between 8 and 10 million people.
Kilimanjaro is the continent's highest point
The top of Mount Kilimanjaro is above level. Located in Tanzania near the Kenyan border, this dormant volcano rises to a height of 5,895 meters. Kilimanjaro is home to Africa's only glacier, although scientists predict that all the ice on the mountain's summit will disappear by the 2030s due to global warming.
Africa has the world's largest arid desert
Although the Sahara is not the hottest desert on Earth, it is the most prominent. The desert covers more than 9 million km² or about 31% of total area mainland sushi.
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Listed below are a wide variety of facts about Africa - geographical, economic, political, and many others. Of course, these are not all the facts about Africa; it would be impossible to list all the facts about this continent, but, nevertheless, these are interesting and curious facts.
- Africa is the second continent in the world, both in size and population. As of 2013, Africa accounted for almost 15 percent of the world's population.
- Over a billion people (1.1 billion) live in Africa, and the number of languages spoken in Africa exceeds 1,500. Every fourth language in the world is spoken in Africa.
- The total size of Africa is just over 30 million square kilometers, which is approximately one fifth of the entire land area of the Earth. Based on this, the African continent is larger than India, China, Mexico, and the United States, as well as most of Europe, combined.
- During the early Mesozoic era, Africa was connected to all other continents, and together they formed a supercontinent called Pangea. Subsequently, Pangea broke up into continents, which took the form familiar to us today.
- Although Africa is the second largest continent in the world, coastline Africa is the shortest of all other continents.
- World civilization began in Africa. Pharaonic civilization ancient egypt- the oldest civilization with developed literacy. According to historical records, the Egyptian state began to exist around 3300 BC.
- Islam is the dominant religion in Africa. It is followed by Christianity. Additionally, the most widely spoken language in Africa is Arabic.
- It is predicted that by 2050, about 38% of all Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa).
- Africa is the most central continent of the world from a geographical point of view. Both the prime meridian (longitude - 0 degrees) and the equator (latitude - 0 degrees) are located on the territory of the African continent.
- The largest country in Africa is Algeria. Its area is almost 2.4 million sq. km. The smallest country in Africa is the Seychelles (an island state with an area of only 453 sq. km.).
- Africa's most populous country is Nigeria (2015 population estimate: 184 million).
- Nigeria has the highest GDP ($568 billion in 2015) of all African countries. The lowest GDP in Africa is in Sao Tome and Principe ($335 million in 2015).
- At its closest point to Europe, Africa is separated from Europe by only 14.3 kilometers of water.
- The Nile River, which flows through Africa, is the longest river in the world. Its total length is 6,650 km, it flows through 11 countries and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
- The largest African island located in the Indian Ocean (along east coast Africa) - Madagascar. It is also the fourth largest island in the world.
- Victoria Falls, located along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The main source of water for the waterfall is the Zambezi River.
- The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria. It is also the second largest freshwater lake in the world (with an area of 68,000 sq. km.).
- The Sahara Desert, located in Africa, is the world's largest hot desert (with an area of 9.4 million square kilometers), and the third largest desert in the world, after the Arctic (second largest) and Antarctic (first largest) .
- The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Its height is 5,895 meters above sea level.
- Both the tallest animal in the world and the largest, it comes from Africa. This is a giraffe and an African elephant, respectively.
- The giraffe is considered an endangered species in at least 7 African countries.
- The hippopotamus is the deadliest animal in Africa. Hippos in Africa kill more people than crocodiles and lions combined.
- Today, Bushmen living in southern Africa use the same tools found in a cave inhabited 44,000 years ago.
- About 41 percent of children in Africa between the ages of 1 and 5 are actively involved in child labor.
- In Africa, as in Asia, people have to walk an average of 6 km. per day to obtain water for various purposes.
- 39 percent of children under 5 years of age living in Burundi are underweight.
- Over 90 percent of all malaria cases worldwide occur in Africa. Every year, 3,000 children die from this disease.
- In the African state of Swaziland, every fourth adult resident is HIV positive.
- It is estimated that the total number of people infected with HIV in Africa is 25 million.
- The Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2006, claimed more lives (5.4 million) than any other war since World War II. Eight African states were involved in this conflict.
- According to the World Bank, at Seychelles in 2010, the female literacy rate was 92 percent. The same rate at the same time in Chad was 13 percent, and in Niger - 15 percent.
- As of 2010, it took 216 days to complete all the procedures required to start a business in Guinea-Bissau. In Rwanda, the same thing could be done in only 3 days.
- Only 24 percent of residents of villages and villages in Black Africa have standard sanitation conditions. In cities, this figure is 42 percent.
- The African country of Tanzania has the highest number of people in the world with albinism (a lack of the pigment melanin, which gives color to the skin, hair, and eye membranes, as a result of which a dark-skinned person can appear light-skinned). Various witch doctors and healers in Africa capture people with albinism and use their organs in their rituals, which they believe cure diseases.
- In the Witwatersrand mountains South Africa Almost half of all gold mined in Africa is located.
- More people speak French in Africa than in France itself.
- Most of the world's fastest long-distance runners come from the Kalenjin tribe of Kenya.
- Egypt is Africa's most popular tourist destination. Over 10 million people visit the country as tourists every year. In addition, Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the largest city in Africa.
- In northern Africa there are two Spanish exclaves - Melilla and Ceuta.
- The national flag of Mozambique depicts a Kalashnikov assault rifle. This is the only national flag in the world with the image of a machine gun.
- All African states were colonized by Europeans, with the exception of two: Ethiopia and Liberia. Ethiopia was an Orthodox Christian country, and Liberia was a country of African American settlers who were former slaves.
- Today, African countries are united by one organization - African Union(AS). AS was established in 2001. Only one African country- Morocco is not a member of the AU.
- The two most popular types sports in Africa - football and cricket. They both appeared in Africa during the colonial era.
- There are over 100 million Facebook accounts in Africa.
Cape Town is the third largest and most popular city on the continent, located near the southernmost point of Africa. This spiritual and eccentric place is called by some the “windy city.” Cape Town has received several international tourism awards. Near the city rises Table Mountain, one of the seven new wonders of nature.
2. Nairobi
Nairobi is the most populous metropolis in East Africa, and The largest city and the capital of Kenya. It is known as the "Green City in the Sun". In terms of housing options, there are spacious suburban homes available at very reasonable prices. affordable prices in comparison with other African cities, as well as luxury residential complexes with swimming pools and fitness centers. The surrounding plains, cliffs and forests provide a unique African provincial experience.
3. Accra
Photo: trvl-media.com
Accra is the largest city in Ghana, located in the southeastern part of the country on the coast Atlantic Ocean. There are several affluent areas including East Legon and Osu (Oxford Street) with luxury shopping. Attractions include: Makola Market, National Museum Ghana, Independence Arch, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial. The tropical climate adds even more attractiveness to these regions.
4. Libreville
Photo: staticflickr.com
Libreville's stunning architecture and monuments have an unmistakable French imprint. The city lies on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1960 it became the capital of Gabon. You can have fun relaxing on the local beaches. Located near the city National Park Akanda, popular among ecotourists.
5. Johannesburg
Photo: thewanderlife.com
Johannesburg is home to the largest shopping centers eg Sandton and East Gate. Already going down the plane's steps to international airport Tambo, you will understand why Johannesburg is considered a world class city. Despite the abundance of skyscrapers, some areas are literally surrounded by lush and greenery. Every traveler to South Africa should definitely visit the Kruger National Park.
6. Tunisia
Photo: sky2travel.net
Tunisia is one of the smallest countries in North Africa. In its capital of the same name, echoes of the Ottoman Empire and the French colonial past have been preserved in the form of contradictory architectural ensembles. The Medina of Tunis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the outskirts of the city is the famous Bardo Museum, famous for its huge collection of exhibits from the era of Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine and Arab rule.
7. Grahamstown
Photo: co.za
Grahamstown is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is known as the "city of saints" due to more than 40 religious buildings of various faiths. This city is home to a large center for training journalists. Most interesting time to visit Grahamstown - the period when the National Arts Festival and Science Festival SciFest are held.
8. Kigali
Photo: panoramio.com
Kigali is the heart of Rwanda and home to around one million people, as well as a large community of expats who enjoy taking advantage of the capital's diversity. Here rural areas alternate with new ones modern buildings, growing in the central business district. One of the newest buildings is the Kigali Tower. This 20-story office and retail complex became the tallest building in the city. Kigali lies on a mountainside where rare mountain gorillas live.
9. Windhoek
Photo: audreyandmathell.com
The capital of the Republic of Namibia is attractive for many reasons. They say the city is clean, relatively safe and easy to get around. German culture has had a huge influence on Windhoek, from speech to architecture. The city is famous for its beer (Windhoek Lager), which is sold abroad in more than 20 countries.
10. Dar es Salaam
Photo: web-tourism.ru
Dar es Salaam is the political and economic center and the largest city in Tanzania. The city lies on the shore Indian Ocean, famous for its local university, the largest and oldest state higher education educational institution Tanzania, and the Institute of Technology. Dar es Salaam has its own stunning beaches (including exclusive resorts), but Zanzibar is just a short ferry ride away. The city is located near the equator and experiences tropical weather most of the year.
11. Gaborone
Photo: ciee.org
Gaborone is the capital of Botswana. It has gained a reputation as a peaceful, politically stable and economically powerful city as one of the largest diamond producers in the world. Gems keep playing important role in the development of the city.
12. Algeria
Photo: staticflickr.com
Algeria has miles of beautiful beaches, sunshine, plenty of thriving cafes, and a vibrant economy. The city generally does not experience the extreme temperatures that occur in the surrounding desert. Here you can visit the Kasbah fortress, Martyrs' Square, Jamaa el-Kebir Mosque, Bardo Museum, Roman Catholic Cathedral.
13. Asmara
Photo: org.uk
Asmara is the capital and largest city of Eritrea. Some call it "the safest city in the world." It lies at an altitude of 2400 meters above sea level, pleasant coolness reigns here, but almost all year round The weather is dry and sunny. The city features beautiful architecture from the thriving Italian community of colonial times. Asmara is also the economic center of the country. This city was even nicknamed “little Rome”