· Africa is the second largest continent in the world after Asia.
· The largest country in Africa is Sudan.
· Arabic is the main language in North Africa. But more than 1000 languages are spoken in the rest of the continent.· Stretching both north and south of the equator, Africa is the warmest of all continents. Even though many people live in Africa, there are large areas that have very few people in them. The hot Sahara Desert in the north is almost empty.
· The Sahara Desert, in North Africa, is the world’s largest desert. Only small areas of it are covered with sand, the rest is covered with rocks and stones.
· There are deserts in South Africa too. There are also rain forests and grasslands. Many wild animals roam free in the African grasslands.
· The Nile River runs through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt. The Nile is the world’s longest river.
· Algeria and Libya in North Africa have rich oil and gas reserves. Egypt has many of the world’s famous tourist attractions.
· The highest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The name Kilimanjaro means ‘The Great Mountain’.
· The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria. It is the second largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior.
· The African Ostrich is the largest bird in the world. The ostrich does not fly, but it can run really fast.
· The African cheetah is the fastest animal on land, reaching speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour (68 miles per hour).
· Ancient people built pyramids in different parts of the world. But the biggest and most famous are found in Egypt. The pyramids at Giza near Cairo, Khufu, Khafre and Menkara, are among the best known monuments in the world.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
