76 Interesting Facts About Africa

41-45 Interesting Facts About Africa

41. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s official title was “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular” – Source

42. In 2003, the dictator of Equatorial Guinea took personal control of the national treasury, handing more than $500,000,000 to family members, ostensibly to prevent corruption by civil servants. He has also been declared a god, who “can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account.” – Source

43. On Christmas, 1979 the first president of Equatorial Guinea had 150 of his opponents killed. Soldiers dressed up in Santa Clause outfits executed them in a football stadium while amplifiers played “Those Were the Days.” – Source

44. In 1972, natural nuclear fission reactors were discovered in Gabon, Africa. They operated for a few hundred thousand years and generated an average of 100kW of power. – Source

45. An orphan from Uganda, who spent his youth as a human scarecrow on his abusive uncle’s farm, ran away at 14. With the help of a charity called YES Uganda, he has since earned 2 degrees, started a biotech company, founded a non-profit, and given a talk at TED. – Source

46-50 Interesting Facts About Africa

46. There is a small but passionate scene of “Cowboy Metalheads” in Botswana. – Source

47. In 2010, a small plane crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a smuggled crocodile onboard. The crocodile freed itself and panicked the passengers who all ran towards the flight deck, which caused the plane to become unbalanced and crash. The only survivors were one person and the crocodile. – Source

48. In 1998, during a soccer match in the Congo, a lightning bolt struck the pitch and killed all 11 members of one team. The other team was left unscathed. – Source

49. There is a subculture in the Congo of men who dress in brightly colored tailored suits and expensive shoes and who demonstrate impeccable manners and gentlemanly conduct. Some say it is a form of protest and demonstration against the depression caused by the horrors of civil war. – Source

50. In the 1920s and 30s, many Europeans supported using massive dams to drain the Mediterranean for farmland and to connect Europe and Africa into a new continent called “Atlantropa.” – Source

51-55 Interesting Facts About Africa

51. North Korea gave Dakar, Senegal a Stalinist statue that is taller than the Statue of Liberty. – Source

52. Mauritius is the only country in Africa currently ranked as a full democracy by The Economist. – Source

53. Madagascar was first settled by people from Borneo (which is over 4000 miles away), not Africa (250 miles away). – Source

54. There are more people speaking French in Africa than in France. – Source

55. In some African countries (such as Zimbabwe) it is commonly believed that sex with an albino woman cures HIV. This has led to numerous rapes and subsequent spread of HIV. – Source

56-60 Interesting Facts About Africa

56. Until the 17th or 18th century, 880-pound birds lived in Madagascar. They were called Elephant Birds and were over 10 feet tall. – Source

57. David Livingstone, a famous British explorer in Africa became extremely ill and then had his supplies stolen. To feed himself he let the natives put him in an exhibit and people would pay to see him as a curiosity. – Source

58. The first President of Zimbabwe was called President Banana. – Source

59. The remains of the Walls of Benin, the former largest man-made structure in the world, are being torn down to make way for real estate – Source

60. The Parliament of Rwanda is the only governing body in the world where women outnumber men. – Source

61-65 Interesting Facts About Africa

61. More oil is spilled from the Niger delta’s network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf oil spill. – Source

62. According to a professor of economics at New York University, after receiving $600 billion in foreign aid over 45 years, there has “basically been zero rise in living standards” in Africa. – Source

63. Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika vacated his home, a 300-bedroom mansion, in 2005 because he believed it to be haunted. – Source

64. Female obesity is considered so attractive in Mauritania that 75 percent of rural Mauritanian girls are forcibly fattened on camel milk and animal fat in a custom called “leblouh” – Source

65. Sobhuza II was the king of Swaziland for 82 years and 9 months, which is the longest documented monarchical reign. He had 70 wives, 210 children, and over 1000 grandchildren. – Source

66-70 Interesting Facts About Africa

66. Mauritania tried to ban slavery thrice. In 1905, 1981, and as latest as August 2007. It is the ‘last stronghold’ of slavery on earth. – Source

67. The country with the lowest life expectancy in the world is Swaziland, at 31.88 years. Over half of the adults in their 20s have HIV. – Source

68. Lesotho is the only country on Earth to lie completely above 1000 meters in elevation. – Source

69. On a trip to Sierra Leone in 2009, actress Salma Hayek spontaneously breast fed a local infant. – Source

70. Liberia was established by the citizens of the United States as a colony for former African American slaves and their free black descendants. – Source

71-76 Interesting Facts About Africa

71. There was an armed group in Sierra Leone Civil War called “the West Side Niggaz” that was influenced by Tupac and used to wear women’s wigs. – Source

72. Only 14% of the population of Guinea Bissau speaks the official language, i.e. Portuguese. – Source

73. French mercenary Bob Denard participated in coups to overthrow the government of Comoro not once, not twice, but four times. – Source

74. Amazon and Congo were likely one river before Africa and South America drifted apart. – Source

75. In 2005, a 12-year-old girl was abducted in Ethiopia, trying to force her into marriage by her kidnappers. She was saved from her attackers and defended for about half a day by three lions. – Source

76. The Maasai tribe in Africa gave a gift of 14 cows to America after hearing about the 9/11 attacks. – Source