8 interesting facts about Africa that you didn’t know

[SBGroup]

Many know that the African continent is the world’s oldest populated area with over 50 countries but here are some interesting facts about Africa that you probably didn’t know about.

One

Africa is the world’s second largest continent covering about over 30 million square kilometers

Two

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world and is bigger than the continental USA

Three

Timbuktu, Mali is home of one of the oldest universities in the world, established in 982 CE.

Four

Ethiopia is the only African country with its own alphabet. It’s also the world’s oldest living alphabets – Ethiopic – and probably one of the longest with its 345 letters.

Five

Sudan has more than 200 pyramids, double the number found in Egypt.

Six

Africa is the world’s hottest continent with deserts and drylands covering 60% of land surface area (e.g. Kalahari, Sahara and Namib).

Seven

Africa has approximately 30% of the earth’s remaining mineral resources.

Eight

The continent has the largest reserves of precious metals with over 40% of the gold reserves, over 60% of the cobalt, and 90% of the platinum reserves.

Almost half of the gold ever mined on Earth has come from a single place – Witwatersrand, South Africa.