Workers wait for tourists among their camels and horses at the Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Picture: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh Workers wait for tourists among their camels and horses at the Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Picture: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Cape Town - Africa is a melting pot of languages, cultures and people.
On Africa Day, the continent celebrates diversity and independence.
Africa Day commemorates the day on which 32 independent African countries formed the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, in 1963.
Here are 10 things you might not know about Africa.
1. Over 1 billion people call Africa their home, making Africa the second most populous continent.
2. Africa’s total size is about a fifth of the Earth’s total landmass. The continent is larger than India, China, Mexica, and USA’s and a huge chunk of Europe combined.
3. Arabic is also the most widely-spoken language and Islam is the dominant religion in Africa.
4. On the languages note, there are over 2 000 recognised languages that are spoken on the continent.
5. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and the world's fourth largest oil exporter.
6. Africa has the largest desert in the the world. The Sahara is bigger than the continental USA.
7. Before Africa was colonised, the continent comprised up to 10 000 different states and autonomous groups. They had distinct languages and customs.
8. There are over 1 million Chinese citizens on the African continent.
9. The diverse continent has the youngest population in the world, with over half of the population under 25 years old.
10. While Egypt is renowned for its pyramids, Republic of Sudan actually has 223 of its own pyramids. This is double the number of pyramids in Egypt.