Africa is a huge continent made up of 54 countries and over a billion people. But did you know that in Ethiopia, clocks are upside down with our 6:00 at their 12:00? This and 12 other incredible facts are sure to turn you into the captain at your next trivia tournament.



1. Africa and Europe are separated by less than 9 miles at the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Morocco. The two countries are discussing constructing an undersea rail tunnel to connect the rail systems on the two continents.



2. In South Africa you are legally allowed to attach flamethrowers to your car in order to deter car jacking. Seriously.



3. Timbuktu, Mali is home of one of the oldest universities in the world, established in 982 CE. By the 12th century, the city was such an intellectual hub that National Geographic has referred to it as the Paris of the medieval world. I guess the Spice Girls didn’t take geography because in one of their self penned lyrics they believed Timbuktu to be located in China!



4. The world’s biggest frog is found in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Named the Goliath frog, it can grow up to be a foot long and weigh up to 8 lb.



5. The word “Crossword” in Kiswahili, a language spoken mainly by people in eastern and central Africa is “chemshebongo” which, when translated, means “boil brains”. I suppose after trying to do the Sunday New York Times puzzle your head might feel like exploding!



6. The official title of Idi Amin, the Ugandan dictator, 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”.




7. 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.



8. People living in what is currently Swaziland were the world’s first miners. In the late 1960s a hematite mine was found in the Ngwenya mountain range along with 300,000 artifacts and stone-made mining tools that were later dated to be 43,000 years old!




9. Graca Machel is the only woman to have ever been first lady of two different countries (Mozambique and South Africa).




10. Sudan has more than 200 pyramids, double the number found in Egypt. The Meroe pyramids were part of the Nubian Kingdom of Kush and are up to 4,600 years old.




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




12. Libya’s current flag, introduced in 2011 after the overthrow of Gaddafi’s government, is a red-black-green triband featuring a white star and crescent. However, from 1977 to 2011, Libya was the only country in the world with only one color for its flag, with no insignias, design or other details. It was chosen by Gaddafi since it symbolized both Islam and his political philosophy (after his Green Book).

Wow Africa my Africa blessed beyond imagination, but her people refuse to see her true potential... we feed the world yet beg the world for food..
we fuel the world yet export fuel from the world such is the irony that has kept Africa whr she is... they call us the third world yet education and civilization started here... whr did we go wrong

Cc: Mynd44 Lalasticlala

Other interesting facts of Ethiopia.

- cradle of Humanity.
- founded in 980 BC, Ethiopia is one of the oldest state in the world.
- only African state never to be colonized.
- coffee was discovered in Ethiopia.
- birthplace of Pan-Africanism.
- more than 70% of Africa mountains are found in Ethiopia.
- we've our own 13 months calendar, (today is 27/8/2009).
- Amharic is the only native African official language.
- Ababa Bikila was the first black African to win Olympic gold medal.
- emperor Menelik II was first African to drive a car in 1907.
- Danakil depression, Afar region is the hottest place on Earth.

For more info, check this.
https://www.factretriever.com/ethiopia-facts