Africa is not only a multi-racial country that loves almost every sport possible, but it is also keen on gambling. The most popular sports betting markets include rugby, soccer, cricket and golf. In Africa, there are 54 recognized countries/states of which two disputes independence. These include Somaliland and Western Sahara.
3,000 Languages in Existence Across the Continent
This continent is the second largest in the world, both in population and land area. The largest country is Algeria and Nigeria are the richest when it comes to ethnicities and languages since an estimated 3,000 languages exist across the continent. The largest cities in Africa includes Algiers, Nairobi, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Accra, Cairo and Khartoum.
In size, the continent is almost 11.7 million square miles, including its adjacent islands. Europe and Africa are separated by the Mediterranean Sea, while Asia and Africa are joint by the Isthmus of Suez. The continent is surrounded by the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, to the north is the Mediterranean Sea and to the south the Indian Ocean. The distance between Somalia and Ras Fun is around 4,600 miles, and the continent is home to a diverse range of climate areas.
Anthropologists found numerous fossils on the continent and evidence suggesting that it was inhabited as much as seven million years ago. Today it is home to millions of people and animals. Africa was also home to civilizations such as the Pharaonic, a medieval Egypt civilization. There is also the Greeks and Romans that were amongst the first to explore the continent.
The list of countries in Africa includes Algeria, Botswana, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ethiopia, Ghana and thirty-four others.
Once it was home to around 10,000 different states and polities and from the 7th to the 20th century, Africa practised slavery. In the latter part of the 19th century, the Europeans scrambled for several regions and the only ones saved from colonialism was Ethiopia and Liberia. At the end of the Second World War, the colonials wanted independence. Today most of the nations have borders agreed upon by previous colonial powers.
More than 3,000 Protected Areas in Africa
Africa has well over 3,000 different protected areas, and this includes an estimated 198 marine areas that remain protected. Other well-protected areas include the wetlands and biosphere reserves. These are mainly referred to as harbouring wild populations, and the animals include elephants, cheetahs crocodiles, buffalo, snakes, camels, lions and giraffes.
There is a massive threat to the rich biodiversity of the continent, and as with other continents, it is the increasing habitat destruction, increasing population and the lack of adequate animal and habitat protection. Another huge problem is poaching as well as the productive forestry cleared from the forests that should be protected.
