Every Country In Africa: What You Need To Know

Ever wondered why someone from the United States and another from Venezuela aren't referred to as Americans, but someone from South Africa and another from Cameroon are thought to come from an undifferentiated monolithic country called Africa? Even though the distance between the States and Venezuela and South Africa and Cameroon is almost the same, and many facets of life are starkly different? By assuming Africa is one country, sweeping generalizations about the Our desire to inspire a passion for learning about Africa runs deep. If you like to have some better understanding of Africa, hit the subscribe button and you'll be on your way. Welcome to Reason Africa. Let's start with Algeria, which is the largest country in all of Africa. It is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa, and the capital and most popular city is Algiers. Located in the far north of the country of the Mediterranean coast, it supplies large amounts of natural gas to Europe and energy exports are the backbone of the economy. Algeria is commonly called the country of cherries and dates. Women in Algeria, unlike those in other Islamic nations, have considerable prominence in society as 70% of Algeria's lawyers and 60% of its judges are women. Algeria has one of the largest militaries in Africa and the largest defense budget on the continent. The country's recently launched six-lane 1,216-kilometer highway runs from the Moroccan border to the Tunisian border, connecting Algeria's major coastal cities and bolstering intra-African trade. Its construction is reported to be one of the largest highway projects in the world, which came with a price tag of US$11 billion. A drive on the highway is indeed every motorist's paradise. The title of the largest country in Africa used to belong to Sudan, which split up in 2011 to form two countries, Sudan and South Sudan, which became the newest UN-recognized sovereign state in the world. South Sudanese are extremely slim and tall, with men averaging 6'4 and women averaging about 6 feet tall. In fact, one of the tallest players in NBA history is Manute Ball, who was a South Sudan-born basketball player, who stood at 7'7. The nation is a true definition of tall, dark, and handsome, and pretty. Juba is the capital and the largest city. The city is situated on the banks of the White Nile, and also serves as the capital of Jubek state. However, the South Sudanese government and others have expressed the need for a new planned city, built as a replacement capital elsewhere, most likely Ramsiel, which is considered the geographic center of the country. The currency is the South Sudan Pound. The country's petroleum minister said recently that South Sudan is floating on oil, alluding to its abundance. Following unrest in the past years, the government is targeting daily output of 250,000 barrels by the end of next year, and ultimately 350,000 barrels from existing fields. South Sudan is home to a wildlife phenomenon that has been under the radar for a long time. Little-known sude wetlands in the country are home to an outstanding number of white-eared cob antelope, and to Africa's second-largest mammal migration. At least 1.2 million antelopes migrate across the relatively undisturbed habitat of the sude, forming a mass migration which could easily rival the Serengeti's massive herd of wildebeest. South Sudan is also home to the largest population of shoebill stock in Africa. From January until June, the animals move en masse north and east from the floodplains of the Sude and Bandingilo National Park across to Boma National Park and into the Gambela National Park in Ethiopia. At 100 million strong, Ethiopia is Africa's second-most populous country, and its capital, Addis Ababa, is the highest capital in Africa, standing at 2,400 meters above sea level. Every year, over 50,000 runners flood the main streets of Addis Ababa to take part in one of the country's most populous sport, running. Running in the 10-kilometer Great Ethiopian Run, which is the fifth-largest road race in the world and brainchild of double Olympic champion, marathon champion Haile Gebrselassie. Besides being mentioned several in the Bible and the Koran, Ethiopia has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa, and the nation's calendar is more than seven years out of sync with the one used in much of the rest of the world. The oldest fossil skeleton of humans were found in Ethiopia, Lucy, one of them. The teeth, lower jaw, and jaw fragments found in their far region in 2015 provide evidence that the two early human ancestor species roamed in Africa more than three million years ago. Ethiopia is one of only two countries on the continent which were never colonized. 7,677 kilometers west of Ethiopia lies the other nation, Liberia. Liberia has one of the most unique histories in Africa. It's the continent's oldest republic and is divided into 15 counties, and its capital is Monrovia, located on the Atlantic coast at Cape Mesurado. Revenues come primarily from rubber and iron ore exports, and revenues from its maritime registry program. Some of the world's biggest cruise ships are registered here. The first female president on the continent is from Liberia, Ellen Salif, and currently its president, George Weah, is the only African to have been named World Player of the Year. The endangered and mysterious pygmy hippopotamus is native to the forests and swamps of Liberia. Instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin, freed slaves from the United States of America were sent to Liberia and formed the elite of Liberian society. Consequently, Liberia is the only African nation to have been colonized by African Americans. Let's go to one of the only three countries in the world to be completely landlocked inside another country. Let's head to Lesotho. Lesotho might be tiny, but it's a gem of an enclave. The country's full name is the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Maseru is the capital and the country's largest city. An individual in Lesotho is known as Amosotho. The people in plural are called Basotho, and the official language is Sesotho. You would not immediately associate Africa with snow, but Lesotho is home to one of seven ski resorts on the continent. It is a highly mountainous nation. The lowest point here is 1,400 meters above sea level, which is the highest, lowest point of any of the world's nations. Lesotho is home to the highest altitude pub in Africa at 2,874 meters above sea level. Here, tourists enjoy a drink above the clouds. Even though very little of Lesotho is covered in water, the rivers that run across the country form an important part of Lesotho's economy. Much of the country's export revenue comes from water to South Africa. Located on the southern tip of the continent, South Africa is by far the largest producer of strategic minerals. The country produces a staggering 90 percent of world's platinum, 80 percent of manganese, 73 percent of chrome, 45 percent of vanadium, and 41 percent of the gold. As a regional manufacturing hub, it is the most industrialized country and diversified economy on the continent. Most people only think of two languages in relation to any country, but in fact, South Africa has a diverse language pool of 11 official languages. South Africa is the only country to have three capital cities. Pretoria is the executive capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. Johannesburg is the largest city in the country and one of the 50 largest urban areas of the world. Two-thirds of Africa's electricity is generated in South Africa, and as much as 70 percent of Africa's rail infrastructure is found in South Africa. Table Mountain, one of the iconic landmarks of South Africa, is one of the oldest mountains in the world and is considered to be one of the 12 main energy centers of the planet, emitting spiritual, magnetic, and electric energy. The easternmost country on mainland Africa is Somalia. At the ports in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, the sight of herds of cattle being loaded onto ships ready for export is a clear indication of the booming livestock sector in the country. Somalia exports over five million livestock annually to markets in the Gulf of Arabia, among the highest the world over. Once, Somalia was known as the White Pearl of the Indian Ocean. However, an outbreak of civil war in 1991 triggered the collapse of Somalia's once-promising tourism sector. The government is intent on rebuilding and putting in place steps to return to its former glory as a heaven for holidaymakers seeking a mix of beach, culture, and history. Although Somalia boasts of hundreds of different fish species on its coast, fishermen often accuse fallen trawlers of illegal fishing in the country's waters. There is increasing hope that a complete end to security challenges will help unlock potential of the longest national coastline on the African continent. In the suburbs, donkey carts and cattle herds roam the streets. Grocery shops and hair salons are open late into the night, while youths play street soccer under solar-powered lights, a sign that the country is on a positive direction towards security stability. On the south coast of West Africa lies Ivory Coast or Cote d'Ivoire, which is the third-largest French-speaking population in the world. Its political capital is Yamoussoukro, in the center of the country, while its economic capital and largest city is the port of Abidjan. It was once called the Teeth Coast due to its trade in ivory. The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro is the largest church building in the world, covering 323,000 square feet. Worlds apart in culture and history, Ivory Coast's flag is a spitting image of Ireland's. All that separates the two countries' flags is the order of the colored stripes. Cote d'Ivoire is orange, white, and green, while Ireland is the reverse. The Ivory Coast is the world's leading producer of cocoa beans, which are used in the manufacture of chocolate, supplying 33 percent of the total. In 2013, it shifted 1.44 million metric tons of cocoa beans, nearly double its nearest rival. The global chocolate industry is worth more than 80 billion U.S. dollars. Ivory Coast is increasingly putting in place plans to increase its earnings from the sector. Ivory Coast have twice won the African Cup of Nations in 1995 and 2015, both times beating the Black Stars of Ghana. The latest International Monetary Fund report has recently rated Ghana as the fastest-growing economy in the world. Buoyed by a stable democracy, gold and oil exports, the nation is enjoying robust economic growth. Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonialism in 1957. The nation is pretty much right at the center of the world, being both incredibly close to the equator and on the meridian. The port city of Accra is the commercial hub of the country and its capital. Their currency is called the city, and they drive on the right-hand side. Ghana is the first sub-Saharan country to send a satellite into orbit around the Earth. The custom of creating elaborate coffins for people of prominence originates from the Ga people's belief that life carries on after death. The world's largest man-made lake is found in Ghana. Lake Volta covers 3.6 percent of the Ghana is Africa's second-largest and the world's seventh-largest producer of gold. The Ashanti Kingdom, one of the most famous African empires, still exists in the country as a sub-national proto-state that enjoys constitutional protection. This means that Ghana has managed to protect its tradition without losing its democratic nature. To the north of Ghana is Bukina Faso, which translates to the Land of Upright Men. The country was previously named Upper Volta by the French before former President Thomas Sankara changed the name to Bukina Faso. Ouagadougou is the capital and the largest city. Africa's largest cotton producer, Bukina Faso, recently hosted its first African Fashion Festival, drawing designers from the region in a bid to promote African textile designs. Bukina Faso, the first African country to grow genetically modified cotton, is the world's second-fastest-growing acreage of biotech crops after Australia. The cotton industry is estimated to contribute over US$200 million per year to the West African nation's US$12.9 billion economy. Bukina Faso's national football team is nicknamed the Stallions, which reflects the country's traditional fascination with horses, but growing a sport to rival football would take some doing. However, horse racing is one of the country's premier sports. The city of Bobo di Lasso has always been a force to reckon with in traditional wrestling. Ouagadougou is also home to Africa's largest film festival, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, or FESPASCO, which just marked its 50th anniversary. Tour du Faso is part of the UCI Africa Tour, has over the years grown to become one of Africa's top cycling events. Which countries would you like us to cover in our next episode? If you've learned something new from this episode, tell us in the comments section below. We intend to have every video leave you with some better understanding of Africa. Hit the subscribe button, like the video and share with a friend or two.