Travel To Africa

The hippopotamus is Africa’s deadliest animal
When you think of Africa’s deadliest animals, it’s likely that you’d think of something like lions, cheetahs or rhinoceros, but surprisingly, the continent’s deadliest animal is actually the hippopotamus. Killing more people annually than both lions and crocodiles combined, around 500 people are estimated to lose their lives to the imposing African animal each year. An aggressive species, hippos regularly jostle within their social groups and have been known to charge unpredictably at anything that they may consider a threat, whether it happens to be a cow, a boat or even a person.

It is thought to be the cradle of civilisation
Thought to be the oldest inhabited territory on earth, Africa has long been considered to be the cradle of civilisation and the place from which humanity began its long migration to all corners of the globe. Although this theory has been contested over time with new archaeological discoveries and theories, there’s no mistaking that the continent has been inhabited by humans for an incredibly long time. Famously home to the ancient Egyptians, powerful kingdoms and expansive empires, the continent’s heritage is rich and expansive.

The continent is home to some incredibly unique animals
Isolated by deserts, mountains and other impressive geographic features, wildlife species across Africa have been able to evolve and develop separately from others found elsewhere in the world. This natural separation has left Africa’s animals larger and quite different from their counterparts on other continents. Some species, such as giraffes, chimpanzees, gorillas and hippopotamus are very different from any other species on the planet, while others, including the zebra, hold interesting similarities to quite common animals such as the horse. No visit to Africa would be complete without setting out an a wildlife tour or safari in the hope of spotting some of the continent’s remarkable species in their natural habitat.

Africa is home to the world’s longest river
Flowing through 11 countries and spanning an incredible 6,650 km in total, the Nile is not only Africa’s longest river, but it is also often considered to be the longest in the world. Stretching from Uganda in the south to Egypt in the north, the river is a major water source for several of Africa’s countries, including Egypt and Sudan, and holds a firm association with the intriguing ancient Egyptian civilisation.

It is the world’s hottest continent
Not only is Africa one of the world’s largest continents, but it also takes out the title as the world’s hottest. Home to the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, around 60% of Africa is covered by desert or areas of land that see below average annual rainfall. As a general rule of thumb, it is Africa’s northernmost countries, including Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Chad, Somalia and Sudan, that are the warmest, particularly during the summer months, but some southern countries, such as Namibia and Botswana can experience high temperatures as well.

Africa is the world’s second largest continent
Chances are that you already knew that Africa was a big place, but did you know that it is, in fact, the world’s second largest continent? Covering an area of more than 30 million k㎡, the incredible continent spans from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and stretches across both sides of the equator. Being so large in size, the continent experiences a variety of weather conditions and is home to some incredibly diverse ecosystems, from dense jungles and wide open savannas through to hot, sandy deserts.