Exploring Africa: Fact or Fiction

Portugese explorers named the West African country we call Sierra Leone. They called it Serra Lyoa (“Lion Mountains”) for the range of hills that surrounds Freetown harbor.

It does. Kenya lies on the Equator and rarely sees snow at its lower elevations. But Mount Kenya, the African country’s highest point at 17,058 feet (5,199 meters), is snowcapped for much of the year.

Chad, in northern Africa, is landlocked. It has no outlet onto an ocean or sea.

The southernmost country on the African continent is the Republic of South Africa.

With more than 11 million people, the Egyptian capital is the largest single city in Africa.

Lake Malawi, in southeastern Africa, contains 500 fish species from ten families. Particularly noteworthy are the cichlids, with nearly 400 species native to Lake Malawi.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa. Other large countries on the continent include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Angola.

Pyramids can be found in many parts of the world. Some famous ones are located in Mexico and Guatemala, built by the Aztec and Maya peoples, respectively

Niger is a large country in West Africa. It covers parts of the Sahara Desert and the dry Sahel region to the south.

Niger is one of the hottest countries in the world. Year-round temperatures average between 81 and 84 °F (27 and 29 °C). During May, the hottest month, the temperature averages over 100 °F (38 °C) in the afternoon.