My fourth installment of "Fun Africa Facts" is unofficially brought to you by Chappies, the jaw-breaking chewing gum I grew up on in Malawi.

Did You Know...

• Morocco was the first nation in the world to recognize the newly independent United States in 1777.
• Hippos can't swim, they walk along along the bottom of rivers or lakes.
• There is a building called Palacio de Ferro (the Iron Palace) in Luanda, Angola's capital, designed by Gustav Eiffel (same guy that designed the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel tower).
• You can cage dive with crocodiles in South Africa.
• Hyena poop is white, courtesy of the calcium in the bones it crushes for dinner.
• Bamako, Mali's capital is the fastest growing city in Africa and ranked 6th in the world.
• White rhinos and Black rhinos are both in fact greyish, it's their upper lips that distinguish the two species. White rhinos have a square upper lip, Black rhinos have pointy upper lips.
• The banjo originated in Africa and was brought to America by slaves in the 18th century, they modified the instrument based on traditional folk lutes from Senegambia.
• Individual wildebeest can cover over 30,000 miles in their lifetime.
• We can thank the Ivory Coast for producing more than 40% of the world's cocoa crop.

More Africa Facts...

_{Image of a Black "check out the lip" Rhino -- © Getty Images}

The LA Times had an interesting article this weekend that discusses the serious danger elephants in parts of southern Africa pose to villagers living close to wildlife reserves and parks. The fact is, there are many communities in Zambia and Botswana where elephants eat crops, crush homes, and charge people. But no one seems to care because much wealthier folks (i.e. tourists) spend a huge amount of money to come and see these fascinating creatures. As a result, the respective governments go to great lengths to protect the animals, and do seemingly little to protect the local communities.

It's not that easy for the governments. They know it's their job to protect people as well as wildlife, and tourism brings in sorely needed foreign currency as well as employment. Some say there are too many elephants, but one glance tells you that may be true for certain pockets in Southern and East Africa, but as a whole, African elephants are endangered. Others say there are too many people. But the real problem is rarely over-population -- it's usually a matter of unequal distribution of resources.

Now, if local communities could at least benefit from the money being spent on safaris, it may be worth their while to figure out how to keep their family safe, without harming elephants. And that is precisely what needs to be done for humans and wildlife to figure out a way to co-exist peacefully. Because it's difficult to convince a father not to kill the animal that may have just gored his son.

There's no easy answer to this dilemma. It's vitally important to protect wildlife in Africa but it just can't be at the expense of African people.

Read: LA Times: Southern African elephant: treasured killers.

More About: Africa's Most Dangerous Animals l African Safaris l Elephants

_{An elephant getting too close for comfort -- © Norman Norris}

My husband will probably get a donkey and my in-laws certainly deserve a camel, they've been through a lot this year. I'm of course shopping with Oxfam this Christmas season and their list of funusual gifts just keeps growing every year. My children may not appreciate a pile of manure in their Christmas stocking, but luckily for them they won't be smelling it. The beauty of shopping with Oxfam is that your gift will actually go to person who truly needs it elsewhere in the world, and you get to keep the bragging rights.

Oxfam is one of the best charities working in Africa, so you can be assured your gift will end up in the right hands. A camel won't suddenly appear on your doorstep, but the true gift of giving will. If you run out of ideas for teacher gifts, how about getting a pair of school uniforms in their name, it'll set you back just $20 and will truly help a family in need. It's certainly more valuable than adding to their collection of mugs.

More About: Africa Travel Gift Ideas l Christmas in Africa l Shopping in Africa

Regional flights in East Africa have always added a significant expense to travel itineraries and to make things worse, the schedules are often sporadic. But despite the suspension of Tanzania's national airline (Air Tanzania) last December, things are looking up. Precision Air seems to have moved into the slot as Tanzania's most important airline, and is now partnered with Kenya Airways. Kenya Airways appears to be doing well and is also adding to its significant portfolio of destinations with new scheduled flights to Bangui, Kisangani and Malabo.

RwandAir is adding flights to Goma, Brussels and Dar es Salaam, and also has a codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. I'm planning to check out RwandAir's services next June from Kilimanjaro to Kigali. Their handy schedule allows me to take a quick side-trip to check out the gorillas after a Tanzanian safari.

540 the region's only low-cost regional airline is also adding to their growing list of destinations. You can fly from Nairobi to Zanzibar, Malindi, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Entebbe, Mombasa and now Lodwar (northern Kenya). 540 is an excellent option for independent travelers, you can book online and they e-mail your tickets. Now there's progress.

If only they can figure out a direct flight to East Africa from the US. Ethiopia is the only destination in the region with an "open skies" agreement, but you still have a stop in Rome along the way. Uganda just signed an agreement this week with the FAA but we'll have to wait to see if Entebbe can meet the various conditions required before any flights are actually scheduled.

More About: African Airlines l African Airports l East Africa

_{Image - © 540 Africa's Low-cost Airline}