Fun Africa Facts (Nne)

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}