EFD June 2023

How many countries are in Africa?

• 45

• 54

• 63

• 72

Answer explanation

There are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics).

Which is Africa's longest river?

(a)  

Answer explanation

The Nile River, or the Nile-Kagera, is Africa’s longest river at 6,853 km in total. Kagera is an East African river which forms an upper part of the river Nile’s headwaters.

How many countries in Africa does the River Nile flow through?

(a)  

Answer explanation

Countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan

This feline is the largest of Africa’s cats, spending its days lounging in the sun. It hunts big game such as zebra and wildebeest during early morning and evening hours:

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Answer explanation

Lions are the kings of the African savanna. A full-grown male weighs an average of 420 pounds. Leopards and cheetahs weigh two to four times less than their regal cousin. The caracal is a medium-sized African cat with long, black-tufted ears and weighs about 26 pounds

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Which is the largest island in Africa?

• • Cape Verde Islands

• • Madagascar

• • Tunisia Island

• • Mauritius

Answer explanation

It has a total area of 587,040 square kilometres (226,660 sq mi) with 581,540 square kilometres (224,530 sq mi) of land and 5,500 square kilometres (2,100 sq mi) of water. Madagascar is the fourth largest island and the 2nd largest island country in the world.

What is the most widely spoken language in Africa?

• Shona

• French

• Portuguese

• Arabic

Answer explanation

Arabic is also used by people in countries like Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Tunisia and Eritrea.

Arabic is one of the six most spoken languages in the world!

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Lake Victoria, the biggest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake in the world, is bordered with which countries?

• Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

• Congo, Namibia, Zambia

• Ghana, Cameroon, Lesotho

• Ghana, Kenya, Congo

Answer explanation

Lake Victoria, also called Victoria Nyanza, largest lake in Africa and chief reservoir of the Nile, lying mainly in Tanzania and Uganda but bordering on Kenya.

What is the difference between cheetahs and leopards?

• Leopards are heavier and bulkier

• Cheetahs are faster

• All of the above

• Another answer

Answer explanation

Leopards are heavier and bulkier. They are powerful tree-climbing big cats with shorter legs and bigger heads.

Cheetahs are slinkier, more lightweight cats than leopards. Their build is suited to sprinting after prey at high speeds.

Which publication considered Africa as “a hopeless continent” in 2000 and then “a hopeful continent” in 2011?

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Answer explanation

The cover of The Economist in 2000 was, 'The hopeless continent. ' It was changed to 'Africa Rising' in 2011.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

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CCSS.RI.9-10.10

Does Africa have penguins?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation

The African penguin is the only penguin species that occurs off the coast of Africa, and it is endemic to the coast of southern Africa, from Hollams Bird Island, near the central Namibian coast, to Algoa Bay off the coast of the Eastern Cape, South Africa