The New Childrens Encyclopedia

FARMING

About 60 percent of African workers

are subsistence farmers, farming their

own land and growing crops such as

barley, cassava, corn, sorghum, and

sweet potatoes to feed their families.

Many also produce “cash crops,” such

as coffee, which are sold to make

money. Larger farms usually grow

cotton, cocoa, or rubber as cash crops.

FOOD

The main ingredients of most

African dishes are the staple crops

grown on local farms—corn,

cassava, yams, rice, beans—along

with various green vegetables.

One popular dish eaten across

West Africa is Jollof rice. It is

made from rice with tomatoes,

onions, spices, and chili, all

cooked in one pot, and is often

served with cooked meat or fish.

MUSIC

Most African music features

complex rhythms, created

through patterns of drumbeats.

African musicians also play flutes,

xylophones, and stringed

instruments.

WILDLIFE

Africa is famous for its zebras,

giraffes, lions, and other large

animals. But it is also home to

many other creatures, from the

500 different species of fish that

live in Lake Malawi to colonies

of penguins in South Africa.

TOURISM

Each year, about 3 million people

visit the ancient pyramids at Giza in

Egypt, making them Africa’s number

one tourist attraction. Many people

also travel to Africa to see the

continent’s spectacular wildlife.

INDUSTRY

The main African industries are

mining for gold, diamonds, and

copper, as well as oil production.

The biggest oil producers are

Nigeria and Libya.

Diamonds About half of all

diamonds come from southern

Africa, especially South Africa

and Botswana. The largest

diamond ever found, the

Cullinan, was mined in

South Africa in 1905.

TOURISM

LIFE IN AFRICA

141

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS

1

One of the toughest

races on Earth is the

Marathon des Sables

(Marathon of the

Sands), which takes

place each year in

Morocco. Entrants

run 156 miles

(254 km) across the

desert in six days.

2

Malaria is a huge

killer in Africa. Many

people die as a result of

mosquito bites, which

pass on this disease.

3

Many African children

don’t get the chance

to go to school. In Mali in

West Africa, for example,

only one out of every

three children goes to

elementary school.

4

At 4,184 miles

(6,695 km), the Nile is

the world’s longest river.

It flows north through

10 African countries.

5

The world’s five fastest

land animals are the

cheetah, pronghorn

antelope, wildebeest, lion,

and Thomson’s gazelle.

Four are found in Africa.

The pronghorn is native to

North America.

 MBIRA This

African instrument is

made of metal keys

set on a wooden

soundboard. The

musician plucks the

keys with his fingers.

CONTINENTS OF

THE WOLRD

Some places in Africa use wind pumps to

pump water from the ground, because many

areas are not connected to a national

electricity supply.