Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Monday, July 21, 2014

Ivory Coast


We just learned about the African country of Cameroon.

Another African country is Ivory Coast.

The Ivory Coast is a country on the West coast of Africa, right on the Atlantic Ocean.
ivory coast
(from: wikipedia - ivory coast)

The flag of the Ivory Coast is three vertical stripes. Orange for the land, white for peace, and green for hope and the forest.

This flag is interesting, because it is just like the flag of Ireland, except Irelands is green-white-orange instead of orange-white-green. flag of ivory coast
(from: wikipedia - flag of ivory coast)

To eat in the Ivory Coast, you might have yassa, which is a spicy food cooked with onions and lemons.
yassa
(from: wikipedia - yassa (food))

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a huge church in the town of Yamoussoukro.
basilica of our lady of peace of yamoussoukro
(from: wikipedia - basilica of our lady of peace of yamoussoukro)

The Ivory Coast was given it's name because they used to sell lots of ivory there. Ivory is made from the tusks of elephants and other animals.
In the past many things were made from ivory, like piano keys. We now have new ways to make piano keys, and we know that killing elephants for their tusks is wrong, so it is against the law to kill elephants for their tusks.
elephant
(from: wikipedia - elephant)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Norway

Monday, July 14, 2014

Cameroon


Cameroon is a country in Africa on the West coast, right on the Pacific Ocean.
cameroon
(from: wikipedia - cameroon)

Just like Ghana, the Cameroon flag has the colors green, red and yellow..
These are sometimes known as the Pan African colors, and countries in Africa share them to show that they are all together in Africa.

The flag has a green stripe for the forests, a red stripe for unity (which means working together), a yellow stripe for the sun and desert, and a yellow star in the middle which also stands for unity.
cameroon flag
(from: wikipedia - flag of cameroon)

To eat in Cameroon you might have ndolé, which is a stew of nuts, bitter leaves, and fish or beef.
ndole
(from: wikipedia - ndolé)

There is an active volcano called Mount Cameroon that erupts from time to time. The last time it erupted was in 2012.
mount cameroon
(from: wikipedia - mount cameroon)

A musical instrument in Cameroon is called the Bamileke drum.
bamileke tamtam
(from: wikipedia - bamileke)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Greece

Monday, July 7, 2014

Madagascar


We just learned about the African country of Mozambique.

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the Southeast coast of Africa.
madagascar
(from: wikipedia - madagascar)

The flag of Madagascar is white, red and green.
The red and white are for an old kingdom called the Merina kingdom, and the green was the color of the poor people in the country.
flag of madagascar
(from: wikipedia - flag of madagascar)

To eat in Madagascar you might have voanjobory sy henakisoa, which is a type of groundnut cooked with pork.
voanjobory sy henakisoa
(from: wikipedia - malagasy cuisine)

A musical instrument in Madagascar is called the valiha, which is like a long tube with guitar strings strapped to the outside of it, that you play like a guitar.
valiha
(from: wikipedia - valiha)

In Madagascar they have a custom called famadihana, where every seven years families dig up the bodies of their famiy members who died long ago, wrap them in fresh cloth, then dance around their burial tombs.

famadihana
(from: wikipedia - famadihana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Poland

Monday, June 30, 2014

Mozambique


We just learned about the country of Ghana.

Mozambique is a country in Africa on the Southeast part of the continent, right on the Indian Ocean.
mozambique map
(from: wikipedia - mozambique)

The flag of Mozambique has stripes of green, white, black, white, yellow.
The green stands for the riches of the land, the white is peace, the black is the African continent and the yellow is the country's minerals.

There is a red triangle that stands for the country's fight for freedom, a gun that stands for defense, a book that stands for learning, a garden hoe that stands for farming, and a star that stands for their government.
flag of mozambique
(from: wikipedia - flag of mozambique)

There are many fruit farms in Mozambique, so a big part of every meal is fresh fruit like mangoes.
mango
(from: wikipedia - mango)

Since Mozambique is on the ocean, it has some beautiful beaches like Ponta Do Ouro which means Point of Gold.
ponta do ouro
(from: wikipedia - ponta do ouro)

Some of the people in Mozambique have dances they do to scare away evil spirits, and they paint their faces like a scary mask.
mozambique mask
(from: wikipedia - mozambique)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Italy

Monday, June 23, 2014

Ghana


We just learned about the country of Uganda.

Ghana is a country in Africa on the West side of the continent, on the Atlantic Ocean.
Ghana's motto is Freedom and Justice
ghana map
(from: wikipedia - ghana)

The flag of Ghana has horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green, with a black star in the middle.
The red, yellow and green colors are also on many other flags of countries in Africa.
The red is for the blood of the people who died fighting for freedom, the yellow is for the gold and other minerals that make a lot of money for the country, and the green is for the forests and nature of the country.
The black star is for the freedom of the African people.
The Ghana soccer team is nicknamed the black stars because of their flag.
flag of ghana
(from: wikipedia - flag of ghana)

To eat in Ghana you might have koobi, which is salted dry tilapia fish.
koobi
(from: wikipedia - ghanaian cuisine)

The Kintampo Waterfalls are a popular place for tourists to go visit.
kintampo waterfalls
(from: wikipedia - kintampo waterfalls)

A special type of dance and music in Ghana is called kpanlogo, and uses a special type of drum.
It was created by young people who liked American rock and roll, and wanted to create their own type of music.
kpanlogo
(from: wikipedia - kpanlogo (drum))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Scotland

Monday, June 16, 2014

Uganda


We just learned about the African country of Algeria.

Uganda is a small country in the middle of Southern Africa, just West of Kenya.
uganda
(from: wikipedia - uganda)

The Ugandan country motto is For God and My Country.

Uganda's flag is has six stripes, in a black yellow red pattern.
The black color represents the African people, the yellow is Africa's sunshine, and the red is the blood through which all Africans are connected.
In the middle of the flag is the grey crowned crane, which is a bird famous for its gentle nature.
uganda flag
(from: wikipedia - flag of uganda)

To eat in Uganda you might have Nsenene, which is cooked fried katydids, or maybe Nswaa which is fried termites!
nsenene
(from: wikipedia - tettigoniidae)
termites
(from: wikipedia - termite)


The Rwenzori Mountain range in Uganda is the highest mountain range in Africa.
rwenzori mountains
(from: wikipedia - rwenzori mountains)

One type of music in Uganda is called Kadongo Kamu, which means little guitar.
kadongo kamu
(from: wikipedia - barnard kabanda)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ireland

Monday, June 9, 2014

Algeria


We just learned about the country of Kenya
Algeria is a country in Africa on the North of the continent just east of Morocco, and on the Mediterranean sea.
algeria map
(from: wikipedia - algeria)

The flag of Algeria is green and white, with a red crescent and star in the middle.
The green stands for the beauty of nature, the white for peace, the red for the blood of those who died fighting for the country, and the star and crescent represent the muslim people of Algeria.
flag of algeria
(from: wikipedia - flag of algeria)

To eat in Algeria you might have chakhchoukha, which is small pieces of flatbread mixed with a meat and vegetable stew.
chakhchoukha
(from: wikipedia - chakhchoukha)


Claude Cohen Tannoudji is a famous scientist who was born in Algeria.
He won a nobel prize for his scientific work with lasers and atoms.

claude cohen tannoudji
(from: wikipedia - claude cohen tannoudji)

There is an ancient Roman theater in Algeria, in a town called Djémila.

djemila roman theater
(from: wikipedia - djemila)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: England

Monday, June 2, 2014

Kenya


We just learned about the African country of Morocco.

Kenya is a country in Africa on the Eastern border, right on the Indian Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - kenya)

The motto of Kenya is "Harambee" which means ""Let us all pull together".
The flag's colors are black for the people of the Republic of Kenya, red for the blood shed by the people who fought for their independence, green for the plants and the land, white for peace and honesty, and the shield for the defense of all things peace and honesty.
kenyan flag
(from: wikipedia - flag of kenya)

A very common food in Kenya is sukuma wiki. It looks a lot like lettuce, and is often called collard greens.
sukuma wiki
(from: wikipedia - sukuma wiki)

President Barack Obama's father was originally from Kenya, before he moved to Hawaii for college.

barack obama sr
(from: wikipedia - barack obama, sr.)

The second largest lake in the world is Lake Victoria, in Kenya.
lake victoria
(from: wikipedia - lake victoria)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Germany

Monday, May 26, 2014

Morocco


We just learned about the country of Sudan.

Morocco is a country in Africa on the Northwest part of the continent, right on the Atlantic Ocean.
morocco
(from: wikipedia - morocco)

To eat in Morocco you might have couscous, which is a type of steamed wheat with meat and vegetables.
couscous
(from: wikipedia - moroccan cuisine)

A famous author named Leo Africanus was from Morocco. He wrote an important book about the geography of Northern Africa.
leo africanus
(from: wikipedia - leo africanus)

On the North part of Morocco, there is an area of land that comes very close to the South part of the country of Spain.
It is so close that on a clear day you can see across the water to the other country on the continent of Europe.
This water passage is called the Strait of Gibraltar, and it connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
strait of gibraltar
(from: wikipedia - strait of gibraltar)

The highest mountain peak in North Africa is Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains.

(from: wikipedia - toubkal)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spain

Monday, May 19, 2014

Sudan


We just learned about the country of Tanzania.

Sudan is a country on the Northeast part of Africa, just South of Egypt.

sudan
(from: wikipedia - sudan)

To eat in Sudan you might have some type of meat stew with lots of spices.
sudan cuisine
(from: wikipedia - sudanese cuisine)

Manute Bol was a basketball player from Sudan who was 7 feet 7 inches tall, one of the tallest basketball players ever.
manute bol
(from: wikipedia - manute bol)

In the city of Kerma, there are some ancient towers called deffufa that were built by people thousands of years ago.
deffufa
(from: wikipedia - kerma)

A group of people known as the Dervish have a dance that they do where they spin around a lot. Because of this they are sometimes called a whirling dervish.
whirling dervish
(from: wikipedia - dervish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: France