Tanzania

We just learned about the African country of South Africa.

Tanzania is a country in Africa on the eastern border of the continent, right on the Indian Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - tanzania)

To eat in Tanzania you might have ugali which is corn flower mixed with water and cooked to be like a dough.

(from: wikipedia - ugali)

Freddie Mercury, who was the lead singer from the band Queen was born in Tanzania, his name when he was born was Farrokh Bulsara.

(from: wikipedia - freddie mercury)

The Ngorongo Crater is the largest crater in the world. It was formed when a large volcano collapsed.

(from: wikipedia - ngorongoro crater)

Tingatinga is a painting style from Tanzania of small bright paintings on hard wood, usually made to sell to tourists.

(from: wikipedia - tingatinga (painting))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: South American Islands

South Africa

We just learned about the country of Democratic Republic of Congo.

South Africa is a country on the south part of the continent of Africa on the Pacific and Indian oceans.

(from: wikipedia - south africa)

To eat in South Africa you might have chakalaka, which is a kind of vegetable stew.

(from: wikipedia - chakalaka)

Nelson Mandela was a very famous person from Africa who helped lead the African people toward peace and equality.

(from: wikipedia - nelson mandela)

Cape Town is a famous city in South Africa, with many natural wonders to see.

(from: wikipedia - cape town)

There many wild animals in South Africa, and people often go on trips there just to see the animals like the giraffes.

(from: wikipedia - south african giraffe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana

Democratic Republic of the Congo

We just learned about the country of Egypt.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (sometimes just called DR Congo) has the fourth most people of any country in Africa, and is the second largest by size.

(from: wikipedia - democratic republic of the congo)

To eat in DR Congo you might have Fufu, which is smashed up boiled yams, usually served with a dipping sauce like peanut soup.

(from: wikipedia - congolese cuisine)

Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka from DR Congo played football at the University of Michigan.

(from: wikipedia - michigan wolverines)

Mount Nyiragongo in DR Congo is an active stratovolcano with a lava lake.

(from: wikipedia - mount nyiragongo)

The DR Congo has a very large rain forest that is a great natural resource. It is over 13,000 square miles!

(from: wikipedia - salonga national park)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peru and Ecuador

Egypt

Let's keep learning about the countries in the continent of Africa.
Last time we learned about Ethiopia.

Now let's learn about Egypt.
Egypt is on the Northeast part of the continent, and it is the only country in Africa that is connected to the continent of Asia, where it borders Israel.


(from: wikipedia - egypt)

To eat in Egypt you might have a dish called Kushari, which is rice, macaroni, lentils, tomato sauce, spaghetti, chickpeas and fried onions.

(from: wikipedia - kushari)

A very famous actor from Egypt was Omar Sharif. He won several awards for his movies.

(from: wikipedia - omar sharif)

The sphinx and pyramids are ancient stone buildings that people made over 4,000 years ago for the Pharaohs who were like kings long ago.

(from: wikipedia - great sphinx of giza)

Ancient Egyptians used pictures to write their words, and we call these heiroglyphics which means something like sacred carvings. They would very often carve these pictures into walls of buildings for their writing.

(from: wikipedia - egyptian hieroglyphs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chile and Bolivia

Ethiopia

Let's keep learning about the countries in the continent of Africa. Last time we learned about Nigeria.
The second largest country in Africa is Ethiopia. It is on the Northeast part of Africa, near the Indian Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - ethiopia)

To eat in Ethiopia you might have Injera, which is a type of bread usually served with some dipping sauces.

(from: wikipedia - injera)

There are many old instruments made throughout different parts of Ethiopia, like the masinko or kirar, which are string instruments like a guitar.

(from: wikipedia - music of ethiopia)

In a town called Lalibela, there are some large churches that were carved out of the rock.

(from: wikipedia - lalibela)

One of the things Ethopia is known for is making coffee.

(from: wikipedia - coffee production in ethiopia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Uruguay and Paraguay

Nigeria

We've learned about countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

Let's move on to the continent of Africa!

The country with the most people in Africa is called Nigeria.


(from: wikipedia - nigeria)

To eat in Nigeria you might have suya, which is a spicy barbecued meat on a stick.

(from: wikipedia - suya)

Hakeem Olajuwon was a basketball player from Nigeria, that came to the US to play basketball. He was 7 feet tall, and had the most blocked shots of any basketball player ever with 3,830!

(from: wikipedia - hakeem olajuwon)

There are many wild animals in Nigeria, like the elephants in the Yankari National Park.

(from: wikipedia - yankari national park)

A special musical instrument in Nigeria is called the Ekwe, it is like a hollowed out log that is used as a drum.

(from: wikipedia - ekwe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Argentina

Asia - Many Countries

Even though we've covered 22 different countries in Asia, we're not even half way through all of them!

There are some very small countries that are just the size of a city!

Here is a list of 49 countries in Asia!

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste/East Timor, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Asia is the largest continent, so it's no surprise it has so many countries!

(from: wikipedia - list of sovereign states and dependent territories in asia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Columbia

Sri Lanka

We just learned about the country of Lebanon.

Sri Lanka is a small country in Asia, just South of India.

(from: wikipedia - sri lanka)

To eat in Sri Lanka, you might have kiribath, which is a kind of rice pudding made with coconut milk.

(from: wikipedia - kiribath)

Cyril Ponnamperuma was a famous scientist from Sri Lanka that came to the United States to work on the space program at NASA.

(from: wikipedia - cryil ponnamperuma)

Hundreds of years ago, a king built a palace inside a giant stone mountain, called Sigiriya.

(from: wikipedia - sigiriya)

The most popular sport in Sri Lanka is called cricket. It is a little like baseball, but the bat is much larger like a paddle.

(from: wikipedia - cricket)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Brazil

Lebanon

Lebanon is a small country in the Middle East in Asia, West of Syria.

(from: wikipedia - lebanon)

To eat in Lebanon you might have kibbeh nayyeh, which is uncooked lamb meat with spices.

(from: wikipedia - kibbeh nayyeh)

A famous poet from Lebanon was Khalil Gibran. He was the third best selling poet of all time.

(from: wikipedia - khalil gibran)

One of the largest ancient buildings is in the city of Baalbeck, a place called the Temple of Bacchus.

(from: wikipedia - temple of bacchus)

Through history, the cedar trees that grew in Lebanon were very important for making buildings, ships and even medicine. The cedar trees in Lebanon are still a symbol of the nation today.

(from: wikipedia - cedrus libani)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caribean Islands

Syria

We just learned about the country of Jordan.

Syria is a country in the Middle East in Asia, in between Turkey and Iraq.

(from: wikipedia - syria)

To eat in Syria, you might have some hummus which is a kind of dip people usually eat with pita bread.

(from: wikipedia - hummus)

The first woman to serve on the Supreme Court was Rosemary Barkett. Her parents were from Syria, and they migrated to the US when she was young.

(from: wikipedia - rosemary barkett)

In the city of Bosra there is an ancient arena called a coliseum where people could speak to large groups of people.

(from: wikipedia - bosra)

In the city of Hama there are giant waterwheels call norias, that were used to bring water from the river into the town.

(from: wikipedia - norias of hama)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Greenland

Jordan

Jordan is a country in the Middle East in Asia, in between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

(from: wikipedia - jordan)

For a meal in Jordan you might have mansaf, which is lamb with yogurt and rice.

(from: wikipedia - mansaf)

Daoud Hanania is a famous surgeon in Jordan, and was the first to perform heart surgery in the country.
(from: wikipedia - daoud hanania)

A very famous tomb was carved out of a mountain in a place called Petra.

(from: wikipedia - al khazneh)

There is an ancient place in Jordan called Bethabara that people believe is the place where John the Baptist brought people to be baptized.

(from: wikipedia - bethabara)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Central American Countries