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.

(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.

(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.

(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.


(from: wikipedia - claude cohen tannoudji)

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


(from: wikipedia - djemila)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: England

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.

(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.

(from: wikipedia - sukuma wiki)

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


(from: wikipedia - barack obama, sr.)

The second largest lake in the world is Lake Victoria, in Kenya.

(from: wikipedia - lake victoria)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Germany

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.

(from: wikipedia - morocco)

To eat in Morocco you might have couscous, which is a type of steamed wheat with meat and vegetables.

(from: wikipedia - moroccan cuisine)

A famous author named Leo Africanus was from Morocco. He wrote an important book about the geography of Northern Africa.

(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.

(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

Sudan

We just learned about the country of Tanzania.

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


(from: wikipedia - sudan)

To eat in Sudan you might have some type of meat stew with lots of spices.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(from: wikipedia - dervish)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: France

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