Weird but True
Because it is an endorheic lake with no outlet, this hypersaline body of water on the border of Jordan and Israel allows swimmers to float effortlessly due to natural buoyancy.
What is the Dead Sea?
This chart-topping 2017 global smash hit by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee became a cultural phenomenon, breaking records as one of the most-watched videos in internet history.
What is Despacito?
Originating in the ancient Kaffa province of Ethiopia, this highly consumed global beverage bean was originally chewed by nomadic herders before being brewed as a hot drink.
What is Coffee?
Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, this devastating global conflict raged across Europe and parts of Africa from 1914 to 1918.
What is World War 1?
This British secret agent character, originally created by author Ian Fleming, has been featured in over 25 blockbuster global spy thrillers.
Who is James Bond?
This massive, structural geologic anomaly in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania looks like a giant bullseye from space, once thought to be an impact crater but now known to be a symmetrical rock dome.
What is the Richat Structure (or the Eye of the Sahara)?
This prestigious annual music competition, founded in 1956 to unite Europe after WWII, has launched global superstars like ABBA and Céline Dion, and attracts hundreds of millions of international viewers.
What is the Eurovision Song Contest?
This prized, aromatic spice—derived from the dried stigma of a specific crocus flower—is the most expensive culinary spice by weight in the world.
What is Saffron?
This historic 1884–1885 diplomatic meeting in Germany saw major European powers formally map out and regulate the colonial partition of the African continent.
What is the Berlin Conference?
This highly acclaimed 2019 South Korean satirical thriller, directed by Bong Joon-ho, made history by becoming the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
What is Parasite?
This central European nation is the only country in the world to have a flag that is completely square rather than rectangular.
What is Switzerland?
This record-breaking 2021 South Korean survival drama series became a global streaming phenomenon, dominating pop culture with its deadly takes on children's playground games.
What is Squid Game?
Made from fermented, nutrient-dense teff flour, this spongy, sourdough flatbread serves as the foundational base for almost every traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean meal.
What is Injera?
This ancient, sprawling network of Eurasian trade routes connected the commercial markets of China and Rome, facilitating the exchange of silk, spices, and philosophies.
What is the Silk Road?
Born in Senegal, this master filmmaker and author wrote and directed the 1975 masterpiece Xala and is globally revered as the "Father of African Cinema."
Who is Ousmane Sembène?
Discovered in Gabon, this underground geologic site is famous for hosting the world’s only known natural, self-sustaining nuclear fission reactors, which operated billions of years ago.
What is Oklo?
This iconic British virtual band, created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, achieved global pop success with a completely fictional, animated four-piece lineup.
Who are Gorillaz?
This popular North African staple dish consists of small, steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina, traditionally served with a rich meat or vegetable stew.
What is Couscous?
Declared in 1235 after the Battle of Kirina, this oral decree from the Mali Empire is one of the world's earliest known charters of human rights and federal governance.
What is the Kouroukan Fouga (or Manden Charter)?
This historic multi-day event, held biennially in Burkina Faso, is Africa's largest and most prestigious film festival, celebrating continental cinema since 1969.
What is FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou)?
To prevent the extinction of its unique flora and fauna, this island nation—which split from the African mainland 160 million years ago—enacts environmental laws protecting over 100 species of its endemic lemurs.
What is Madagascar?
Originating from South Africa in the 2020s, this vibrant electronic dance music genre—characterized by deep house basslines and distinct log-drum syncopation—crossed over to become a staple of the global club and festival scene.
What is Amapiano?
Originally developed by the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia, this vibrant, spiced one-pot rice dish cooked with tomatoes and onions has sparked a friendly, decades-long culinary rivalry across West Africa.
What is Jollof rice?
In 1896, Ethiopian military forces decisively defeated an invading European army at this historic battle, permanently securing Ethiopia's sovereignty during the colonial era.
What is the Battle of Adwa?
This celebrated 2005 South African crime drama film, directed by Gavin Hood and shot in Johannesburg, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
What is Tsotsi?