FOOD
This legendary West African rice dish is the subject of a massive, friendly rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana regarding who cooks it best.
Jollof Rice
Designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi in 1959, this West African nation's flag features a clean, three-vertical-stripe layout of green, white, and green.
Nigeria
Prior to being sworn in as Nigeria's 16th president, this veteran politician famously used the Yoruba campaign slogan “Èmi lókàn”, which translates to "It’s my turn."
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Spanning across North Africa, this is the largest hot desert in the world, covering an area roughly the size of the entire United States.
The Sahara Desert
The globally viral electronic music genre and dance style known as Amapiano originated in this country.
South Africa
Made from boiled and pounded yams, cassava, or plantains, this starchy staple is meant to be swallowed rather than chewed.
Fufu (or Pounded Yam)
Heavily inspired by the U.S. flag to show its historical ties, this nation's flag has 11 red and white stripes and a single white star in a blue canton
Liberia
This young Nigerian superstar took the world by storm with his global mega-hit Calm Down, which became the highest-charting African song of all time on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart.
Rema
This historic river is the longest in the world, flowing northward through eleven different African countries before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile River
In this country, waist beads are a massive part of a young woman's traditional puberty rite of passage ceremony known as Dipo, which celebrates her entrance into womanhood.
Ghana
This comforting, rich green soup is made from ground melon seeds and leafy vegetables, and it is arguably the most popular soup paired with fufu in Nigeria.
Egusi Soup
This East African nation features a traditional Maasai warrior shield superimposed over crossed spears right in the center of its black, red, and green flag
Kenya
This Nigerian megastar and pioneer of the modern Afrobeats wave achieved massive global success with his 2020 anthem Essence featuring Tems.
Wizkid
Known for its massive traffic, vibrant nightlife, and tech hub status, this city is the most populous metropolis in Nigeria and all of Africa.
Lagos
The vividly colorful, geometric, hand-woven silk and cotton fabric known as Kente cloth originated from this West African nation.
Ghana
This sweet, deep-fried dough ball is a beloved snack across West Africa
Puff Puff (or Buns/Bofrot/Mikate)
To show their tight bond at the time of independence, Ghana famously patterned its flag with the Pan-African colors of red, gold, and green, anchored by this specific symbol in the very center
The Black Star
Signed to Mavin Records alongside Rema, this Grammy-nominated Nigerian songstress is globally known as "Sabi Girl" and topped charts with her hit song Rush.
Ayra Starr
This towering dormant volcano in Tanzania is the highest mountain in Africa, drawing thousands of hikers from around the globe every year.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Boasting historical ties to the United States, this nation is the oldest modern republic in Africa (founded in 1847) and features a capital city named after the 5th U.S. President, James Monroe.
Liberia
This incredibly popular street food consists of spicy, grilled meat skewers (usually beef or chicken) coated in a peanut-based spice rub called yaji.
Suya
Emblazoned with a soapstone bird silhouette, this southern African nation's flag uniquely features a vertical white strip on the left containing a red five-pointed star.
Zimbabwe
This world-famous anti-apartheid revolutionary and global icon served as South Africa's first Black president from 1994 to 1999
Nelson Mandela
This majestic geological wonder, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the world's largest waterfalls and is locally called Mosi-oa-Tunya ("The Smoke That Thunders").
Victoria Falls
Founded in 1792 as a sanctuary for freed African American slaves, this West African nation's capital city, Freetown, is home to a famous, centuries-old Cotton Tree that stands as a historic symbol of freedom.
Sierra Leone