AFRICA - 1 - ANSWERS

1. B. Ethiopia

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa and is the longest river in Africa (6650 kilometres) whose drainage basin covers eleven countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of the Sudan, and Egypt.

(The confluence of Blue Nile and White Nile near Khartoum, Sudan)

The Nile has two major tributaries – the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile. The Blue Nile, however, is the source of most of the water, containing 80% of the water and silt. The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source in Burundi (Kagera River) (Though in 2010, an exploration party found a new source in the Nyungwe forest in Uganda, giving the Nile a length of 6,758 km). It flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and South Sudan. The Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet just north of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

(The city of Cairo, Egypt on river Nile)

The northern section of the river flows north almost entirely through the Sudanese desert to Egypt, then ends in a large delta and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Egyptian civilization and Sudanese kingdoms have depended on the river since ancient times. Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along river banks.

2. A. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

(Emblem of African Union)

The African Union (AU), a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa, was announced in the "Sirte Declaration" in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the "Organisation of African Unity" (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

3. C. Mauritius

"Aapravasi Ghat" (The Immigration Depot) is a building complex located in Port Louis on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, the first British colony to receive indentured, or contracted, labour workforce from India. From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through the Immigration Depot, to be transported to plantations throughout the British Empire. The large-scale migration of the labourers left an indelible mark on the societies of many former British colonies, with Indians constituting a substantial proportion of their national populations. In Mauritius alone, 68 percent of the current total population is of Indian ancestry. The Immigration Depot has thus become an important reference point in the history and cultural identity of Mauritius.

The Immigration Depot's role in social history was recognized by UNESCO when it was declared a World Heritage Site in 2006.

4. C. Mozambique

The current National flag of Mozambique was adopted on 1 May 1983. It includes the image of an AK-47 with a bayonet attached to the barrel crossed by a hoe, superimposed on an open book. It is one of four national flags among UN member states that features a firearm, along with those of "Guatemala", "Haiti" and "Bolivia".

The "Green" colour in the flag stands for the "riches of the land", the "white" signifies "peace", the "black" represents the "African continent", the "yellow" symbolises the "country's minerals", and the "red" represents the "struggle for independence". The "rifle" stands for "defence and vigilance", the "open book" symbolises the "importance of education", the "hoe" represents the "country's agriculture", and the "star" symbolises "Marxism and internationalism".

5. A. Nigeria

General Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian statesman and military general who served as the head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998.

He was also Chief of Army Staff between 1985 to 1990; Chief of Defence Staff between 1990 to 1993; and Minister of Defence. In 1993, Abacha became the first Nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full military general without skipping a single rank. Abacha is also the first and only military head of state to have taken part in all the military coups in Nigeria.

His rule saw the achievement of several economic feats and also recorded human rights abuses including suppression of press. After his death corruption allegations marred the unprecedented growth rates and indices recorded by his administration.