Africa on Pitara Kids Network

Why is a Hippopotamus called a River Horse?

Fri, 20 Apr 2001 05:14:49 +0000

Among Africa’s unusual creatures is a barrel-shaped gigantic animal, the hippopotamus (plural hippopotami). The hippo is the third largest land animal after the elephant and the rhino. Slightly smaller but heavier than a white rhino, a hippo can weigh nearly 1,800 kg. The animal is huge and barrel shaped nearly 12 feet long and five feet at its shoulder, with a short thick neck and small ears.

Hippos, or to use their biological name, hippopotamus amphibious literally means ‘river horse’. Recent DNA (a test for genes) has revealed that the hippo is more closely related to cetaceans (whales and dolphins) than to any other artiodactyls (even-toed hoofed mammal).

Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi

Sun, 18 Nov 2001 05:47:10 +0000

Thinker, statesman and nationalist leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi not only led his own country to independence but also influenced political activists of many persuasions throughout the world with his methods and philosophy of nonviolent confrontation, or civil disobedience.

Born in Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2, 1869, his actions inspired the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore to call him “Mahatma” (“great soul”). For him, the universe was regulated by a Supreme Intelligence or Principle, which he preferred to call satya (Truth) and, as a concession to convention, God.

Why is the Mediterranean Sea Blue?

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 02:23:58 +0000

We know that about seventy one per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. The earth’s three main Oceans are the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is a great mass of water that separates Europe and Africa from America. It is shaped like a great hour-glass-with a ‘waist’ where Africa and South America bulge out towards each other. Although in area it is less than half the Pacific, it has many ‘secondary’ seas, such as the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Why are Zebras Striped?

Sat, 09 Nov 2002 16:23:19 +0000

As a child I was always full of questions. I remember asking my parents why zebras were striped or why did giraffes have such a long neck. Most of the time the answers were elusive and I used to be very irritated. I could never get the right answer to satisfy my curiosity. I now realize why my parents could not give me a concrete answer. You see I happened to be in the same dilemma when my three-year-old daughter asked me the same question! I was faced with the difficult task of giving her half-baked answers or finding the right answers this time.

How Many Kinds of Rhinos are There?

Thu, 19 Oct 2000 02:17:34 +0000

A modern day rhino or rhinoceros looks pretty much like its ancestor that existed on earth more than 30 million years ago.

Its status as an animal “biggie” hasn’t changed much either. The ancestors of the modern-day rhinoceros – the 4 feet tall Uintatherium and the 15 feet high Indricotherium – were the largest land mammals ever. Today’s rhino is the largest living land mammal, after the African elephant, in terms of size and weight.

Nelson Mandela

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 04:55:26 +0000

Nelson Rohihlahla Mandela, b. July 18, 1918, was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Trained as an attorney, he helped form the Youth League of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944. In 1961 he abandoned peaceful protest and became head of the ANC’s new military wing. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964, Mandela came to symbolize black political aspirations and was named head of the ANC after his release on Feb. 11, 1990. He and F. W. de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating South Africa’s peaceful transition to multiracial democracy. After the ANC victory in the April 1994 elections, Mandela worked to ease racial tensions, court foreign investment, and provide services to the victims of apartheid.

A New Camel Specie Discovered

Fri, 27 Sep 2002 10:39:55 +0000

Have you ever sat on a camel? Well, if you have, then you know how scary it is when the camel rises on its long wobbly legs. The rocking motion of a camel is a bit like a ship being tossed around in heaving seas. Small wonder then that the camel is often called the ship of the desert. Actually, the name owes its origins to the fact that camels were brought from the desert, to serve as beasts of burden in other countries.

Is the Red Colobus monkey extinct?

Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:37:01 +0000

Unbelievable but true! A large West African monkey has simply vanished from the earth. It has joined the Dodo, by becoming the first primate to vanish in the 20th century. After a six-year long survey, scientists and wildlife experts have declared the monkey, known as Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus monkey, extinct.

Primatologists (people who study the evolution of apes and monkeys) carried out exhaustive surveys in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, in Africa, but failed to spot a single monkey of the species. The last confirmed sighting of a Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus was over 20 years ago in Ghana’s rainforest. Soon after, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) declared the mammals endangered.

The Frog King

Wed, 28 Mar 2001 18:56:40 +0000

In a large marshy swamp in South Africa lived a colony of frogs – happy frogs. The marsh was surrounded by tall weeds, dirt and muck, which attracted lots of flies. Every moment was mealtime for the frogs. It was a happy life, all fun and play.

Leapfrog was their favourite game. The younger frogs were dared to jump over a line of frogs from one end to the other end. Each time a young one managed to clear the jump, she or he would be added to the line — until the jumper fell on the last one, when the game ended.

Rhinoceros: On the Comeback Trail

Thu, 25 Jul 2002 00:49:30 +0000

Next to the tusk-bearing elephants, rhinos are the other large animals heavily targeted by poachers. Rhinos are poached for their horns and these are sold in the black market at astonishing prices.

Since 1977, trade in rhino horn has been banned but poachers and smugglers still hunt and kill these gentle creatures to meet the demands of the rhino horn in markets in Central Asia and the Far East.

For some years now, rhinos have been high on the endangered list. Thankfully, things are looking a lot brighter both for the African white, and for the greater one-horned Asian rhino (more commonly known as the Indian rhino).

A Battle Well Fought

Thu, 06 May 2004 12:28:34 +0000

June 2: In the war against AIDS, they don’t come any tougher than Xolani Nkosi, better known as Nkosi Johnson since his adoption by a white family. In his short life, he had become one of South Africa’s youngest and boldest campaigners fighting for the rights of AIDS affected people to be accepted by society.

At 5:40 am on June 1, he finally lost the battle. Now, there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him. The virus had damaged his brain, making him unable to speak or eat.

Where are the Children?

Sat, 22 Mar 2003 13:58:04 +0000

Where are the Children? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

April 21: Slavery was banned in south America several decades ago. But in west and central Africa, it still continues. Now, child slaves from poor African countries are being sold to the rich African countries.

Poor families sell their children to work for almost nothing in Gabon, a country in west Africa. Gabon is rich in oil. Despite international efforts to stop this trade, it continues, reports The Asian Age newspaper.

Squirrelling it Away

Mon, 05 Mar 2001 23:30:19 +0000

Chimpu and his grandfather had gone to the park for an evening walk. After Chimpu had played with his friends for over an hour, he came back sweating and tired, to sit beside his grandfather at the park bench. There he found his grandfather throwing peanuts, brought from home, to the scampering squirrels at his feet.

In fact, bushy-tailed squirrels are a common sight in the city’s parks and gardens. This frisky little rodent is constantly scampering around, and it is indeed rare to come across one perfectly still.

IPL Cricket Out of India in Second Season

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:26:44 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

March 24, 2009 : The second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will now be held in South Africa. IPL is a creation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is a Twenty20 cricket competition, in which each team plays just 20 overs in a game, and each innings takes around 75 minutes to play. The second season was to have been held at different locations in India, just like the first, hugely successful one last year.

Mending Fences

Sun, 03 Jun 2001 08:29:08 +0000

August 19: South Africa is all set to sign an important agreement with its two neighbours – Zimbabwe and Mozambique. If all goes well, this agreement will help create the largest animal reserve or wildlife park in the world. The fences separating the national parks in the border region of each country will be removed and tourists and animals alike will be free to cross over.

Millions of antelopes, almost 20,000 elephants and many, many animals on the endangered list can be found in this region. Environmentalists say that the animals will increase in number once the fences, preventing free movement, are removed.

Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana Steps Down

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:01:43 +0000

Where: Antananarivo, Madagascar

March 17, 2009 : President Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar stepped down as troops seized control of his offices and the presidential residence. Mr. Andry Rajoelina declared himself president with the support of military forces. He rejected Mr Ravalomanana’s offer of a referendum to solve the crisis and called for his arrest. He also announced that there would be a new constitution and elections in the next 24 months.

Navy admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson confirmed that the military was backing Mr. Rajoelina as ‘president of the high transitional authority’. Mr. Rajoelina, a former disc jockey, was sacked as mayor of the capital city Antananarivo in February. As mayor, he had organised protests against rising food prices and government corruption. Thousands of people took to the streets at the time and engaged in violent conflict with government forces.

The Cullinan, once the largest uncut diamond, was discovered in South Afric...

Fri, 03 Dec 2004 18:07:02 +0000

Not all rivers end up in an ocean. The rivers flowing south from the Tassil...

Thu, 03 Jun 2004 23:55:36 +0000

In 1925 Sauer, a Dobermann Pinsher, tracked two thieves 160 km (100 miles) ...

Sat, 02 Mar 2002 15:59:36 +0000

Wheatears living in Greenland are larger than those found further south. Be...

Fri, 02 Feb 2001 01:58:13 +0000