Hedgehogs of Africa

The family Erinaceindae contains hedgehogs and is divided into two sub-families: Erinaceinae, the spiny hedgehogs and Galericinae, the hairy hedgehogs. There are 16 known species of the spiny variety and 8 of the hairy type. Aside from the absence of spines, hairy hedgehogs have longer muzzles and slightly longer legs. The hairy hedgehogs are primarily found in the high wooded areas of Southeast Asia; an area void of the spiny variety. There are no species of hedgehogs native to Australia or the Americas.

Despite their awkward appearance, hedgehogs are versatile. They are able to climb fences and walls with relative ease and speed. With five clawed toes, they are efficient diggers; several species dig nest burrows. Hedgehogs are also competent swimmers; African species found in arid regions without rivers have shown remarkable abilities when crossing water.

As insectivores, hedgehogs feed on beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, and earwigs, but they are not picky in their foraging habits. 

The hedgehogs depicted are the Algerian hedgehog, Atelerix algirus, the Southern African hedgehog, Atelerix frontalis and the Ethiopian hedgehog also known as the desert hedgehog, Paraechinus aethiopicus.

Arsiniotherium - Ethiopia

The “Omo Remains” refers to a collection of bones excavated by archaeologists between 1967 and 1974. These remains are the earliest known finds of the first anatomically modern humans emerging from Africa, an event estimated as having occurred in the middle of the Paleolithic era, over 200,000 years ago.

- - - - -

Arsinoitherium - Arsinoitherium was a dinosaur dating from the late Eocene and the early Oligocene epochs; 30 to 36 million years ago. It could be found in Northern Africa, a time when the region featured a tropical environment. Arsinoitherium resembles a rhinoceros in appearance, but is more closely related to the elephant. With two large horns sprouting from its head and another pair of knobby horns directly behind the larger ones, this robust animal was solidly built and presented a tough challenge to any predator.

Coffee - Ethiopia

Coffea arabica - There are several species of plants producing beans used for brewing coffee. The species Coffea arabica, native to Ethiopia, was the first to be cultivated by humans. The wild form of the plant is now rare in Ethiopia. A Coffea arabica shrub takes an average of three years to reach maturity and to begin producing fruit. Depending on each individual shrub, a coffee plant can produce .5 to 5 kilograms of beans; these beans are the seeds of the plant’s fruit.

- - - - -

The modern state of Ethiopia emerged with the ascent of Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913. He ceded control of Eritrea to Italy through the Treaty of Wuchale in 1889, but when Italy began violating the treaty, Menelik II repudiated the agreement and Italy declared war against Ethiopia. In a series of battles, Amba Alagi and Mekele, Ethiopia defeated Italy and a new peace was negotiated recognizing Italian claim to Eritrea and Ethiopia’s sovereignty against further Italian demands.

Historical Flags of Afrcia

The flag for the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros was used from 1996 until 2001. Since becoming independent from France in 1975, the flags of the Comoros have featured the crescent and four stars. The stars represent the number of island’s in the Comoros Archipelago. The Congo Free State existed from 1885 until 1908, and was under the private control of Belgium’s King Leopold II through an agreement reached during the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference. In 1908, the territory was administrated directly by the government of Belgium. The Ethiopian flag of 1897 featured a lion wearing a crown and carrying a staff with a cross finial. The design was changed in 1974 after the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie. Rwanda achieved independence from Belgium in 1962 and adopted a tricolor with a large “R” to distinguish it from Guinea’s flag.  A new flag was introduced in 2011 following a brutal civil war.