Africa is the only continent with land in all four hemispheres.
The hemispheres divide the world into four sections, with the equator separating the Northern and Southern hemispheres at zero degrees latitude and the prime meridian separating the Western and Eastern hemispheres at zero degrees longitude. Most continents fall within only a few of these invisible boundaries, but one has land in all four hemispheres: Africa. The equator passes through seven African nations (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Republic of Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, and Uganda), while the prime meridian crosses five (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Tongo).
Countries beyond Africa that lie in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres include the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, while Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Kiribati, and the Maldives intersect the Northern and Southern hemispheres. (In fact, the atolls of Kiribati cross all four hemispheres; some other nations also cross several hemispheres if you include their overseas possessions.) But with 12 hemisphere-spanning countries and land at both the prime meridian and equator, Africa’s spot on the map is unparalleled.
In Europe, 16 sets of twins are born for every 1,000 live births. In the U.S., the rate is 33 for every 1,000. In Igbo-Ora, Nigeria, the rate is 158 per 1,000. That’s earned the small town some 50 miles away from Lagos the nickname of “the twin capital of the world” — as well as a great deal of interest from the scientific community. It’s speculated that the high rate of twin births may be linked to the eating habits of the Yoruba people, an ethnic group who also reside in Benin and Togo. Cassava and yam tubers are both staples of their diet, and research suggests that phytoestrogen found in their peelings may be linked to the release of more than one egg during fertilization.
