Only April Fools Think Africa Is A Country!

Enlarge this image Leif Parsons for NPR Leif Parsons for NPR

In a brilliant April Fools' day spoof, the Washington Post declared, "Weary professors give up, concede that Africa is a country."

The authors are professors who focus on African countries: Laura Seay at Colby College, and Kim Yi Dionne, who's at Smith College.

"It doesn't matter how many map quizzes I give or how often I interrupt students to ask them to be specific about the amazing pictures from their volunteer trip to 'Africa,' things are never going to change," wrote Dionne in the article. "I might as well give up."

Professors Seay and Dionne, we at Goats and Soda feel your pain!

When contributor Anders Kelto wrote a story about things U.S. students didn't learn about Africa but should, the No. 1 item on his list was:

Africa is not a country. Please, please, please get this right. There are 54 countries and one "non-self-governing territory" (Western Sahara) in Africa. South Africa is a country, not the southern part of a country called "Africa." Similarly, West Africa and East Africa are regions of the continent, each containing many countries. In fact, there is a popular culture and media analysis website that takes its name from the common misconception that Africa is a country.