1) The world's oldest university, Al-Qarawiyyin, was founded in 859 AD and is located in Fez, Morocco.

2) The concept of self-driving cars, or autonomous vehicles, is being actively developed by companies such as Tesla, Google (Waymo), and Uber.

3) The FIFA Ballon d'Or is awarded annually to the best male football (soccer) player in the world, as voted by national team coaches, captains, and journalists.

4) The Sahara Desert, located in North Africa, is the largest hot desert in the world, covering an area of about 9.2 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles). It is characterized by vast stretches of sand dunes, rocky plateaus, and extreme temperatures.