Banana Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Bunch of Bananas
  • Name: Banana, Bananas
  • Type of Food: Fruit
  • Produced From: Banana plants
  • Total Calories: 105 (118 grams serving)
  • Total Fat: 0.4 grams (118 grams serving)
  • Total Protein: 1.3 grams (118 grams serving)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 27 grams (118 grams serving)

21 Banana Facts for Kids

  1. A banana is a fruit cultivated (grown) and eaten by humans.
  2. Bananas are a member of the Musa genus.
  3. There are around 70 species of bananas in the Musa genus.
  4. The size of a banana varies by species, but typical they are long with a slight curve.
  5. Bananas come in a wide variety of colors, like green, yellow, purple and red.
  6. There are three species of bananas that are commonly cultivated by humans, and they are musa acuminate, musa balbisiana and Musa x paradisiaca, which is a hybrid of the first two mentioned species.
  7. The species of plants that produce bananas are sometimes called banana plants.
  8. Bananas don’t grow on trees; they are an herbaceous flowering plant.
  9. Bananas that are used for cooking are sometimes called cooking bananas or plantains.
  10. A single banana is called a finger and a bunch of bananas is called a hand.
  11. In 2016, over 163 million tons of bananas were produced worldwide.
  12. In 2016, the leading producer of bananas was India with 32 million tons.
  13. In 2013, the multinational company Chiquita held the largest market share for banana production at 13%.
  14. A medium to large size banana has 110 calories.
  15. A medium to large size banana has 450 milligrams of potassium.
  16. A medium to large size banana has 3 grams of dietary fiber.
  17. A medium to large size banana has 19 grams of sugar.
  18. A medium to large size banana has 1 gram of protein.
  19. A medium to large size banana has no cholesterol, fat or sodium.
  20. A common myth is bananas contain significant amounts of potassium. Their potassium content isn’t significant per serving, with only 8% of recommended daily value of potassium.
  21. A person with an allergy to latex can have a reaction from eating a banana.

Additional Resources on Bananas

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